its that time of year again. the town of grahamstown and troupes of artists and organisers and school kids and people selling scarves and t-shirts gear up for another national arts festival. and so are we. fresco is no rob van vuuren, but still reasonably busy this year with 3 productions, 2 children and a well stocked anti-flu pack.
fresco returns to the festival with kaput, a co-production with dark laugh theatre.
performed by taryn bennett, helen iskander and dorian burstein
designed by jenni-lee crewe
directed by james cuningham
in a country that has seen many decades of war, two brothers live peacefully on the mediterranean sea. then a foreign occupation disrupts their lives in unimaginable ways. with exquisite clowning, kaput is “superb… mesmerising… a total gem” – cue.
helen also directs some of her recent graduates from wits university in discounted, an unusual and absurdist comedy about a small retail store on a remote island.
james performs in sunday morning, as part of the solo season on the arena festival.
written by nick warren and directed by jenine collocott, sunday morning was the result of a commission by the goethe institute in johannesburg, when the play was called ‘roadkill’. it is a transporting and dark comedy about a photographer who discovers his girlfriend is pregnant. on a run to process this information, he makes a gruesome discovery that changes everything.
‘this is not good. it is brilliant’
– katharina von ruckteschell (goethe institute director)
‘shattered, humbled, elevated and still sobbing a little with joy and sadness, all at the same time’
– robyn sassen, artslink
let’s hope its all amazing.
fresco theatre 