11 days of some of the freshest, most exciting theatre you’ll experience in South Africa begins today with the opening of the second annual Cape Town Fringe which runs until 4 October.
With a line-up of 70 productions that include theatre, music, dance, performance art, illusion and comedy, there are 26 performances to choose from on opening day alone, guaranteeing that you’ll get a rich taste of the Fringe from the get-go.
The first performance of the Fringe is at 11am on Heritage Day when the whimsical What Goes UP… opens at City Hall. This family fare production from FTH:K is aimed at giving children as young as three their first irresistible taste of theatre magic. Mime and performance artist Richard Antrobus will be at the V&A Waterfront at 11am with Suggestion Box #justsaying. An interactive piece, Antrobus is trapped in a (real) glass box, responding to ideas and comments from the public. It’s great fun and public art at its best.
Performances ranging from the hilarious (Naked Knitting & Other Contradictory Acts, Last Cow Standing) to the richly theatrical (Ndendile, Al Julle Volke) run throughout the day until the last shows at 21.30: the extraordinary drama Ashes at the Fugard, Exhibit S, Ode to Saartjie Baartman at the Alexander Bar, with Stuart Lightbody in Sleepless Dreams and the naughty-but-nice Porn 88: an XXX Reading at City Hall.
If you’re set on a day out with the family, head to Spier for the Shifty Heritage Voëlvry Concert, which plugs into the legendary Voëlvry tour of 1989 as inspiration. Featuring the Gereformeerde Blues Band, Francois van Coke, Valiant Swart, van der Want Letcher and other special guests, the show will also pay tribute to Johannes Kerkorrel and James Phillips.
How to book:
- Book tickets online via the secure website: www.capetownfringe.co.za.
- To book by phone call the Fringe Box Office on 0860 002 004
- To book by email, send your details and a list of shows to boxoffice@capetownfringe.co.za
- Cash or card bookings can be made in person at the Box Office in City Hall or from the Fringe Caravan at the V&A Waterfront (near Ferryman’s).
- Download the CTFringe app. Super user-friendly, you can browse shows by genre or name, buy tickets, get the latest Fringe news, find maps to Fringe venues, and more. From the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store.
- Tickets range from R40 to R100. Concessions are available for students, learners and pensioners as well as group bookings (10 or more for a single performance).
Work in the city? You can still catch a show!
Special lunch-time performances that will fit snugly into your lunch hour have been scheduled to make sure city workers also get to enjoy the Fringe. Add R30 to your ticket, and you’ll get a super-fresh sandwich and cooldrink delivered to the theatre.
Where to find the Fringe
The heart of the Fringe is at City Hall, where you will also find the Fringe Club and the Standard Bank Music Studio. New venues this year include Guga S’thebe Cultural Centre in Langa, the V&A Waterfront (Jubilee Hall at the Watershed), the Fugard Theatre (Caledon Street, District Six) and the Alexander Bar (corner Loop and Strand streets).
There are concessions for students, pensioners and group bookings, as well as:
- The Super Supporters’ Deal: If you see three or more shows on a single day at the Fringe, bring your ticket stubs to the Fringe Club and we’ll exchange them for a drinks voucher.
- B1G1 Free: Buy two tickets to selected performances and you will only be charged for one full price ticket.
- 50% Fringe: All performances scheduled on 4 October – the last Sunday of the Cape Town Fringe – will be sold at half price.
Follow the Fringe vibe
Come and rub shoulders with musicians and artists while enjoying a drink and a light meal at the Fringe Club, upstairs at City Hall. Open from 11am till late. Happy hour every night from 4pm to 6pm. See you there!
About the Cape Town Fringe:
- The Cape Town Fringe runs for 11 days, from 24 September to 4 October.
- There are 70 productions to choose from, with more than 60% of the artists hailing from the Western Cape. While the focus is on theatre, there is also music, dance and physical theatre, illusion and magic, musical theatre and performance art on the programme.
- Shows will be held at various venues in the city centre (City Hall, Alexander Bar, the Fugard), at the V&A Waterfront (Jubilee Hall at the Watershed, and the Waterfront Theatre School’s Galloway Theatre) and Langa (Guga S’Thebe Cultural Centre). The Shifty Heritage Voëlvry Festival will be held at Spier, outside Stellenbosch.
- Produced by the experienced team at the National Arts Festival.
- With grateful thanks to our host sponsor, the City of Cape Town, and Standard Bank, the presenting sponsor. Additional support from Exclusive Books and the V&A Waterfront. Our radio partner is Cape Talk 567.
Printed copies of the Cape Town Fringe 2015 programme can be found at selected branches of Exclusive Books and Standard Bank in Cape Town, as well as at Cape Town Tourism outlets, City of Cape Town offices and coffee shops and cafes around the city. You can also pick up a copy at the Fringe caravan at the V&A Waterfront (near Ferryman’s).
Browse the programme online at www.capetownfringe.co.za or download a PDF via the website: www.capetownfringe.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/CTFprogramme.pdf
