1. himself and her sister. She inevitably
has to put a spoke in the wheel.
Blackmail, murder threats and kid­
napping become the order of the
day.
House of Nuts boasts a star­stud­
ded cast that includes Ruben Naidoo,
Maeshni Naicker, Melanie Kisten, De­
siree Kisten and Warrick Frank.
Catch the show at 8 pm on Friday
and Saturday.
Tickets cost R100 at Computicket
(0861 915 8000) or the Sibaya box
office (031 580 5701).
— Arts Editor.
VETERAN theatre practitioner
Dr Satchu Annamalai brings his latest
production, House of Nuts, to Sibaya
Casino and Entertainment Kingdom
this week.
The drama is set in the home of
Harry Venketsamy, a fun loving 55­
year­old, who has just taken early re­
tirement and is set to live out the
rest of his life travelling and making
merry.
Thrown into the mix is Harry’s sis­
ter­in­law, Selvie, a bitter and envious
individual who cannot stand to see
Harry carving out the perfect life for
Faulds, a well­knownfibreartistwhose
work has been showcased internation­
ally.
To book, phone Macs at
033 386 6500 or e­mail admin@mid
landsartsandcrafts.co.za.
Next year, a series of one­off ses­
sions teaching advanced techniques
will be offered, at which students can
learn to make items like boots and
waistcoats.
— Witness Reporter.
THE FULL COURSE PROGRAMME
IS AS FOLLOWS:
• August 7: basic technique —
making felt from commercially pre­
pared wool;
• August 14: making felt from pre­
cleaned wool off the sheep;
• August 21: changing the size and
shape of the felt pieces;
• August 28: processing fleece
straight from the sheep, including
dyeing;
• September 4: making felt from
the previous week’s prepared wool;
• September 11: making a felt scarf
using a variety of techniques;
• September 18: over­dyeing;
• September 25: exploring surface
design — playing with colour;
• October 2: making a small bag
• October 9: making a 3D bag us­
ing a resist;
• October 16: making felted flowers
and ornaments;
• October 23: making ropes and
balls;
• October 30: making felt jewellery;
• November 7: working big — mak­
ing a rug or blanket;
• November 14: making a large
decorative bag or tea cosy and ex­
ploring surface decoration;
• November 21: working in the
round and making a hat; and
• November 28: recapping it all.
FELT is a strange fabric, neither woven
nor knitted, with neither warp nor
weft, with wrong nor right side.
It is strong and versatile and can be
usedtomakeagreatmanythings,both
useful and decorative.
It is made from sheep wool, freely
available in this area.
The basic skill is easily learnt, and
verylittleequipmentisneededtohone
your skill and develop the technique
to your own purpose.
The Midlands Arts and Crafts Soci­
ety (Macs) is offering an in­depth
course to explore the full potential of
this skill, which includes processing
the raw fleece, straight off the back of
the sheep.
The course is intended to teach the
skills you would need to turn making
felt into a business or cottage industry,
not just a hobby.
It will be taught by several teachers
who all have extensive experience in
making and using handmade felt, and
specialised interests in particular as­
pects of the process. This will ensure
a well­rounded exposure and training,
after which students may specialise
themselves if they wish.
The skill is relatively simple, low­
tech and cost­effective when used to
make marketable items. Students
shouldbeabletosetthemselvesupand
share their knowledge with others to
develop a cottage industry at present
lacking in this area.
An informal display of the scope of
the process can be seen at the Macs
house, 23 Haldane Road, Pietermaritz­
burg.
The course is designed as a whole,
runs weekly on Thursday mornings
from August 7 to November 28 and
costs R4 000. This includes meals and
all materials and equipment. Students
need to commit to the whole course.
The course is facilitated by Jutta
The competition closes on Wednesday, 23 July at 15hOO. Winners will be announced in The Witness on
Thursday, 24 July 2013. The Witness staff and their immediate families are not eligible to enter. The judges' decision is final and no
correspondence will entered into. T's & Cs apply. Visit hrtp://www.witness.co. za/ndex.php?competition-rules for full competition rules.
TheWitness
followed by your name and surname to 32697. SMS costs R1 ,50.
The competition closes on Wednesday, 23 July at 15hOO. Winners will be announced in The Witness on
To enter: SMS the words "WITNESS JOYOUS 18",
followed by your name and surname to 32697. SMS costs R1 ,50.
• 10 Double tickets to the show on Friday 25th July
• 10 Joyous Celebration Hampers (CDs, DVDs, Bags and T-shirts)
PRIZES INCLUDE:
Date: 25 July Venue: ICC Durban
Time: 19h00
Eighteen Tour
WIN
GREAT
PRIZES!PRIZES!
JoyousCelebration
There are R7 000 worth of prizes to be won!
MTN
THEATRE
‘Maluju Zulu’
MALUJU Zulu, one of KwaZulu­Natal’s most vi­
brant theatre works, returns to the Durban stage
in celebration of 20 years of democracy. This tale
of love and war can be seen in the Drama Thea­
tre from tomorrow to Sunday. Written and direct­
ed by Bonginkosi Shangase, the play is set at the
time when British forces occupied the village of
Nkandla. Tickets are R80 at Computicket or the
Playhouse box office at 031 369 9540 (office hours).
Evening performances are at 7 pm tomorrow to
Saturday, with matinees at 2 pm on Saturday, and
3 pm on Sunday. Schools performances are at
11 am from today to Friday (R20 per pupil). Book
through Ailsa Windsor at 083 250 2690.
‘The Ultimate Variety Show 2’
THE Family Players offer music, opera, comedy
drag, magic, singing and dancing in The Ultimate
Variety Show 2, at the Rhumbelow Theatre in
Cunningham Avenue, off Bartle Road, Umbilo, at
8 pm on Friday and Saturday, and 2 pm and
6.30 pm on Sunday. Tickets are R120 (R100 pension­
ers and tables of eight or more) at Computicket.
Take food picnic baskets, but no drinks, there is a
cash bar. Inquiries: Roland at 082 499 8636.
‘The Tortoise’s Dream’
THE Hexagon Studio Theatre is hosting perform­
ances of The Tortoise’s Dream — A Play for Chil­
dren at 6 pm on Friday, July 25 and at 9.30 am
and 11.30 am on Saturday, July 26. The play tells
the delightful African tale about a tortoise who
dreams about a magical tree that bears all kinds
of fruit. If real, the tree could be a great source
of nourishment for all the animals. The show is
suitable for six­ to 10­year­olds. Tickets are R25
at the door or via e­mail at hexagon@ukzn.ac.za.
‘Bad Moon Rising’
COMEDY cabaret group the Gee Jays will be pre­
senting their smash hit Bad Moon Rising, at Tina’s
Hotel in Kloof for three shows only on Friday, Sat­
urday and Sunday. In the show, Gary McKenzie,
Grant Bell and John Didlick celebrate and pay trib­
ute to the music of Credence Clearwater Revival
and all things redneck. Bad Moon Rising is pre­
sented in supper­theatre format. Supper, in the
form of a limited a­la­carte menu, will be served
from 7 pm. The show starts at 8.30 pm on Friday
and Saturday, and on Sunday, lunch (carvery) is
from 12.30 pm, with the show at 2 pm. Tickets
are R185 for the meal and show. Show­only op­
tion is available at R120. Book at 031 764 7843.
‘Born to be Wild’
THE Barnyard Theatre at Gateway’s latest offering
is Born To Be Wild, a tribute to the wildest rock
stars and rock anthems ever to have been record­
ed. Running until August 31, the show includes
rock classics like Livin’ On A Prayer by Bon Jovi,
Rebel Yell by Billy Idol, First Cut is the Deepest by
Sheryl Crow, Hotel California by The Eagles and
Bad Bad Leroy Brown by Jim Croce. Tickets are
R145 from Wednesday to Saturday, R110 every
Tuesday night and R100 for the Sunday matinee.
Book at 031 566 3045.
EVENTS
Quiz Evening
THERE will be a quiz evening tonight at 6.30 pm
at Caversham Hall. The quiz master is Dr Richard
Dunning. Make up a team of four and pit your
wits against the “wise owls” of Balgowan. The
wine and drinks will be accompanied by some ex­
cellent hot soup with a variety of breads and
cheeses and chocolate brownies from Sharon Mc­
Kenzie. This is a fundraising evening for Balgowan
Conservancy’s Eradication of Alien Plants Project.
There will be prizes for the winning team. Entry is
R20 for the quiz and R60 for supper with a com­
plimentary glass of wine. Drinks will be on sale.
RSVP via e­mail to info@balgowanconservancy.co.za
or phone Priscilla at 082 569 9116 or Louise at
082 783 1190.
Fundraising dance
THE KwaZulu­Natal Friends of St Helena Society is
hosting a fundraising dance at the FET Northdale
campus at 7 pm on Saturday, July 26. The music
will be provided by Nu Gay Caballeros Dance
Band. Bring your own drinks and snacks. Tickets
are R70 from Raymond Easthorpe at
082 951 6665 or Lee du Preez at 072 739 3519.
Booking is preferred but a limited number of tick­
ets will be sold at the door.
Msunduzi Hospice Winter Fair
THE fun­filled Msunduzi Hospice Winter Fair takes
place on Saturday, August 2 from 8 am to 1 pm,
at the hospice premises at 200 Zwartkop Road,
Prestbury. The tea garden will be offering a large
variety of mouth­watering eats and visitors will be
able to explore the crafts hall, plant stand, ever­
popular white elephant tent, the crazy Kidz Cor­
ner and the Hospice shop and bookshop. There is
also live music from SOS Children’s Village and
the Celtic Folk Group with their bagpipes and sax­
ophone. Inquiries: Rashida at 033 344 1560.
Queen bids an emotional farewell to her
son; MJ is mortified when he hears who his
new “girlfriend” will be; and Ruby blurts out
her true feelings.
Miles is in a bad space and Sifiso is con­
vinced that he has a drinking problem; and
Puleng and Suffocate fall into each other’s
arms again.
Matrone is a handful when Paula tries to
style her for Neville’s party; and will Emma
take Nthabi’s advice and ask Marko to mar­
ry her?
Both Shakira and Lucas make important de­
cisions about who to trust; and Kila discov­
ers the truth about a family secret that will
change his life forever.
Albert hears the taxi driver’s version of
events; Busi apologises to Nthabeleng; and
Vele tries to weasel her way back into the
royal house.
Zadie’s aunt decides to inspect Frankie’s
work place; and Okkie needs Naomi’s help in
consoling Ilse about her grandfather.
SABC1, weekdays, 8 pm SABC2, weekdays, 6.30 pm
e.tv, weekdays, 6.30 pm e.tv, weekdays, 7.30 pm
SABC2, weekdays, 9 pm
Kyknet, weekdays, 6.30 pm
GENERATIONS 7DE LAAN
RHYTHM CITY SCANDAL
MUVHANGO
BINNELANDERS
With Barker securely in the bag, AK takes
aim at two more hostages; and the Sibekos
find themselves speechless in the face of
Katlego’s argument.
Zweli finds out about Sihle; Mpiyakhe tells
Qondi the truth; Sunday gives the guard
muthi; and Iris considers a new plan for the
baby.
SABC3, weekdays, 7.30 pm
Mzansi Magic, weekdays, 8.30 pm
ISIDINGO
ISIBAYA
SOAPIE HIGHLIGHTS
ARTS &
ENTERTAINMENT
with Estelle Sinkins
arts@witness.co.za 033 355 1111
Amazon adventure
Today at the Durban International Film
Festival you can catch the film Amazonia
directed by Thierry Ragobert, at Cinema
Nouveau Gateway in Umhlanga at
5.30 pm. The film follows Sai, a tame
capuchin monkey (pictured), who finds
himself in the Amazon jungle when the
plane he is being transported in crashes.
Released from his cage and suddenly free
to explore, Sai encounters wonder and
danger in equal measure, before coming
face­to­face with his own kind. Using
barely any dialogue, the film is both full
of suspense and heartwarming. Amazonia
will also be screened at Suncoast
tomorrow at 10 am and at Cinema
Nouveau on Sunday at 1 pm.
PHOTO: SUPPLIED
Wednesday, July 23, 2014
NADEEM NYKER
COMEDIAN Carvin H. Goldstone not only does
not do drugs, but he doesn’t do effs, bees, cees
or dees either.
ItallbeganinthenewsroomsofaDurbannews­
paperwhereGoldstonebeganimpersonatingeve­
ryday news characters, celebrities and politicians.
He was also the avid office prankster and after
a while his colleagues urged him to try out stand­
up. And, in 2006 he decided to enter theMadras
Masala comedy competition at Sibaya Casino.
Goldstone walked on stage to face his biggest
audience yet, “I looked on to the crowd and there
were only Indians,” he says.
Intimidated by the lack of diversity, but driven
with his heartiness and whimsicality, his anti­
awkward, feel­good comedy saw him walk away
as the winner, voted for by the audience.
And that was when the gigs kept rolling in. “I
wasonlydoingcomedyfortwo[to]threemonths
and I was doing gigs with guys like Loyiso Gola,”
he says.
Despitethishefeltunsatisfiedwiththeill­man­
nered content constantly surrounding him in the
comedy world, and chose to leave.
Buthistalentcouldnotbeforgottenandpeople
urged him to go back. In 2008 he finally agreed
and performed with Trevor Noah, Roni Modimo­
la and Koobeshan Naidoo in Wow Comedy Jams.
He premiered his first solo show, No Swearing,
in2011andhissecond,iBruino,in2012,becoming
oneoftheonlylocalactstoselloutthe1 200­seat­
er Playhouse Opera Theatre.
Goldstone has been a journalist for 10 years
now and is a reporter for e.tv. On handling his
comedy career on the side, he says: “I work day
and night.”
He’s also a family man, and has managed to
mix work with pleasure, always bringing his wife
and five­year­old son, Jakin, to his shows.
His shows are completely family friendly and
exclude all sexual innuendo and vulgarity that
would make it too awkward to watch with your
parents. “There’s just so much to talk about with­
out swearing.” Not swearing is not an issue for
Goldstone, it is just inherently who he is.
“You don’t want to make the audience feel un­
comfortable, I feel very privileged to perform to
a crowd where a grandmother, mother and grand­
child are all sitting next to each other.”
Despite performing around the country, Kwa­
Zulu­Natal is home to the comedian and where
he is happiest performing.
WithaZulufatherandIndianmother,heinstils
his diverse heritage into his performances. “All
these elements make it unique to KZN and it’s
where I find my best audiences”.
His new show, Coloured President, debuts at
The Playhouse in Durban on Friday, July 25.
Goldstonehasstayedawayfrompoliticsinpast
performances as he found it clichéd, but in his
new show he introduces fans to a country run free
of Mondays and diplomatic issues, and where the
president’s cars are City Golfs — a coloured presi­
dent, of course.
Tickets for the show can be booked at Com­
puticket.
• To keep in touch with Carvin Goldstone,
check out his Facebook page: Carvin­H­Gold­
stone­the­Comedian or follow him on Twitter
@carvingoldstone
Carvin Goldstone, one of the only local acts to sell out the 1 200­seater Playhouse Opera Theatre.
PHOTOS: SUPPLIED
REVIEW: NELSON MANDELA:
THE MYTH AND ME
DURBAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
IT’S a sad indictment that not a single ANC gov­
ernment representative was willing to be inter­
viewed for Khalo Matabane’s provocative new
documentary,NelsonMandela:TheMythandMe,
which had its world premiere at the Durban Inter­
national Film Festival on July 18.
Speaking after the screening, Matabane re­
vealed that it was easier to get the likes of former
United States secretary of state Colin Powell and
the Dalai Lama to speak on camera than Cyril
Ramaphosa.
In the film, both men share their thoughts on
former president Nelson Mandela, as do Ronnie
Kasrils, Albie Sachs and Ariel Dorfman.
There are also powerful contributions from or­
dinary South Africans, many of whom are disillu­
sionedwiththelackofrealchangeinSouthAfrica.
Some are militant in their views that those who
benefited under apartheid should be punished.
As for Matabane himself, he is unsure how he
really feels about Mandela. As a child he viewed
him as a mythical superhero who would trample
the enemies of the people underfoot, but later
he found himself wondering why Mandela and
the ANC were so willing to embrace reconcilia­
tion and to bend the founding principles of the
liberation movement.
Through his own feelings and the thoughts of
hissubjects,heinterrogatesthenatureoffreedom
in the Rainbow Nation today, and poses the ques­
tion of who has benefited the most during the
past two decades.
Matabane doesn’t try and provide any answers,
but his film is both thought­provoking and chal­
lenging. See it if you can.
**** ESTELLE SINKINS
• Nelson Mandela: The Myth and Me is at Ster­
Kinekor Musgrave at 6.30 pm on Sunday.
A scene from
the
documentary
Nelson
Mandela —
The Myth and
Me.
PHOTO:
SUPPLIED
KZN’s clean
comedian
‘There’s just so much to talk about without swearing’ — Goldstone
Don’t miss provocative Mandela documentary
THE 35th edition of the Durban Interna­
tional Film Festival (DIFF) runs until Sun­
day with over 250 screenings of cutting­
edge cinema from around the world, with
a special focus on films from South Afri­
ca and Africa. The largest of southern Af­
rica’s film festivals, and the most impor­
tant film festival in Africa, DIFF has a film
competition component and also presents
screenings in township areas. For more in­
formation, phone 031 260 2506 or visit
www.durbanfilmfest.co.za
Learn felt making and
start your own business
BLACKMAIL AND MURDER THREATS