If you can’t go to Grahamstown this year for the National Arts Festival fringe, don’t worry – – – the fringe is coming to you!

That’s the thinking behind our dorp’s new venture. We’re hosting a Platteland Preview of Grahamstown’s internationally respected fringe, inviting performers to stop over in Smithfield, half way between Gauteng and Grahamstown. They get great exposure and extra performances before they take on the Grahamstown crowds; the audiences in Smithfield – from the central platteland like Bloemfontein, Clarens, Rosendal, Aliwal North and even from further afield (we’re already getting bookings from Johannesburg and Durban) get culture in the countryside. Win – win.

So these are the dates to remember: Friday 21 June, Saturday 22 June and Sunday 23 June 2013. And here’s our great new letterhead. Isn’t it fabulous! (Thanks to Crystelle Wilson.)