THE 2015 Pansa Musho! Festival of One and Two Person Theatre wrapped up at the Catalina on Sunday after five days.
This year the festival commemorated its 10th year and saw past winners of the festival invited back to perform – partly as a reflection on their progress in the arts and as a glance back at some of the artists who have graced the Musho! stage over the years.
Tonight caught a few shows on the programme. Here’s a glance at some of them:
My Travelling Bag
In a hugely personal and funny tale, master storyteller, Gcina Mhlophe, reflects on her life.
Possessing a natural flair for being a captivating storyteller, in My Travelling Bag the audiences journeys with Mhlophe from her years as a zealous young traveller who accompanied her gogo on a number of trips to visit friends and family across the country, to her travels throughout her career which today sees her as an award-winning and celebrated poet, storyteller and writer.
Today it is evident that her gogo’s prophetic words during her youth about there being a “bigger world out there” still sees Mhlophe travelling extensively and sharing her art and her story with captivated audiences the world over.
An endearing tale delivered in excellence as Mhlophe shared a great rapport with her audience. A deserved standing ovation.
No Contest
In his sequel to his popular show Reality Bytes, Rowin Munsamy presented No Contest.
Based on the TV talent show, South Africa Should Have Talent, the show sees a host South African characters battle it out to prove they have the best talent in the country. However, their talents are not what is to be expected on such platforms.
Through a host of characters (participants on the show and their loyal supporters), the audience hears about different communities and what talent they expect these South Africans to have.
Through a satirical look at these issues, some of the politics highlighted included poverty, class, violence and justice issues.
As the whacky and weird characters share their ideas, the audience is left contemplating these issues that affect so many communities in the country.
Performed by Munsamy and Sashin Kandhai, the satire is a colourful mix of dancing, video montages and monologues. The duo do a great job of keeping the audience entertained with their hilarious characters, while at the same time getting their point across. A deserved standing ovation.
Vincent
In his latest work, Vincent, writer and actor Marc Kay delves into the life of renowned artist, Vincent van Gogh.
Using letters penned between Van Gogh and his brother, Theo, Kay taps into a more personal history of the artist, with a focus on his battle for success and love in life which ultimately became his psychological undoing.
From his endeavours to seek religious clarity and service, to his journey as a struggling artist (in that era), to his yearning for love – the audience is drawn into this personal piece.
Directed by Peter Court, Kay performs the piece, giving life to the man behind the art.
In a statement, festival director Emma Durden expressed her thanks for support they have had over the past 10 years from both actors and audiences.
“It is also heartening to see that the Musho! audiences have been steadily increasing over the years – with the most popular productions playing to capacity houses again this year. It is a testimony to the quality of the productions, and to the ever-growing audiences who are excited about seeing new work and actively participate in the process of developing new theatre by giving feedback and reviews,” she said.
And the Musho! winners are . . .
Awards for Musho! 2015 fell into two categories: emerging productions and main festival works. Here’s a glance at some of the winners
• The main festival saw the Audience Favourite go to Bru (performed by Sandi Dlangala and Mikey Frederick von Bardeleben, and directed by Josh Martin).
• The runner-up was Iain “Ewok” Robinson’s spoken word show, Back to Blue Monday (conceived and performed by Robinson, with visual artistry by Karen Melissa Logan).
• The Pansa Special Mention Award went to Gcina Mhlophe’s My Travelling Bag.
• In the Emerging Theatre category, The Audience Favourite Award went to The Dress (performed by Cebo Mdadane and Makhosazana Mkhize; written by Mlungisi Ngidi, directed by Doctor Kheswa and Khulekani Mtshali from Lashona Arts and Creations).
• The Suliman Family Selection went to the kid’s show The Great Big Enormous Turnip, directed by Peter Court and Bryan Hiles, starring Hiles and Daisy Spencer.