Tango at the festival
They’re doing the tango in Isidingo, Al Pacino did it in Scent of a Woman, director Sally Potter found her feet with The Tango Lesson, and great Spanish
film-maker Carlos Sauro gave up political protest for the consuming fires of
tango and flamenco.
At the festival, Tango del Fuego, directed by Marthinus Basson, is a fusion of
drama, dance and song. It boasts a large cast of musicians and performers who
sensually glissade in and out of character and medium with magical intent. The
suggestive layers are heightened by sophisticated lighting effects and visual
styling.
Grupo Encuentros will sweep you into the seductive world of Argentina’s national
treasure, the tango. This ensemble will form part of the festival’s New Music
Indaba with a programme entitled Tangos by the Score. With mezzo-soprano Marta
Blanco and bandeon player Daniel Binelli, conductor Alicia Terzian leads her
players through the rhythms of four pieces by the tango master Ator Piazzola and
classics by Demare, De Pedro, Mores and Terzian’s own Un Argentino en Europa and
Tango Blues.
Children’s activities
The Children’s Arts Festival, the exciting and ever-popular entertainment programme hosted by St Andrew’s prep school, is for pre-school and primary school pupils. There is a wide range of arts-related activities, including music, dance, drama, festival shows, exhibitions and visits to the craft markets. Participants are allocated to specific groups, depending on their age
and abilities. Adult supervision is guaranteed. Advance bookings are recommended.
Tips for first-timers
The festival is an exciting proposition for many first-timers but how are you
going to fit in all you want to see and do in Grahamstown? Most hardened festinos will tell you, you won’t. But with a touch of forward planning you’ll
get pretty close.
Advance planning: Book tickets in advance for those shows that you absolutely
have to see because they’re always the ones that fill up first. Remember not to
overload your schedule there’s still the fringe programme to come and you need
time to wander through countless exhibitions, get the buzz at the Sundowner concerts, shop at the craft markets, take in the street theatre, and to relax
and absorb what you’ve seen in the atmosphere of one of the many festival eateries or pubs.
Getting around: Know where you’re staying and where you’re going. A map detailing all the festival venues is freely available at information centres,
hotels, residences and ticket offices, and is also printed in the festival programme. Study the map carefully to judge distances and locate parking areas.
The Festival Hopper service is the way to travel at festival time in Grahamstown. These buses service three circular routes past most venues on a
regular basis throughout the day. Hopper timetables are printed on the back of
the venue maps.
Grahamstown is a small place but the myriad goings-on can result in a quick five-minute stroll between venues evolving into a fascinating cultural event in
itself. The antidote? Give yourself plenty of time between performances. Remember also that times given for shows are not always accurate and performances can over-run the published times allow at least 50 minutes between shows. No refunds on tickets can be made for late arrivals.
The festival programme, available only in Grahamstown, is a veritable mine of
information. It contains, among other things, the low-down on all main and fringe productions and exhibitions (including durations and age-restrictions), a comprehensive daily diary, a list of places to eat, meet and congregate, and a
colour-coded venue map.
Programmes can be ordered in advance at a discounted rate or bought in Grahamstown at any information centre.
CUE, the daily festival newspaper, contains reviews and articles by leading arts
writers, daily schedules and programme changes. Find out what’s hot and what’s
not in Cue Clips and catch the sundowner concerts live on CUE-TV, an exclusive
TV station that broadcasts on UHF throughout Grahamstown during the festival.
Food: From wors rolls on the run to slap-up meals in swanky restaurants, from
Thailand to Torquay and back again in a whirlwind of gastronomic delights, Grahamstown offers a menu to satisfy the most pernickety of gourmets. Indoors
and outdoors, formal and informal pubs, restaurants, stalls, coffee bars and
cafes abound and most venues offer a steady supply of sustenance at all hours.
Dress code: Grahamstown’s weather is always unpredictable so be prepared sunglasses, umbrella, winter coats, T-shirts and shorts and extra blankets!
Dress is informal and comfortable shoes are essential. Try to dress in layers to peel off if it gets warmer and bring a large carry-all an essential accessory
to cope with hauling your programme, souvenirs, scarf, sun cream, etcetera around town.
Accommodation
The Grahamstown Accommodation Guild has, for a number of years, been the controlling body for the informal accommodation sector in Grahamstown for the
festival period. The guild has been successful in establishing a code of conduct, which calls for efficient service, accurate descriptions of accommodation offered and defined conditions of hire.
As in the past, the festival agents will continue to take bookings for informal-
sector accommodation directly from visitors, but a new development in 2001 sees
the opening of a Grahamstown accommodation booking office that will arrange accommodation on behalf of the formal year-round accommodation industry. For
more information contact Kim Price on (046) 622 5777 or 082 758 4740 or e-mail
[email protected] or go to www.grahamstownaccom.co.za
Festival Accommodation Agents:
l Stanley J Dold Festival Accommodation. Contact Doug Read on (046) 622 2839 or
[email protected]
l Festival Homes Accommodation. Contact Ann Ashburner on (046) 622 5313 or [email protected]
l Festival Bed & Breakfast. Contact Terri King (046) 622 2589 or [email protected]
l Bed ‘n Breakfast SA. Contact Jeanine Baart on (046) 622 6063 or [email protected]
lUmso Accommodation in Grahamstown East. Contact Thabisa Xonxa on (046) 637 1632
or 072 124 9011
l Kenton Estate. Contact Pippa Steele-Gray on (046) 648 1212.
Ticket bookings
Bookings can be made through any of the Computicket outlets or Computicket’s
teletix system on (011) 340 8000 or 083 915 8000 (ticket collection at the Monument Box Office. Or visit the festival website on www.sbfest.co.za
Winter School 2001
This year’s proceedings are divided into 10 sections: What’s Going on Here?,
which includes discussions of controversial issues with public figures; Bugs,
Fish and Stars explores science; Words in Place features well known writers;
Making Judgements is about ethics; Heritage looks into historical events and
personalities, and Ideas in Performance looks at creative processes; a lifestyle
workshop looks at Feng Shui; Looking at Art focuses on fine art processes and an open platform will be held with arts activist Mike van Graan.
At the Blue Lecture Theatre, Eden Grove on Rhodes campus.
ENDS