DRAMA

AROUND THE FIRE



Written and directed by BAT's theatre co-ordinator Bheki Mkhwane, Sitting Around the Fire tells the story of four ordinary men who, through cruel cir-cumstances, now have one thing in common - they share their existence round a fire where the characters tell their tales.
[mkhwane pic]
Sduduzo Kawula, Nathi Luvuno, Bhekani Shabalala and Bheki Khabela make up the cast of Sitting Around the Fire which plays in the BAT Hall at the BAT Centre from October 9 to 12 at 17h30.

HILARIOUS HYPNOTIST



Andr‚ the Hilarious Hypnotist is coming back to Durban for a second season from October 8 to 17, this time playing in the Playhouse Opera. A prot‚g‚ of the late Max Collie, AndrŠ has spent the last few months in America meeting and working with stage hypnotists and developing new routines for his show. Earlier this year he played to capacity houses in Durban and Pietermaritzburg.



HILTON FESTIVAL



With nearly half the 27 productions playing to full houses the fourth Hilton Drama Festival from September 13 to 15 proved to be another runaway success.

This generated the sale of some 15 000 tickets, an increase of nearly 1 000 on last year's total, according to festival promoter Sue Clarence.

The drama and musical offerings were spread over four venues - the Hilton Theatre, Memorial Hall and Amphi-theatre, with the Old Museum added for more intimate shows.

"On the official main programme productions selling out in the 497-seat Hilton Theatre were Lomu'd by the Boks, White Men With Weapons, Our Country's Good and the Free Flight Dance Company," says Sue Clarence.

To them were added, from the "fringe", Stark Raving mark, Bum in the Butter, Tickle to Fine Leg, A Boy Called Rubbish and Womb with a View.

The other two sell-out performances were in the College Chapel, where the combined St Mary's and Hilton College choirs sang the FaurŠ Requiem and the Festival Mass. This latter work, which was commissioned from Patrick Harty, Hilton College's director of music and first heard at Archbishop Tutu's farewell service in Cape Town, was recorded by the SABC. Playing to virtually full houses were Ian von Memerty's Femme! Fatale? and What Annette Said in Her Sleep Last Night.

Stall-holders in the enlarged craft market said they were happy with their takings, as did those manning the food stalls and many have booked for next year.

As in previous years, the beer tent was a popular meeting place, with festival-goers gathering both indoors and out, in crisp, sunny weather.

Sue Clarence and fellow organiser, Geoff Thompson (manager of the Hilton Theatre), were pleased with the festival overall and are looking into the possibility of increasing the musical content for the future.

SMART TALK



D'ARTS Editor Caroline Smart writes a weekly column called Smart Talk every Tuesday in the Daily News Tonight section. All events information in D'ARTS is considered for this column but if you have anything that is too late for D'ARTS but it could appear in Smart Talk (deadline Wednesday night for the next Tuesday), phone or fax 261-6036.

She also presents an arts diary on Radio Lotus on Mondays around 16h30.



SLABOLEPSZY FUN



Paul Slabolepszy's Tickle to Fine Leg is a delightful one-man show featuring James Borthwick as the hapless Korky Labuschagne, a cricket-lover who has just written a book on `braai-ing'. In between struggling to find a suitable title for the publication and yelling at his unruly dog Freedom, Korky regales the audience with hilarious tales of his past.
[borthwick pic]
To Korky `braai-ing' is not just a way of cooking meat, but an art form to be revered and preserved.

Tickle to Fine Leg

opens in the Playhouse Cellar on October 11 and runs until November 3. Even if you don't know anything about cricket, you'll love the show!

MDA PLAY



The Speech and Drama Department, University of Natal, Durban, will present We Shall Sing for the Fatherland by Zakes Mda and directed by Beki Nkala in the Square Space Theatre from October 7 to 12 at 19h00.

We Shall Sing for the Fatherland

is a matric setwork for higher-grade and standard- grade pupils studying speech and drama.

Beki Nkala, the director, believes the production to be highly relevant to the new South Africa as it deals with a post-revolutionary situation after indepen-dence in an unidentified country.

Enquiries from Clare Hull on 260-3134.

VIDEO TRAINING



Community Video Services handle training on video camera and editing. The person to contact is Durban Arts co-ordinator and board member Alson Gcwabaza on 906-5503.