Baxter hosts gathering of master's artists

Cape Town theatre audiences and lovers of the arts can expect a treat when master artists William Kentridge, Peter Sellars and Wole Soyinka grace the stages of the Baxter Theatre Centre in A Unique Gathering: Rolex Mentors and Protégés, a weekend of artistic exchange from 5-7 April.

Baxter CEO and artistic director Lara Foot, a Rolex protégée to theatre mentor Sir Peter Hall in 2004 to 2005, has invited a group of mentors and protégés to Cape Town for a weekend of discussions and performances that will celebrate this extraordinary community. Kentridge, Sellars and Soyinka, all mentors in the Rolex Arts Initiative, will join some of the world's rising stars, all protégés under this philanthropic programme. Eight protégés will participate. They are: Foot (theatre, South Africa), Edem Awumey (literature, Togo), Maya Zbib (theatre, Lebanon), Anani Dodji Sanouvi (dance, Togo), Antonio García Ángel (literature, Columbia), Aurelio Martínez (music, Honduras), Josué Méndez (film, Peru) and Mateo López (visual arts, Columbia).

The Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative was established in 2002. It brings artistic masters together with talented young artists for a year of creative collaboration in a one-to-one mentoring relationship in seven disciplines: architecture, dance, film, literature, music, theatre and visual arts. The Initiative contributes to global culture by ensuring that the world's artistic heritage is passed from one generation to another.

The weekend's programme, which includes four public events, starts on 5 April at 16h00, with a workshop by Kentridge. More information can be found on www.baxter.co.za.