Warning: This article contains strong language.
South African comedian, Rob van Vuuren, expressed how happy he was to be a gainfully employed actor again after experiencing a significant loss of income during the Covid-19 hard lockdown.
In the early stages of lockdown, Rob added his voice to the growing chorus of concern for those in the entertainment industry who suffered a financial loss due to the government s restriction on movement and social gatherings. While I applaud the Govt s decision to act decisively in the face of this disaster my income is effectively frozen now. I don t know how I m going to pay my bond. Next month I ll be wondering how I m going to feed my family,
2020 was rough, there’s no denying it. And with the beginnings of 2021 faring only vaguely (if at all) better, it’s increasingly difficult to come to terms with this pivotal moment in time.
One of the industries that continues to feel the brunt of the Covid-19 effects is, of course, the performance arts, whose livelihood depends largely on crowds of people coming to watch performers do their thing.
On the weekend of 19-21 February, South African theatre-makers and dancers, gathering in Stellenbosch for the Take-a-STAND Dialogues, engaged in a series of discussions about the present and future status of theatre and dance in South Africa. Presented by SU Woordfees and STAND (Sustaining Theatre and Dance) foundation, the dialogues were an attempt to rekindle, at least partly, a community that has been splintered in the last year.