The Arts Festival Events Music THAT OLD BAT MAGIC So you thought The Bats were 100% South African? Well you ain t seen nothin yet, baby, or rather.. Take a sho t left, China, the toppies are now full on, proudly and clearly loudly South African. And let me tell you, it s THAT OLD BAT MAGIC that will take you on a taxi ride from the Cape to the Townships, from the 60s to now, with no stops, just laughs and hair-raising bends. Okay, not so much of the hair and limited bends, but it s a ride you won t forget. And all four wheels are intact; Eddie Eckstein, Paul Ditchfield, Pete Clifford and Derek Gordon are all still roadworthy, in a manner of speaking. Being one of South Africa s longest running products, with unlimited mileage, The Bats are back rocking and laughing the night away with their brand of memorable music and side-splitting humour. So, if you want to forget your troubles like ZUMA, JULIUS AND E-TOLLS, pop in and let them relax you. Ja, these four vintage classics bring to you the murst amazing shurw that is cool, kiff, and just plain lekker..seriaas! Friday 15 July at 18h00 (60 min) and Saturday 16 July at 17h30 (90 min) in the Guild Theatre auditorium R120 NDUDUZO MAKHATHINI QUINTET Growing up in a small town, umgungundlovu near Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, Makhathini was surrounded by music as a child. Coming from a very musical family his mother was a pianist and his father a guitarist he was exposed to a range of music, including traditional Zulu music. He recalls turning the knob on the radio until it reached the end, where he would listen to Indian music. He was part of the choir at school and would sing at church and, until he finished school, his voice was his instrument. It was only after high school that he started to study jazz piano. He is also 2015 s Standard Bank Young Artist for Jazz, a UKZN graduate and 1st recipient of the British Academy Newton Advanced Fellowship Masters Scholarship. Currently enrolled in Stellenbosch for his masters in music. He is also a lecturer at the University of Fort Hare. Makhathini has played, toured and recorded with Busi Mhlongo, Zim Ngqawana, Feya Faku, Jimmy Dludlu, Herbie Tsaoeli, and many others Friday 15 July at 20h00 (90min) in the Guild Theatre auditorium R120 HUMBLE MAN Humble Man has been playing The Blues for 25 years. Original band members Colin and Greg Clur, together with Titch Wild, have recorded two albums to date. Donne Dowlman has been drafted into the band on bass guitar, giving Greg the opportunity of pursuing his love for six strings.
Sunday 17 July at 16h00 in the Guild Theatre auditorium (150min) R120 UNZIPPED The multiple award-winning Godfrey Johnson will enchant you with a variety of colourful characters, including the very concerned citizen, Nugent, and the hyper-neurotic new age wonder woman, Juniper Jade. The show will include new satirical songs covering a wide range of trending themes from corporate cannibals to post-hipster hipsters. Johnson will also take requests from the audience. Watch as he effortlessly plays piano, sings and entertains with an extensive repertoire which includes the songs of Billy Joel, David Bowie, Leonard Cohen, Jacques Brel and Cole Porter. Enjoy a good laugh and perhaps a subtle tear. Johnson was most recently seen in the acclaimed Vaslav directed by Lara Bye. He was also responsible for composing the music for Pieter-Dirk Uys Die Van Aardes Van Grootoor. In 2015 he was nominated for three Fleur du Cap Awards for best actor in a musical, best solo performance and best musical composer. His other notable shows are Flirting with Coward and The Shadow of Brel, both directed by Sanjin Muftic. Saturday 16 July at 12h30 and Sunday 17 July at 12h00 in the Guild Theatre auditorium (45min) R100 Comedy GUILD THEATRE COMEDY NIGHT TATS NKONZO IS PRIVILEGED Everybody is privileged. It s like a play we all enjoy at some level. White people just have front row seats. After an uncomfortable interaction between himself, his two-year old son and a homeless man, this show was born. It is a comedy show about a middle-class Black South African forced to face his own privilege, and the hilarious journey and discovery of how far it goes. After his successful two-week run of The Clever Black at the Baxter Theatre, Tats Nkonzo is now here for one night only with his new show, Tats Nkonzo is Privileged. Saturday 16 July at 20h00 in the Guild Theatre auditorium R70 ROY SWANN COMEDY MAGIC Come & experience the absolutely impossible and visual magic presented with loads of comedy. You will gasp in amazement and be in stitches with laughter! Saturday 16 July at 14h45 in the Guild Theatre auditorium (30 min) R50
Drama WAITING FOR NELSON Set in post-apartheid South Africa, 21 years after the first ever democratic election, the production centres on a couple who are faced with issues directly associated with that one important one which has historically, currently and will probably affect future South Africans: RACE. Waiting for Nelson premiered at the Youth Arts Festival at the Roodepoort Theatre on 1 May 2014 and was awarded best play drama in the festival. Sunday 17 July at 14h00 in the Guild Theatre auditorium (60min) R50 Family Fare THE JACKAL AND THE WOLF The Jackal is a clever chap, far too clever for poor old Wolf and Catherine Crow, but wait and see what Owl has to say about that! Join us for the adaptation of this Aesop fable performed by local puppeteers with life-size puppets. Saturday 16 July at 10h00 (30min) R20 ONE MAN ONE LIGHT Inspired by the Italian 'La Linea' cartoon series, 'One Man One Light explores and showcases the versatility of a single light source through its interaction with a solitary performer. If we allow our imagination the freedom and licence to run wild, we can give anything a 'voice' and venture into exciting and unexplored territory. Saturday 16 July at 14h00 and Sunday 17 July at 11h00 in the Guild Theatre auditorium (20min) R20 adult / R10 child FILM FRED ASTAIRE AND GINGER ROGERS FILM FESTIVAL Possibly the best known and most loved dance partnership in the history of the movies dating from the 1930 s, this film festival consists of three of their most successful productions :- Top Hat Saturday 16 July at 10h30 in the Guild Theatre dance studio (120min) R25 Follow the Fleet Saturday 16 July at 15h30 in the Guild Theatre dance studio (120min) R25 Shall We Dance Sunday 17 July at 10h00 in the Guild Theatre dance studio (120min) R25
ART EXHIBITION AT THE COURTENAY LATIMER HALL There will be an exhibition in the Courtenay Latimer Hall at the East London Museum of a selection of the work of East London's talented artists. There will be a variety of media and styles. Each artist will bring a selection of their portfolio which will be displayed on the walls. Some of the participants are - Natalie van Wyk, Jeff Rankin, Sandra Thomas, George Kockott, John Steele, Bernard Barry, Wandile Ntlanganiso, Charles Felmore, Katherine Harmer and Paul Schmidt. All works will be for sale. Saturday 16 July and Sunday 17 July from 10h00 to 16h00 at the Courtenay Latimer Hall (Free entrance) ART @ THE COACH HOUSE The Ann Bryant Coach House will be displaying a selection of work by emerging artists from the Buffalo City district. All works on show will be for sale. There will be a cross-section of media from ceramics, sculpture, drawing, wood cut and oil painting. This is a great opportunity to acquire artworks at reasonable prices which could lead to a great investment later. Please enquire at the main gallery for any assistance. Saturday 16 July and Sunday 17 July from 10h00 to 16h00 at the Ann Bryant Coach House (free entrance) GUIDED TOUR ON ASPECTS OF THE ANN BRYANT PERMANENT COLLECTION The tour will start with a short description of the history of the Ann Bryant Art Gallery and will then progress to the upstairs section where the Victorian display will be viewed, with particular mention of Victorian artist Louis Bosworth Hurt, a Scottish highland scene, the two paintings by Richard Carruthers, one of which was a portrait of William Wordsworth in his midlife (only two exist in the world today). The tour will then focus on the early landscape painters of the 1900's, such as Hugo Naude, Thinus de Jong and Terence McCaw, following up with the display of Cecil Skotnes's White Monday Disaster, an illustrated story of Wolraad Woltemade, as well as a short discussion on the Polly Street School which started the era of black contemporary art. Moving on to the pioneers of black contemporary art such as George Pemba and Mslaba Dumile, the tour will culminate with the Grahamstown group led by Brian Bradshaw and the influence of Rhodes University on the art of the Eastern Cape. The walk-about will end with a view of some talented local artists from the East London area. Saturday 16 July and Sunday 17 July at 14h00 at the Ann Bryant Art Gallery (60min) R25 WATERCOLOUR WORKSHOP Sandy Thomas is an ex-east London artist now living in Bathurst, Eastern Cape. The watercolour workshop will be two hours of fun, playing with different techniques and applications of watercolour paint, with the focus on experimenting with the unpredictable and accidental effects of the medium. Bring your own watercolour paints, brushes and plenty of watercolour paper.
Saturday 16 July and Sunday 17 July at 10h00 at the Coach House at the Ann Bryant Art Gallery (120min) R210 History LECTURE ON ROCK ART - Victor Biggs It is thought that South Africa has the richest treasure trove of rock art in the world. The mysterious techniques of how the paintings were created, their symbolism and also interpretation, have been the subject of much debate. What is clear is the deeply spiritual significance these paintings represent for the artists. We can get a glimpse of their way of life, the animals they encountered and their shamanic activities. Nelson Mandela who, when endorsing Tara in 2005, said, Africa s rock art is the common heritage of all Africans, but it is more than that. It is the common heritage of humanity. Join Victor Biggs for a glance into the world of rock art. Saturday 16 July at 14h30 at the East London Museum (60 min) R25 WORLD WAR I CENTENARY EXHIBITION, 1914 1918 - Major Step Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie the Duchess of Hohenburg, are killed by Bosnian Serb nationalist, Gavrilo Princip. The Austrian government suspects that Serbia is responsible. These events would lead to the First World War. Join Major Step for a walk and talk on South African involvement in this fascinating period of history that shaped the world as we know it today. Sunday 17 July at 14h30 at the East London Museum (60min) R25 FOOD Chocolate and Wine Pairing by your Somelier Chocolate is the confectionery match to wine. Perhaps this is because the process of making chocolate is very similar to that of wine. Both cocoa beans and wine are fermented with the very same type of yeast. No wonder there are so many wine and chocolate lovers! Discover the distinguished taste of Lanzerac wines with finely crafted chocolate. Saturday 16 July at 15h30 in the Guild Theatre foyer (90 min) R80 Saturday 16 July at 20h00 in the Guild Theatre auditorium (60 min) R70