This year’s Pride Month is set to be a theatrically rich, exhilarating affair as The Market Theatre presents its first ever Queer Festival, running from 21 to 25 October 2026. This new initiative aims to bring together a mix of nine performances across cabaret, drama, live concert, dance and new writing.

“With this inaugural iteration, we enter a bold new chapter, promising a vibrant celebration of identity, resistance and radical joy. The Market Theatre has always thrived on being home to the South African story across all backgrounds and experiences. With this festival, we once again make a statement of safe belonging and free expression,” said Greg Homann, Artistic Director at The Market Theatre Foundation.

In a thrilling return, the iconic Pieter-Dirk Uys presents his equally legendary alter-ego, Evita Bezuidenhout, for a powerful performance of “Evita @ 91”. This work, staged 35 years since the conception of Evita in 1981 at The Market Theatre – when even drag was outlawed – reminds us how far we’ve come, and still have to go.

Across the decades, Evita became not just a persona but a vehicle for social change, satire and expression at some of our most difficult periods as a country. As we meet Evita again, audiences can expect a bare-knuckle exploration of contemporary issues, delivered in entertaining, witty and deeply moving ways.

In addition to Evita’s seminal comeback, Chantal Stanfield’s “Shockwave” will electrify the programme with its sharp and compelling drama. Directed by David Dennis, this brand new play is set concurrent with P.W Botha’s State of Emergency that gripped the country in the 1980s and intensified resistance against the apartheid regime. The spectre of a new ‘Gay plague’ looms large while homosexuality is illegal and stigmatised. As it unfolds, the script lures audiences into the life of “Larry”, who is forced to confront questions of sexuality, faith and belonging in a world trapped by increasing fear and deepening prejudice.

Grounded in the lived experience of being a trans man, “The Breasts of Tiresias” is a provocative new work that draws deeply on the life of Angelo de Klerk, who co-wrote the play with former Market Theatre Artistic Director Malcolm Purkey. Rooted in truth and identity, the production offers an intimate and compelling exploration of gender and transformation against the backdrop of heritage and social conformity.

Making his highly anticipated return to The Market Theatre as director during its 50th birth year, Purkey brings his considerable theatrical experience to “The Breasts of Tiresias”. The production stars Gerard Bester and Sandi Dlangalala, with music created by Carlo Mombelli and additional material by Renos Spanoudes.

“Bum Stuff: A Cheeky Cabaret” is a smart, funny and surprisingly thoughtful new South African cabaret commissioned by The Market Theatre that explores one of society’s last great taboos through music, comedy and storytelling. It centres around anal sex, exploring shame, pleasure, communication and the stories we inherit about our bodies. This production, written and directed by Bruce J Little, is strictly intended for adult audiences (18+).

Thamsanqa Tshabalala, the first dance-based recipient of the 2026 Barney Simon Residency Project which is homed at The Market Theatre Laboratory annually, is excited to return with a once-off performance in the Barney Simon Theatre with their dance-based work, “Girls of the Golden West”. The performance is an act of self-revelation and refusal, reclaiming the Black queer body as an expressive, political force that rewrites visibility on its own terms rather than submitting to dominant narratives.

Vuyelwa Maluleke’s “The Blue Album”, which showcased at The Market Theatre Kippies Fringe and the National Arts Festival Fringe, champions unique township queer perspectives. With this piece, Maluleke fuses poetry, monologue, movement and choral voice to stage an intimate portrait of queer life and love in townships. For its run at Kippies Fringe last year, “The Blue Album” scooped the Outstanding Performance Award, and at the National Arts Festival this year it received the Silver Ovation Award.

Highlighting music as a central form of expression and identity, the Queer Festival features a concert titled “Archive” performed by the Johannesburg Queer Chorus, who will be singing a repertoire that acknowledges Jo’burg’s queer community. Closing the festival will be a soon-to-be-revealed local artist whose work is prominent in the queer community, adding to the radical joyfulness of our space throughout the festival.  

Alongside the broader offering of music, dance and drama is a curated series by Jason Wheeler and Maralin van Reenen of fresh, provocative LGBTQ+ writings from emerging and established voices, entitled “No Filter: A Showcase of Queer Writing”.

The full programme of the Queer Fest at The Market is available on the Theatre’s website, with bookings already open for some events.

Safe and affordable underground parking available at Newtown Junction.

ENDS

The Market Theatre is a Division of The Market Theatre Foundation, an agency of the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture.

For media enquiries, please contact Bongiwe Potelwa (Publicist at The Market Theatre Foundation) at bongiwep@markettheatre.co.za or (011) 832 1641.

For reduced price block bookings and school groups, contact Anthony Ezeoke (Audience Development Specialist) at AnthonyE@markettheatre.co.za or 083 246 4950.