Deadline For the Baxter's Zabalaza Theatre Festival Applications Extended To 29 September

The call for applications for the Baxter's Zabalaza Theatre Festival has been extended to 29 September at 17:00. Theatre-makers, directors, scriptwriters, community groups and theatre companies are encouraged to apply to participate festival before the new deadline.

The eighth annual Zabalaza Theatre Festival will take place from 9 - 16 March 2018. It is widely regarded as one of the premier development platforms in the country and has received great acclaim over the years. Launched in 2011 with a new name, managing team and vision, the format and programme of the festival are designed to showcase new and upcoming talent that audiences might not otherwise see on professional stages. The full name, Zabalaza Intsika eBaxter Theatre, loosely translated, means two things: striving towards being a pillar of the Baxter Theatre Centre and striving towards success.

Since its inception, the festival has grown exponentially as the organisers pay special attention to innovation and expanding the programme. Previous Best Production winners are UHLAZO by Loyiso Damoyi (2011), WORST OF BOTH WORLDS by Bulelani Mabutyana (2012), SKIERLIK by Phillip Dikotla (2013), THE CHAMPION by Khayalethu Anthony (2014), FRUIT by Paul Noko (2015), TIP-EX by Lauren Hannie (2016) and BOY NTULIKAZI by Thobani Nzuza (2017). These productions went on to be staged at various festivals and events in the Western Cape. SKIERLIK received two Fleur du Cap nominations, and Khayalethu Anthony won the Fleur du Cap award for Best Performance in a review, cabaret or one-person show for THE CHAMPION.

Productions that are selected from applications received for 2018 will first be auditioned and will then be invited to participate in the Zabalaza mini-festivals, which are planned for January and February when the final selection for the 2018 line-up will be made. Auditions take place from October through December, so artists are urged to apply early.

The artistic director of the festival, Bongile Mantsai, comments on the upcoming edition of Zabalaza:

We are very excited about the eighth Zabalaza Theatre Festival in 2018 and once again we strongly encourage female theatre-makers, writers and directors to participate in our festival. We would also like to hear from theatre-makers and artists from areas such as the Athlone region, Milnerton, Tableview and surrounds, the greater Mitchell's Plain area and the Northern Suburbs. We encourage artists to bring us their stories in their own vernacular be it poetry, dance, music, hip-hop, comedy and all genres of the arts. We are eager to develop new talent in the arts through this festival.

The festival organisers are looking for one or two-handers, children's theatre productions, puppetry, musical theatre, drama, comedy, physical theatre and storytelling.

Previous festival participants are also welcome to apply should writers feel that there is a space for their work to grow during the festival. Those who auditioned before and were not selected to be part of the programme may re-apply by auditioning with the same production, provided that they can show that they have worked on improving it.

The Zabalaza team has already been hard at work searching for productions that will be part of next year's programme. The winning productions from these festivals will automatically form part of the 2018 line-up although the final selection from these regions will be made in November. The amount of funding available will determine how many applications can be accepted. Applicants will be informed of the result of their applications. Preference will be given to productions from the Western Cape, and any groups outside of the Western Cape will be invited at the judges' discretion.

The team heading up the festival comprises Bongile Mantsai (artistic director), Zoleka Helesi (co-ordinator), Mdu Kweyama (curator) and Lauren Hannie (administrator). A group of fieldworkers consisting of various drama experts who play the role of mentors to these theatre groups leading up to the festival's opening complement the core team.

Applications for the 2018 Zabalaza Theatre Festival now close on 29 September 2017. Entry forms are available from the festival office at the Baxter Theatre Centre, Main Road, Rondebosch. Entrants may also download forms from the Baxter Theatre's website, the Zabalaza Festival's Facebook page or the Zabalaza Google drive. The festival office will also make arrangements to send application forms to the Makukhanye Art Room, Zolani Centre and the Delft Rent Office. For further enquiries or more information contact Lauren Hannie or Zoleka Helesi on 021 680 3980.