Voices from the arts festival front line after Gayton McKenzie's cuts threaten artists’ careers

Responding to a question about the impact of festivals on the arts and people’s careers, several directors, actors, designers, promoters and theatre makers answered.

Bianca Flanders Balie
Award-winning actress, director, screenwriter and children’s author

“Festivals have supported and invested in me, allowing me the opportunity to grow as a creative and creating the environment and opportunity to direct and produce, as well as continue acting.

“They pretty much form a very large part of the theatre industry. Without them, many writers and directors wouldn’t have the opportunity to create new work. I’m ready to march. Where and when, everyone?

“I’m continuously shocked and outraged at the lack of respect and knowledge of how vital the arts is, and has been, to this country.”

Read more: Gayton McKenzie’s broken promises risk festivals collapse and job losses

Tebogo Artslave
Digital creator

“Festivals are not self-serving at all; they provide platforms that facilitate significant cultural exchange and serve as a catalyst for collaborative work. My career and current job are a direct result of festivals, where I have met numerous creatives and engaged in brainstorming sessions.

“The National Arts Festival in Makhanda, in particular, has been instrumental in my growth, and I strongly advocate its vision, having witnessed and contributed to the emergence of talented artists from its fringe stages right to the Standard Bank Young Artist level.

Musa Hlatshwayo
Funder of Mhayise Productions, an internationally acclaimed contemporary dance and theatre performance company in KwaZulu-Natal

“Festivals ushered me into the industry. They continue being platforms where I continue to grow while reconnecting with both national and international industry colleagues who have become my family.”

Vinette Ebrahim
Veteran actress

“I have been involved in just about all the festivals over the past 15 years, if not more, not for financial gain, because that is a misnomer. In fact, many of us have lost money participating because of a lack of funding.

It is also a platform for international recognition, as well as local production houses spotting new talent. Crew members who are vital to the industry cut their teeth on the various festival grounds, many of whom are young university students from the drama faculties.”

“However, we have been so keen to be part of the festival scene that we have bonded our houses and taken out loans just to be there. Theatre in any form has never been a lucrative source of income in this country, unless one has played to packed houses every night or been totally sponsored.

It is also a platform for international recognition, as well as local production houses spotting new talent. Crew members who are vital to the industry cut their teeth on the various festival grounds, many of whom are young university students from the drama faculties.

“Those who discover that acting is not their forte have the opportunity to work behind the scenes with some of the country’s most professional talents. Internships are very much part of the running of all the festivals, so by cutting funding, one is damaging the basis of a whole industry. What a shame. What a disaster.”

Read more: Gayton McKenzie causes chaos in cultural sector, reneging on promises of support

Ismail Mahomed
Head of the Centre for Creative Arts at the University of KwaZulu-Natal

“I built my career producing as a freelance fringe artist in the 1980s, before I decided to move into cultural leadership positions from 1995 onwards. The fringe festival was my training ground.”

Mandisi Disi Sindo
Theatre innovator and founder of The Shack Theatre

“We can debate all day, but if we can look at the beneficiaries of these festivals, they are mostly exclusive, providing opportunities to their cronies, associates and same producers, directors and musicians or makers.

“During the National Arts Festival, we have seen black artists suffer because they want to showcase their works and talents and are still committed, using their own money to attend such festivals and get back home to settle their debts.

“Festivals are supposed to be cultural spaces that activate talents and careers and provide skills and alternatives for those who attend as both performers and cultural entrepreneurs.

“Some have created opportunities over the years for young people, theatre students and arts practitioners, and we cannot take that away from them and how they have assisted in the economy. But the problem has always been around opening up opportunities for all, especially marginalised communities.

“Festivals such as the Zabalaza Theatre Festival at the Baxter Theatre in Cape Town also deserve funding like any other festival. However, because it’s a bunch of black theatre makers who are still recognised as developing, there is still no remuneration or monetary benefits to such organisations, artists and theatre makers, most of whom are professional and educated and practising nothing else but the arts.”

Read more: Gayton McKenzie’s empty promises rally artists and Western Cape government

Lee-Ann van Rooi
Award-winning actor, director and producer

“Arts festivals have actively given voice to the voiceless, provided training, harnessed talent, provided platforms for conversations, dialogue between cities, etc, more than any state- or privately funded theatre complex, film company or production house.

“At the moment it is our main training ground for new writers and actors, and for stories that go on to be produced for TV and film. It will truly be a massive loss for us as South Africans, especially with no alternative plan in place.”

Alfred Rietmann
Veteran theatre designer, director and production manager

“Doing some quick and rough sums, between 2003 and now I’ve been involved in 52 Arts Festival productions, with between three and 14 actors per production. Freelance tech crews have an average of three people per show. From the National Arts Festival, some productions went on to international arts festivals in Dublin, Amsterdam, Antwerp, Edinburgh, Singapore and the US, totalling nine productions.

“The Artscape Technical Training Academy also used the National Arts Festival as a vital training ground for many years. The months before and after were carefully worked into the training programme to technically support the productions, and [technicians] worked with professional mentors in stage management, lighting, sound, sets, props and costumes during the festival.”

Robyn Sassen
Arts writer

“I attribute my whole career as an arts writer to working on Cue newspaper at the National Arts Festival in Makhanda from 2006 to 2010. The energy of an arts festival is incomparable to any other understanding of the arts, in my opinion. It was an irreplaceable teaching, learning and working environment for the whole industry. The cut and thrust of getting shows seen and reviews written by that evening’s deadline changed the blueprint of my working life for good.”

Jak J Brits
Freelance technician

“Festivals are a wonderful and important platform for job creation across many fields. Without festivals, I cannot survive as a freelance technician. I don’t even want to consider the alternative.”

Ilza Roggeband
Veteran arts journalist

“[I have worked] on various platforms from the late 1990s to now – for magazines for marketing and promoting local music, on more than one judging panel and as a journalist writing for festival papers. Young unknown artists, actors, producers and writers have become the mentors of a new generation. Festivals are helping to fill the gap that the closing of arts councils left.”

Sonya Mmakopano Rademeyer
Artist

“The Free State Arts Fest has been impactful in my career as a visual artist, enabling strong collaborative works.”

Gavin Krastin
Performance artist

“The National Arts Festival, Dance Umbrella and Live Art Festival were huge catalysts in my career. Not only did they provide steep learning curves, they also gave me a roof over my head and food in my stomach. More so, though, domestic and international networks and dear community. I’ll be forever grateful to those curators and artistic directors who took a chance on this weirdo.”

Caroline Calburn
Educator and artistic director of the Theatre Admin Arts Collective

“I also attribute my entire career to the National Arts Festival. Not so much economically, but as a training ground as a young artist testing work and building networks.”

Neil Coppen
Award-winning founder of Empatheatre, playwright and director

“Festivals are absolutely essential. The National Arts Festival, KKNK, Woordfees, Hilton. It would be impossible to have ­remained (or even started out) in the ­industry without them.” DM

This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R35.