With the festive season approaching and the unavoidable shopping, traffic and rush looming in our minds, we need to take a break, recoup and fill our hearts with joy! What better way than to see a few theatre productions, go to the ballet, dance at music festivals, and chill with your family. Take a look at a few of the things you can do this festive season!
A centenary of art
If you had to tell the story of South African art over the last 100 years, what kind of twists and turns would it take? Where would you begin? With Sanlam‘s “Centennial” exhibition. This exhibition of exceptional works from the Sanlam Art Collection is tracing South Africa’s transformation in art over the last century, showing at the Sanlam Art Lounge until 14 December, take a journey through the decades. Read more about this exhibition!
Langarm
Produced and presented by Eric Abraham for the Fugard Theatre, Langarm is a story of love and intrigue set in the story-world of Cape Town’s ballroom dance culture in the 1960s. With the threat of the new apartheid laws hanging over their heads, people will do almost anything to survive. In 1965 when Dinah Levin is widowed, she invites her nephew Jeff whose fiancé has just dumped him to help her manage her late husband’s Canterbury Hotel. Here he meets the lovely, young ballroom dancer Angelina, and when she asks him to partner her in The Swaziland Ballroom Championships, he sees it as an opportunity to humiliate his ex. Aware that he’ll risk arrest by flouting the law, he throws caution to the wind and agrees. Jeff decides to rejuvenate the hotel by offering langarm dances. When Eddie Jephta the leader of the Moonlight Serenaders langarm band comes to play at The Canterbury Hotel, Dinah has to confront the secrets of her past. He was white. She was not. They broke the law to dance. Langarm is showing at the Fugard Theatre for the festive season. Read more about the production!
Cinderella
A dazzling night, a glittering ball, something wonderful is bound to happen when the ultimate fairytale – Joburg Ballet’s production of Cinderella – comes to The Teatro at Montecasino from 14 to 23 December. Marking the company’s first major season at the highly popular venue, Cinderella offers an unmissable chance for Teatro audiences to enjoy Joburg’s world-class ballet company as it expands its reach across the city. Read more about the production!
Snow White
This is definitely a must-see show for the kiddies! Bigger and more spectacular than ever, the classic evergreen story of Snow White will be brought to life once again from page to stage in an enchanting production complete with an all-star cast, stunning sets, beautiful costumes, breath-taking special effects – including a never-before-seen-in-South-Africa, amazing interactive journey into the forest in 3D! – and lots and lots of comedy (with maybe a few double-entendres thrown in… ). Snow White, The Fairest Panto in All The Land opened on The Mandela Stage at Joburg Theatre on 3 November and runs until 23 December. Snow White is written and directed by Janice Honeyman, with musical direction by Coenraad Rall and choreography by Nicol Sheraton. Bernard Jay serves as executive producer of this, his 18th Janice Honeyman pantomime. Read more about this production!
Nutcracked in Soweto
Maison De’La Dance Project cordially conveys this special invitation to your family and friends to join in a special occasion, celebrating their technically trained young dancers who are Pioneers in their 2018 training programme, at Soweto Theatre from 15-16 December 2018. Maison De’La Dance Project embarks on a journey to present its third production of Nutcracked in Soweto. The theme ‘Nutcracked in Soweto’ is inspired by Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker, reworked and directed by Tumi Mogope, and Johan Straus’ The Great Waltz choreographed by Ellington Mazibuko.
Giveaways!
How could we put giveaway so far down the list? Check out our December 2018 / January 2019 giveaways and win with Creative Feel! Do you still need a good gift idea for the younglings this Christmas? Why not get some inspiration from our list of illustrated books for young creatives, or enter our competition and you could win! You could also win a copy of Zapiro’s collection “Let the Sunshine In”. He makes us angry, he makes us laugh and he makes us think. He shines a light on the elephant in the room, presents the emperor in all his naked glory. Impossible to brush off, Zapiro is determined to provoke a response. Enter our competition!
Matilda The Musical!
We may be bias on this one, but what an absolutely amazing production this was! Our team loved it, their kids loved it, their grannies loved it; this show is definitely a must see for the whole family. Matilda The Musical is the multi-award-winning musical from the Royal Shakespeare Company, inspired by the beloved book by the incomparable Roald Dahl. With book by Dennis Kelly and original songs by Tim Minchin, Matilda The Musical is the story of an extraordinary little girl who, armed with a vivid imagination and a sharp mind, dares to take a stand and change her own destiny. Its Johannesburg run ended on 2 December but moves on to Artscape in Cape Town until 13 January. Read more about the production!
Go to the movies! At the theatre?
The Fugard Bioscope presents screenings of the world’s best recorded live theatre, opera and ballet productions to be enjoyed from the comfort of a Fugard Theatre seat. Well, now I see the confusion, but you cannot miss this opportunity to see world class productions in the comfort of your own… country? Watch productions by prestigious companies such as the National Theatre, Royal Ballet, Royal Opera House, Bolshoi Ballet and the Royal Shakespeare Company. Read more about the full line up for the second half of the 2018 Fugard Bioscope season!
Go to the movies! For real.
Cinema Nouveau is showing a number of amazing films this festive season including Shock and Awe, Colette, and Ben is Back. This is mostly for those who need to be surrounded by an all-encompassed cinematic experience to step away from your busy life schedule, forget about the world for a little while and immerse yourself in cinema. And, well, for the popcorn too! At least this is one of the reasons the Creative Feel team goes to the movies…
Sculpture Gardens
South Africa has some of the most beautiful natural landscapes in the world, enticing both local and international tourists. The combination of our natural fauna and flora and exceptional fine art sculptures creates magical spaces for visitors to escape into and explore. Local and international tourists are adding sculpture gardens to their itineraries and we will be highlighting a few of these spaces to spend some at time enjoying exceptional art in a beautiful setting.
A Christmas Carol
VR Theatrical is proud to present Charles Dickens’ evergreen tale of redemption, A Christmas Carol in a two-hander adaptation. ‘Bah, Humbug!’ will be heard this Christmas Season at Pieter Toerien’s Upstairs Studio Theatre at Montecasino until 6 January 2019. This classic holiday favourite will come to life as you have never seen it before, wearing a brand new interactive jacket featuring animation and original music that promises to be a feast for the eyes, ears and imagination! A perfect outing for the entire family, this production is bound to become a family tradition! Read more about this timeless tale!
Spend time with the people you love
We know, it’s old-school, mushy, and lame, but it’s also true, memories are the most priceless gift of all. In our fast-paced lives, material things expire when the latest trend arrives, while happiness in memories lasts a lifetime. At this time of the year, some of us are lucky enough to spend time with our family, friends, pets and loved ones – some aren’t. The best advice the Creative Feel team can give to our loyal readers is to make sure that you spend your time sharing stories, smiling, laughing, eating and being merry while gathering all those memories and basking in the ambiance of the present.
