One-stop theatrical experience

With so many productions to chose from on the Fringe, you will be forgiven feeling overwhelmed. Fortunately, there’s a creative solution: simply spend a full day in one venue where you’ll be able to sample great shows, food and a NAF ale – or two. The Cape Town Edge has, in recent years, presented some of the highlights of the Festival with several Standard Bank Ovation Award-winning productions. This year, The Edge at Princess Alice Hall has been re-branded, revitalised and is a certain bet for a day of fine entertainment. Philip Rademeyer describes the venture as a “festival within a festival” – a curated programme of independent work of high quality, including drama, comedy, illusion/magic and physical theatre. Relaxing is not really in the Followspot team’s vocabulary – Vanessa Harris and Ash Searle bring the spirit of the Kalk Bay Theatre – together with sets and props, food and coffee trucks – to Grahamstown in the Followspot Collective at Kingswood Theatre. Think eclectic décor, a high-energy atmosphere – and a very large dash of personal style. Siv Ngesi is very excited for the first year of the ExploSiv Collective at Masonic Hall. Bringing together an eclectic mix of comedy and drama he is confident the venue will “be the top-selling venue, EVER, at the Festival!”

The Edge

Three of the (almost) one-woman offerings range from the sublime to the insanely ridiculous.

Jemma Kahn, no stranger to the NAF, returns with We didn’t Come to Hell for the Croissants.

Klara van Wyk incarnates Pretina de Jager in playful teenage truthtelling, You Suck and Other Inescapable Truths. Emma Kotze is in Oh Baby, I’m a Wild One, from the pen of Louis Viljoen, whose text takes you on a rollercoaster ride with a stomachchurning dip.

Followspot at Kingswood

Joining Big Boys, The Third and Au Revoir this year is the high-kicking, thighslapping, sassy duo of Alicia McCormick and Genna Galloway, who bring country and western with all the feminist feels in Angels on Horseback Reloaded. ExploSiv at Masonic Back

Features productions from veteran Fringe participants Rob van Vuuren (Dangled), Mike van Graan (State Fracture) and Daniel Richards (Pay Back the Curry) and stalwart comedians Tats Nkonzo and Tyson Ngubeni.