PROYECTO 34ºS

Theatre
Participants from: South Africa, Argentina, Senegal & Guinea.
21 to 27 April 2009
Centro Cultural Borges, Buenos Aires, Argentina

This festival, the first of its kind in Argentina, consisted of five days of performances from three award-winning South Africa theatre companies. The productions were selected from more than thirty entries and the companies also presented talks and workshops during their stay in Buenos Aires. The programme also included live music performances as well as the screening of a documentary.

The festival was attended by more than 1200 people and received excellent responses and standing ovations from the audiences. Proyecto 34ºS hopes to present a second African Theatre festival in 2011 and also to present the first festival of Latin American theatre in Africa.

SELECTED COMPANIES & PRODUCTIONS

Every year, Every day, I am Walking – Magnet Theatre
(nominated as Best Foreign Play by the Teatro Del Mundo Awards 2009)

Gumbo – From the Hip: Khulumakahle

Living in Strange Lands – Imaginary Stage

Photos
Post festival video »
Promotional video spot »

CREDITS

Artistic Director and Executive Producer: Nikki Froneman
Production team: Amanda Mouëllic, Jimena Ruiz Echazú, Karen Jeynes and La Compañía
Nacional de Fósforos – Paula Brusca, Cristian Palacios y Juan Manuel Caputo
Translation: Julieta Brizzi y Jimena Ruiz Echazú
Technical Manager: Nadia Strier
Graphic design: Renata Cymlich – Nomade - www.paginanomade.com »
Motion Graphics: Juan Ortiz – Gaucha Club - www.gauchaclub.com »
Filming and editing: Diego Boulliet – Notancool - www.notancool.blogspot.com »

Publicity/Press: GG Press - Gustavo Giarletta & Sol Drincovich – info.ggpress@gmail.com

WITH THE SUPPORT OF:

Thanks from the director:
The production team - Karen, Amanda, Nadia, Cristian, Paula, Jimena, Julieta, Juan; Renata for the amazing graphic and web design, Juan for the gorgeous video graphics, Diego for so creatively editing our trailer and filming the festival; Tucan Tucan for the music, Martín Bondone & Gerardo Bentatti; Ivan Garribia, a true lover of Africa, and Tsavo Arts; Cheikh Gueye & Darrayi Djembe, Papis, Diego & Afrique Sembè for the music; Sol and Gustavo from GG Press – our relaxed but so hardworking press agents, Bibiana Ruiz, Pablo Limarzi, Lucas Alonso, Alan Robinson, Oscar Hansen, Carlos Sersale, Victor Rambau; Pia, Virginia, Eliana and Alejandro from the CC Borges; Emanuel Ntaka, Karina from El Cubo, Margarita Tambornino and Sol Czentner, Patán, Richard Cauldwell, Henry Pacheco, Gabriela Hallas, Kylie Stott, Bryony Broughton, Andres Guidobono, Mike Meyer, Larissa Wright, Refilwe Moloto, Deborah Weber, Beverley Houston, Clare Louise Thomas, Elyse Klein, Christina Comben, Kambaya, PANSA & Erica G-J, Tarquin Wyeth; Alan, Muriel and Lucas at Sundance Spirit, Gaby from ADAS, Alison Foat, Ismail Mohamed from NAF, Agustina from Tres Blasones, Jeremy Armstrong, a huge thanks to Javier Acuña from AlternativaTeatral, Gabriel & Leticia from Critica Teatral, Linde and Javier, Alejandro Piar, Julian Echezarreta, Martin Navarro and Nora Zinski for the reading, Andrea Feiguin, Mariano Bassi, Dinah & Eugenio at Quilombo, Victor Bille and Nico Fernández Bravo from the Diaspora Africana, John and Zelda Linder, Lindi Froneman; Guillermo Imsteyf; all the acquaintances, friends and family members who have helped and supported everyone involved. A huge thanks to the companies for believing in this and flying halfway across the world to be the first ones – and to all the other incredible companies and productions who entered and were not able to be selected – may there be many more exchanges!

This festival was dedicated to the memory of Deodat Benjamin Froneman.

PRESS

Buenos Aires Herald (English)
Perfil – Interview (Spanish)
Alternativa Teatral – article and interview (Spanish)www.alternativateatral.com/nota385-de-sudafrica-a-buenos-aires »
La Nacion – article and interview (Spanish) www.lanacion.com.ar/nota.asp?nota_id=1120097 »
Pagina / 12 –article and interview (Spanish)
Revista Quilombo (Spanish)www.revistaquilombo.com.ar/revistas/46/q46.htm »
Critica Teatral (Spanish)
Glamout (Spanish) www.glamout.com/Sudafrica-tiene-su-festival-en-BA.html?Palabras=1003&txtBuscador=proyecto%2034%B0S »

AUDIENCE COMMENT

About the Festival:

“Thank you for coming to Argentina and sharing your art with us.” – Alejandra

“I congratulate the impeccable organisation and the great casts with exceptional actors and performances.” – Rosalía Odessky

“Against the impossible, with effort and so much will, you made it! Well done!” – Lucas Alonso

“The whole cultural exchange is very interesting and … we need more exchange and collaboration between our two countries. What good feelings!” – Anonymous

“I see that so much work and effort is worth a lot. “There’s no theatre without struggle”. I’m happy about all of this… thank you for the exchange!” - Mariano Bassi

“Thank you for all this that is so marvellous, a great experience. It´s possible – the results speak for themselves.” – Ayalén Rubio

“Great festival, organisation, plays and the AMARULA!” – Alessandro

“Thank you for bringing and showing a bit of Africa in Argentina! It was impressive. May it continue!” - Vivi and Kara, from Germany.

“This was a beautiful festival with three outrageous plays! Thank you so much for letting us have some contemporary South African art and culture here in BA and thanks to everyone collaborating! It was a unique experience. I hope we will have more of it in the future.” – Soony, Germany.

“The festival was amazing, what an achievement! … the plays will stay with me for a very long time.” – Elza

“Congratulations for the work you have done and the professionalism with which it was done.” – Dinah Schonhaut

“This festival was amazing! The plays were amazing!” – Gabriela Hallas

From the participants and collaborators:

“This experience has changed my life in so many awesome ways. What you guys accomplished is just out of this world and I thank you again for this opportunity.” – Liezl de Kock, actress, FTH:K.

“Thank you for the wonderful opportunity…you have done a great thing by getting this off the ground – an ambitious dream with exciting possiblities for the future. Keep going!” – Mark Fleishman and Jennie Reznek, director and actress, Magnet Theatre.

“In life there are moments one is blessed with – granted by the universe as gifts – this has been a collection of such moments. Thank you…” Renos Nicos Spanoudes, actor, Imaginary Stage.

“I am honoured to be part of the fest and humbled by your commitment to cultural exchange.” – Tanya Surtees, director, FTH:K.

“A very good project. This is a great start of bringing African culture to our Latin America. From my heart – this is a great example.” – Diego, Hamanna Arts.

“I hope it can be repeated with as much success and I hope to work with Proyecto 34°S again.” – Sylla Yamoussa, Guinean musician living in Buenos Aires.

“Thank you for permitting me to take the photographs – colours, movements, expressions – I really enjoyed it. Onwards with these kinds of projects! Congratulations!” – Daniela Pafundi, photographer

“Congratulations…Proyecto 34°S is born – a festival of great vision and execution. Each and every person involved gave their passion, their inspiration, their vision and together created a magnificent festival…Thank you to all involved for representing my nation in such a fantastic festival.” – Clare Louise Thomas, photographer

About Gumbo:

“Enthusiastic, energetic and vibrant performance that captured all our senses. 10/10!” – Steve, a South African currently living in Buenos Aires.

“Congratulations – we were so surprised! The acting was very good!” – Teresa Sanseverino

About Living in Strange Lands:

“Thank you Lynne, Renos and Anton! Thank you very much. With love.” – Sofía Gil

“Beautiful, beautiful.” – Amadou and Moussa, refugees from Africa now living in Buenos Aires.

Every Year, Every Day, I am Walking:

“I enjoy the play so much it make me remember back Africa. I wish the play could always been play every year.. Thank you so much.” – Anonymous, a refugee from Africa now living in Buenos Aires.

“I was transported to exactly where the actresses found themselves. I was able to feel every gesture, every sensation, thanks to their excellent acting… Thank you!” – Patricia Snidie

PROGRAM

Wednesday 22 April
20h00 Opening cocktail function with music by Darrayi Djembe (Senegal / Argentina)
21h00 Argentine Premier: Gumbo - From the Hip: Khulumakahle
Thursday 23 April
19h30 Argentine Premier: Living in Strange Lands – Imaginary Stage
21h00 Music by Darrayi Djembe (Senegal / Argentina)
22h00 Argentine premier: Every year, Every day, I am Walking – Magnet Theatre
Friday 24 April
20h00 Every year, Every day, I am Walking – Magnet Theatre
22h30 Living in Strange Lands – Imaginary Stage
Saturday 25 April
20h00 Gumbo - From the Hip: Khulumakahle
22h30 Every year, Every day, I am Walking – Magnet Theatre
Sunday 26 April
18h00 Gumbo - From the Hip: Khulumakahle
20h30 Living in Strange Lands – Imaginary Stage
Monday 27 April
20h00 Closing cocktail function with music by Afrique Sembè (Guinea / Argentina)
21h00 Performance: Every year, Every day, I am walking - Magnet Theatre

TALKS

Gumbo and Integrated Theatre Performance – FTH:K
Get the picture! Visual Theatre as a dare to explore – FTH:K
Talking about Every year, Every day, I am walking and the Company – Magnet Theatre
Talking about Living in Strange Lands – Imaginary Stage
Experiments in Freedom: Post-Apartheid Theatre – Anton Krueger

- The talks were free of charge, with Spanish and Sign language translators in attendance.

WORKSHOPS

Playback Theatre – Renos Spanoudes
Creative Writing – Anton Krueger
Contemporary South African Theatre – Anton Krueger
Listen with your Eyes – FTH:K
Home and the image – Magnet Theatre

Participants were required to sign up in advance and a fee was charged. Some places were given free of charge to participants in difficult economic situations. Spanish and Sign language translators were in attendance.