CURRENT \UPCOMING EVENTS
CURRENT Event
Prayers
25 September - 06 October 2024
Dive into the electrifying depths of one man’s tumultuous journey through the maze of desire and self-discovery in this riveting theatrical experience. Brace yourself for a rollercoaster of emotions as our protagonist, a young firebrand, bares his soul and grapples with the wild and unbridled force of his sexual cravings.
Haunted by the untamed urges that bind him in a web of sexual immorality, he confronts the shadows of his own existence. Is his relentless pursuit of pleasure merely a diversion, a desperate escape from the chilling embrace of self-awareness and the haunting spectre of loneliness?
Current Event
LAAITIE METTIE BISCUITS (PG14)
03 - 20 October 2024
The Market Theatre and Momentum Beleggins Aardklop look forward to presenting the premiere productions of Laaitie mettie biscuits, a compelling new Afrikaans play written and directed by renowned theatre-maker, Christo Davids.
The play will run from 24 – 28 September 2024 at Momentum Beleggings Aardklop in Potchefstroom, before coming to the Market Theatre for a season starting from 2 – 27 October 2024.
This gripping story by Davids tells the story of Noah – a teenage boy who is mentally challenged and dreams of becoming a policeman, and of looking after his mother and his community.
Current Event
COAL YARD
10 - 27 October 2024
From humble beginnings in a backyard in Phuthaditjhaba in QwaQwa the Zwakala Festival’s past winner, Coal Yard, will enjoy a revival at the Market Theatre in October.
Coal Yard follows the journey of a young man called Tshepo whose dreams are shattered. He is forced to run away from his home after his father sexually abuses him. In the wilderness, Tshepo meets a mentor who gets him a job in a coal yard. The optimism of finding hope away from home is short lived when Tshepo has to confront labor under an exploitative boss. The play ultimately depicts the events that characterize the passage from boyhood to manhood in the life of Tshepo.
Performed with extraordinary energy, humour and skill, this is a multilingual piece of traditional storytelling par excellence. Working with physical theatre and a stripped back aesthetic reminiscent of plays like those of the late Mbongeni Ngema, including Woza Albert! and Asinamali, the ensemble tells this sensitive story.
The set and props are kept to a minimum as the four performers constantly transform themselves across 37 different characters. The action seamlessly moves between dialogue in Sesotho, English, Afrikaans, Xitsonga, Zulu, Sepedi, and Setswana.
upcoming Event
Sikelela… the road to the Barbican
19 October 2024
Sikelela celebrates a tradition of Ingoma as a practice in the intimate exercise of liberation in action. The line-up is curated by The Brother Moves On’s Siyabonga Mthembu and pianist, composer, singer Thandi Ntuli, bringing together a stellar line up including Thandi Ntuli, Keenan Meyer & Muneyi and The Brother Moves On.
Taking the cue from the word Sikelela meaning “blessing” - from the first phrase in the South African national anthem – this event celebrates a tradition of Ingoma as a practice in the intimate exercise of liberation in action.
upcoming Event
CION
31 October - 03 November 2024
Cion: Requiem of Ravel’s Boléro, draws inspiration from the character Toloki in South African author Zakes Mda’s novels Cion and Ways of Dying.
In this piece the message of death and its dire consequences are infused through a lament to be able to confront a universe in which the age-old tropes of greed, power and religion have given rise to loss of life not as a natural phenomenon.
NEWS
KWASHA!
Kwasha!
The Market Theatre Foundation is excited to announce a call for applications for the Kwasha! Theatre Company for 2025. We invite passionate and innovative theatre makers to apply for this enriching opportunity.
Kwasha! was launched in 2018 in partnership with Windybrow Arts Centre, and Market Theatre Laboratory as a theatre company project that seeks to develop theatre practitioners in South Africa.
Kwasha! is a theatre company that gives a year’s worth of professional experience to emerging actors, as well as a stipend and professional exposure to enable space and time for young practitioners to develop skills and capacities towards being professionals in the sector.