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30/6/2004

National Arts Festival

National Arts Festival, Grahamstown

National Arts Festival, Grahamstown 1 July to 10 July 2004

The milestone 2004 National Arts Festival opens in Grahamstown on 1 July with an extensive line-up of South African and International events capturing the spirit of the moment for a broad spectrum of audiences

The Festival, which boasts its 30th anniversary and coincides with South Africa's tenth year of democracy, is going to be the place to be for everyone who is truly proudly South African. The National Arts Festival, Grahamstown first opened its doors in 1974, with 60-odd items, and now boasts approximately 600 events on the Main and Fringe programmes. There are about 1 800 performances varying from theatre, dance, opera, cabaret, art, classical music, jazz, poetry reading and lectures.

The Festival boasts over 100 000 visitors who come to experience one of the world's most diverse displays of artistic talent, and share in the huge cross-section of cultures, resulting in the most unusual display of cultural tapestry. Zulu and Eastern Cape beadwork, ballet, community theatre, township jazz and many other proudly South African initiatives will endear visitors to this Festival.

Says Marais, " All the country's major creative centres and disciplines are represented, and highlights include, Antigone where Sean Mathias has cast John Kani as King Creon to make this an "African" production. Reza De Wet's Breathing In is a visitation from the Anglo-Boer War period and calls up the darker instincts that lurk in the recesses of the human psyche.

An exciting new production by the Standard Bank Young Artist award winner, Mncidisi Shabangu, Cold Stone Jug, is Herman Charles Bosman's prison chronicle and promises to be out of the top drawer.

The dance on the programme is very strong, with two foreign companies featuring on the programme. The South African Ballet Theatre Company and the KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra join together to present Giselle, the utterly romantic ballet where a young heroine makes the ultimate sacrifice to save the perfidious man she loves.

Festival-goers can also look forward to the favourite free street performances, a wonderful music, opera, jazz line-up, dance, outstanding exhibitions, a wonderful array of films and the popular winter school with lively debates and stimulating new insights. Last but not least the Fringe programme is filled to capacity and always provides great entertainment for everyone.

"There is a wealth of talent in our country, and it is this talent that should be brought to the fore through festivals like the National Arts Festival. We are grateful to all our sponsors, the Eastern Cape Government, Standard Bank, the National Arts Council, the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund and the SABC, for acknowledging the benefits of festivals like this and for providing funding to promote our own talent thus making a difference in the lives of South Africans," concludes Marais.

For more information on the National Arts Festival, see the website. Booking opens on 10 May 2004 at Computicket and booking kits will be available from the end of April at selected Standard Bank branches and major Computicket outlets, or telephone 046 603 1103.

About the National Arts Festival:
Proudly brought to you by the Eastern Cape Government, Standard Bank, National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund, SABC and National Arts Council. The Festival began in 1974 as a project of the Grahamstown Foundation and has since grown to be one of the leading arts festivals in southern Africa. In 2002, the Festival was renamed the National Arts Festival, Grahamstown and is now an independent Section 21 company.

Kim Daly
GR Communications
(021) 886-7743

National Arts Festival
Grahamstown

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