The KKNK celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. (Photo: Jhua-Nine Wyrley-Birch/Maroela Media)
The 30th Klein Karoo National Arts Festival (KKNK) is in full swing in the Western Cape town of Oudtshoorn.
The town teems with theater enthusiasts, spirited festival-goers and those hungry for art and culture.
The festival kicked off on Saturday 28 March with a huge opening concert and will come to an end on Saturday 4 April. Despite fickle weather – from sweltering heat to a few rain showers – the streets are still busy and the theaters full.
In addition to children’s theatre, short theater productions with Flash Theater and dance theatre, as well as markets and lifestyle experiences at the festival, free entertainment was also offered in Baron van Reedestraat at the RSG and ATKV-Kuierkol, at various discussion series and visual art exhibitions.
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- Marco van Deventer from ONS. (Photo: Jhua-Nine Wyrley-Birch/Maroela Media)
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- Schoolmates Jarrik, Leon and AB. (Photo: Jhua-Nine Wyrley-Birch/Maroela Media)
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- Ancois Bodenstein and Heinrich Wentzel can be seen together in ‘Akrasia’. (Photo: Jhua-Nine Wyrley-Birch/Maroela Media)
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- The Kraftt family at their pancake stand. (Photo: Jhua-Nine Wyrley-Birch/Maroela Media)
Various food stalls ensure that festival-goers have a great time – from the Pannekoektannie van Nelspruit to the popular Kobus’ gat stall, which specializes in grilled cakes.
Children also enthusiastically play on the site’s amusement rides and line up to have their faces painted.
Several debut productions made their debut on stage, including established favorites and seasoned artists, as well as exciting new voices.
Theater highlights of the week include celebrated Flemish writer Tom Lanoye’s rethinking of the Trojan War Atropa: The Revenge of Peacedirected by Marthinus Basson with celebrities such as Anna-Mart van der Merwe, Antoinette Kellermann, Rolanda Marais, Tinarie van Wyk Loots, Carla Smith and Geon Nel.
Albert Pretorius was also in the acclaimed poet Danie Marais’s I’m not Dani to be seen, while Nicole Holm, Frank Opperman, René Cloete, Gantane Kusch and Wian Taljaard in Carla Smith’s debut production, CRYBABYappeared.
Other productions that were on the shelves this week include Akrasia met cousins says Heinrich Wentzel, says Alfred Adrian Positive Strokes, Bushman and Lena, goat songSandra Prinsloo se The other daughter a Marion Holm see Grab every grass holm.