Women’s Month comes packed with an array of spoils and theatre lovers are in for a treat as women in arts descend at The Drama Factory in Cape Town for the second annual Women’s Month Festival – Your Stage, Your Voice.
Independent Media Lifestyle got to chat to the brains behind the festival that celebrates South African women through music, comedy and drama, until August 20.
Presented by The Drama Factory and F Creations, the events highlight female-centric productions, presenting stories created and performed by women.
Festival co-producer Faeron Wheeler from F Creations said: “Our aim for the festival is to promote women working in the arts, as well as give a voice to female stories, honouring the strength and tenacity of women in South Africa.
“We are also striving to create jobs and income for the arts sector that is still finding its feet after the pandemic.”
Women of all walks of life come together to share their talent in a programme that everyone can enjoy.
The programme includes Mike van Graan’s acclaimed satire, “He Had it Coming”, starring Kim Blanché Adonis, Gail Louw’s arresting play “The Good Dad”, featuring Erika Breytenbach-Marais, Rocksteady’s “Women Of Rock Tribute Show”, guaranteed to get you dancing, the delightful physical comedy, “’n Gek vir Jou”, performed by Ané Koegelenberg and Christie van Niekerk, romantic comedy “The Authentic Way to Fake It”, written by Angelica Hattingh and Bianca Rasmussen, and the fabulous drag musical, “The Muses: Hades Gonna Hate”.
Festival co-producer Sue Diepeveen said it was no easy task to put the festival together, but the passion to create a platform for women outweighed the hurdles.
“The technical planning is super important as each show has a unique set of needs.
“Also, as we are not sponsored, we are not able to host visiting shows, sadly. This is something that we continually strive to do – there is a ton of great work out there. We try to find things of interest to a diverse audience and not necessarily run-of-the-mill entertainment.
“We both have a financial commitment to make sure that the festival is run well and that it is a quality experience for performers and audiences alike.”
She added: “We were limited to local shows, but there is a wealth of content out there. We tried to ensure that all genres were offered.
“Shows also need to be easy enough to set up in short amounts of time, so that is a consideration.
“We looked at shows that dealt with issues facing women or companies that were female-run. We wanted this to be a safe space for women to share their stories. In an effort to be as inclusive as possible, we have our first drag show on the cards.”
Tickets range from R150 to R200. For bookings and the full festival programme, visit www.thedramafactory.co.za or contact 073 215 2290.
The Drama Factory is situated at 10 Comprop Square, Henry Vos Close, Asla Business Park, Strand, Western Cape. Parking is available at the venue.