National Arts Festival Fringe costly but key for independent theatre makers

By Heather Dugmore – Exciting, fresh new theatre-makers rely on the annual National Arts Festival (NAF) Fringe in Grahamstown to showcase their work. It raises their profile and it often leads to opportunities in South Africa and internationally. But it is expensive to be there, says independent theatre maker Philip Rademeyer who has taken his productions to the NAF Fringe since 2012. This year’s NAF is from the 29th June to the 9th July.

Most independents, especially new and unknown productions, experience financial losses at the NAF Fringe, which is the platform for independent theatre because it is open access, unlike the main programme, which is curated by a panel that selects particular shows for the programme.

‘As an independent theatre-maker you need to book venues, which cost up to R600 per performance and which you have to pay for irrespective of how many people attend,’ Rademeyer explains. ‘You also need to pay the travel costs and accommodation for your production and crew, including twelve nights in Grahamstown for the NAF, and you need to market your production to attract audiences.

‘Despite this, it’s a key platform for recognition and opportunities. I have been able to take productions to Amsterdam, Artscape and the Market Theatre because people experienced them at the NAF. And many other independent theatre makers will tell you the same.’

To assist independent theatre-makers with their costs, this year the Arts & Culture Trust (ACT) awarded a development grant to The Edge, a theatre hub that has a well-deserved reputation for innovative, high-quality South African productions. Now in its eleventh year, The Edge is run by three established theatre-makers: Philip Rademeyer, Tara Notcutt and Wynne Bredenkamp.

ACT is South Africa’s premier independent arts funding and development agency, funded by the Nedbank Arts Affinity to extend arts and culture opportunities to all communities. Individual artists or arts organisations in any of the arts genres in South Africa can apply to ACT for funding through its diverse programmes.

The Edge is one of twelve recipients recently awarded a grant from the Arts & Culture Trust (ACT) Professional Development Programme for the first half of 2017.

‘Getting the ACT grant means an enormous amount to The Edge as it allows us to give directly to independent theatre makers, pay some of their venue hire costs, market the productions and the venue, and transform the venue and its surrounds into a vibrant space where people want to gather,’ explains Rademeyer who has a Master’s degree in Directing from the University of Cape Town and a reputation for bold, exciting work.

For once he won’t be taking his own productions to the NAF Fringe this year. This year he will be coordinating The Edge’s eight productions at the NAF Fringe. The Edge’s theatre is the Princess Alice Hall on African Street in Grahamstown, which seats approximately 180 people.

‘Being part of The Edge helps independents in many different ways. The Edge has a good reputation among festivalgoers, which helps you garner more attention and get your name out there. Being part of a highly committed, creative group means the artists also support and encourage each other. It is stressful taking a show to the NAF Fringe and it can be a very lonely process,’ he explains.

The Edge further builds local administrative and management capacity in order to collectively produce and promote independent companies at the NAF Fringe each year.

Rademeyer knows the NAF Fringe ropes well. Last year his production The Graveyard with The Edge at the NAF Fringe won a silver ovation award. Sillage, which he co-produced last year, won a gold ovation award. This year it returns to the Fringe with The Edge. It is written, directed and produced by Penny Youngleson. ‘The term sillage refers to the scent of a perfume that lingers in the air, and this production is a poignant and hard-hitting story about a mother and daughter who get to know each other by packing up their family home,’ Rademeyer explains.

‘Productions often return to the NAF several years in succession as they gain momentum, exposure and popularity,’ Rademeyer explains. A popular returnee to The Edge this year is the 2016 silver ovation award winner: We didn’t come to hell for the Croissants, directed by Lindiwe Matshikiza and performed by festival favourite Jemma Kahn and Roberto Pombo. Rademeyer says: ‘In this production, Kahn and her sidekick tell seven stories based on the seven deadly sins, using a traditional Japanese form of storytelling, kamishibai. The stories will seduce the sinless and astonish the immoral.’

A new production with The Edge this year is: The Devil and Billy Markham, written by Shel Silverstein, directed by Jenine Collocott and performed by James Cairns. ‘The team is known for their high quality work, and in this production James Cairns recounts an epic tale of Faustian proportions as Billy Markham decides to gamble with the devil.’

Cattle Drive, written and directed by Luke and Nicholas Ellenbogen joins The Edge this year. ‘This productions deals with the great cattle drives through the bush of Botswana, which were a coming of age for young men. It is performed through a combination of movement, dance and storytelling.’

Oh Baby, I’m a Wild One is written and directed by Louis Viljoen one of the most prolific and celebrated writers in Cape Town. ‘A young teacher arrives home from her sister’s wedding to an empty apartment, a bottle of wine and a pack of cigarettes. She has a story to tell, but doesn’t quite know where to begin,’ says Rademeyer.

Another anticipated production is the 2016 ovation award winner You Suck (and Other Inescapable Truths), written by Klara van Wyk and directed by Francesco Nassimbeni. ‘This hilarious and poignant show documents the misadventures of a Grade 9 girl, Pretina de Jager, as she tries to become part of her school’s A-group and offers crucial high school survival advice.’

Undermined, directed by Tara Notcutt (2014 ovation award) uses comic book and African storytelling against the backdrop of urban Jozi and its deep mines. ‘It tells the true tale of Madlebe, an ordinary man with an extraordinary gift, who came from Mozambique to find a job and take a better life home to his father and wife to be.’ Notcutt is also directing Memorable Moments, written and produced by Stuart Lightbody, ‘an internationally award-winning illusionist who performs some of his favourite pieces from his last seven one-man shows (and a couple of brand new ideas)’.

During the festival The Edge’s first production starts at 10am and the last is at 10pm. They have a marquis outside the Princess Alice Hall, which they warm up with gas heaters because it can be really cold in Grahamstown at that time of the year. They play music and serve food and drinks to encourage people to gather and socialise here between the shows.

This year they have local entrepreneur Mlindi Nhanha on board as their caterer, which contributes to the local economy. There will be the standard favourites like boerewors rolls, hamburgers and vegetable soup, but there will also be specials on the menu, including oxtail, lamb shank, vegetable lasagna and sushi.

‘Marketing and atmosphere is a huge part of the NAF and you have to put effort into maximizing these if you want to attract audiences, attention, opportunities and accolades. All the members of The Edge pull together to achieve this, from assisting each other with front of house management to supporting each other through this exciting, stressful time to spreading the word that The Edge is the venue for must-attend shows.’