Ten texts from the Klein Karoo National Arts Festival (KKNK)’s seventh Teksmark were identified for further development.
Teksmark was presented from 24 to 26 August at the Baxter Theatre in Cape Town and could be attended for free by anyone interested. 22 writers presented their ideas and 90 actors and directors took part to perform excerpts from the texts as reading theatre.
Faheim Stellenboom, marketing manager of the Baxter Theatre, highlighted Wilken Calitz and Shaun Oelf’s Karatara, that was on the Teksmark-stage three years ago, as an example of this project’s success. “After Karatara‘s run at the KKNK, where it was crowned with the Kanna for best debut work, it recently returned to the Baxter Theatre, where it all started with Teksmark, for a short season. We are very proud of this production and to be associated with it.” (Karatara will also show at Woordfees from 10 to 16 October.)
Hugo Theart, asrtistic director of the KKNK, confirms that writer’s bursaries to the value of R150 000 – funded by the National Afrikaans Theatre Initiative (NATi) and the KKNK – were awarded to eight texts. “We are also proud to award a stage show at KKNK and Suidoosterfees to one text, and to record one text as reading theatre.”