Hilton Arts Festival coming up

The Cast from Orwell’s masterpiece, Animal Farm that will be performed at this year’s Hilton Arts Festival. copy

The Cast from Orwell’s masterpiece, Animal Farm, that will be performed at this year’s Hilton Arts Festival

Hilton College: 17 – 20 September 2015

KZN’s premier arts festival:  the 23nd annual Hilton Arts Festival will be hosted in the picturesque Hilton College from the 17 – 20 September, 2015. 

“The focus is on freshening the face of the Festival and beginning to secure another excellent programme, all with a view to ensuring that our loyal patrons can expect a characteristically entertaining event,” said Iain McMillan, festival chairman.

The festival invites the crème-de-la-crème of what is hot and happening in the creative industries in South Africa:  theatre; dance; comedy; musical theatre; family theatre; classical music; music as well as a series of mind-scape lectures and discussions. There is a special emphasis on visual arts this year with extended exhibition space and elevated focus being given to crafters and art makers.

The four day festival caters for everyone, young and old – including a huge market, book stalls and great food!

Dobs Madotyeni, Zanele Radu, Joanna Evans, Roeline Daneel, Francis Chouler, Faniswa Yisa, Emily Child in Born the RSA, pic by Oscar O' Ryan copy

The Cast of Born in the RSA: Dobs Madotyeni, Zanele Radu, Joanna Evans, Roeline Daneel, Francis Chouler, Faniswa Yisa and Emily Child. Photo by Oscar O’ Ryan

Some of the drama highlights are  Neil Coppen’s brilliant African adaptation of George Orwell’s allegorical novel, Animal Farm; the psychological thriller three-hander Blue / Orange by British playwright Joe Penhall and directed by Clare Stopford; Magnet Theatre’s I Turned Away and She Was Gone… Jennie Reznek in her first solo show in two decades in a poetic reworking of the Persephone story; Siembaba which  looks at a South African phenomenon we often take for granted – the relationship between a black domestic worker and the white children she helps to raise written by Philip Rademeyer and Penelope Youngleson; Nik Rabinowitz in his one man comedy, What the EFF; and A Voice I Cannot Silence, a play based on the life and work of Alan Paton by Greg Homann and Ralph Lawson  Darrren King and Antony Stonier in The Art of Being Ugly and a bouquet of productions and workshops from festival stalwarts, the Actors Unemployed.

There is a bumper Jongosi schools arts festival embedded in the main festival, for high schools and primary schools to have a tailor-made package ahead of the main event, which takes place over two days Thursday 17 September for Primary Schools and Friday 18 September for High Schools.

For more info visit https://www.hiltonfestival.co.za/ or like the Facebook page, Hilton Arts Festival. Follow us on Twitter @HiltonFest or download our free APP Hilton Arts Festival for both Android and IOS.