New Talent Week to Showcase Drama and Dance at the Masque Theatre

The Masque Theatre is proud to announce that the second edition of their New Talent Festival will take place this January. After a successful inaugural run in 2016, the Masque is very excited to be bringing back the festival this year and to be able to expand the run from just a weekend to a full week this time round.

The New Talent Week is an exciting festival that aims to create a platform for young, cutting-edge and experimental theatre makers from the Western Cape. Towards the end of 2016, the Masque Theatre sent out a city-wide call for applicants and selected five fantastic proposals to make up this year's programme. Commenting on the 2016 festival, performing artist Quondiswa James said:

It's a really good opportunity for breakout performance makers to showcase their work and build relationships for future collaborations.

There are four original plays in the line-up: THE WOODS, BUCKET LIST and a double bill from Massive Productions.

THE WOODS sends audiences on a dark, fairy tale journey. It is a twisted and comical version of the classic Red Riding Hood, written by Robert Shenton and directed by Michaela Richards.

BUCKET LIST is an original play written by and featuring Avril Cummins and directed by Ryan Dittmann of ZikkaZimba Productions. Cummins plays a string of characters in this zany one-hander that features an improvised section where the audience suggests items for the unfolding bucket list.

Massive Productions presents INKUNGU NGAPHANTSI KEWNTABA (Cache Underneath the Mountain) and ISIKO (The Tradition). The first tells the story of a woman's death and how she leaves a man behind with a tummy to feed and no satisfaction. Satisfaction must be found even if it means borrowing horns from the devil. The second is about the return of the ancestors and how this may mean nothing but danger.

The programme for this year's festival also features three unique dance pieces. Ubuntu Dance Theatre Arts presents a double bill of MISODZI/TEARS and TAPERA BABA. The first piece looks at human evolution in Africa and the journey that has been faced. The second is set in 1992 and tells of a woman's struggle to save her husband who is suffering from HIV/AIDS.

The third piece is COLOVR, a sensory theatrical exhibition that combines the photography of Matthew Bernstein, a piano recital composed and performed by Wesley Wolhuter and a dance recital by Eddie Newman. It explores COLOVR and meaning, synaesthesia and psychology and none of the above.

The New Talent Week runs from 25 - 28 January at the Masque Theatre in Muizenberg. The full programme of events is available on the theatre's website. Tickets can also be booked tickets online at the website, by calling 021 788 1898 or by email. Tickets cost R60 per performance.

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