Floods of fun at arts festival

Comedy will keep you laughing, film will keep you interested, and workshops will keep you educated during Arts Alive, and that’s besides all the other entertainment on offer.
A ROLLERCOASTER of laughter, tears and educational fun is about to take off at Johannesburg’s annual Arts Alive International Festival, which is being hosted at various venues around the city throughout the month of September.

KurtKurt SchoonraadWith a bucket load of activities and shows, people may find it tough to know what to choose; if you are looking for a full body workout, though, the only options are the comedy, film and workshops on the bill. There is enough comedy and film on offer to keep your stomach muscles working and your tear glands lubricated, as well as a variety of workshops to keep the brain ticking over.

Comedy Nine Nine hits the stage at the Joburg Theatre, one of the two main venues of the festival, on 15 and 16 September. Some of South Africa’s favourite comedians promise to tickle their funny bones, as well as yours.

Well-known stand-up comedian Rob van Vuuren will host four other popular funny men – Mark Palmer, Ndumiso Lindi, Kagiso Mokgadi and Kurt Schoonraad. Palmer has been a comedian for nine years, and featured at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown this year; Lindi fell into comedy quite by accident in 2004, when he tried out a three-minute slot on the Vodacom Comedy Campus Tour. He’s done comedy ever since.

Mokgadi is relatively new on the scene but is gaining popularity; Schoonraad is a wildly popular comedian who has been making South Africans laugh since 1999. He is best known for his role in the TV series Going Nowhere Slowly.

Film festivals
Between wiping away the tears of merriment, you can enjoy the best of local and international films. The film category of the festival kicks off with a retrospective and conversation with two of India’s renowned actresses, Sushmita Sen and Preity Zinta at the Nu Metro at Montecasino on 9 September.

New funnyman on the block: Kagiso New funny man on the block: Kagiso "KG" MokgadiSizzling programmes follow, with the Alex Film Festival taking place at the Kings Theatre over two days, 10 and 11 September. The Arts Alive Alex Film Festival was born in 2009, and has grown exponentially. “This year, the emphasis is on workshops and talks by local industry experts designed to illuminate careers in the film industry for learners in Joburg,” says Arts Alive’s public relations company, JT Communications.

The 48 Hour Film Festival is a particular highlight. “[It] is a wild and sleepless weekend in which a team of filmmakers make a movie – write, shoot, edit and score it – in just 48 hours.” To get involved in the shenanigans of bringing a movie together in two days, get down to the Joburg Theatre on 22 September.

Rounding off the film fun is the Fordsburg Film Festival, which takes places from 23 to 25 September at the Majestic Theatre. There will be two screenings daily, which will be followed by discussions that will feature past and present day personalities of Fordsburg.

Workshops
Use your remaining energy to attend one or more of the workshops. Emerging artists, children and other residents can learn more about the field that interests them, including music, dance and art. “Several workshops are being offered for free to arts practitioners as part of the City of Joburg’s commitment to ongoing arts education,” says JT Communications.

An anti-bullying workshopAnti-bullying workshops will target schoolsThe BAS Rootz workshop at Niki’s Oasis in Newtown will offer emerging artists guidance from professionals on aspects of performance and management. It takes place on 10 September. Street Beat 2011 will look at hip-hop and dance workshops and takes place at Walter Sisulu Square in Kliptown on 24 September.

Schoolchildren are the focus of the remaining workshops. Spirit of America schools workshops are hosted at the Joburg Theatre from 22 to 24 September. They will offer a comprehensive programme covering brass, woodwind, percussion, makeup, costumes, set construction, lighting, theatre arts/performance and touring, and mosaics. They will cater for about 600 participants.

Today is Mine lasts the duration of Arts Alive, and is held at various schools around the city. It will look at bullying in schools and ways to end it. “This educational theatre piece helps to equip children with the tools necessary to combat bullying and the cast engage in discussion after the performance.”

For emerging artists, there is Painting with Plastic with Mbongeni Buthelezi at the Johannesburg Art Gallery (JAG). Buthelezi will run the workshops concurrently with his retrospective exhibition at JAG, focusing on eco-consciousness.

For more information on the shows, workshops and tickets, visit the Arts Alive website on www.artsalive.co.za.