Ever wondered what really goes on behind the scenes of a festival performance? cueTV caught up with Terence Marias, a phenomenally talented young pianist to document the nerves, tension and raw emotion that are only seen backstage. The Rhodes University Masters student performed Recital Two to packed houses at the National Arts Fest.

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This highlight of the festival is a visceral walkabout with the audience singly exploring tableaux illuminating the crude realities of Grahamstown and South Africa while guided by the hand of a shivering street kid. Brett Bailey’s “Blood Diamonds” is a moving example of outdoor performance art showing the disturbing and fractured relationships that make up South African urban society. The disused Grahamstown Station and derelict graveyard alongside provide a powerful setting for this striking piece. World renowned artist, Bailey spoke to cueTV about his work and how his interest in history has shaped it.

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Prisoners from Gauteng and Eastern Cape came to the National Arts festival to showcase their talents. Their performances ranges from dance, song and drama, form a part of their rehabilitation back into the public sphere. Their performances were entertaining and through them the prisoners aim to show their regret for their crimes. Deputy Minister of Correctional Services Hlengiwe Mkhize was amongst the audience that were entertained by the inmates.

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Artistic freedom of expression is an established right that protects artists (and journalists) from being censored. When artist Mark Hipper’s work was pulled off the Times 2 exhibition at the Albany Museum, cueTV investigated the legal basis for the censorship of Hipper’s artwork. The artist was outraged with the headline of the story cueTV ran on that story. This insert continues the debate around art, censorship and freedom of expression and justifies our use of the headline. See the original insert here

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aKING have got to be one of the top bands in South Africa at the moment. With several number one singles under their belts, they have been around the country promoting their second album, ‘Against All Odds’, and for the first time Grahamstown was included on their schedule. Performing to an intimate but dedicated crowd, aKING rocked the socks off everyone in the Cuervo Music Room and cueTV was there was chat to the band in true rock ‘n roll fashion.

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cueTV has a new home, cueCINEMA. Nqobile Shoba is one of our reporters and along with her team set out to find the cinema situated in the rather obscure and difficult to discover Barratt Lecture theatre complex.

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Jazz singing sensation Melanie Scholtz speaks to cueTV about her career and the musical world of South Africa. Her lyrics leave audiences breathless and her powerful voice lingers long after listeners have left the auditorium.

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Art often springs from dark places and troubled circumstances. “Woza Joshua!” an adaptation of “Woza Albert!” is a play which identifies and explores the multiple challenges plaguing Zimbabwe and its people. Mixing comedy and satirical drama the production gives the audience a vivid sense of reality in Zimbabwe and the issues that are still on-going. The problems are portrayed not just as Zimbabwean, but relevant to the community of Southern Africa.

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Global recession. The bad word of the day. At the Grahamstown National Arts Festival, we get a psychic tarot reader’s point of view on the future of the country; how South Africans will survive this economic disaster and that the best remedy is that we all just need a state of HIGHER CONSCIOUSNESS…
P.S. Erratum - Reporter Matt von Abo, in the spirit of the global economic downturn, pessimistically assumed festival figures were down too. In fact, this festival has to date recorded the highest figures ever for one day, and numbers are up from last year.

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Ever felt frustrated that you can’t manipulate what happens to thicken a drama plot? Butlers and Botox provides a unique solution to this problem by allowing audiences to have their say during the play. cueTV went along to two performances to watch the different audiences’ dictate the storyline.

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Been there, done that, seen the show. While you may still reminisce about mad house shares, job hunting and that ever-annoying voice repeating ‘mind the gap’, for many of you who have done London, South Africa seems to be where you end up. The grass is not always greener on the other side and the cast of Done London at this year’s National Arts Festival in Grahamstown explain how their experiences in the big city influenced their roles in the play. cueTV went to see the show and all you got was this lousy clip.

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In the Blue Beaker has received great reviews at this year’s festival, and Anton Krueger is certainly one multitalented performer/director who is making a name for himself. He directs AND acts in this piece, and also found some time to chat to cueTV, along with his two fellow actors, about making suicide funny, playing an insane character, and becoming a blender?!?

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Outside & Beside Herself explores the suicide of Virginia Woolf in the space of the old Provost prison. The audience is led around the stage by the performers and handed white stones. They represent the stones Woolf placed in her pocket just before drowning herself in the river Ouse. Lamps light the corners of different cells, dancers moving in- between, energetically seeking to escape confinement. cueTV talks to choreographer Zoe Reeve about her piece.

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Jesse Clegg, the son of music legend Johnny, takes the stage at the Grahamstown National Arts Festival this year. cueTV managed to get a backstage chat about his new album/career and his parents influence on both his music and his life.

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