'Hope is the Saddest' was critically acclaimed at the Perth Fringe Festival in 2011. The Australian High Commission and the National Arts Festival of South Africa are now proud to present 'Hope is the Saddest' to audiences at the 2012 National Arts Festival in Grahamstown.
According to Australian High Commissioner to South Africa, HE Ann Harrap, it is a great honour for an Australian production to be invited to participate at South Africa's premiere arts festival.
"The Australian High Commission is extremely proud to be supporting the showcasing of Australia's artistic excellence to a South African audience. The Australia-South Africa relationship is underpinned by strong commercial engagement and significant people-to-people links. Part of the Australian Government's mandate is to enhance these links by promoting cultural exchange between artists, musicians and writers. These types of cultural exchanges are also extremely important for strengthening institutional linkages," Ms Harrap said. "The National Arts Festival has strong partnerships with a number of arts festivals in Australia, and I am confident that these partnerships will continue to grow," she said.
‘Hope is the Saddest' is the second Australian show to be invited to the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown, South Africa, following the presentation of Football Diaries to the festival in 2010. In 2011, the South African National Arts Festival also supported a performance at the Perth Fringe Festival.
The Australian High Commission utilises its public diplomacy program to promote Australian culture and cultural exchange between Australian and South African artistic communities, and is pleased to be able to support 'Hope is the Saddest' through this program.
Performance details of 'Hope is the Saddest' at the National Arts Festival:
Thursday 28 June 2012, 21:00 - The Hangar
Friday 29 June 2012, 16:30 - The Hangar
Saturday 30 June 2012, 21:30 - The Hangar
Sunday 1 July 2012, 21:00 - The Hangar
Tuesday 3 July 2012, 14:00 - The Hangar
For more details and tickets visit the National Arts Festival website.
