The Edge at NAF

This is the 11th consecutive year that The Edge (formerly Cape Town Edge) will provide a home at NAF for independent artists creating fresh, innovative work. The Edge was launched with the goal of assisting artists to overcome some of the financial and logistical difficulties of producing work on the ever-growing and increasingly expensive NAF Fringe.

With the 10th year of Cape Town Edge celebrated in 2016, there has been a conscious decision to broaden the identity of what the venue can take under its wing. With a new focus on independent theatre in South Africa, and opening the doors to include shows from other cities such as Johannesburg, the venue has been rebranded as The Edge, and looks forward to 2017 being the 11th year of excellent Fringe theatre, as well as the first year of an exciting new journey with South African independent theatre makers.

This year Edge is run by three theatre-makers: Philip Rademeyer, Tara Notcutt (who managed Cape Town Edge for six years), and Wynne Bredenkamp – all three theatre-makers who have presented work on The Edge in the past. In 2006 the Cape Town Edge was launched at the Grahamstown National Arts Festival by two theatre companies: FTH:K and Hearts & Eyes Collective. The intention was to overcome some of the difficulties faced by independent companies at the festival. They created a model of collaboration, bringing together other theatre-makers to take over a single venue – the Princess Alice Hall.By sharing their networking and logistical resources, they were able to attract sponsorship and media attention. Since then the Edge has developed in focus and ambition, learned lessons and even changed management, but its original spirit has remained constant.

The Edge promotes an ethos of collaboration between participating companies – shared resources, combined marketing, the creation of a welcoming home-base for artists and audiences, and a support structure. Audiences and reviewers alike have come to expect quality work from the platform, with renowned arts journalist Adrienne Sichel describing it as “that Fringe jewel".

The Edge at NAF 2017 is supported by the Arts & Culture Trust (ACT) in association with the Nedbank Arts Affinity.

The Arts & Culture Trust (ACT) is South Africa’s premier independent arts funding and development agency. For more information visit www.act.org.za.