Arts Writer
ELGIN’S forest amphitheatre Hope@ PaulCluver will kick off a diverse season of entertainment with a bang when Freshly Ground takes to the outdoor stage on November 14.
Well-established as a magical music venue and the only forest amphitheatre in the Western Cape; the programme will again list crowd-pleasers like The Parlotones, Bobby Van Jarsveld, Nataniel and Karen Zoid and Francois Van Coke, and will for the first time welcome South Africa’s top political analyst puppet, Chester Missing, and his ventriloquist Conrad Koch.
Another new addition is the performance of Mozart’s opera, Don Giovanni, and sweethearts will once again be able to snuggle beneath the stars when the Valentine’s Day movie, Moulin Rouge, is screened.
Providing a platform for new talent, Hope@PaulCluver has partnered with the Africa Voices Trust and Studio 7 to give opportunities to new and local artists to be show-cased alongside the stars with an eye to deepening the sense of community involvement.
The concerts beneficiary; The Thembalitsha Foundation is an NPO which works to restore hope to disadvantaged and desperate people.
“We are ecstatic about how successful these events are for Thembalitsha. We are also thrilled about the artists we have lined up for the summer programme,” says creative producer Emily House. “This season we are looking to develop the initiative further by using the stage to showcase some new local talent whist cultivating a thought-provoking environment that encourages us to ask questions, start conversations and build new bridges.”
With the support of partners Paul Cluver Wines, The Department of Arts and Culture, Appletiser and BASA, last year’s summer season raised R500 000, and generated a good deal of publicity for Thembalitsha’s cause. The NPO was able to use the funds to cover the annual salary of three Village of Hope house mothers, subsidise the salaries of the in-patient unit manage and outpatient nursing sister at ThembaCare Grabouw, and train teachers at EduCare Grabouw.
Guests are welcome to bring their own picnics to all events. No outside alcohol is allowed, but Paul Cluver wines and Cluver Jack cider will be on sale, as well as craft beer from Triggerfish Brewery along with food from a small selection of gourmet food vendors.
Bobby van Jaarsveld will perform on Secember 12, The Parlotones on January 2, Chester Missing on January 9, Nataniel on January 23, and Karen Zoid and Francois van Coke on February 6. Moulin Rouge will be screened on February 13, followed by the staging of Don Giovanni on February 27.
l Gates open at 5pm, the show starts at 7pm. Tickets: R250, 0861 915 8000, www.hope.org.ze