• Part I – The Creative Process: Friday 15 May 14:00 – 15:30
• Part II – The Practical Guide: Friday 22 May 14:00 – 15:30
• Part III – Tips from the Experts: Wednesday 27 May 16:00 – 17:30

Part 1 – The Creative Process

On Friday 15 May, the National Arts Festival will host a Zoom webinar with artists talking about the thought processes and creative shifts needed to successfully present work in online spaces. An eclectic bunch of speakers offer insight into this new world of digital work – inviting audiences along as they share their stories in reimagining work for an online audience.

AFDA’s Rob Murray hosts a jam-packed panel that includes Nikki Pilkington, Tandile Mbatsha, Mandisi Dyantyis, Rob van Vuuren, Hayleigh Evans and Xabiso Zweni.

Part II – The Practical Guide

A presentation and Q&A session on how to participate in vFringe 2020 presented by Fringe Manager Zikhona Monaheng and the Festival’s Technical Director, Nicci Spalding.

• View the recording here

Part III – Tips From the Experts

Part III will be held at 4pm on 27 May, in which experts will talk about how to record video or audio for online presentation, including tips on using your smart phone effectively and other affordable work-arounds.

• Register to attend Part III

Part I – More about the panellists

Nikki Pilkington – Born and bred in the boiling-pot Afropolitan of Johannesburg, Nicola Pilkington is a theatre-maker and filmmaker with an interest in conscious collaborations (both in process and between disciplines).

Rob van Vuuren – Legendary South African actor, writer, director, comedian and film star, who has participated in no less than 25 National Arts Festivals in Makhanda.

Mandisi Dyantyis – Composer, trumpeter, vocalist and a student of the arts.

Hayleigh Evans – Best known as the founder and artistic director of the POPArt Theatre, but she has other special skills up her sleeve, such as theatre making and the ability to set up a Zoom meeting all by herself.

Xabiso Zweni – Eastern Cape playwright, actor, director, presenter and educator. Mentor to learners from the Masifunde Learner Development Programme.

Tandile Mbatsha – Performance artist, choreographic activist, speaker, brand ambassador, model and voiceover artist.

It will be hosted by theatre maker, educator and researcher Rob Murray. Rob works predominately in the Visual Theatre sphere. He currently works in the Postgraduate School at AFDA Johannesburg, facilitating practice-led research through a hybrid approach to online education.

Updated – 19 May 2020: Updating details of Part II and adding Part III

Updated – 25 May 2020: Recording details added