The Toyota SU Woordfees TV pop-up channel goes live on Friday, 1 October 2021. Fees TV, as it will be known on DStv, is the first ever arts festival on South African television, and it will be on air from 1 to 7 October 2021.
Fees TV brings all the variety and vibrancy of one of South Africa's biggest arts festivals, the Toyota SU Woordfees, to television. The programme content displays a broad range of genres: theatre, writers and books, dance, lifestyle, stand-up comedy, contemporary and classical music, film, discourse, and visual arts. The pop-up channel celebrates the arts and the diversity of talent and creativity of local artists, with a strong focus on quality-Afrikaans books, theatre, music, and film.
Fees TV will be available in South Africa on DStv Channel 150 from 1 to 7 October 2021, 24 hours a day, to all DStv Premium and Compact Plus subscribers. In Namibia, it will air on GOtv channel 15, with access for all GOtv Max subscribers. The Fees TV pop-up channel will also be available on DStv Now, and a selection of content on DStv Catch Up.
“A large variety of content by local producers has been curated to reflect the interests of our loyal festivalgoers. The programme will appeal to the culturally curious and all lovers of the arts, books, music, good food and wine. People from different walks of life, backgrounds and languages will be able to come together around their love of the arts to experience beauty, spectacle, debate, provocative ideas, and community. Lifestyle-orientated content will focus on scenic Stellenbosch and surrounds where the festival usually takes place," says Toyota SU Woordfees festival director, Saartjie Botha.
Highlights and anchor productions featured in the programme launch presentation include the following:
Writers' festival
The Woordfees started 21 years ago as an all-night poetry festival, and books and writers are still at the heart of the festival programme. Writers, poets and thought leaders on the Fees TV channel include Lien Botha, Andries Bezuidenhout, Nataniël, Nathan Trantraal, Joan Hambidge, Zandra Bezuidenhout, Bernard Odendaal, Ashwin Arendse, Veronique Jephtas, Dominique Botha, Jolyn Philips, Hilda Smits, Rudie van Rensburg, Erns Grundling, Ingrid Jones, Reuben Riffel, Max du Preez, Oscar van Heerden, Albert Grundlingh, Louise Viljoen and Willem Anker.
Theatre
See a variety of South Africa's most celebrated talent on stage – on your screen. The theatre series includes:
- The multi-award winning Valsrivier (based on Dominique Botha's acclaimed novel) with Anna-Mart van der Merwe, Tinarie Van Wyk Loots and Stian Bam, theatre direction by Janice Honeyman, and film direction by Christiaan Olwagen
- The 2020 Fiësta Award winner for Best Production: Die poet, wie's hy?, a celebration of poet Adam Small's work, starring Dean Balie with theatre direction by Frieda van den Heever, and film direction by Christiaan Olwagen
- Reza de Wet's classic play Mis with Nicole Holm, Martelize Kolver, Jane de Wet and Laudo Liebenberg, theatre direction by Wolf Britz, and film direction by Jaco Bouwer
- Adam Small's celebrated Krismis van Map Jacobs with June van Merch, Ilse Klink, Dann-Jacques Mouton and Elton Landrew, theatre direction by Jason Jacobs, and film direction by Jaco Bouwer
- Ferine and Ferase with theatre legends Andrew Buckland and Sylvaine Strike, theatre direction by Toni Morkel, and film direction by Jaco Bouwer
- Satirical game show Off the Record with Standard Bank Young Artist winner Jefferson “J Bobs" Tshabalala and guests
- Hannes van Wyk in the popular one-man show Sê groete vir ma
Classical Music
Viewers are spoiled for choice with a variety of concerts including the world-renowned Stellenbosch University Choir; pianist Megan-Geoffrey Prins; Italian opera arias with baritone Theo Magongoma, soprano Kimmy Skota, and tenor Arthur Swan; Cape Town Baroque Ensemble with Handel's London operas; mezzo-soprano Minette du Toit Pearce accompanied by Phillipus Hugo; pianists Nina Schumann and Luis Magalhães; and Zorada Themmingh on the organ of the Moederkerk in Stellenbosch.
Contemporary Music
Highlights of the contemporary music series include:
- A celebration of David Kramer's 70th birthday with Emo Adams, Loukmaan Adams, Robin Auld, Schalk Joubert and friends in the tribute: Boland to Broadway.
- Karen Zoid performing 20 of her greatest hits with the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra
- Karoo Suite – an ode to the beauty of the Great Karoo in word, music, and spectacular images with Coenie de Villiers and Deon Meyer
- Luna Paige, Ramon Alexander, and Frazer Barry exploring the origins and showcasing the variety of Afrikaans music in Smeltkroes.
Also on the music menu: Amanda Strydom, Spoegwolf, Die Heuwels Fantasties (with Francois van Coke, Tarryn Lamb and Jack Parow), jazz, cabaret, folk, swing, and poems set to music.
Stand-up Comedy
Enjoy the sharp wit of 13 of the country's most popular stand-up comedians: Marc Lottering, Schalk Bezuidenhout, Nik Rabinowitz, Shimmy Isaacs, Alan Committie, Bennie Fourie, Alfred Adriaan, Melt Sieberhagen, Kagiso Mokgadi, Joey Rasdien, Hannes Brümmer, Conrad Koch and Wayne McKay.
Woordfees TV will broadcast predominantly in Afrikaans but will also include English and multi-lingual works. All Afrikaans narrative works produced by the Woordfees festival, such as plays and discussion, will have English subtitles.
Non-subscribers can buy one of several one-month subscription packages for the month of October and enjoy the Toyota SU Woordfees on TV and DStv Catch Up in the safety of their homes.
The launch broadcast of around 20 minutes is still available to be viewed on the Toyota SU Woordfees Facebook page and the DStv YouTube channel.
* Toyota SU Woordfees TV pop-up is aired from 1 to 7 October on DStv channel 150 in South Africa and on GOtv channel 15 in Namibia. Watch woordfees.co.za and the Woordfees social media platforms for new highlights and information on Fees TV.
For enquiries, contact Danie Marais: danie_marais@sun.ac.za
