October 14, 2004
By Tammy O'Reilly
AS if Newtown is not already a hive of activity, the buzz there is sure to reach deafening proportions when a medley of art forms comes to life at the annual Playtime Festival.
Restaurants, shops, museums and clubs in the Newtown vicinity are joining forces to bring Gautengers the best in art and entertainment, while giving audiences a chance to absorb the urban beauty and geniality that the revamped, safe and clean Newtown Precinct has to offer.
Musicians, painters, photographers, filmmakers, actors, drummers, dancers and poets will gather at various venues in Newtown from 14 to 17 October to show off their talents, with the programme including some of the very best artistic contributions from both the local and international arena.
Previously called the Playtime Autumn Festival, as it was hosted in May, the organisers decided that because many of the events take place outdoors the warmer weather experienced in October was more likely to draw the crowds.
"The essence of Playtime is to illustrate local content and to encourage people and communities to come together. At the same time it serves as a platform to artists," said Shaamila Fattar, publicist for the Kwani Band.
One of the musical highlights is the Sunshine Concert at Shivava Café, featuring a number of jazz-influenced artists including the unmistakable sounds of Jeff Maluleke, this year's South African Music Award winner for best composer.
Poetry In Motion/Wordsmiths In Action is the theme of Playtime's Poetry Festival featuring performances by local poets Bianca Phumzile Williams, Nokululeko Godana, Zolani 'Prince Shapiro' Tyalimpi, Thabo Lehlongowa/Righteous the Common Man, and Zwelethemba Twalo/Zwash fi Kush & Ambassadors.
Drum Café's Basadi Le Meropa is a group of six strong young South African women from Soweto who tell the incredible stories of their lives using a mixture of song, drums, dance, marimba and the spoken word, drumming, energetic choreography, beautiful voices and poetry.
In the film category, the concept behind William Kentridge's 9 Drawings for Projection was to create an art event from his animated films, restoring the films to 35mm and projecting them chronologically as a single body of work. This exhibition is accompanied by music composed by Phillip Miller.
A statement from the organisers says: "We are appealing to audiences that range from the seasoned 'culture vultures' to those who have never attended an exhibition or theatrical performance but there will also be a diverse range of free street theatre and music to tempt the passers-by and casual spectators."
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