Chapter 11 of the Bowling Club. New work by Vleis, Rys & Aartpappels.

Text by Saartjie Botha
Design and directed by Jaco Bouwer

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After a long absence from performing on stage, two of Stellenbosch’s most well-known and respected theatrical directors, Marthinus Basson and Juanita Swanepoel, are treading the boards once again in Saad, a play by Saartjie Botha. Saad is directed by Jaco Bouwer who was recently selected as Standard Bank’s Young Artist of 2008 in the drama category. As artistic team, Botha and Bouwer can also take credit for the award-winning play, Altyd Jonker, produced by their company Vleis, Rys & Aartappels. This production house has, over the course of the past five years, become synonymous with richly layered, quality drama productions.

Saad has a formidable cast which includes, apart from Basson and Swanepoel, actors Nicole Holm, Stian Bam, Altan Ungerer, Yoliswa Nkolose and Thembeka Sivanjana. The soundtrack for the production was specially composed by Braam du Toit and includes work by musicians Zorada Temmingh, Floors Oosthuizen and Ilse Minnie.

The plot of Saad centres on the death of a farmer and how his surviving family are forced into making drastic decisions about their farm’s future as a result of his passing. Upset by the sudden loss of the patriarch, each family member is confronted by issues such as identity, origin and the loss of one’s bond with the land. The drama also explores the political dynamic of the power relationships between parents and children within the confines of the family structure. Saad is not an overtly political play but functions within the complex context of land ownership issues in today’s South Africa.

The play’s run in Stellenbosch is made unique by its unusual venue: the premises of Agrimark (The old WPK). The co-operative’s old workshop will, for the play’s two week run, be transformed into a theatrical space and while the play is not site specific, there is little doubt that this particular venue will create sensory experience bar none.

Agrimark is on the corner of Dorp and Adam Tas Streets in Stellenbosch. To get there, turn out of lower Dorp Street into Stellentia Lane (in the direction of the Rupert Art Museum), drive past the museum premises and then right into Agrimark’s parking area.

16 November
Performance starts at 20h15
For enquiries call: 082 070 6066.
R100 per ticket

EAT MY VIDEO SCREENINGS LAUNCHED IN CAPE TOWN

Wednesday, 26 September 2007
8:30pm, running time: 90 minutes
Labia Cinema on Orange, Cape Town
Admission R50
One screening only

Eat My Video features a selection of quality international music videos that will be screened at the Labia cinema on Wednesday, 26 September.

Eat My Video (EMV) originated in Belgium and currently operates from London. The organisation’s aim is to screen high-quality music videos by young talented directors in a cinematic environment.

The Cape Town screening will not only feature the work of new up-and-coming directors, but will also showcase some of the hottest new bands on the international circuit, including UNKLE, zZz, Tunng and Shitdisco. The selection of videos will be introduced and discussed by Canadian director Jaron Albertin, who has directed for Maximo Park, Emily Haines, Death From Above 1979 and Cut Copy.

EMV Founder Gerrie Smits says: “Our aim with these events is to introduce people to the music and videos you don’t often see on mainstream television, in an environment where you can truly appreciate the work. A big part of our being in Cape Town is to foster a cultural exchange through our direct relationship with international directors.”

The Cape Town screening is the result of a collaboration between Eat My Video (Belgium) and the Bowling Club (South Africa) – a new initiative devoted to local and international cultural exchange.

Tickets are limited and can be purchased at the Labia Cinema prior to the screening and on the evening at the door.

** THE SELECTION **

Band, Title, Director

UNKLE, Burn My Shadow, Miguel Sapochnik
Willowz, Jubilee, Toben Seymour
zZz, Grip, Roel Wauters
The Hours, Ali In The Jungle, Jonas Odell
Bat For Lashes, What’s A Girl To Do, Dougal Wilson
Shitdisco, OK, Price James
Tunng, Bullets, Tom Haines
Animal Collective, Peacebone, Timothy Saccenti
Maps, To The Sky, Minivegas
Junior Boys, In The Morning, Jaron Albertin
Emily Haines, Dr Blind, Jaron Albertin
Metric, Empty, Jaron Albertin
DFA 1979, Sexy Results, Jaron Albertin
Circlesquare , 7 Minutes, Jaron Albertin
Cut Copy, Future, Jaron Albertin
Ascii Disko, Strassen, Jaron Albertin  

Mystery and secrecy shrouded the next chapter as Bowling Club members and their teams of 4 others were told little else but to be in a set location on the evening of September First, wearing black and to wait to be picked up. They were then collected by transporters, blindfolded for the next three hours, driven across Cape Town, taken into a building, up lifts, seated, treated to an amazing, intense soundscape performance by international sound artist Francisco Lopez and then led back home – still blindfolded.

This event was organised by Michael Streatfield, Nikki Olckers and James Webb with support from Redbull. James’ involvement was covert to maximise the unexpected by the participants. More details and documentation to follow…

Yes, these were some of the smells we were treated to at 20 smells. Of course there were others, like Ambergris, Chanel No. 5, Oud and Tuberose, which we were introduced to, together with a brief history and a few entertaining anecdotes of all things olfactory on a beautiful Saturday morning.

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20 smells: a new work by Andrew Putter
(Chapter 5 of the Bowling Club)
Saturday 12 May 2007 | 10:45 am | R100

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20 smells: a guide to the event:

As anyone who has tried to learn about the world of smell knows, it’s easy to find written information about smell but much harder to actually find the smells you read about. For the first time in this country, you will now have the opportunity to smell some of the rare, unusual and hard-to-get smells that form the basis of any introduction to the world of the nose.

20 smells is a morning event: it has taken a year to research and prepare. The following guidelines may seem rather strict, but 20 smells is an unconventional event that you will need to prepare for – and have some foreknowledge of – if you are to really enjoy yourself.

20 smells will be like a wine-tasting – except that you will be smelling things instead of tasting things.

The event will be led by Andrew Putter – who will use 20 carefully chosen scented materials to illustrate some interesting aspect of the world of the nose. Some of these smells are beautiful, some strange, and some ugly.

FAUNA & FLORA
CHAPTER 2 OF THE BOWLING CLUB

Gazelle CD Launch Friday 2nd March

with special guests
Tribal Need, MtKidu, Dario and The Wedding DJ’s
and introducing The sex life of plants by botanist Anton Pauw.

The Crusader Bowling Club (next to Sea Point Police Station). 7pm.

Dresscode: Any.

THE BOWLING CLUB, VOLUME 1, CHAPTER 1

The Bowling Club, a new Cape Town-based cultural club launches this month with a series of international music collaborations, lectures and performances. Bosnian-born, Swiss-based accordionist Mario Batkovic, radical Swiss performance group VELMA, independent global soundscape initiative Norient and local musicians including Adamu, Kesivan Naidoo and Wesley Rustin will be performing in the club’s first meeting.

Solo Balkan Sounds
Date: Thursday 25 January 2007
Venue: St Georges Cathedral top end of St Georges Mall
Time: 17h30 – 18h30
Entrance: Free and open to the public
Acclaimed Bosnian-born, Swiss-based accordion player Mario Batkovic (www.batkovic.com) presents a solo concert featuring his trademark blend of gypsy jives, Balkans blasts, tender classical strains and some funky twists.

Sounds from the edges, radical performances & cross-cultural musical collabs
Date: 27 January 2007
Venue: Crusader Bowling Club (next to Sea Point Police station)
Time: 17h30 for 18h00 Sharp
Entrance: R50
Dress: Bowling
Programme:
18h00: Swiss-based Norient (www.norient.com) present Soundscapes From The Edges, a sound lecture focused on politics, propaganda, war and exoticism in the contemporary music.
20h00: Accordionist Mario Batkovic in collaboration with Angolan-born Afro-Latin-jazz fusion vocalist Adamu, jazz double bassist Wesley Rustin and firebrand jazz drummer Kesivan Naidoo.
22h00: Swiss experimental band, Velma (www.velma.ch) in an extravagant audio-visual assault that combines everything from neo-gothic dark theatricality to ultra-modern high-concepualism, 70s kitsch-camp shock-art schlock and post modern electro-art wit.