Another successful Musho fest
The 11th Musho! Festival ended on a successful and high note on Sunday.
DURBAN theatre buffs were spoiled with another exciting Musho! International Theatre Festival, PANSA’s eleventh festival of one and two person productions, which took place from 13 to 18 January at the Catalina Theatre in Durban’s Wilson’s Wharf.
The standard of the productions was again, remarkably high and covered a diverse range of subjects including friendships, families and love in all its guises, finding a humane face to the horrors of war, ghosts and zombies, paramedics and bird-lovers, funerals, death, and dying as well as satire, comedy and the quirky and whimsical.
This year productions came from the Netherlands (courtesy of Twist Projects) and Mozambique (courtesy of Pro Helvetia and the Swiss Development Council) and from closer to home – from Johannesburg, the Mozambique border and a strong contingent from Pietermaritzburg.
“The work this year was of an exceptionally high standard, and this reflected in the audience’s response to the performances and the number of people that came back to the theatre, for show after show. The festival continues to grow and we were delighted to offer such a variety of work this year that showcased engaging concepts, writing and performance. It was an inspiring week for those of us who worked on the festival, as well as those who came to watch,” said proud Musho! festival director, Emma Durden.
Typically, the Performing Arts Network of South Africa: PANSA, jumped into the new year with vigour by staging a busy festival which showcased smaller theatrical works, all featuring either one or two actors. Each production was staged for one performance only in a packed programme of 18 shows over five days; ending with a full day of two master-classes for theatre practitioners and drama students – hosted by Dutch actress Saskia Driessen looking at personal narratives as theatre, and Gerard Oldhaar, a Dutch performer looking at street theatre as a genre.
Musho! Festival awarded Burn-Out, a two-hander about the life of paramedics starring JC Zondi and Simphiwe Ngcobo the Audience Favourite, while The Toilet, was the runner up.
In the Professional theatre category, the Audience Favourite went to Termite (Written by Greig Coetzee, directed by Peter Mitchell); the Audience Favourite runner up went to a charming show for very young audiences, Sunshine Babies (written and directed by Gisele Turner).
The Suliman Family Award – an award given to the best show of the festival, sponsored by the Suliman Family and judged this year by Devaksha Moodley and Tash Reddy – went to Sweetie Darling. The ArtSmart Special Award for best behind the scenes contributor went to Motaung Koalane.
