Puppet festival for Durban

DURBAN'S very first family theatre puppet festival, the Nandogam EcoVillage iKHO! Festival, will be at Seabrooke’s Theatre, Durban on 26, 27 and 28 February.

This watershed festival runs over three days and offers a feast of local puppet theatre productions with a strong ecological awareness theme.

Six productions make up the programme, starting on Friday 26 with Happy go Lucky’s Sunshine Babies, performed by Sibo Masondo and Mlu Ngidi. This is an early year’s play suitable for children from two upwards. The recipient of the Musho! 2016 Runner Up Audience Favourite Award, Sunshine Babies is a charming and lively production that holds children spell bound. Peter Court’s new Creative Madness production about water conservation, Drip Drop Drip, launches the festival and is aimed at families with older children.

On Saturday the programme includes Lucky Strike, an international award winning script by Gisele Turner which is a SA Grade 7 English set work. This local drama, which features a marionette puppy and two large mouth puppets, follows the heartwarming story of the day in the life of a little township boy. It is performed by Mlu Ngidi, Makhosozana Mkhize, Kho Kwela and Mpume Mpembe, all members of the Community Theatre group Lashona Arts Creation from Luganda Township.

This will be followed by a free pop up rod puppet theatre Chippi and the Gang, written and directed by Gisele Turner and performed by Phillipa Savage. The day finishes with Nandogran EcoVillage’s production Nstwaki’s Adventure, which features giant marionettes and tells the story of Ntswaki and his search for advice on sustainable living.

On Sunday there will be two performances of Blue Boy. Inspired by the mystic stories of India, Blue Boy focuses on the joy of childhood’s innocent yet mischievous playfulness.

Tickets will be available at the door and are R35 a person, with a portion of the proceeds being donated to Acting for Rhinos.

Contact Laghu on 079 633 3892 for more information and to book.