Residents of Johannesburg, Cape Town, Gqeberha and Durban can look forward to the new Standard Bank Presents programme brought to them by the National Arts Festival in their own city, starting on 17 June and running till 4 July 2021, with a very special hybrid comedy show on 10 July.
Mid pandemic, the National Arts Festival predicted that for some, the annual arts pilgrimage to Makhanda may be more challenging this year. So, while a smaller, tighter 11 days of amazing will still be happening live in Makhanda for the superfans, art explorers and Eastern Cape audiences, the NAF, with the support of Standard Bank, will also be bringing select shows to arts lovers in their own home towns.
Residents of Johannesburg, Cape Town, Gqeberha and Durban can look forward to the new Standard Bank Presents programme brought to them by the National Arts Festival in their own city, starting on 17 June and running till 4 July 2021, with a very special hybrid comedy show on 10 July.
The shows selected for these events include an exciting line-up of new theatre releases; performances by the 2020 Standard Bank Young Artists and a powerful programme of jazz as part of the annual Standard Bank Jazz Festival.
Shows in Partner Venues
In Cape Town, the concerts and shows will be happening at Gallery 44, a theatre space in Long Street. In Durban, audiences will see shows at the Seabrooke’s Theatre at Durban High School and in Johannesburg the programme is spread across the Market Theatre complex, AFDA Red Roof Theatre and Wits Theatre. Standard Bank Presents will also be coming to Walmer in Gqeberha, where the shows will happen at the Masifunde Learner Academy. All shows will be staged under strict Covid-19 protocols with socially distanced seating, the mandatory wearing of masks and a vigorous sanitising routine before and after shows.
A ground-breaking edition of the Festival’s traditional Very Big Comedy Show will, this year, evolve into a hybrid show that will take place in three cities simultaneously - to live and online audiences boasting a line-up of 12 top comedians and all-star hosts on 10 July.
In Gqeberha
All shows are happening at the Masifunde Learner Academy . On 3 July, Xabiso Zweni and the Masifunde Creative Academy will perform the musical satire Social Disturbing for their Standard Bank Presents show. The play uses satire and music to explore the murkiness of controversies, fake news and miracle cures at a time when these issues threaten to polarise and fool us all.
Also in Walmer, Francois Knoetze’s Core Dump is a four-part video exhibition filmed in Dakar, Kinshasa, Shenzhen and New York that extends the metaphor of a computer crash to the impending breakdown and unsustainability of the global capitalist techno-scientific system.
Also on 3 July, S’bane, from all-women quartet Acapella Narrative will honour our fallen and living legends of music, with a repertoire that comprises of acapella renditions of some of the greatest South African records.
You will hear music from the likes of the late Mama Busi Mhlongo, Sibongile Khumalo, Brenda Fassie and our living legendary guitarist/producer Bra Lawrence Matshiza. We’ll also be featuring Gqeberha born soprano vocalist,Lisa Yengeni, who is also currently a contestant of Old Mutual’s Amazing Voices on Mzansi Magic.
The Standard Bank Presents programme can be viewed online https://nationalartsfestival.co.za/category/naf2021/standard-bank-presents/ and all booking links are on the show page so you can book your tickets directly from there. For a calendar view of the National Arts Festival Programme visit https://nationalartsfestival.co.za/full-programme/
Strict COVID-19 protocols will be in place during all of our live events. Mask wearing will be essential, there will be social distancing and spaced seating as per the government regulations and there will be no interval. The venues will be thoroughly sanitized between events.
Tickets for Standard Bank Presents are on sale now.
