Honour for G’town director

GRAHAMSTOWN theatre director Rob Murray has been appointed as the new artistic director of the Amsterdam Fringe Festival.

Murray, who is doing his PhD at the Rhodes University drama department, has a long association with the National Arts Festival and has presented works on the fringe, arena and main stages of the festival.

National Arts Festival manager Kate Davies said Murray had started a new community theatre group in Grahamstown called Uyabona Ke which staged a satirical piece, Waterline, about the city’s water crisis at this year’s festival and won a Standard Bank ovation award.

“We are delighted,” Davies said. “It’s wonderful that someone who has worked so hard has been recognised.”

Murray said the experiences he had in South African theatre would be key to his success in Amsterdam.

“Growing up and committing, as an artist in South Africa, requires one to be independent, thick-skinned, resourceful and often bloody-minded …” The Amsterdam Fringe Festival is part of a group of nine festivals globally called the World Fringe Alliance (WFA) which collectively reaches an audience of three million.

Grahamstown’s National Arts Festival is a member of the WFA.