Twist at the NAF
Twist facilitated three successful projects at the National Arts Festival this year:

The Novel-Script Project included 5 writers from South Africa, The Netherlands and Zimbabwe in a weeklong residency, culminating in a public staged reading of short scripts at the festival. The Dutch production of TEA by Poolse Vis, enjoyed sold-out shows and great reviews at the festival, and was a great opportunity for exchange and discussion with the artists and other groups.
The leadership programme for the group leaders and directors of the 4 Twist community groups included watching performances, holding discussions with directors, artists, producers and mentors, focused on sustaining themselves as they leave the Twist Programme. One of the highlights was an afternoon with the Netherlands Ambassador.

Partnership with Mixed Media
Twist has partnered with communications company, Mixed Media and linked them with two Twist groups, Emuhle All Artists and Siyathuthuka. The groups are working on the MBFI+Project, using theatre to promote the importance of breastmilk. Training in breastmilk banking is currently underway in 5 hospitals in the eThekweni and Ugu districts. The actors from Twist are part of 3 drama teams performing the comedy play “Baby’s in da house! Boom!” written and directed by Patrick Kenny from Mixed Media.

Launch of the new programme with new groups
Twist has visited 16 new community theatre groups around KZN over the past months, and selected four new groups that will be introduced into the project cycle from September 2015. The new groups are: Ubizo Theatre from Marainhill, Nantsimpumeleleo Arts and Culture from Manguzi, and Mzansi Theatre Group and Thandimpilo from Pietermartizburg. They will be profiled in our next newsletter. Twist has also committed to working with the groups who were not selected as part of the programme, to provide support and mentoring where we can.

Launch of new scripts book: We have compiled the recent scripts created by the four graduating Twist groups, from work created over 2014 / 2015. Eight new scripts, presented in both English and isiZulu, will be published into a compilation that will be launched and distributed at a graduation ceremony for the old groups in September.
NAC support for new productions: As part of a grant from the National Arts Council, Twist will be working with the graduated Twist groups on proposals for the creation of new work. The outcome of decisions about work that will be supported from the grant will be announced in October.

TWIST THEATRE DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS IS SUPPORTED BY THE NATIONAL LOTTERIES COMMISSION
WITH ADDITIONAL PROJECT FUNDING FROM THE EMBASSY OF THE KINGDOM OF THE NETHERLANDS, THE NATIONAL ARTS COUNCIL AND PRO-HELVETIA / THE SWISS DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL.

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MAY / JUNE NEWS

Twist groups perform at the Uhuru International Arts Festival
The four Twist groups performed their new work at the Uhuru International Community Arts Festival at the Wushwini Arts and Heritage Centre in May. These new shows are designed for schools, and ready to tour. Dutch-Curacao story-teller Roland Colastica also performed his show at the festival, and at the two campuses of UKZN, to great acclaim.

Novel-Script Project
The Novel-Script Project is a writer’s residency at the National Arts Festival, and this year brings together selected writers from South Africa, Zimbabwe and the Netherlands, with funding from Pro-Helvetia, The Swiss Development Council and the Netherlands Embassy. The starting point for the 2015 project is the novel “Zulu Crush” by Roel Twijnstra. The novel is primarily a love story, and focuses on issues of romance, race and art. Novel-Script writers were asked to create a short, ten minute dialogue inspired by or based on the novel. There will be a free public performance of the work generated through the project on Wednesday 8^th July at 11.00 at the Recreation Hall in Albany Road, Grahamstown. All are welcome!
Exchange performances at NAF
As part of the exchange project which Twist hosts with the Embassy of the Netherlands in South Africa, we have invited back the fantastic physical duo of Poolse Vis to perform TEA at the National Arts Festival. Performances are presented as part of the “Family Fare” at the festival, on Friday 10^th July at 12.00; Saturday 11^th July at 10.00 and 16.00; and Sunday 12^th July at 10.00.

Theatre leadership programme at NAF
Twist is hosting a leadership programme at the NAF which will see the group leaders from the four Twist groups travel to Grahamstown for 6 days of intensive workshops, performances and networking. This will be under the mentorship of Bhekani Shabalala and Jerry Pooe. This will be the last project that the current groups are involved in, as they now graduate out of the programme.
Recruiting new groups
Twist has received funding for a new cycle of projects, and we are delighted to be able to recruit new groups into the programme. We have sent out a call to community theatre groups based in KZN to contact us, and will be visiting these groups in July and August to select four new groups to be part of the programme. Watch this space for news of the selected groups and the launch of the new programme in August!

TWIST THEATRE DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS IS CURRENTLY SUPPORTED BY THE NATIONAL LOTTERY DISTRIBUTION TRUST FUND (NLDTF)

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NEWSLETTER – MARCH / APRIL 2015

Twist group’s new productions
The four Twist groups are busy working on their new productions which they are readying for performances in schools. These productions are the result of workshops with mentors Emma Durden, Roel Twijnstra and Bhekani Shabalala as well as with Assitej earlier this year. The groups have spent time negotiating access to the schools, and consulting with local schools about their needs for performances. Their production details are as follows:

Lashona Art and Theatre Creations: Ithiqosi
Target age grade: Grade 7 – Creative Arts (folktales)
Sometimes stories are the solution to our problems, find out how Mr Zulu solves issues with stories and how stories change his life.

Siyathuthuka Theatre Group : Good morning Sir
Target age grade: grade 10-12(15 years and up)
A grade 11 student, Naledi, claims to be impregnated by her Speech and Drama teacher who promised to help her fulfil her dream of becoming a music star. The teacher, Mr Manyisa, denies the baby and Naledi needs to decide what to do.

Izwi Theatre Group: The Glimmer In The Dust
Target age grade: Suitable for pupils from grade 8 to grade 10. It is based on Grade 8 history.
This is a historical story about Sechaba, friends with the farmer’s son who found South Africa’s first diamond. The discovery sees Sechaba searching for more stones in order to change his family’s life; the story unfolds as he is released from prison after an incident on a mine where he worked …

Sinethemba Arts: Chronicles of Summer Holidays
Target age grade: Suitable pupils from grade 10 to grade 12.
The story is about two young people who meet during summer holidays. As their relationship develops, they both find themselves having problems related to having sex.

Twist at the Uhuru International Arts Festival

Twist partner, the Wushwini Arts and Heritage Centre, will be hosting the second Uhuru International Community Arts Festival from 6 to 10 May. The festival theme “imagine Africa without borders” is particularly poignant at this dark time in KZN. The Twist groups will perform their new work at this festival. Twist is also delighted to welcome back Dutch – Curacao story-teller and performer Roland Colastica, who will be performing at the festival on 7 May.

Exchange performances
As part of the exchange project which Twist hosts with the Embassy of the Netherlands in South Africa, Dutch-Curacao artists Roland Colastica will also be performing at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Petermaritzburg on 11 May and in Durban on 15 May. We are delighted that our partnership with the drama departments at UKZN is continuing in this way.

TWIST THEATRE DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS IS CURRENTLY SUPPORTED BY
http://www.nlb.org.za/images/front/high_res_logo.pdf
THE NATIONAL LOTTERY DISTRIBUTION TRUST FUND (NLDTF)

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TWIST THEATRE DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS
NEWSLETTER – JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2015

Twist at the Musho! Festival
All of the groups performed their new work at the Musho! Festival in January– and the Twist shows bought in audiences of almost 350 people. This exciting work was well-received, and positive reviews were pasted on the Musho! Festival Website. The performance of “The Dress” by Lashona Arts and Creations was voted as the audience fringe favourite.

Workshops and new work
Twist groups attended a workshop on making theatre for children, with a performance created by veteran theatre maker Gisele Turner and deaf mime artist, Sibo Masondo, and with Yvette Hardie from Assitej. Group members also attended the KZN Assitej Congress, and shared information on working with schools. This sets the scene for their new work for 2015, which focuses on school learners.

Durban Director’s Workshop
Roel Twijnstra conducted a directing workshop for Durban-based directors at the Stable Theatre in February. The workshop was an inspiration for many young directors who are making their names on the Durban theatre scene.

Groups preparing new work
The Twist groups attended a workshop in February to focus on creating new work for schools, and delivered their concepts for their new work. Each group has partnered with a local school, to find out what the school needs and what plays they would be interested in hosting. Izwe Youth are working with Grade 8 South African History; Lashona Arts and Creations is focusing on story-telling as part of the Grade 7 Creative Arts curriculum; Siyathuthuka is working on a production that explores teacher-learner relationships, and provides information to learners about how to report inappropriate teacher behaviour; and Sinethemba Arts are creating a work that focuses on sexual health. Their new work will premier at the Wushwini Arts and Heritage Centre in May, and will then go on to tour schools.

Connecting with graduated groups and other community structures
Twist has been in contact with many of the graduated Twist groups, who have participated in some of our recent workshops. We were invited by Umphiti Arts to adjudicate at a festival hosted by Umgungundlovu Disrict Arts And Culture Council, where participating groups were awarded copies of the book “Theatre Directing in South Africa”. Twist is providing support to Big Brotherhood Productions and Think Theatre to develop a theatre production that looks at the issues around the use of the dangerous drug, Whoonga.

TWIST THEATRE DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS IS CURRENTLY SUPPORTED BY
THE NATIONAL LOTTERY DISTRIBUTION TRUST FUND (NLDTF)

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TWIST NEWSLETTER – NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2014

Director’s workshop
Two writers from each of the Twist groups came together for an intensive director’s workshop with mentors, Roel Twijnstra and Bhekani Shabalala. The mentors worked with the groups on their new scripts, which were inspired by the writer’s workshop with Kobus Moolman. We also welcomed back old friend Xolani Dlongolo, who joined us for the weekend.

Twist at Isigcawu festival

The Twist groups performed at the Isigcawu Theatre Festival over the first week of November, and had a good weekend together, with great showcase performances of their work.

Preparations for the Musho! Festival
All of the groups are currently active with preparations for the Musho! Theatre Festival, which will be running at the Catalina Theatre from 15 to 19 January, with the Twist group’s performances as follows:
Saturday 17 January at 2 pm
Freedom Forest (Izwe youth Theatre): Even after 20 years, Sthenjwa Dlamini, an old veteran and a freedom fighter, still believes that the country isn’t free. Will his dream take him to where Freedom is? Written and directed by Sanele Gumede. Performed by Sabelo Khoza and Siyabonga Majola.
Too Long (Sinethemba Theatre Group): Strangely, Noma has been pregnant for two years, and doesn’t understand why. She needs to uncover a buried secret before she will be free to give birth.
Written by Lungile Dumisa and Nomathemba Xulu. Directed by Nobuhle Buthelezi. Performed by Bonisiwe Khumalo and Lungile Dumisa.
Sunday 18 January at 2 pm
Mpilo And Themba (Siyathuthuka Theatre Group): Mpilo shares a room with Themba in a children’s home. Secrets about their parents are uncovered that allow them to realise what family really means. Written and directed by Siyabonga Mthembu. Performed by Lebogang Mzaza and Xoliswa Ngubane.

The Dress (Lashona Arts and Creations): A beautiful pink dress hangs in a cupboard. Watch how it changes the lives of three generations of women. Written by Mlungisi Ngidi and directed by Doctor Kheswa and Khulekani Mtshali. Performed by Makhosazane Mkhize and Cebo Mdadane.

Groups are active over the holiday period
Many of the Twist groups are busy over the coming period, with both workshops and performances. Siyathuthuka group is hosting a two week Theatre workshop at Hammarsdale with a focus on acting, music and dance. This is in conjunction with visiting theatre groups from New York. Lashona Arts and Creations will be performing as part of Durban’s Summer Season on the Durban beachfront. Look out for them if you are anywhere near the beach!

Season’s greetings
Twist Projects wishes all our friends, supporters and colleagues peace and joy over the festive period. We hope you are able to recharge your batteries in readiness for a wonderful 2015!

TWIST THEATRE DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS IS CURRENTLY SUPPORTED BY
THE NATIONAL LOTTERY DISTRIBUTION TRUST FUND (NLDTF) http://www.nlb.org.za/images/front/high_res_logo.pdf

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TWIST NEWS – SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER

Twist groups exchange with DUT students
Twist group members recently enjoyed a workshop with staff and students from the Department of Drama at the Durban University of Technology. The workshop focused on stage fighting and other stage techniques, and generated a great creative atmosphere for the groups to share ideas and improvise new scenes together. Our thanks go to Prof Debbie Lutge at DUT for facilitating a stimulating day with the groups.
Young director’s workshops
Twist director, R oel Twijnstra, has been facilitating a range of workshops around the country, at universities and community theatres, based on the book co-written with Emma Durden: Theatre directing in SA; Skills and Inspirations. The workshops are a short introduction to the basics of theatre directing and carving your own way as a director in the South African theatre landscape. These workshops have been held in Durban, Pietermaritzburg, Johannesburg and Pretoria. More are planned for other centres later in the year, and continuing into 2015.

Community performances
All of the Twist groups have performed their new work multiple times in their own communities, with the shows getting great reception, and with great audiences. Congratulations to the groups for their continued growth artistically and with audience development.

Writer’s workshop
Two writers from ea ch group, as well as some of the old Twist groups have come together for an intensive writer’s workshop with our creative writing mentor, Kobus Moolman. Kobus has recently been nominated for a South African Literary Award, and we congratulate him on his achievement. He will be mentoring the Twist groups through the process of developing their new work for performance at the 2015 Musho Theatre Festival.

Twist preparations for Isigcawu festival
The annual Isigcawu Theatre Festival will be held at the Ekhaya Multi-Arts Centre in KwaMashu from Thursday 30 October to Sunday 2 November. All of the Twist groups will be showcasing their work at the festival, with the following performances: Friday morning – Midnight’s Spirits – Sinethemba / Friday afternoon – Inhlambuluko – Izwi / Saturday morning – Pay Day – Siyathuthuka / Saturday Afternoon – Brothers – Lashona Arts. Please feel free to join us for any of the shows; we look forward to seeing you there!

TWIST THEATRE DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS IS CURRENTLY SUPPORTED BY
THE NATIONAL LOTTERY DISTRIBUTION TRUST FUND (NLDTF)

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NEWSLETTER – JULY / AUGUST 2014

Remix-Lab Project
Members of the four Twist groups enjoyed the National Arts Festival in July with ten days of workshops, performances and discussions. The project included a mix of workshops, introducing the groups to hip-hop, dance and street theatre. Lashona Arts comments “it was an amazing opportunity of networking with other artists from all over South Africa and overseas”. The group members also had the opportunity to audition for an international production, and we congratulate Sabelo Khoza from Izwi Youth Group who has been cast for the show.

The Novel-Script Project
This annual writer’s programme included writers from South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and the Netherlands. The project was an inspiration to those involved, and ended with a public performance of seven exciting short scripts. Roland Colastica, a writer from the Netherlands, comments: “This project is a great opportunity to be honest and allow self criticism. My separation from familiar surroundings pushed me to go beyond the boundaries”. Twist is in talks with a partner production company to start work on a full-length adaptation of “Sleepwalking Land”, the chosen novel for the project.

Book Launch by Twist Directors
Roel Twijnstra and Emma Durden launched their new book: Theatre directing in SA; Skills and Inspirations at the National Arts Festival. The book has received great feedback, and we are now embarking on a series of workshops for young directors, based on the book. The first workshop will be at the Ntuzuma Arts Festival on 26 August. This will be followed by workshops in association with the Market Theatre and Wits University in September and other workshops in Durban later in the year.

Twist and graduated groups
As part of our ongoing mentoring programme, Roel Twijnstra has been catching up with the graduated Twist groups, and has been assisting with mentoring their new shows and providing other support. He has worked over this period with Umsindo Productions, Emuhle All Artists and Big Brotherhood on their new productions.

Twist and 20 Years of Democracy
As part of the Wits University Drama for Life SA Season 2014, celebrating 20 years of democracy, Emma Durden was invited to give a public lecture on applied theatre and community theatre at Wits, and also took part in a panel discussion of “Theatre for the people and by the people” alongside Phyllis Klotz, Themba Mkhoma and representatives from Wits and the Gauteng Department of Arts and Culture.

Launch of the second season of the Twist 2014 programme
A meeting in August saw the coming together of the four Twist community theatre groups for a review of the past six months of the project, and to lay the groundwork and plans for the upcoming 6 months. Groups will continue with performing in the own communities, and will come together soon for an improvisation workshop with students from DUT as well as workshops on writing and directing towards creating new work for 2015.

TWIST THEATRE DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS IS CURRENTLY SUPPORTED BY
THE NATIONAL LOTTERY DISTRIBUTION TRUST FUND (NLDTF)

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New work by Twist Groups!

New Productions by Twist Groups

The Twist groups performed their new productions at the Uhuru Festival at Wushwini Arts Centre in April, and are now taking these shows home, performing in their own communities. These shows included the following:

• Inhlambuluko: A dark tale of a family trapped in a satanic environment created by the father of the house. Created by Izwi Youth with writer/director Zwai Mgijima.
• Midnight Spirits: Accusations of witchcraft and murder motivated by jealousy cause a rift in the family. Created by Sinethemba Arts Projects with writer/director Jerry Pooe.
• Silent Cry: The dreams of a young poet are dashed by a life of abuse, until she is offered a life-changing chance to shine by a nightclub owner. Created by Lashona Arts with writer / director Ntshieng Mokgoro.
• Pay Day: A murdered man haunts those who hurt him by causing accidents in the place where he was buried. Created by Siyathuthuka with writer / director Monageng Motshabi.

Groups to Grahamstown

Members of the four Twist groups will be travelling to the National Arts Festival in July to take part in the Remix-Lab Project, an intensive ten day immersion into the festival, filled with workshops, performances and discussions. They will also be performing their work for their peers from other community theatre groups around the country. For many this is their first trip to the festival, and we wish them well! The Novel-Script Project Twist’s annual writer’s development programme runs in Grahamstown from 30 June. The project brings together selected writers from South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and the Netherlands. The starting point for the project is the novel, “Sleepwalking Land” by the acclaimed Mozambiquan author, Mia Couto, and writers develop theatre scripts inspired by this novel over an intensive week-long workshop. The finished scripts will be presented at a free public performance at 2 pm on Monday 7 July at the Recreation Centre in Albany Road, Grahamstown. All are welcome. Book Launch by Twist Directors Roel Twijnstra and Emma Durden launch their new book: Theatre directing in SA; Skills and Inspirations as part of the National Arts Festival at 4pm on Sunday 6 July at Eden Grove . It is a user-friendly introduction to the role of the theatre director and the concept of stage-craft written for those who are stepping into the role of director for the first time, or those who feel that they need a refresher course and new inspirations. The book includes interviews with ten contemporary South African directors, exploring their journeys into theatre and how they came to find themselves in the director’s chair. Twist Welcomes a New Administrator

We were joined in May by Mbali Mkhwanazi, a UKZN Honours graduate, who is working with us as an administrator for the next few months. Mbali has been assisting with plans for the upcoming projects at the National Arts Festival, as well as working with an external evaluation of Twists’ work over the last year. We hope she enjoys her time with Twist! TWIST THEATRE DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS IS SUPPORTED BY THE NATIONAL LOTTERY DISTRIBUTION TRUST FUND (NLDTF) AND:

• THE KZN DEPARTMENT OF ARTS AND CULTURE
• THE EMBASSY OF THE KINGDOM OF THE NETHERLANDS
• THE KZN PERFORMING ARTS TRUST
• ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR THE NOVEL-SCRIPT PROJECT IS PROVIDED THROUGH PRO HELVETIA, THE SWISS ARTS COUNCIL, AND THE SWISS AGENCY FOR DEVELOPMENT AND COOPERATION (SDC)

UKZN Exchange

Twist Group Siyathuthuka Arts performed their work “A men to We-men” at the Drama Department of the University of KwaZulu-Natal Howard College campus in March to a large group of students, who were excited by the work’s poetic content and style, and were intrigued to hear about the community group and how Twist works. We hope this is the start of an ongoing relationship with UKZN and look forward to future collaborations.

Twist in Rotterdam
Previous Twist group members from Umsindo Projects, Siso and Goso Shabalala, worked with the Dutch-based Stut Theatre Group to create a new work that premiered at the International Community Arts Festival to great acclaim in Rotterdam on 28 March. Twist programme manager Emma Durden and co-founder Jerry Pooe were also in Rotterdam, networking, taking part in seminars and watching performances from community arts groups around the world. Emma facilitated a well-attended seminar on community theatre models, theatre economics and sustainable practice in South Africa.

Twist at KKNK
After many years of an informal partnership with the Klein Karoo Kunstefees, Twist Projects was able this year to use funds from the Netherlands Embassy to bring a production from the Netherlands to play at the festival in April. ‘The Tatiana Aarons Experience’ was well received and had extremely good reviews in the festival paper, Krit. Actor, Tom Struyf co-facilitated a workshop for drama students from George High School and Stellenbosch University as part of the festival’s development programme, ‘Klap’. Feedback from these enthusiastic students, who had seen the show the previous evening, was that “they had never seen anything like it” and “didn’t want to miss a single word he said”. They said that the show and the workshop left them feeling motivated and hopeful.

Groups’ new work
The four Twist groups have been working together with established theatre makers to create new work which premiers at the Wushwini Arts centre’s Uhuru International Arts Festival from 11 to 13 April. Shows include Sinethemba’s “Midnight Spirits” Siyathuthuka’s “Pay Day” on Friday and Izwi Youth Group’s “Inhlambuluko” and Lashona Arts’ “Silent Cry” on Saturday.

Dutch performance at Wushwini Arts Centre
As part of the Uhuru Arts Festival, Twist is hosting the Netherlands-based performance group “Poolse Vis” for the production of their exciting physical theatre piece “Tea” at 1 pm on Friday and 6 pm on Saturday at the Wushwini Arts Centre. The team will also be giving a physical theatre workshop for the Twist groups while they are in Durban. The group is brought out with funding from the Netherlands Embassy.

TWIST THEATRE DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS IS SUPPORTED BY
THE NATIONAL LOTTERY DISTRIBUTION TRUST FUND (NLDTF) AND THE KZN DEPARTMENT OF ARTS AND CULTURE
THE EMBASSY OF THE KINGDOM OF THE NETHERLANDS

MUSHO! FESTIVAL 2014

Three of the new Twist groups performed their new work at the Musho Festival in January:

A-Men to We-Men was created by Siyathuthuka Theatre Company, in collaboration with writer / mentor Zwai Mgijima. The production won the fringe audience favourite award, and has been invited to perform at the Drama Department at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, as well as the Hexagon Theatre Festival in Pietermaritzburg.
Brothers, created by Lashona Art and Theatre Creations in collaboration with writer / mentor Vice Motshabi Monageng received a special mention award for its strong performances
Battle of the Ages, created by Izwi Youth Movement in collaboration with writer / mentor Neil Coppen was another strong production, with a popular story-line.
The festival also hosted the beautifully staged production of A White Suit created by Intuba Arts Development in collaboration with writer Xolani Dlongolo, and mentor, Roel Twijnstra.
A new group was introduced to the programme over this period, and we are happy to welcome Sinethemba Arts Project from Ulundi under the Twist umbrella. The group is under the leadership of Zanele Mbatha, and we look forward to a great relationship with them.

VISITING DUTCH PERFORMERS AT MUSHO!
Funding from the Netherlands Embassy allowed us to bring two theatre productions from the Netherlands to the Musho! Festival. This included the amazing performance art piece “Freeze” by Nick Steur and Maite Geurin, and Dette Glashouwer’s interesting story-telling of “Money and Enough / Dette in Africa”. Both pieces were well received by the festival audiences.
Nick held two workshops for artists on developing their own craft with passion. These workshops were attended by 15 young artists, who commented that it was a very engaging process that caused the participants to think critically and evaluate their performance and theatre construction methods.
Dette facilitated a master-class for around 50 participants, on translating ideas into action and ways to gain autobiographical knowledge to create universal art. The workshop focused on how to gain awareness mentally and physically and to perform it right away. The Twist groups participated enthusiastically in this workshop.

GROUPS CREATE NEW WORK
The four Twist groups are currently in the process of creating new work which will be ready for performance in April 2014. Izwi Youth are working with writer/director Zwai Mgijima; Siyathuthuka will be working with Monageng Vice Motshabi; Lashona Arts with Ntshieng Mokgoro; and new group Sinethemba Arts will be working with Twist founder and mentor, Jerry Pooe.
This new work is sponsored by the KZN Department of Arts and Culture and by a new funding grant received from the KZN Performing Arts Trust.

TWIST TO TRAVEL TO ROTTERDAM
Based on an exchange project in Durban in 2013, previous Twist group members from Umsindo Projects, Siso and Goso Shabalala, have been invited by Stut Theatre Group to work with them on developing a new collaborative performance. Siso and Goso will work with Stut in Utrecht, and will perform the new work, Go-Hasigo, at the International Community Arts Festival in Rotterdam on 28 March. Emma Durden and Jerry Pooe will also travel to Rotterdam to be part of the festival and to talk about the work that Twist does. We look forward to building on our partnership with Netherlands-based community theatres, as well as with other organisations from around the globe.

TWIST THEATRE DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS IS SUPPORTED BY THE NATIONAL LOTTERY DISTRIBUTION TRUST FUND (NLDTF) AND THE KZN DEPARTMENT OF ARTS AND CULTURE
THE EMBASSY OF THE KINGDOM OF THE NETHERLANDS
THE KZN PERFORMING ARTS TRUST

Performances from Dutch theatre group

The visiting Stut Theatre group from the Netherlands had a busy week in Durban at the beginning of Novembe r, performing to students at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (Pietermaritzburg), at the Stable Theatre, at the Isigcawu Festival and in Umlazi. The group also meet with a number of other community theatre groups at arts centres around Durban. They were well-received, and the new Twist groups in particular loved the story-telling workshop that was facilitated by director Sharon Varekamp and actor Guner Guven.

Dutch community theatre expert, Eugene van Erven was part of the visiting group, and took part as a judge of the Isigcawu Festival; he describes being “exhausted but also incredibly enriched by this immersion in contemporary community theatre from Kwauzlu-Natal.”

Netherlands Embassy ‘meet and greet’
Twist co-ordinated a meet and greet session in November between Jeroen Martens from the Netherlands Embassy and a wide range of arts managers and practitioners from Durban. This session was a chance for the Embassy to hear about the projects that Durban-based arts groups are involved in, as well as to talk about their strategy for cultural exchange over the coming years. It was a fruitful session, and we hope that relationships between the parties will continue to grow.

Induction with new Twist groups
The four new Twist groups were part of a weekend of talks, workshops and watching performances as part of their first experience with Twist. The workshops involved the story-telling workshop from Stut, as well as an inspiring workshop from renowned writer-director Neil Coppen. Neil’s workshop sparked new ideas for the groups to think about their new shows that they will create with an allocated artistic mentor through the Twist programme. Jerry Pooe, Twist co-founder and a well-know artistic director addressed the groups and talked about their expectations for their journey with Twist. The groups left the weekend feeling inspired for the projects to come.

Groups work with artistic mentors
The Twist groups have started working with their artistic mentors to develop new productions for 201. These productions will premiere as two-handers at the annual Musho! Theatre Festival in January. Afriboa worked with Twist’s own Xolani Dlongolo and Roel Twijnstra; Izwi Youth Group worked with Neil Coppen; Siyathuthuka Arts with Port Elizabeth-based theatre writer, Zwai Mgijima; and Lashona Arts with Johannesburg director Vice Monageng. We look forward to seeing the fruits of these collaborations. The groups will perform on Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 January. For details about the festival, see www.mushofestival.co,za

Two new Dutch groups to visit Twist in January
Twist is hosting Dutch performing artists Dette Glashouwer and Nick Steur in Durban in January 2014, as part of our skills and performance exchange projects funded by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Both artists will be performing at the Musho! Theatre Festival, and will be facilitating workshops for local performing artists and community theatre groups. Dette will be performing two short plays at the Catalina Theatre on Sunday 19 January at 6 pm, “Money and Enough” and “Dette goes to Africa”. The plays look at money and what it means. She will be presenting a physical theatre performance Masterclass for performing artists on Monday 20 January. Nick will be performing his production “Freeze” at the Catalina Theatre on Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 January at 12 noon. It is a performance piece involving balancing rocks, and has garnered attention around the world. We look forward to seeing how it is received here!

Wrapping up 2013
Twist has had a great year, from graduating two groups earlier in the group, to receiving new funding, and taking in 4 new groups. We have welcomed many artists from the Netherlands over this year as part of our exchange programme, and have linked many local artists with each other. We have met new people and built new relationships which we hope will continue to benefit community theatre groups in KZN. We anticipate a great 2014, and wish all our friends and supporters a happy and peaceful holiday period.

TWIST THEATRE DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS IS SUPPORTED BY THE NATIONAL LOTTERY DISTRIBUTION TRUST FUND (NLDTF) AND THE KZN DEPARTMENT OF ARTS AND CULTURE
THE EMBASSY OF THE KINGDOM OF THE NETHERLANDS

New Grant Agreement

Twist is delighted to announce that it has signed a grant agreement with the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund (NLDTF) for the 2013-2014 project cycle. The NLDTF grant is for R 2 110200, and will cover a full cycle of the project.

About the NLDTF
The NLDTF relies on funds from the proceeds of the National Lottery. The Lotteries Act and regulations guide the way in which NLDTF funding may be allocated. The NLDTF wants the grants to make a difference to the lives of all South Africans, especially those more vulnerable, and to improve the sustainability of the beneficiary organisations. Available funds are distributed to registered and qualifying non-profit organisations in the fields of charities; arts, culture and national heritage; and sport and recreation. By placing its emphasis on areas of greatest need and potential, the NLDTF contributes to South Africa’s development.

New Groups
This agreement with the NLDTF has allowed Twist to recruit four groups for the new programme cycle, which will span two years. These groups were selected after a month of meetings with different theatre groups around the KZN province. We met with a number of exciting groups, saw a great deal of talent and were inspired by the continuous growth of community theatre in the province. The groups that we selected for inclusion in the 2013/2014 cycle come from a range of different areas, spanning the province.

Afri Bulletin Arts Organisation hails from Hlabisa. There are seven members of the group, under the leadership of Lucky Dlamini. They are a registered Non-Profit Organisation, and have previously worked on a number of programmes with the Hlabisa Municipality and performed in Durban, Manguzi, Hluhluwe and Hlabisa.
Lashona Ilanga Youth Arts Creation is a group based in Marianhill, under the leadership of Doctor Kheswa. Their 18 members get together at a local crèche, and work in theatre, dance, poetry and other performance forms. They have performed in and around their area, and as far afield as Ladysmith.

Siyathuthuka Theatre Company is based in Lindelani, and group members come from near-by Kwamashu and Ntuzuma. The 15 members get together at a local hall to rehearse under the directorship of Siyabonga Mthembu, and their productions have won awards at a number of local community theatre festivals.
Izwi Youth Movement is based at Mpophomeni near Howick. This ten-member group, founded by Sanele Gumede, are associated with the larger group of Mphompeni Youth Theatre. They have a good relationship with the local municipality and with the Department of Arts and Culture in Peitermaritzburg.

All of the new groups are looking forward to embarking on this journey with Twist, on a path to developing their organisational and artistic skills, and building themselves into more sustainable, lasting organisations.

The first part of the new Twist cycle starts at the end of October, where the groups will come together in Durban for an induction workshop, and a session on workshopping new plays, led by the award-winning theatre-maker, Neil Coppen. The groups will then participate in an exchange programme that introduces them to the Stut Community Theatre group from the Netherlands, who will be performing in Durban courtesy of funding from the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and who will conduct a workshop for the group members exploring new theatre styles.

Performances
The Stut group will perform a double bill of their shows “Buddy” and “Mahmoud” at the University of KwaZulu-Natal Pietermaritzburg campus on Tuesday 29 November, followed by a talk on community theatre by internationally renowned theatre expert, Eugene van Erven.
The shows will also be performed for the public at 3pm on Saturday 2 November, at the Stable Theatre in Durban, and over the course of the weekend at the Isigcawu Festival at the Ekhaya Multi-Arts Centre in KwaMashu.
We look forward to a great start to our new cycle.

The Novel-Script Project

The 2013 version of the Novel-Script project brought together writers from The Netherlands, South Africa and Zimbabwe in an intensive script-writing workshop which benefitted writers and actors alike. Feedback from the writers was very positive, and all felt that they had benefitted from the workshop process as well as the exchange element of the workshop.

Lindelwa Kisana from South Africa commented: “This was a great experience… It was a very welcoming atmosphere and the workshop was at another level – I loved the process with the actors involved. I have learnt a lot.”
Jibbe Willems from the Netherlands commented: “The fast working pressure and the feedback system was very good. I liked the feedback from writers, actors and directors, because it gives you different takes… I was very happy to have this opportunity.”
Zimbabwean writer, Elton Mjanana commented: “New tools have been added to my approach and to my writing and the way I work. More pages have been added to my book of knowledge, and that’s priceless…”
The scripts are currently being collated into a publication of six new scripts inspired by the novel “The Miracle of Crocodile Flats” by Jenny Hobbs, and will be released later this year.
The project was made possible through funding from the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands with additional support from Pro Helvetia, the Swiss Arts Council, and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).

NAF Fringe Productions from the Netherlands / local exchange

Twist supported two productions from the Netherlands at the National Arts Festival Fringe, “By Bye World” and “Florence, Foster Jenkins”. The groups presenting these works met with the Twist-associated theatre groups, Intuba Arts Development, Umsindo theatre Projects, and Mncube Productions. The South African and Dutch groups watched each other’s work, and engaged in discussion sessions afterwards, sharing creative techniques and story-telling processes. The Dutch group also facilitated a mime and movement workshop with the groups.

The groups commented: “We would like to thank Twist for giving us a great opportunity to work with the Dutch groups and the connection doesn’t stop, as we would like to do some more collaboration with them in the future.”
This project was made possible through funding from the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Search is on for new groups
Twist is in the process of signing a contract with a new funder, and is also meeting with new groups who will be included in the 2013-2014 cycle of the project. To date, we have made contact with 16 groups who have approached Twist in the past, and will be in discussions with Twist about participation in the programmes going forward.

2013 PLANS
Twist has secured financial support from The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands as well as from the KZN Department of Arts and Culture and from Pro Helvetia, the Swiss Arts Council, and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) for some of our projects for this year.  Although the full 10-project programme will not be running with 4 new community groups as anticipated, we hope to have a positive response to a number of other project funding proposals that have been sent out, so watch this space for details!

TWIST AT THE NATIONAL ARTS FESTIVAL:
The Novel-Script Project
We are delighted to be hosting the 4^th Novel-Script Project in Grahamstown from 23 to 28 June.  Funding from the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands has allowed us to bring together Dagmar Slagmolen and Theo Fransz from Holland and Vice Monageng Motshabi, Lindelwa Kisana and Xolani Dlongolo from South Africa for this intensive writer’s master-class. Additional support from Pro Helvetia, the Swiss Arts Council, and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) has allowed us to bring Zimbabwean writers Elton Mjanana and Raisedon Baya as well as theatre director Daniel Maposa to the workshop.  We are enormously grateful to the funders for coming on board so that we can continue to develop partnerships across borders.  There will be an open public performance of the play readings on Friday 28 June at 2 pm at the Nun’s Chapel (behind Eden Grove on Somerset Street).

Support for Fringe Productions from The Netherlands
Through funding from the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Twist is able to offer support for two productions from the Netherlands that will appear at the National Arts Festival Fringe.  The performances include “By Bye World” (performing from 3 July to 6 July) and “Florence, Foster Jenkins” (performing from 29 June to 3 July).  The visiting groups will be meeting with Twist and will facilitate a skills-building workshop for young performers and community groups that will be at the Festival.

Twist Groups on Show
Previous Twist groups, Umsindo Theatre Productions and Intuba Arts Development will be performing at the NAF..  Umsindo will be on the Arena stage with their performance “Secrets from the Drawer”, co-written by Neil Coppen with support from Twist and from the National Arts Festival. Their performances will be from Thursday 27 to Sunday 30 June. They are also taking another production, “Pieces of the Puzzle” to the Fringe.  Intuba Arts will be performing their new work “Tears of Death” on the Fringe from 4 to 7 July.
Previous Novel-Script Project Fruits at the Festival
The Madonna of Excelsior was the Zakes Mda novel selected for the Novel-Script Project in 2009.  It has now been adapted for the stage by Kobus Moolman through a commission by PACOFS, and will perform at this year’s festival. We are delighted that the project has come full circle in this way, and hope that in the future we will be able to do the same with other productions.

Research and Twist
Twist has been assisting UKZN post-graduate student, Nkululeko Sibanda with his research for his thesis entitled: ‘The Politics of Design’ in Community Theatre Circles: A Comparative Analysis of the Creative Design Processes employed by Intuba Arts Development in Tears of Death (2013) and Bambelela Arts Ensemble in Just Because (1999: 2013). We wish him well with his final research efforts.

Phambili Theatre Festival

In partnership with the Stable Theatre, Twist was an integral part of the Phambili Theatre Festival that ran from 22 to 24 March. Both Emuhle All Artists and Siyakha Performing Artists showed their full-cast versions of their new work, which were very well received by the audience. It was also great to see previously graduated groups creating dynamic new work, including the guys from Big Brotherhood and Ubuntu Arts (now known as Intuba Arts Development) who appeared on the festival programme alongside the twins from Umsindo and a group from Bloemfontein.

New Playscripts 2012-2013
The festival opened with the launch of the anticipated “New South African Playscripts” collection for 2012-2013, which is a collection of the full-cast and two-hander scripts created by the Twist groups in association with writers Neil Coppen and Themba Mkhoma. The work is presented in both English and Zulu, and is a rare opportunity for bi-lingual publishing.
The published copies are available for use of schools, universities and theatre groups. Please contact the Twist office if you are interested in getting your hands on a copy.

Groups graduating from Twist
Emuhle All Artists and Siyakha Performing Artists have both now graduated from the Twist programme. We are delighted that Emuhle have recently performed at the Zabalaza Festival at the Baxter Theatre in Cape Town, and also at a recent Community Arts Festival in Bloemfontein. Siyakha has been invited to present their work to the Market Theatre, for consideration for their annual community arts festival. The groups have made the most of the opportunities offered to them through the Twist programme, and it is a positive step to see them networking and continuing to grow. We wish them both strength and success going in to the future.

2013 plans
Twist was unfortunately not awarded an anticipated company funding grant from the National Arts Council, and are now in the process of sending applications and conducting negotiations with a number of other potential funders , before we can identify new groups with which to work, and before we can confirm our annual programme for the year ahead. Watch this space for details!

2013 has started with a bang and two awards for Twist members!

Musho! Festival
The Twist groups performed their new productions at the Musho! International Theatre Festival at the Catalina Theatre in Durban on 19 February. The shows were well received by a large audience, and a number of people commented on their high standard.

Siphesihle Cele from Emuhle All Artists was awarded the Judge’s Award for Outstanding Performer on the Fringe, being selected from a strong group of 11 performers. We are very proud of him!

The Twist groups thoroughly enjoyed the festival, watching a host of other shows from Durban and elsewhere, and commenting that the wide variety of productions had opened their eye to new styles of work that they had not previously seen.

An ex-Twist group, Umsindo Productions, had received a place on the Main Stage of the Festival, and Siso and Goso Shabalala impressed with “Brothers”, their story of twins who struggle to get along, and one who makes the ultimate sacrifice.
Puppet Workshop
The Twist groups attended a workshop on puppetry by performer Neiek Lombard. The workshop explored the creation of paper puppets and found objects, and inspired the groups to look around them and “make something out of nothing”. Groups mentioned that it had been a great experience, and that “understanding bringing life to a puppet is amazing and interesting … from the basics to the highest level of enrichment, we learnt a lot of new things”.

Awards
As well as the performance award won by Siphesihle Cele; Twist manager Emma Durden was awarded the Monica Fairall Memorial Award for service to the theatre community at the Mercury Durban Theatre Awards in December, 2012. This was in recognition of her work in theatre development and for bringing together community and professional theatre.

Welcome to Roel Twijnstra
The Twist co-founder and director, Roel Twijnstra, has come to live in South Africa and work closely with the project for the next 2 years. We are delighted to have him here and are sure that the community groups and the professional theatre makers that we work with will benefit from his experience and expertise.

Upcoming Projects
Emuhle All Artists and Siyakha Performing Artists will be graduating from the Twist programme in March. In preparation for this, they will be visited by Xolani Dlongolo and Roel Twijnstra, to assist with their forward planning. As they leave the programme, one member commented “Thanks to the Twist members and funders, it has been a very fruitful journey, taking us to a more professional level.”

Funding News
The Twist office is focussing on fundraising efforts in an attempt to secure funding for the new project cycle and the recruitment of new groups for March 2013.