Report by Palesa Mashigo, Bongiwe Tutu and Candyce Bruce

To commemorate Grahamstown’s 200th year, Rhodes Drama Department partnered with The National Arts Think!Fest Programme by presenting several performance art pieces entitled Polis. Each interrogates an aspect of Grahamtown’s contested history and the forces today. Polis was performed over 5 shows and different each event. This insert looks at the first performance entitled: ARENA. cueTV talks to Anton Krueger about the intentions of the performance cycle.
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Report by Rosanna Scott, Justin Archer & Martin Bleazard

Grahamstown welcomed South African musical icons, Mango Groove, to the National Arts Festival for the first time in their 28 years of hits. They played to a packed audience that got all out of their seats jamming to the bands classic songs such and introducing the audience to some more recent happy hits .
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Report by Bongiwe Tutu & Gabi Zietsman

A powerful new South African play by Craig Higginson is situated on a farm in the Cradle of Humankind where much of the world’s pre-human remains have been found. The play travels back into the caves where Little Foot – the three-million-year-old hominine was discovered. The audience experiences the caves through the eyes of a group on South African university students who are having a reunion on New Year’s Eve. As they go deeper into the caves they are confronted by an emergence of their ancient history. This Market Theatre Production was commissioned and performed in London’s National Theatre in a shorter version. Neil Coppen designs a memorable set and Malcolm Purkey directs a well told but rather trivial tale.
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Report by Enathi Mqokeli and Candyce Bruce

Taking on macho male personas, Taryn Bennett and Helen Iskander use an unconventional and very funny comment on the construction of women in society. Bennett and Iskander become Raphael and George, two quirky brothers living peacefully on the Mediterranean Sea despite the war that surrounds them. cueTV gets the background to the show.
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Report by Gabi Zietsman and Thomas Mills

The National Arts Festival ended with a big burst of colour and sound as a throng of local performers hit the streets of Grahamstown for the last day parade. From bands, choirs, brass and batteria to stilts, apocolyse survivors, cuddly animals and Nounouche’s Side Show, the parade had the local community involved with other festival acts, even international performers like The China Fujian Art Troupe. This is the biggest and best the parade at the National Arts Festival has ever been and there are plans to expand it next year. cueTV got the street action and spoke to the co-ordinator Gareth Walwyn.
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Report by Lla Thakholi & Bongiwe Tutu

Itsoseng is a personal and humorous solo piece written and played by Omphile Molusi. The bold staging is a scathing indictment of government indifference, cynicism and incompetence when it comes to dealing with the people and the promises made to them. Omphile portrays a vast number of different characters of the township of Itsoseng where he comes from, and through them he explores the life and the consequences of living in the township. cueTV gets his intentions for the work.
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Report by Palesa Mashigo and Kelley Wake

Nearly all of us have been touched by cancer in some way. cueTV looks at two artists who have used their creativity to express and heal the pain cancer can cause. 1 in 9 photographer, Tracey Derrick, was diagnosed with cancer and used her photography to document her journey of survival through cancer. Northern Dance Project’s director and choreographer, Deborah Mc Fadden, uses dance to express the struggle of surviving and living with breast cancer.
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Produced by Tarryn Ross

cueTV recaps some of the shows and highlights of the National Arts Festival for 2012. We glide through a collage of the plays, dance, theatre, bands, jazz, fringe, student works and atmosphere in and around Grahamstown in just a minute.
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Report by Bongiwe Tutu & Lla Thakholi

Grahamstown National Arts Festival Standard Bank Ovation Award winner – Brothers in Blood is an explosive drama contrasting the prejudice within Muslim, Jewish and Christian faiths. Written by Mike van Graan, Brothers in Blood is set in Cape Town against the background of PAGAD activities in the late 90s. This is a strong drama which highlights the racial and religious differences within us and affirms the similarities we all share.
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Report by Gabi Zietsman & Sungeni Chithambo

It is amazing how Shakespeare continues to be pertinent in this day and age. Fred Abrahamse’s enchanting performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream shows how Shakespeare is still enjoyed today. Despite the language that is difficult to grasp for some, audiences were still rolling with laughter at the characters of this marvelous play. Creative costumes, wonderful set design and an African twist all highlight the value that Shakespeare brings to the world of theatre.
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Report by Sungeni Chithambo & Enathi Mqokeli

cueTV meet the Bala Brothers at their debut Grahamstown National Arts Festival shows where their distinct harmonious melodies and well-known tunes get the audience mesmerized and dancing along. Loyiso performed his gospel music at the Standard Bank Jazz festival and Zwai is releasing his first solo album soon. The Bala Brothers give cueTV a taste of their personal and musical lives.
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Produced by Tarryn Ross

Imagine you could strap a camera to your head and film just one day at this year’s National Art’s Festival. cueTV did just this. Let’s take you on a journey from waketime to bedtime. You’ll get the quickest taste of Grahamstown during the biggest event of the year.
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Report by Rosanna Scott & Aimee Caulfield
Pieter-Dirk Uys sprung a special once only performance at The Grahamstown National Arts Festival. In jukebox fashion, the audience selected some of their favourite characters from numbered boxes. CueTV got old favourites; Noelle Fine the kugel, Desmond Tutu, Nelson Mandela, Thabo Mbeki , Jacob Zuma and Evita Bezuidenhout’s sister, Bambi Kellerman and her deadly serious sex education. It was a powerful, funny and serious performance that earned a standing ovation.

Report by Justin Archer, Martin Bleazard, Gabi Zietsman & Simone Redelinghuys

Arno Carstens, lead singer for the Springbok Nude Girls and solo artist, had the audience dancing in their seats when he performed the first gig of Wintour at the Monument this week as part of the National Arts Festival. cueTV gets his take on South African music and his new album.
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