South African Theatre
latest news & developments
Two women, 30 teenagers and one Broadway dream
In Braamfontein, 30 teenagers are spending their July school holidays immersed in a musical production about making it in the performing arts. Co-directed by Khaya Ndlovu Mpehle…
Mongezi Ntukwana
Mongezi Ntukwana, 28, is the founder and CEO of Aziye Productions, an independent theatre company dedicated to creating original South African work that combines artistic…
‘You strike a queer, you strike a rock’: How ‘Nkoli’ revives the legacy of Simon Nkoli
A vibrant vogue-opera celebrates anti-apartheid and LGBTQ+ activist Simon Nkoli, blending history, spectacle and political resistance with dazzling theatrical flair. The…
They Didn't Wait for an Invitation. They Built the Table Themselves.
Sophie Joans and Mxolisi Masilela, both recipients of the Mail & Guardian's Top 200 Young South Africans recognition, are theatre-makers who built their own spaces in the…
Nearly 50 years on, the Market Theatre is still holding up a mirror to South Africa
Three days after the historic Soweto Uprising in 1976, the Market Theatre opened its doors in Johannesburg, becoming a vital space for artistic expression and resistance against…
Joburg Theatre launches podcast to take audiences behind the curtain
Through interviews and behind-the-scenes discussions, Spotlight Theatre Talk explores the people and processes that bring productions to life
‘Rise ’76’ confronts a generation haunted by how little it has done with its inherited freedom
A powerful and emotionally layered theatrical work revisits the 1976 Soweto Uprising through testimony, memory, contradiction and unresolved generational grief
Artscape celebrates 55 years by opening its doors wider than ever
The Cape Town theatre complex celebrates its 55th anniversary by reflecting on transformation, accessibility and the evolving role of public cultural institutions
Vuyelwa Maluleke’s ‘The Blue Album’ and the language of return
A one-woman performance that confronts memory, violence and complicity, as Vuyelwa Maluleke reclaims language to tell a black queer township story on her own terms
‘mAnJE! MaNJe (an epic)’ demands prompt attention at The Baxter
A visually arresting, multidisciplinary spectacle challenges both narrative clarity and audience comfort, raising questions about how theatre must evolve for modern spectators
What does it mean to forgive? A play asks, 30 years after the TRC
Drawing from archives and lived experience, the international production probes the emotional and political complexities of reconciliation in a fractured world
‘Isitha Sabantu’: The new frontier for anti-colonial theatre
A powerful reflection on how Isitha Sabantu channels Fanon’s radical thought into a deeply political, emotionally resonant theatre of resistance and remembrance
Soli Philander, beloved South African entertainer and storyteller, dies at 65
The actor, comedian, playwright and presenter leaves a legacy of humour, storytelling and decades of work across theatre, television and radio
Kani and Mda take centre stage at Iphulo Drama Festival
John Kani and Zakes Mda are leading masterclasses at the Iphulo Drama Festival, inspiring theatre, writing and directing talent across the Eastern Cape
The new cats’ meow
South Africa’s new Cats cast learns the brutal beauty behind a musical defined by sweat, stamina and sheer ensemble brilliance