Oppiwater Arts Festival Announces Programme for 2018

RSG and Lefra Productions incredibly successful Oppiwater Arts Festival sails from 15 - 20 April 2018 this year on the MSC Sinfonia from Durban to Mozambique. Festivalgoers can eat shrimp at the legendary Palermo Hotel in Maputo, enjoy relaxing on the Portuguese islands and visit a new destination, Pomene, which is easily accessible by land. The main event, however, is a fully fledged arts festival on board the ship with more than twenty top Afrikaans productions, which have just been announced.

Coenie de Villiers's TIEN VINGERS will certainly be one of the great favourites at the Oppiwater Arts Festival. Also on board are the farce, MY MAN'S SKELMPIE'S SKELMPIE'S WOMAN; the Boerneef tribute, FLENNIE DE SNARE with Chris Chameleon, Anna Davel, Johny Klein, Jaconell Mouton, Mauritz Lotz and Riaan van Rensburg, Randall Wicomb; the revival of Hans du Plessis's Griqua-psalms in VOETE VAN 'N GEMSBOK; MET ANDER WOORDE featuring Lizz Meiring; and many more.

The full programme also includes BOO! with Chris Chameleon en Riaan van Rensburg; DIE STORIE VAN AFRIKAANSE MUSIEK with Pieter Smith; DIE WYN, DIE VROU, DIE LIED with Johan Rademan, Christo Snyman en Neil Retief van Van Loveren Wyne, which includes a full wine tasting by Van Loveren Wines, DINAMIET KOM IN KLEIN PAKKIES with Sue Pyler; GEWILDE ARIAS UIT DIE MUSIEKBLYSPELE with Rouel Beukes; GOUE OUES with Alwyn Oberholster; KAPPITYT LANGARM DEKPARTYTJIE with RSG's Fritz Klaaste; KARAOKE with Ettienne Ludick; KAT EN WOLF with Chris Chameleon en Daniella Deysel; MUSIC LANDSCAPES with Jaconell Mouton en Mauritz Lotz; MUSIEKNOOT OPPIBOOT with Lizz Meiring; MY TYD, a classical piano concert with Chanie Jonker; NOSTALGIE with Christo Snyman; ONTBLOOT with Edrien Erasmus; 'N GEWIGTIGE SAAK with Wynand van Vollenstee; an RSG radio drama with Johan Rademan as director; MAAR? with Ettienne Ludick; RIAAN VAN RENSBURG LIVE! and SWINGING SAFARI with Anna Davel.

A party will take place on deck upon sailing, with a "Meet the Artists" session every afternoon at 17:00 in the Pasha Club. There will also be direct RSG broadcasts daily from the deck of the ship with Alwyn Oberholster. RSG presenters Johan Rademan, Sue Pyler, Ettienne Ludic Ken Fritz Klaaste will serve as hosts on the cruise.

Frans Swart, the managing director of Lefra Productions, says that he is very excited about this year's programme:

Of course it remains an annual challenge to decide which wonderful productions will join us on our arts cruise. It is always important for us to present our festival-goers with a wide variety of theatre genres. There will be drama, comedy, poetry, dance, literary art, music and singing. We realise too well that Oppiwater must primarily be a holiday experience for our passengers - therefore there will also be delightful deck parties for all to enjoy.

Swart says that the challenge lies in having to fit more than twenty different Afrikaans productions into that week.

It is quite a big task for my team to stage so many productions in such a limited time and especially such limited space. After five years of doing this, though, we have mastered the art of providing our guests with an unbelievable arts festival.

Swart concluded by saying that Oppiwater is proud to have been nominated for a Fiesta Award for one of the four best arts festivals in the country.

Bookings for the Oppiwater Arts Festival can be made through MSC Cruises on 0860114411 of online at the Oppiwater Arts Festival website, where exact times and venue details can also be found. Fees include accommodation and meals and an entertainment fee that allows festivalgoers to book subsidised tickets for shows, which range in price from R10 - R90. Bookings for productions are open and can be made through Computicket. Tickets will also be available on board, although these will have to be bought in dollars.