Cape Town Fringe Opens In The Mother City in Time for Heritage Day Weekend

After months of rehearsing, building stages, scenes, podiums and props, the runway has been prepared and the 2017 Cape Town Fringe Festival has opened in the Mother City in time for the Heritage Day weekend. From 21 September to 8 October, thirteen Cape Town venues will host over one hundred productions, leaving audiences across the city spoiled for choice.

The remodelled Fringe has partnered with a number of Cape Town venues, drawing on their local expertise and knowledge of their communities to build a programme relevant to their audiences. Reflecting on the evolving format of the Cape Town Fringe, its executive producer, Ashraf Johaardien, says:

Cape Town is a complex space and any festival which aspires to be a true reflection of the Mother City needs to reflect that complexity. This year's decentralised model of a performance circuit taking theatre to where people live and work responds to both the sprawling geography and complicated history of the City.

A born and bred Capetonian, Johaardien has deep roots in the city. He speaks of the contradictions people face 'not only in Cape Town, but also as a nation navigating the slings and arrows of outrageous life in this country' as being part of what defines us:

For me, the idea and model of a Fringe Festival needs to be about the artists. It must be about the work. It has to be about placing the festival-goer at the heart of the festival experience. These bigger-picture-things that are about building something for the future.'

The programme is rich with theatre, including award-winning productions from the National Arts Festival, the Zabalaza Festival and others. The dance programme features a number of male choreographers this year, while the music programme includes a number of one night only shows not to be missed. A healthy dose of comedy and the crowd-pleasing lure of illusion are also on the bill, and children and teens will be engaged by theatre especially relevant to their ages and interests. Johaardien continues:

It's close on three weeks of extraordinary creativity, Cape Town's very own celebration of the arts, and we hope that its people will own it and hold it close because theatre heals, helps and makes us happy - and that counts for a whole lot right now.

To see which Cape Town Fringe shows are running on Heritage Day weekend, visit the Cape Town Fringe website or download the Cape Town Fringe app for Android or IOS. Some shows will only enjoy a short run and others continue on to different venues on the Fringe circuit.

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