Don’t Miss This: August 7 – 13

Cape Town

• The District Six Homecoming Centre is also spotlighting women with the National Women’s Day Film Festival – a day of films by or about women. Some of the films on the programme include, The Golden Years (1) Maria April (SA), tells “the story of a woman’s fight to reclaim her grandmother’s bones that were used by a white school teacher in his biology class”; Golden Years (2) Fatima Dike (SA) is a moving story about the first black SA woman to become a published playwright and Sathima’s Windsong (Canada/SA) ­– which is about the life and times of South African jazz singer, Sathima Bea Benjamin. The floor will also be open for discussions after the screenings. WHEN Until August 8. WHERE Home Centre of the District Six Museum. TIME 12pm – 5pm. INFO Visit uwc.ac.za/Events/Pages or call Bonita Bennett on 021 466 7200.

• If aren’t heading to the Oppikoppi music festival this year you can still catch the international headlining acts on stage ­– just as a taste of what they’ll be bringing to the annual music festival. The headliners include Scottish alternative rock bands Twin Atlantic and Brand New, a band that hails from New York City. WHEN August 7. WHERE Shimmy Beach Club, V&A Waterfront. TIME 8pm. COST R400. TICKETS Available at Computicket. INFO Visit Shimmybeachclub.com.

Brand New (Pic: Alexa Lambros)

• Wie`s Bang Vir Virginia Woolf is back on stage with a cast that includes esteemed actors Marius Weyers as George, Sandra Prinsloo as Martha, Wessel Pretorius as Nick and Greta Pietersen as Honey. The classic 1962 play by Edward Albee has been translated into Afrikaans by Saartjie Botha and features English subtitles. The play tells the story of a married couple that must address the betrayal and lies found in their relationship. WHEN Until August 8. WHERE The Fugard Theatre. TIME Friday at 7:30pm and Saturday at 4pm. COST R90 – R180. INFO Visit thefugard.com 

Polokwane

• The National Choir Festival is a national choral music competition that sees choirs from all across the SADC region battle it out note by note. The competition is conducted at district and regional/provincial level – building up to the National Final event. Choirs from Limpopo will compete in the regional section of the competition in hopes to represent their province at the National Finals that are to be held in December. WHEN August 8. WHERE Meropa Casino. TIME 9am. COST R40. INFO Visit Dogreatthings.co.za

Johannesburg 

• Radio station, 5FM, is hosting a series of parties with female deejays behind the decks in celebration of Women’s Month. The shows entitled The Queen of Clubs, will happen in major cities, johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town and Durban. The all female line-up includes Nicole da Silva, Poppy Ntshongwana, Ms Cosmo, Stephanie B and Mixi. WHEN August 7 at Tiger Tiger Pretoria; August 8 at Tige Tiger in Cape Town and August 9 at Tiger Tiger in Durban and Johannesburg at Tiger Tiger. TIME 7:30pm. COST R40 for ladies and R50 for guys. INFO Visit tigertiger.co.za.

Poppy Ntshongwana

• Ghanaian/South African jazz vocalist Zetina Mosia is set to bring the jazz and funk to the 2015 Soweto Art & Craft Fair, as the headlining act for the event. The fair aims to bring people together through music and art, while contributing to the sustainability of South Africa’s informal creative sectors. Audiences can also look forward to the Kasi Movie Nights, where films such as Hear Me Move – the first local dance movie – will be screened. WHEN August 8. WHERE Soweto Theatre, Jabulani Soweto. TIME 12pm – 7pm. COST Free entrance. INFO See Facebook.com/The Soweto Art and Craft Fair.

• South African Music Awards nominee Josie Field will treat fans to an exclusive acoustic session for an audience of 80. Field is renowned for her unique voice and for fusing folk and soul and country in her music. Her latest body of work is an unplugged album entitled S’bongile, which features reworked material and a new track entitle, Seasick.  WHEN August 8. WHERE Pont de Val, Riverside Bistro. TIME 8pm. COST R195 & table bookings can be made on 061 004 0019. INFO Visit pontdeval.co.za.

• The Opera series Cula Mzansi kick-off with a show that spotlights three short operas written by three South African composers: Bongani Ndodona-Breen wrote Hani, Peter Klatzow wrote Words on a Broken String and Martin Watt wrote Tronkvoel. The three operas will be directed by Warona Seane, Marcus Desando and Tshepo Rotona Librettists: Mfundi Mvundla, Michael Williams and Alwyn Roux. WHEN August 7 – 9. WHERE Soweto Theatre. TIME Friday at 8pm; Saturday at 5pm and Sunday at 3pm. COST R100 – R180. INFO Visit gautengopera.org

Pretoria 

• The Vavasati International Women’s festival pays tribute to the  women who marched to the Pretoria Union Buildings in 1956 to present a petition against the carrying of passes. The festival is features dance, music, drama and poetry stage productions that celebrate women of all races. WHEN August 8 -31. WHERE The South African State Theatre. TICKETS Available at Computicket. INFO Visit Statetheatre.co.za for the full programme.