SIDA !HUB

SIDA !HUB

PLACING FOCUS ON CULTURE THAT IS MINORITISED TO COMMEMORATE HERITAGE MONTH

The Market Theatre Laboratory in partnership with the National Heritage Council will bring Heritage Month to a close at The Market Theatre Foundation by hosting a weeklong programme from 26 – 29 September 2024. The programme will celebrate the histories of minoritised identities and galvanise hope and action towards further protection and cultivation of projects that seek to unite, challenge and develop a sustainable democracy.

The programme will place focus on the stories of minoritised culture and identities to celebrate indigenous language systems and indigenous stories. It will also make room for indigenous narratives and languages to take up space in our creative spaces.

As part of the celebrations, The Lab presents their next Theatre Think Tank instalment, curated by artist-researcher Pule kaJanolintji (Tūkx’aoseb) together with the presentation of Swartwater, a theatre production by Nama Khoi Productions. For the Theatre Think Tank, titled Sida !Hūb: Performing The Land, Pule will bring together two panellists to share their embodied knowledge and research. Collectively, they will tell the story of how land is culture and culture is land, placing minoritised culture and identities at the forefront of the conversation.

The Lab’s Theatre Think Tanks serve as an invaluable exploration and reflection on the wealth of knowledge enacted, embodied and performed by practitioners in the arts, culture and heritage field. The specific aim is to gather, organise and ultimately draw on the knowledge of local communities, making this accessible to the greater community. 

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This Heritage Month iteration of the Theatre Think Tank will unpack the notion of how minoritisation of culture is the dispossession of land, especially when it comes to issues of indigeneity and authenticity. If you are engaged in the arts, or are just curious, don’t miss the Sida !Hūb: Performing The Land Theatre Think Tank which starts at 12h00 on Sunday, 29 September 2024 at The Market Square in Newtown.

The Think Tank is a FREE event.

The production, Swartwater, tells the story about the losses experienced by the Nama Khoi indigenous people during the discovery of diamonds in the 1900s. The story follows a Nama family as they face the painful reality of once again being asked to uproot their lives and leave Swartwater, for the Cape Colony. Through the eyes of Tieles, who is in the process of departing Swartwater, audiences are taken on an emotional journey of profound loss as they unpack the previous forced removals from Dunvlei and Ariesdrift. Swartwater guides the audience through a profound exploration of grief, resilience, and the enduring spirit of a people determined to overcome adversity.

Speaking on the upcoming programme, the head of The Market Theatre Lab, Cherae Halley, says: “Theatre has always had the ability to open dialogue, raise awareness and challenge social norms which often can lead to meaningful action. This Heritage-centred programme will provoke audiences as we look Genocide in the face and engage with the view that land and heritage cannot be separate matters. There is a minoritised culture and minoritised identities in Southern Africa, that need to be repositioned in the patchwork of our African story. I believe both the Think Tank and the production of Swartwater will remind us of that. This is how The Lab wishes to commemorate notions of heritage and culture this month.”

At the helm of Nama Khoi Productions is an extraordinary theatre-maker, Geralt Cloete, whose work is focused on sharing the experiences of the Nama people. Nama Khoi Productions is  situated in Sanddrift, a community on the outskirts of the Northern Cape, in the Namaqualand Region. To bring their work to Johannesburg will assist in expanding the reach of their stories and invite Johannesburg audiences to honour such stories as well as contribute to the developing knowledge of a past not often spoken about.

Audiences can catch their production of Swartwater from Thursday, 26 September to Sunday, 29 September 2024.

To purchase your ticket for this event, kindly visit Webtickets.

ENDS

For enquiries, please contact Bongiwe Potelwa (Publicist at the Market Theatre Foundation) at bongip@marketheatre.co.za or (011) 832 1641.

For reduced price block bookings (of 10 or more) and school groups, contact Anthony Ezeoke (Audience Development) at AnthonyE@markettheatre.co.za or 083 246 4950 or Mamello Khomongoe at mamellok@markettheatre.co.za 0815729612.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

About Pule kaJanolintji:

Pule kaJanolintji (Tūkx’aoseb) is an artist-researcher and cultural technologist working in transdisciplinary peer-learning based in endogenous cultural history and philosophy, with a focus on siNtu Khwemana, and !Ui-Taa language traditions. Pule’s work engages, for example, the |Xam archive through the lens of linguistic philosophy and ontologies of sign, as a scholar of cultural history of Southern African speech practice, presenting this work in artistic form in laboratories such as the Centre for the Less Good Idea, and at various in academic and cultural institutions, such as the School of Commons based at the Zürich University of the Arts. Pule was the administrator of the Khoen di !Nora!noras ǁGū!nans group founded by the late Rassool Snyman, and continues to engage issues of marginalised endogenous traditions of !Naremâb and Azania. Pule has worked as a researcher in the South African government at the National Language Service, and as a guest lecturer at many universities, primarily advocating for the writing systems of the continent, particular the pan-siNtu indigenous writing system, Ditema tsa Dinoko.

About Nama Khoi Productions:

Nama Khoi Productions, established in June 2022 by Geralt Cloete, is made up of a group of young individuals and Khoi activists who use the arts as a methodology to promote, preserve and develop the indigenous knowledge of the Nama Khoi language and culture. They are dedicated to share the experiences of the Nama Khoi people and their culture through the stories they tell and productions they produce. Their award-winning productions continue to raise awareness of the indigenous people located in the Namaqualand Region.

About the Market Theatre Lab:

Homed under the umbrella of The Market Theatre Foundation, The Market Theatre Lab is a multi-award-winning arts incubator, with a reputation for facilitating the development of exceptional young theatre-makers, facilitators, actors, writers and directors, and for creating innovative and relevant new plays. With multiple local, African and global partners, the Lab strives to create enriching experiences that contribute to the personal and artistic growth of each person who participates in our programmes. When the Market Theatre Laboratory opened its doors in 1989, the intention of its founders, Vanessa Cooke, Dr John Kani and Barney Simon, was to provide opportunities to talented youth from disadvantaged backgrounds who would not otherwise be able to pursue their passion for the arts or study further. This remains an integral part of the Lab’s purpose, along with a determination to assist young artists to build sustainable careers, and to create space and visibility for subaltern experiences, voices and identities. The Market Theatre Laboratory is led by Cherae Halley, with all projects managed by Thandeka Nheke.

Cion: Requiem of Ravel’s Boléro 

Cion: Requiem of Ravel’s Boléro

Cion: Requiem of Ravel’s Boléro, draws inspiration from the character Toloki in South African author Zakes Mda’s novels Cion and Ways of Dying. In this piece the message of death and its dire consequences are infused through a lament to be able to confront a universe in which the age-old tropes of greed, power and religion have given rise to loss of life not as a natural phenomenon. Toloki, the professional mourner weaves through this virtual landscape of dissolution giving rise to a catharsis of universal grief that will conquer the sadness, the hard reality continuing to permeate the living confronted by death that is not their own, often so unexpected, brutal and merciless.

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Set in a graveyard with the persistent cries of people in mourning and the a cappella music of Isicathamiya in our languages lead by a quartet to the creative arrangement and composition by Nhlanhla Mahlangu that vividly elicits emotions associated with the loss of life performed dancers who are themselves possessed by the spirit and being one with the departed souls and finally laying them to rest for peace and humanity to prevail. Gregory Maqoma’s message through this work is that we need to pause for a moment and urgently think about the pain inflicted on others by the actions of others.

New Afrikaans Play by Christo Davids Deals with People Living with Disabilities

New Afrikaans Play by Christo Davids Deals with People Living with Disabilities

The Market Theatre and Momentum Beleggins Aardklop look forward to presenting the premiere productions of Laaitie mettie biscuits, a compelling new Afrikaans play written and directed by renowned theatre-maker, Christo Davids.

The play will run from 24 – 28 September 2024 at Momentum Beleggings Aardklop in Potchefstroom, before coming to the Market Theatre for a season starting from 2 – 27 October 2024.

This gripping story by Davids tells the story of Noah – a teenage boy who is mentally challenged and dreams of becoming a policeman, and of looking after his mother and his community.

Thematically, Laaitie mettie biscuits offers a critical assessment of how societies treat people living with disabilities, while honestly interrogating policing ethics, injustices, community safety and human rights. Moreover, it confronts what and who societies consider normal, fearlessly exposing our bias against those who don’t look like us.  

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Speaking as both the writer and director of the work, Davids shares, “The question we must answer is: What and who is normal? Is Noah abnormal in a normal community? Or is Noah normal in an abnormal community…?”

The brilliant cast includes Wayne van Rooyen, Stephanie Baartman, Carla Classen and Joshwin Dyson. The creative team alongside Davids is completed by Jade Bowers’s set design, Jak Brits designing lighting, and Mariska Meyer designing the costumes.

According to the Market Theatre’s Artistic Director, Greg Homann, this production presents an opportunity to reflect on the progress we have made as a nation in ensuring inclusivity and dignity for all.

“The Market Theatre has always been at the centre of critical conversations about topical issues. As a space, we continuously stage bold productions that prick at our collective conscience as a nation, hold authorities accountable and affirm our shared humanity. With courageous honesty, outrageous brilliance and contagious humour, Laaitie mettie biscuits will awaken South Africans to the lived experiences of those on the periphery because they were born ‘different’,” remarks Greg Homann.

Homann emphasises the timeliness of this important production, following the crowning of Mia Le Roux as the first ever Miss SA with a disability.

This captivating play is presented at a profound moment when the arts and social reality are at an intersection. As the nation celebrates the crowning of a Miss South Africa emerging from our society where living with disability, inclusion, diversity and the protection of the marginalised reclaim their place in our national discourse. Laaitie mettie biscuits by the award-winning Davids illustrates the power of using the arts to advocate for the freedoms of others, speak truth to power and become a voice for the unheard.

Christo Davids is not a stranger to bold theatre and the representation of the marginalised. Laaitie mettie biscuits follows up on his award-winning Queenie-they, which highlighted the plight of homeless people.

Davids is a prolific actor, theatre and filmmaker who has established himself as a darling in the hearts of many audiences. Boasting a decades-long career that includes roles in SABC 2’s 7de Laan, The Boy Called Twist and Forgiveness.

Laaitie mettie biscuits will debut at Aardklop in Potchefstroom at the end of September before immediately transferring to The Market Theatre where it will run through most of October. Be sure to catch this brand new play which will do doubt make the audience laugh and, of course, cry. You will not be left untouched!

ENDS

For enquiries, please contact Bongiwe Potelwa (Publicist at the Market Theatre Foundation) at bongiwep@marketheatre.co.za or (011) 832 1641.

For reduced price block bookings (of 10 or more) and school groups, contact Anthony Ezeoke (Audience Development) at AnthonyE@markettheatre.co.za or 083 246 4950 or Mamello Khomongoe mamellok@markettheatre.co.za 0815729612.

CION

CION

Requiem of Ravel’s Boléro (PG5+)

Cion: Requiem of Ravel’s Boléro, draws inspiration from the character Toloki in South African author Zakes Mda’s novels Cion and Ways of Dying. In this piece the message of death and its dire consequences are infused through a lament to be able to confront a universe in which the age-old tropes of greed, power and religion have given rise to loss of life not as a natural phenomenon.

Toloki, the professional mourner weaves through this virtual landscape of dissolution giving rise to a catharsis of universal grief that will conquer the sadness, the hard reality continuing to permeate the living confronted by death that is not their own, often so unexpected, brutal and merciless.

Set in a graveyard with the persistent cries of people in mourning and the a cappella music of Isicathamiya in our languages lead by a quartet to the creative arrangement and composition by Nhlanhla Mahlangu that vividly elicits emotions associated with the loss of life performed dancers who are themselves possessed by the spirit and being one with the departed souls and finally laying them to rest for peace and humanity to prevail. Gregory Maqoma’s message through this work is that we need to pause for a moment and urgently think about the pain inflicted on others by the actions of others.

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COALYARD

THE REVIVAL OF COAL YARD HEADS TO THE MARKET THEATRE

From humble beginnings in a backyard in Phuthaditjhaba in QwaQwa, the Zwakala Festival’s past winner, Coal Yard, will enjoy a revival at the Market Theatre from 10 – 27 October 2024.
Coal Yard follows the journey of a young man called Tshepo whose dreams are shattered. He is forced to run away from his home after his father sexually abuses him. In the wilderness, Tshepo meets a mentor who gets him a job in a coal yard. The optimism of finding hope away from home is short lived when Tshepo has to confront labor under an exploitative boss. The play ultimately depicts the events that characterize the passage from boyhood to manhood in the life of Tshepo.
 
Performed with extraordinary energy, humour and skill, this is a multilingual piece of traditional storytelling par excellence. Working with physical theatre and a stripped back aesthetic reminiscent of plays like those of the late Mbongeni Ngema, including Woza Albert! and Asinamali, the ensemble tells this sensitive story. The set and props are kept to a minimum as the four performers constantly transform themselves across 37 different characters. The action seamlessly moves between dialogue in Sesotho, English, Afrikaans, Xitsonga, Zulu, Sepedi and Setswana.
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The genesis of this production goes back to 2004 when a collective of young theatre-makers assembled in the township of the former homeland to experiment with themes that no one was prepared to talk about. These were the social ills and taboos troubling their communities. The then young creatives were determined to find a theatrical way of presenting difficult subject matter. In 2005, Coal Yard was presented as part of a community festival that led to it winning the 2006 Zwakala Festival at The Market Theatre Laboratory. True to the festival’s legacy, the winning production went on to a hugely successful season at the then Laager Theatre at the Market Theatre. A new trendsetting production was born, garnering praise and many accolades in the process. Now the 2007 Naledi Award nominees for “Best Cutting-Edge Play” are coming back to the historic Market Theatre.

The original cast members were: Diphapang “Pepsi” Mokoena, Tumelo Mokoena, Mbovu Malinga and Tshediso Mofali (late). In their midst they had a passionate choreographer in Ohentse Bodibe who assisted with integrating the movement in the play. Later they were joined by the Market Theatre Laboratory graduate Prince Lamla who further developed the piece with his signature approach to storytelling. Alongside the great success of the work, the group suffered some setbacks. Mofali and Bodibe untimely died.
 
Prince Lamla is at the helm in this revival of the play which is being restaged thanks to a partnership between the Market Theatre and the Performing Arts Centre of The Free State (PACOFS). Lamla, a Wits University Theatre and Performance lecturer, won the Standard Bank Young Artist Award in 2013 which he dedicated to the memory of his friend and fellow creative, Bodibe. The original cast members are now joined by talented actor, Abongile Maurice Matyutyu.
This is a truly must-see production that deals with urgent issues in a theatrically dynamic and powerful way.
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For more information, images and interview with the cast members, please contact Bongiwe Potelwa (Publicist at the Market Theatre Foundation) at bongiwep@markettheatre.co.za or (011) 832 1641.
For reduced price block bookings (of 10 or more) and school groups, contact Anthony Ezeoke (Audience Development) at AnthonyE@markettheatre.co.za or 083 246 4950 or Mamello Khomongoe mamellok@markettheatre.co.za 0815729612

LUMUMBA-INSPIRED PLAY ENCOURAGES AFRICAN UNITY, PEACE AND STABILITY

LUMUMBA-INSPIRED PLAY ENCOURAGES AFRICAN UNITY, PEACE AND STABILITY

Katanga, January 17, a production set to play at the Market Theatre during Heritage Month this September, is aimed at strengthening African artistic collaboration, encouraging an exchange of stories and celebrating the African liberation heritage. Katanga was a secessionist province in the Republic of Congo in which the first prime minister of that country, Patrice Lumumba, and his associates were assassinated by a firing squad on 17 January 1961.
 
The show tackles important conversations about colonialism, African solidarity, instability, independence and decolonisation through the revered life of Lumumba, the slain Prime Minister. Blending poetry and prose, Katanga, January 17 presents a biography of Lumumba and how his legacy continues to impact present-day Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). 
Furthermore, it explores events surrounding the assassinations of Lumumba and fellow comrades, Joseph Okito and Maurice Mpolo.
 
The story is aptly narrated through the eyes of a former child soldier, detailing the well-documented psychological, physical and social impact of war on child soldiers.
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Katanga, January 17 is co-written by internationally renowned writer, poet and academic, Lesego Rampolokeng, in conjunction with Bobby Rodwell, a human rights activist, playwright and director. Rampolokeng enriches the script with captivating poetry, while Rodwell provides personal narratives of the people she’s interviewed. The third co-writer of the play is Lumumba himself, through his famous last letter to his wife, Pauline Lumumba.
 
Audiences can expect to be transported to the eastern DRC – where ‘home becomes the mouth of a lion’ – and be exposed to the lived realities of the Congolese people, while touring the African liberation route. Additionally, the play triggers moments of deep reflection about the role of former colonial powers in the scramble for Africa’s resources, and the realisation of an African renaissance built on the strong pillars of good governance, democracy, unity, trade, economic transformation and peace, among others.
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The production is directed by Khutjo Green (who is also cast member) and co-written by Bobby Rodwell. According to Rodwell, Katanga, January 17 attempts to speak to the complex history and precariousness of life in the DRC as illustrated by the living descendants of Lumumba and Okito. “We are the children of war,” says Juliana Lumumba, daughter of Patrice Lumumba. “As my father ran in 1961, when his father, Joseph Okito was assassinated, so the children of the Congo are still running,” adds Joseph Okito’s grandson.
 
Katanga, January 17 is told in English, Ki-Swahili, Lingala and French. It features a proudly pan-African cast of South African and Congolese thespians. The South Africans in the cast are much-loved actors, Billy Langa, Khutjo Green and Thabo Malema. Billy recently featured in Poet-O-Type at the Market Theatre, while Khutjo Green was seen in Ka Lebitso La Moya at this year’s National Arts Festival.
 
Cameroonian actor Nji Alain, who is now living in South Africa, complete the pan-African cast. 
 
Co-writer, Lesego Rampolokeng, is widely published across genres with well received poetry collections such as Horns for Hondo (1990), Talking Rain (1993), The Bavino Sermons (1999), Head on Fire (2012) as well as A Half Century Thing (2015), among others. Lesego has also penned three novels – Blackheart (2004), Whiteheart (2005) and Bird-Monk Seding (2018) – and stage plays such as Bantu Ghost: A Stream of (Black) Unconsciousness and Fanon’s Children, in addition to contributing to many other plays.
 
Bobby Rodwell is the Founder and Director of pioneering theatre company, mehlo-maya (eye-to-the-sun) through which she has produced several acclaimed theatre pieces based on personal narratives. Her work includes The Story I Am About to Tell based on the Bishop Desmond Tutu-led Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) hearings where victims and perpetrators shared personal stories of atrocities under Apartheid. Other works include flipping the script (2007) and Theatre on Trains (2011), which both focused on gender-based violence in the home, public spaces and on trains. In Frontières (2021), Rodwell shone a light on personal stories of migration with African migrants taking centre stage in a well-received production which took place at the Market Theatre.
 
Don’t miss this dynamic cast as they weave together a narrative that, through movement and text, reveals a critical moment in the history of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and its significance to the African continent.
 
For enquiries, please contact Bongiwe Potelwa (Publicist at the Market Theatre Foundation) at bongiwep@marketheatre.co.za or (011) 832 1641 ext 224.
 
For reduced price block bookings (of 10 or more) and school groups, contact Anthony Ezeoke (Audience Development) at AnthonyE@markettheatre.co.za or 083 246 4950 or Mamello Khomongoe mamellok@markettheatre.co.za 0815729612

INTERNATIONAL DANCE FESTIVAL HEADS FROM DURBAN TO JOBURG

INTERNATIONAL DANCE FESTIVAL HEADS FROM DURBAN TO JOBURG

As part of celebrating a 2nd year of partnership, the Centre for Creative Arts and the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Festival is delighted to continue to work with the Market Theatre to collaborate in sharing a smaller and carefully curated “JOMBA! @ THE MARKET” following the Durban festival in September. Four selected local and international dance companies will travel onto Johannesburg and the Market Theatre and will feature in a week-long celebration of some of the world’s most profound and provoking dance makers and dance companies.

The selected dance companies include Deepak Kurki Shivaswamy from India, internationally renowned South African choreographer Robyn Orlin working with Moving into Dance, Yaseen Manuel from Cape Town, and renowned South African dance company, JAZZART. Audiences in Gauteng will have 4 days to revel in the performance excellence of this curated contemporary dance platform from 11 to 14 September 2024, alongside special free workshops.

The curatorial provocation of this 26th annual JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience is “finding our way home”. 

Curator Dr Lliane Loots says, “ This year’s JOMBA! is set against a backdrop of both local and global political renegotiations of what it means to be human, to belong, to have a home and to be a citizen of a country (and of a planet); against an occupied Gaza, a ravaged Ukraine, anti-foreigner right wing political movements in Europe, a South African government of national unity that is busy manoeuvring for power … JOMBA! begins to ask what is means to find our way home”. 

She continues, “As a critical dance festival, we have curated a series of artistic encounters that question ideas of home, belonging and citizenship. We have invited dance works that ask us to relook at home as not just a physical space, but as a metaphoric and poetic space where we are either seeking to return, or to leave. We honour dance makers who will be bringing beauty, humour, pathos and politics to our stages and hearts”.

To this end, JOMBA! and JOMBA! @ The Market Theatre is delighted to be honouring veteran South African dance maker Robyn Orlin as the 2024 JOMBA! Legacy Artist for her innovative, political and deeply interrogated dance and theatre work that spans over four decades of dance making in South Africa and internationally. JOMBA! celebrates Robyn Orlin for her vision and practice, her wit, humour and insight, and for significantly contributing to our countries rich critical contemporary dance history and legacy.

Now living in Berlin, Orlin presents we wear our wheels with pride and slap your streets with color … we said ‘bonjour’ to satan in 1820 … – a work made with Johannesburg based MOVING INTO DANCE. It is a deeply personal work that emanates from one of Robyn’s childhood memories visiting Durban. These were the Zulu rickshaws whose “pushers” (or rather pullers), with their elastic stride, seemed to dance with their bodies suspended in the air. In a visually arresting dance work that honours the visual beauty of these rickshaws, Orlin also reminds us, as she says, “of a dirty history deeply buried in the political collective unconscious reminding audiences of facets of the Zulu rickshaws, considering their origins, inseparable from the time of colonization”. In the way that only Orlin can, she delves into the Rickshaw driver’s mischievous appropriation, sublimation, irony and self-deprecation, as she celebrates the Rickshaw driver’s refusal to concede their dignity to colonial and apartheid forces.

With support from the Indian Consulate (Durban and Johannesburg), ICCR, and the Swami Vivekananda Centre (Durban) JOMBA! and JOMBA! @ The Market is delighted to continue its South-South partnerships by welcoming Bangalore based dancer and choreographer Deepak Kurki Shivaswamy. With distant roots in classical Indian dance forms, Deepak Shivaswamy is firmly embedded in contemporary dance making and a search for finding ways to express modern Indian identities – and all the cognate ideas of home that this entails. He presents a double bill titled Vasudaiva Kutumbakam. He says, “this is a concept that the world is one family. This theme inspires our performances here at JOMBA! through the universal language of dance”. His first work Weight of Time invites audiences to question the traditional idea of art having a purpose. Instead, it encourages you to be present and enjoy the performance for the sake of the experience. The second work, Mycelium Maatu looks at the mycelium a network of fungal threads that organise themselves naturally into a beautiful, open-ended structure that supports and connects each other. This offers a profound provocation to Shivaswamy’s dance making.

JOMBA! 2024 also launches an innovative joint annual dance commission by the CCA JOMBA! and the Market Theatre with the express purpose of supporting and making space for innovative and provocative South African dance makers. Titled the PHAKAMISA Dance Commission – with reference to the isiZulu idea of lifting up and holding – this commission is an ongoing commitment to the illustrious JOMBA! and Market Theatre partnership (started in 2023) to grow and support South African dance. The Artistic Director of the Market Theatre, Greg Homann, shares, “We are delighted, at a difficult intersection of global histories to support the work and vision of Cape Town based Yaseen Manuel. His unique access of his own Muslim South African history with the intersection of both personal and political dance storytelling, makes him an exceptional voice in dance.”

Yaseen Manual presents Madha Kan which is a deeply personal journey that interrogates the current events unfolding in Palestine; capturing not only the harsh realities but also the deep compassion and kindness of its citizens. Initially a solo endeavor, Madha Kan is now evolving into a new ensemble work for JOMBA! and will be premiered nationally for its first time at JOMBA! Manual will stay on at Market Theatre for a further week of performances after JOMBA! as part of his PHKAMISA Dance Commission.

As the fourth offering and carefully negotiating the festival’s provocations, JOMBA! @ The Market welcomes Cape Town’s powerhouse company JAZZART. JAZZART offer a specially curated evening titled RESILIENCE and serves as a poignant exploration of the strength, flexibility, and enduring adaptability of the South African spirit. Featuring three captivating works; I am African choreographed by Jazzart’s Head of Training, Sifiso Kweyama, Battlefield choreographed by ex-Jazzart Company Dancer, Lihle Mfene, and Dark Flock crafted by the award-winning duo MANACAN. This triple bill is a powerful programme and will captivate audiences with the sheer mastery that is JAZZART.

Full JOMBA! @ The Market Theatre Programme:

Wednesday 11 September:

  • 6:30pm : Deepak Kurki Shivaswamy (India) – Barney Simon Theatre
  • 8pm : – Robyn Orlin with Moving into Dance (Germany/France/South Africa) – John Kani Theatre

Thursday 12 September:

  • 6:30pm : Deepak Kurki Shivaswamy (India) – Barney Simon Theatre
  • 8pm: Robyn Orlin with Moving into Dance (Germany/France/South Africa) – John Kani Theatre

Friday 13 September:

  • 6:30pm : Yaseen Manuel (South Africa) – Barney Simon Theatre
  • 8pm : JAZZART (South Africa) – John Kani Theatre

 Saturday 14 September:

  • 6:30pm : Yaseen Manuel (South Africa) – Barney Simon Theatre
  • 8pm : JAZZART (South Africa) – John Kani Theatre

PHAKAMISA Dance Commission

 Thursday 19 September

  • 7pm : Yaseen Manuel’s Madha Kan (South Africa) – Barney Simon Theatre

Friday 20 September

  • 7pm : Yaseen Manuel’s Madha Kan (South Africa) – Barney Simon Theatre

Saturday 21 September

  • 3pm : Yaseen Manuel’s Madha Kan (South Africa) – Barney Simon Theatre
  • 7pm : Yaseen Manuel’s Madha Kan (South Africa) – Barney Simon Theatre

JOMBA! and the Market Theatre will also facilitate a series of free workshops with guest artists:

Tuesday 10 September: 4 – 6pm with Robyn Orlin

Thursday 12 September: 3:30 – 5pm with Deepak Kurki Shivaswamy

Saturday 14 September: 10am – 12noon with JAZZART

Saturday 12 September: 3.30 – 5pm with Yaseen Manuel

These workshops are offered free of charge to participants, but booking is essential as places are limited. The workshops are only open to dancers 16yrs and older.

E-mail thobimaphanga@gmail.com to book a place – at least 1 days in advance of the workshop. No booking, no participation!

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JOMBA! Vasudaiva Kutumbakam - Deepak Kurki Shivaswamy

11 - 12 September 2024

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JOMBA! Legacy Artist Robyn Orlin

11 - 12 Sep 2024

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JOMBA! Resilience – JazzArt Dance Theatre

13 -14 Sep 2024 20:00

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JOMBA! Madha kan (What was) no under 16s

13 - 21 Sep 2024

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The Market Theatre Foundation’s Second Annual Spelling Bee to Empower Inner-City Learners with Essential Literacy Skills

The Market Theatre Foundation’s Second Annual Spelling Bee to Empower Inner-City Learners with Essential Literacy Skills

On Saturday, 24 August 2024, the Market Theatre Foundation’s Windybrow Arts Centre, in collaboration with Camp I Am and Nando’s, will host its second annual Spelling Bee competition for schools in inner-city Johannesburg.
 
The Spelling Bee is a key feature of the Windybrow Arts Centre’s Literacy and Homework Support Programme, aimed at equipping local youth with essential reading and writing skills, while The Spelling Bee is a highlight of the Windybrow Arts Centre’s Literacy and Homework Support Programme. It is designed to equip local youth with essential reading and writing skills. Again, the competition is aimed at fostering confidence and academic excellence among learners.
 
The Windybrow Arts Centre is a hub for connection and curiosity, dedicated to nurturing the talents and inquisitiveness of children and young adults. 
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Through arts and literacy programmes rooted in best practice methodologies, the Centre inspires and empowers children and youth, driving positive social change in the community.
 
Gerard Bester, Head of the Windybrow Arts Centre, highlights the impact of the Spelling Bee in building new partnerships with schools and community-based organisations in the inner-city of Johannesburg. “This year, we’ve introduced teacher and facilitator training workshops in collaboration with Camp I Am, inspiring schools and organisations to not only participate in our Spelling Bee but also to host their own events. Additionally, we conducted a confidence-building workshop for all finalists, equipping them with the psychological skills to participate in the competition,” Bester shared.
 
Kai Crooks-Chissano, Executive Director of Camp I Am, mentored the Windybrow Arts Centre and other participating organisations while meticulously crafting a challenging word list from the Department of Basic Education’s CAPS curriculum. Collen Nxumalo, Branch Manager of Nando’s Benmore Gardens, continues to lend valuable support to the competition this year.
 
“A Spelling Bee is an excellent way to ignite a passion for spelling, serving as the gateway to reading and writing. Participating in the competition boosts learners’ confidence and competitive spirit, enhancing their self-esteem as they perform in front of an audience,” said Crooks-Chissano.
The Market Theatre Foundation invites you to celebrate this vital literacy initiative and witness the excellence of some of our city’s top spellers.
 
Date: Saturday, 24 August 2024
Time: 10:00 a.m.
Location: Windybrow Arts Centre, corner Nugget & Pietersen Street, Doornfontein, Hillbrow
                         
For enquiries and interviews, please contact Bongi Potelwa (Publicist at the Market Theatre Foundation) at bongiwep@markettheatre.co.za or (011) 832 1641 ext. 224  
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Theatre and Performance full-time course

A LIFETIME CHANCE TO STUDY AT THE PRESTIGIOUS MARKET THEATRE LABORATORY IS OPEN!

Applications for the Market Theatre Laboratory’s renowned Theatre and Performance full-time course are now open until 30 September 2024, for study in 2025. Are you a talented, determined young person who is passionate about the performing arts? If so, The Market Lab is inviting you to apply to become part of the next generation of artistic innovators, change-makers and storytellers.

The Market Lab is a multi-award-winning arts incubator, with a reputation for facilitating the development of exceptional young theatre-makers, facilitators, actors, writers and directors, and for creating innovative and relevant new plays. Lab students have the opportunity to work and learn with some of the country’s most iconic theatre practitioners, while creating a diverse range of work both individually and within an ensemble. With multiple local, African and global partners, The Lab strives to create enriching experiences that contribute to the personal and artistic growth of each person who participates in our programmes.

Alumni have gone on to excel on stage and screen, from established stalwarts such as Warren Masemola, to relative newcomers such as Wonder Ndlovu.  

Apply HERE

The theatre contributions made by Lab Alumni have been acknowledged significantly by the Standard Bank Young Artist Awards, boasting 2023 winners Theatre Duo (Billy Langa and Mahlatsi Mokgonyana) for theatre. Others have chosen to apply their skills in several other industries, including publishing, radio, event management and marketing. Many are playing leadership roles in arts institutions and other contexts and remain committed to working in the communities that nurtured their growth as young artists.

The Market Lab’s full-time theatre and performance course, which runs from January to November each year, offers intensive training in a laboratory environment for emerging theatre practitioners to develop to a professional standard. The programme focuses on practical experience, and learning through experimentation, exchange, research and making. Each year, twenty first years are selected. This small group size allows for each students’ creative journey to be mentored. The Lab invests in ensuring that the curriculum continues to serve the interests and needs of young creatives in a rapidly evolving industry. Most importantly, young artists learn to adapt, to experiment, and to think of themselves as entrepreneurs. In these challenging times, The Lab’s aim is to think expansively about the relevance of theatre and live performance, and to find language that articulates what theatre-makers know how to do and where the current need for these skills is situated. Theatre-making skills help make sense of being human, they teach us how to be with people, how to hold space, how to participate in community, how to approach change, and how to solve problems creatively. These skills are needed now more than ever.

The high quality of artistic engagement between students, collaborators, audiences and theatre practitioners at The Lab is evident in the impressive array of awards that the productions created through or with the Market Theatre Laboratory have won – just this year, the Market Lab received a Standard Bank Bronze Ovation Award for their production Mehlala, directed by Lab alumnus Billy Langa, presented at the National Arts Festival 2024.

When the Market Theatre Laboratory opened its doors in 1989, the intention of its founders, Vanessa Coooke, Dr John Kani and Barney Simon, was to provide opportunities to talented youth from disadvantaged backgrounds who would not otherwise be able to pursue their passion for the arts or study further. This remains an integral part of The Lab’s purpose, along with a determination to assist young artists to build sustainable careers, and to create space and visibility for subaltern experiences, voices and identities.

Applications close on 30 September 2024 for study in 2025.

*No late applications will be considered.

For Queries contact:           

Email: courses@marketlab.co.za 

WhatsApp: 076 283 4459

 Call: 011 838 7498

Instagram: Market laboratory

Facebook:  The Market Theatre Laboratory                                                     

You Tube: Market Theatre Laboratory Official

For media enquiries please contact Bongi Potelwa at bongiwep@marketheatre.co.za or (011) 832 1641 ext 224 or 079 967 3441. 

JOMBA

INTERNATIONAL DANCE FESTIVAL HEADS FROM DURBAN TO JOBURG

As part of celebrating a 2nd year of partnership, the Centre for Creative Arts and the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Festival is delighted to continue to work with the Market Theatre to collaborate in sharing a smaller and carefully curated “JOMBA! @ THE MARKET” following the Durban festival in September. Four selected local and international dance companies will travel onto Johannesburg and the Market Theatre and will feature in a week-long celebration of some of the world’s most profound and provoking dance makers and dance companies.

The selected dance companies include Deepak Kurki Shivaswamy from India, internationally renowned South African choreographer Robyn Orlin working with Moving into Dance, Yaseen Manuel from Cape Town, and renowned South African dance company, JAZZART. Audiences in Gauteng will have 4 days to revel in the performance excellence of this curated contemporary dance platform from 11 to 14 September 2024, alongside special free workshops.

The curatorial provocation of this 26th annual JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience is “finding our way home”. Curator Dr Lliane Loots says, “ This year’s JOMBA! is set against a backdrop of both local and global political renegotiations of what it means to be human, to belong, to have a home and to be a citizen of a country (and of a planet); against an occupied Gaza, a ravaged Ukraine, anti-foreigner right wing political movements in Europe, a South African government of national unity that is busy manoeuvring for power … JOMBA! begins to ask what is means to find our way home”.  She continues, “As a critical dance festival, we have curated a series of artistic encounters that question ideas of home, belonging and citizenship. We have invited dance works that ask us to relook at home as not just a physical space, but as a metaphoric and poetic space where we are either seeking to return, or to leave. We honour dance makers who will be bringing beauty, humour, pathos and politics to our stages and hearts”.

To this end, JOMBA! and JOMBA! @ The Market Theatre is delighted to be honouring veteran South African dance maker Robyn Orlin as the 2024 JOMBA! Legacy Artist for her innovative, political and deeply interrogated dance and theatre work that spans over four decades of dance making in South Africa and internationally. JOMBA! celebrates Robyn Orlin for her vision and practice, her wit, humour and insight, and for significantly contributing to our countries rich critical contemporary dance history and legacy.

Now living in Berlin, Orlin presents we wear our wheels with pride and slap your streets with color … we said ‘bonjour’ to satan in 1820 … – a work made with Johannesburg based MOVING INTO DANCE. It is a deeply personal work that emanates from one of Robyn’s childhood memories visiting Durban. These were the Zulu rickshaws whose “pushers” (or rather pullers), with their elastic stride, seemed to dance with their bodies suspended in the air. In a visually arresting dance work that honours the visual beauty of these rickshaws, Orlin also reminds us, as she says, “of a dirty history deeply buried in the political collective unconscious reminding audiences of facets of the Zulu rickshaws, considering their origins, inseparable from the time of colonization”. In the way that only Orlin can, she delves into the Rickshaw driver’s mischievous appropriation, sublimation, irony and self-deprecation, as she celebrates the Rickshaw driver’s refusal to concede their dignity to colonial and apartheid forces.

With support from the Indian Consulate (Durban and Johannesburg), ICCR, and the Swami Vivekananda Centre (Durban) JOMBA! and JOMBA! @ The Market is delighted to continue its South-South partnerships by welcoming Bangalore based dancer and choreographer Deepak Kurki Shivaswamy. With distant roots in classical Indian dance forms, Deepak Shivaswamy is firmly embedded in contemporary dance making and a search for finding ways to express modern Indian identities – and all the cognate ideas of home that this entails. He presents a double bill titled Vasudaiva Kutumbakam. He says, “this is a concept that the world is one family. This theme inspires our performances here at JOMBA! through the universal language of dance”. His first work Weight of Time invites audiences to question the traditional idea of art having a purpose. Instead, it encourages you to be present and enjoy the performance for the sake of the experience. The second work, Mycelium Maatu looks at the mycelium a network of fungal threads that organise themselves naturally into a beautiful, open-ended structure that supports and connects each other. This offers a profound provocation to Shivaswamy’s dance making.

JOMBA! 2024 also launches an innovative joint annual dance commission by the CCA JOMBA! and the Market Theatre with the express purpose of supporting and making space for innovative and provocative South African dance makers. Titled the PHAKAMISA Dance Commission – with reference to the isiZulu idea of lifting up and holding – this commission is an ongoing commitment to the illustrious JOMBA! and Market Theatre partnership (started in 2023) to grow and support South African dance. The Artistic Director of the Market Theatre, Greg Homann, shares, “We are delighted, at a difficult intersection of global histories to support the work and vision of Cape Town based Yaseen Manuel. His unique access of his own Muslim South African history with the intersection of both personal and political dance storytelling, makes him an exceptional voice in dance.”

Yaseen Manual presents Madha Kan which is a deeply personal journey that interrogates the current events unfolding in Palestine; capturing not only the harsh realities but also the deep compassion and kindness of its citizens. Initially a solo endeavor, Madha Kan is now evolving into a new ensemble work for JOMBA! and will be premiered nationally for its first time at JOMBA! Manual will stay on at Market Theatre for a further week of performances after JOMBA! as part of his PHKAMISA Dance Commission.

As the fourth offering and carefully negotiating the festival’s provocations, JOMBA! @ The Market welcomes Cape Town’s powerhouse company JAZZART. JAZZART offer a specially curated evening titled RESILIENCE and serves as a poignant exploration of the strength, flexibility, and enduring adaptability of the South African spirit. Featuring three captivating works; I am African choreographed by Jazzart’s Head of Training, Sifiso Kweyama, Battlefield choreographed by ex-Jazzart Company Dancer, Lihle Mfene, and Dark Flock crafted by the award-winning duo MANACAN. This triple bill is a powerful programme and will captivate audiences with the sheer mastery that is JAZZART.

Full JOMBA! @ The Market Theatre Programme:

Wednesday 11 September:

  • 30pm: Deepak Kurki Shivaswamy (India) – Barney Simon Theatre
  • 8pm: – Robyn Orlin with Moving into Dance (Germany/France/South Africa) – John Kani Theatre

Thursday 12 September:

  • 30pm: Deepak Kurki Shivaswamy (India) – Barney Simon Theatre
  • 8pm: Robyn Orlin with Moving into Dance (Germany/France/South Africa) – John Kani Theatre

Friday 13 September:

  • 30pm: Yaseen Manuel (South Africa) – Barney Simon Theatre
  • 8pm: JAZZART (South Africa) – John Kani Theatre

 Saturday 14 September:

  • 30pm: Yaseen Manuel (South Africa) – Barney Simon Theatre
  • 8pm: JAZZART (South Africa) – John Kani Theatre

PHAKAMISA Dance Commission

 Thursday 19 September

  • 7pm: Yaseen Manuel’s Madha Kan (South Africa) – Barney Simon Theatre

Friday 20 September

  • 7pm: Yaseen Manuel’s Madha Kan (South Africa) – Barney Simon Theatre

Saturday 21 September

  • 3pm: Yaseen Manuel’s Madha Kan (South Africa) – Barney Simon Theatre
  • 7pm: Yaseen Manuel’s Madha Kan (South Africa) – Barney Simon Theatre

JOMBA! and the Market Theatre will also facilitate a series of free workshops with guest artists:

Tuesday 10 September: 4 – 6pm with Robyn Orlin

Thursday 12 September: 3.30 – 5pm with Deepak Kurki Shivaswamy

Saturday 14 September: 10am – 12noon with JAZZART

Saturday 12 September: 3.30 – 5pm with Yaseen Manuel

These workshops are offered free of charge to participants, but booking is essential as places are limited. The workshops are only open to dancers 16yrs and older.

E-mail thobimaphanga@gmail.com to book a place – at least 1 days in advance of the workshop. No booking, no participation!

BUY TICKETS HERE

JOMBA! Vasudaiva Kutumbakam - Deepak Kurki Shivaswamy

11-12 September 2024

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JOMBA! Resilience – JazzArt Dance Theatre

13-14 Sep 2024 20:00

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JOMBA! Madha kan (What was) no under 16s

13 - 21 Sep 2024

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