Baxter's Zabalaza Theatre Festival Calling for Applications for March 2016 Festival

The Baxter's Zabalaza Theatre Festival is calling for applications from theatre-makers, directors, script writers, community groups and theatre companies to participate in the 2016 Zabalaza Theatre Festival. The deadline for applications is by 6 November 2015.

The sixth annual Zabalaza Theatre Festival will take place from 11-19 March next year. The festival is widely regarded as one of the premier development platforms in the country and it has received great acclaim over the years. It was launched in 2011 with a new name, managing team, vision, format and programme designed to showcase new and upcoming talent that may otherwise not be seen 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 in 2014 and Paul Noko's FRUIT in 2015. 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 Revue, Cabaret or One-person Show" for THE CHAMPION.

Productions which are selected from applications received for 2016 will first be auditioned and will then be invited to participate in the Zabalaza mini-festivals, which are planned for January, when the final selection for the 2016 line-up will be made. Auditions take place from November through to December 2015, so artists are strongly encouraged to apply early.

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, provided that they bring an entirely different production. Those who auditioned in 2015 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 festival team has already been hard at work searching for productions that will be part of next year's programme through the Eden, Overberg and Cape Winelands Drama Festivals. The winning productions from these festivals will automatically form part of 2016 line-up although the final selection from these regions will be made in November. Interested community groups and theatre-makers from outside the Western Cape are also welcome to apply. The amount of funding available will determine how many of these can be accepted. Applicants will be informed of the result of their applications.

The team heading up the festival includes Thami Mbongo (Artistic Director), Zoleka Helesi (Co-ordinator) and Bongile Mantsai (PRO). The core team is complemented by a number of fieldworkers; various artistic experts who play the role of mentors to these theatre groups leading up to the festival's opening.

Applications for the 2016 Zabalaza Theatre Festival close on 6 November 2015 and entry forms may be obtained from the festival office at the Baxter Theatre Centre on Main Road in Rondebosch. They can also be downloaded from the Baxter's website or the Zabalaza Festival's Facebook page. Further enquiries and more information can be obtained from Zoleka Helesi on 021 680 3980.

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