Expelled

Expelled

Rosalind Butler’s new South African play – EXPELLED – premieres at the Baxter Theatre and transfers to The Market Theatre in 2024 – bookings are now open!

How Now Brown Cow Productions in association with The Market Theatre is excited to bring a local, topical, powerful, new work to the South African stage. 

Expelled is a play about social media’s power to connect and its power to destroy.  Can a few minutes of bad judgment ruin a life?  

The production has its South African Premiere in Cape Town at the Studio Theatre at The Baxter on Wednesday 7 February, running for a limited season until 2 March 2024. It then transfers to The Market Theatre from 7 to 31 March 2024.

Expelled is a family drama which focuses on the largely ungoverned world of social media.  Alex, a Matric pupil at an elite school, gets caught up in a viral scandal and is suspended. Once shared, lives alter in seconds, what’s seen cannot be unseen.  The ramifications for his family are profound.   

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Written by Rosalind Butler, Expelled was created out of How Now Brown Cow’s script development program, The Writers’ Collective during lockdown in 2021.   Directed by Craig Freimond, the cast features Charmaine Weir-Smith and Antony Coleman alongside Nicolas Hattingh. Designs for the production are by Kieran McGregor and Daniel Rutland Manners.

“The topicality of Expelled immediately appealed to How Now Brown Cow and we are proud to have nurtured it’s development through The Writers’ Collective,” says Julie-Anne McDowell, founder of and producer at How Now Brown Cow.  “It is a pertinent play for our social media obsessed world, and we believe it’s critical impact will resonate loudly for years to come.  We all need to witness this valuable story.”

Performances will take place Wednesday to Saturday during the season with evening performances at 19h00 and matinee performances on Saturdays at 15h00 and Sunday performances at 15h00. There will also be additional schools’ performances at 11h00 on Thursdays during the run.

Age advisory: PG 14+

Tickets are also available via Webtickets with Early Bird discounts up until 29 February 2024.

For reduced price block bookings (of 10 or more) and school groups, contact Anthony Ezeoke (Audience Development) at AnthonyE@markettheatre.co.za or 083 246 4950.

ENDS

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NOTES TO EDITORS:

How Now Brown Cow:

How Now Brown Cow was launched in 2020 during a global pandemic. The company, founded by Actor and Writer Julie-Anne McDowell, was established to offer world class South African and international works for local and international audiences and stages. Daniel Galloway, who was The Fugard Theatre’s Managing Director and Lead Producer from 2009 to 2020, is the General Manager and co-Producer alongside Julie-Anne. During the global theatre shutdown of 2020 and 2021, How Now Brown Cow launched the How Now Brown Cow Writer’s Collective which saw the commissioning of 12 new South African scripts several of which are now in the next phase of development. In 2022 the Production Company released their first short film, The Hive, which was screened to critical acclaim on the international and local film festival circuit. The Beauty Queen of Leenane was How Now Brown Cow’s first stage production in South Africa which was presented in Johannesburg in October 2022 and Cape Town’s The Baxter Theatre in August 2023. The production won five Naledi Theatre Awards, including Best Production of a Play. How Now Brown Cow will be staging 3 new productions in the coming 16 months. For more information, please visit www.hownowbrowncow.co.za

Creatives and Cast:

Rosalind Butler (Writer):

After graduating from UCT Drama School, Rosalind worked as an actress, improviser, and director.  She focused on her passion, writing, early in her career and has been entertaining South African television audiences for many years. Her first big break was co-creating and head-writing the acclaimed children’s series Soul Buddyz.  Another highlight was developing and writing SABC’s Home Affairs, nominated twice for Best TV Drama Series for The International Emmy Awards in New York. Rosalind worked on the iconic daily drama Isidingo for more than a decade. She co-wrote the story for the popular feature film Material.

Her play An Unromantic Comedy, loved by audiences and critics, was nominated by The Naledi Awards as Best New Script.  Rosalind loved writing on Lioness, M-Net’s hit drama.  She has been nominated countless times and has won a number of awards.  She loves new challenges and is on a constant quest to become a better writer.  Rosalind is delighted to be working with How Now Brown Cow on Expelled her latest play.  It is an explosive piece combining high drama and dark comedy.  Expelled explores a universe many inhabit but few understand its influence and power.

Craig Freimond (Director):

Craig is an award-winning South African writer and director in theatre, film and television. His plays include The King of Laughter, Jump Ralph Jump and Gums & Noses. He has directed more than fifteen plays including The Great Gatsby, Macbeth, Talk Radio, Sweet Phoebe, Gums & Noses and Death of a Colonialist.

He has written and directed five feature films, Gums & Noses, Jozi, Material, Beyond the River and New Material. New film projects include the SA political satire Weekend Special and the human drama The Road to Broad Bay, a SA / NZ co-production. Craig also wrote the hit Nigerian film Oloture, and the sequel Oloture 2 is now in postproduction. Both were for Netflix.

Craig’s television work includes the true crime drama Beneath an adaptation of Alex Yeliseev’s book Cold Case Confession. He is also working on Devil’s Town, for Mnet and Ochre pictures based on the Krugersdorp murders. He wrote the hit Nigerian series Blood Sisters with Zelipa Zulu and is currently working on Blood Sisters 2.

Craig’s telenovela and daily drama experience includes thirteen years on the hit series Rhythm City, where he worked as a writer, story liner, breakdowner, script editor and mentor. He worked with Zelipa Zulu for ten years on this series. Last year with Zelipa Zulu, he co-head-wrote the new legal telenovela Briefs for SABC3.

For more information: www.craigfreimond.com

Designer(s):

Kieren McGregor (Set and Lighting) and Daniel Rutland Manners (Video)

Charmaine Weir-Smith:

Charmaine is an award-winning actress and director. She has performed in and directed over 40 theatre productions. Charmaine’s breakout role was Ophelia in Hamlet for which she won the Vita Award for Best Supporting Actress followed by Daisy in The Young Visitors – Vita Nomination for Best Actress, Agnes in Agnes of God, Kitty in Charlie’s Aunt, and Em in A Story of an African Farm. Charmaine received the Naledi Theatre Award for Best Actress in a Comedy for 2 4 The Price of 1 and for Sylvaine Strike’s Pregnant Pause a Naledi Theatre Award Nomination for Best Actress. She played the lead in Rosalind Butler’s An Unromantic Comedy and for six seasons, Charmaine played Shanell in Paul Slabolepszy’s Suddenly the Storm for which she was nominated for Naledi and Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards.

Charmaine’s directing credits include: The Vita nominated musical I Love you, You’re Perfect, Now Change, Annie – Vita Award for Best Musical Production, Big Band Blast – Naledi Award for Best Musical, Captain Entertainment – Naledi Award Best Revue, Paul Slabolepszy’s Freak Country, Tale of the Allergists Wife and Glorious. She directed Nick Boraine in his one-man show Sic which toured South Africa and had a successful off-Broadway run in New York. She directed Athol Fugard’s The Train Driver for The Market Theatre for which she won the Naledi Award for Best Director. In 2022, Charmaine directed The Beauty Queen of Leenane for How Now Brown Cow Productions which had a successful Johannesburg season, winning 5 Naledi Theatre Awards including Best Director for Charmaine and Best Production before transferring to The Baxter Theatre. In 2023, Charmaine directed a sold-out season of Nothing But The Truth for The Theatre on the Square and Sello Maake KaNcube productions.

Charmaine’s television and film career has spanned more than two decades with lead roles in South Africa’s popular daily soaps – Generations, Isidingo, Binnelanders and Scandal. She could be seen in the UK ITV production of Wild at Heart playing Sienna Ruiters and in Showmax’s The Girl from St Agnes.

Her latest film credits include Netflix’s Jadotville and The Jakes Are Missing.

Antony Coleman:

Antony Coleman is a celebrated South African actor and is much loved (and hated) for his roles both on screen and on stage. He is most renowned for his work as the villainous brother David King in the SABC production High Rollers. With over thirty years of experience in the industry, Antony has numerous award-winning film, television, presenting, theatrical, corporate and voiceover campaigns under his belt. Antony graduated from Wits University with a BADA(Hons) Degree majoring in Performance, Directing and Scriptwriting.

Antony has acted in a number of award-winning films, including the Oscar nominated Blood Diamond and Gums and Noses for which he won Best Actor at the New York International Independent Film Festival. He has six Vita Award Nominations for his work in theatre and two SAFTA nominations and one win for Best Actor. He also won Best Supporting Actor at the Naledi Theatre Awards for his performance in Pale Natives at the Market Theatre. His most recent theatrical work includes an adaptation of Ferdinand Oyono’s Houseboy by William Kentridge at the Centre for the Less Good Idea and at the Redcat Theatre in Los Angeles.

Nicolas Hattingh:

Nicolas has appeared in several South African theatre productions. Nicolas has appeared in, Joburg Ballet’s productions of Giselle and Snow White. Most recently, he received his first Naledi Theatre Award for Best Actor in a Student Production for his role as the Emcee in Redhill High School’s production of Cabaret. Nicolas has ten years of formal dance training and is trained in dance styles such as ballet, modern and contemporary dance. This is Nicolas’s first dramatic stage production, and he is very excited to take to the stage as Alex in Expelled.

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Patisserie Femme

Patisserie Femme

Three Pillars Productions presents Patisserie Femme as part of the Kippies Fringe Programme.

22 – 24 November @ 19h30.

Patisserie Femme is a delicious satire based in a Cape Town bakery. The performers “zip” in and out of character whilst exploring the bakery dedicated to selling not pastries or cakes, but women (and cookies). The audience witnesses tense employee interactions, but some funny and heart wrenching confessions by key pantry ingredients too – namely Cherry on Top & Yeastica/Yeastiesha. Whilst being comedic, Patisserie Femme also tackles issues of societal conventions related to women’s bodies. From Sugar Babies to Buns in The Oven, this play is sure to make its audience think, laugh and most importantly, talk.

Duration: 55 minutes

Performers: Liphelo Matthews &

Nomfundo Selepe

Ages 16+

Tickets R100

Written and Directed by Jessie Diepeveen in association with the National Arts Council.

“ A must watch! “

“ I was blown away by the energy of the duo

and their

great chemistry. You can see it . You can feel it “

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The Terrified Talabalushi

A BRAND NEW SOUTH AFRICAN PLAY FOR CHILDREN AT THE MARKET THEATRE

The Market Theatre and the Windybrow Arts Centre is excited to end the year with a fresh South African offering for children, their family and friends. In a year that brought a range of excellent theatre experiences for young audiences to the Market Theatre Foundation, with the Cradle of Creativity Festival alone delivering over 5000 audience members, The Terrified Talabalushi, by acclaimed Cape Town-based writer, Megan Choritz, now comes to The Market.

The Terrified Talabalushi is a theatre piece with music for children, directed by award-winning, Omphile Molusi and composed by the multi-talented Volley Nchabeleng. The Kwasha! Theatre Company, who have visited schools this year with Skin We Are In, is joined by two seasoned actors, Sanelisiwe Yekani and Siyambonga Mdubeki to bring this playful and meaningful adventure to life.

Set in the Knysna forest, the protagonist is Tokkie, a terrified young Talabalushi. Tokkie’s family have reached their wits’ end because their youngest, Tokkie, is terrified of everything, but mostly he is terrified of the light. This means that he can’t go out scaring, which is what he is meant to do.

Most people don’t know what Talabalushis are, which isn’t surprising – they are very secretive and are only active after sunset. A Talabalushi is a small, Southern African, mischievous creature, a combination of a goblin, a spirit, and a tree creature found in the unseen side of South African forests, and sometimes even closer to our villages, towns, and cities. 

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Talabalushi came about to scare, confuse, and disrupt humans when they get too big for their boots. It is said that they are distantly related to the tokoloshe, but nobody has ever been able to prove it.

In 2019, the play was selected to be part of the ASSITEJ South African leg of the African Playwriting Competition. For this premiere production of the play at The Market Theatre, Megan Choritz has, in consultation with director, writer, and dramaturg Omphile Molusi, developed the script further.

Choritz shares, “I had the best and most productive time with Omphile. What a gift, to work with him. He is thoughtful, kind, brilliantly clever, naughty and fun. He has helped me turn The Terrified Talabalushi into such a delightful text and I know it will grow, change, and evolve on the rehearsal floor.”

Omphile has brought together a formidable creative team to create a fun and delightful experience bringing the Knysna forest and some of its creatures to The Market Theatre. Multi-instrumentalist, composer, and percussionist, Volley Nchabeleng, is adding live music to the work which will undoubtedly create a fitting atmosphere and sound to the world of the play.

This production promises to be an excellent way to explore the emotions of fear in a safe and entertaining way, while growing a love for the theatre. Join the excitement and head to The Market Theatre for an end-of-the-year storytelling treat in this heartfelt, enriching, and lively theatrical experience.

Tickets range from R120 – R150 per person, with special prices for groups of 10 or more. Tickets available through Webtickets.

For media queries please contact Lusanda Zokufa – Brand and Communications Manager  at 072 367 7867 or lusandaz@markettheatre.co.za

For special group discounts contact Anthony Ezeoke at (011) 832 1641 ext 203 or 083 246 4950.

ENDS

ABOUT

Megan Choritz – Writer

Megan is a South African born playwright, writer, actor, director and improviser. She has spent all her life involved in making things up. She has written and co-written numerous plays and musicals, performs and directs theatre and improvises and teaches improv.

In 2020 her rhyming children’s book The Big Bird Battle was published by Penguin Struik. She is currently waiting to hear if her screenplay Green Margie and the Starlight will be made into a movie. Her plays The Tent, Clouds Like Waves, and Drive With Me all achieved critical acclaim, and her novel Lost Property, published in June 2023 has been incredibly well received.

Omphile Molusi – Dramaturg and Director

Omphile has been writing, directing, producing, and acting for theatre and TV since 2001. He is a published playwright with 6 titles and one article (Theatre of the Native Tongue). Molusi teaches playwriting and screenwriting at The Market theatre Laboratory and is an advisor for the UJ Playwriting laboratory. He’s also a storyliner and scriptwriter for television. Some of the shows he’s written for TV include Zone 14 drama series, It’s for life 9 reality show and Scandal!. He also wrote a short film Red Tape for Black Entertainment Television. He is the founder and artistic director of TsaMmu which has been organizing playwriting, screenwriting short courses and festivals since 2017.  In 2007 he became the first recipient of the Brett Goldin Bursary Award, which gave him an opportunity to further refine his craft at the Royal Shakespeare Company in the UK. He was awarded the Scotsman Fringe First Award 2008 at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland and won the Andre Deshields award for best performance at the Black Theatre Alliance Awards 2010 in Chicago, USA. He recently won the ASSITEJ Inspirational Playwright Award in 2021.

Volley Nchabeleng is a versatile multi-instrumentalist, composer, and percussionist, with about 20 years of experience touring the globe as ambassador of African sound, sharing and collecting African indigenous instruments, and an amazing performer, teacher and producer.

Volley Nchabeleng was born in South Africa in1978, he hails from the village of Masemola (Thabampshe), Limpopo Province.

He is one of multi-talented and versatile international percussionist in his right. Studied music at Sibikwa Arts Centre from the year 2001 and at the UNISA, worked with Drama for Life for 5 years as playback theatre musician. His musical genius resonates from a rather versatile perspective and the influence of world diverse sounds, He played music both in Africa, Europe and Asian continents; his tours include India, Belgium and Holland, Germany, France, Australia just to name few.

Volley composed music for theatre productions, “Africa My Love” and “Makhulu” by Portia Mashigo which toured Europe between 2009 and 2012, “eKhaya” by Tribhangi Dance Company “Morwa the Rising Son” by Tefo Paya and directed by Warren Nebe, which won Standard Bank Silver Ovation Award at NAF 2015. “PALEHO”by Lebo Leisa 2016, ANKOBIA by Monageng “Vice” Motshabi and Omphile Molusi, just to name a few.

PHUMAN’EBHABHILONI

PHUMAN’EBHABHILONI

As part of the Kippies Fringe Programme of 2023, Kitso Seti presents PHUMAN’EBHABHILONI, a sonic movement. 

Kitso Seti is a Cape Town based artist of music (Hip Hop and Spoken Word) and Theatre. His work is premised on understanding what the being of Blackness entails in the world. His latest projects ‘eKhayelitsha’ and ‘Lot’s Wife: The Curse of Hoza & Ngxobongwana’ – which can be found on all digital music platforms – deal with the love and hate relationship he has with the township. Both tapes investigate how we arrived to now, from the times of colonization, investigating all that entails Blackness and campaigning for Black unity. Recently, he released his live room session, From the Books of Jeremiah: A Young Black Laments (2020, on YouTube), and participated with a live band to produce the live concert, PHUMAN’EBHABHILONI (2021).

From 2014 he involved himself with theatre, beginning with aUCT competition called Res4Res Festival which takes place per year. He won an Innovative Play award with his team in 2015. He later produced Imbawula, which won the Best Writer and Best Innovative Play at the Res4Res Festival in 2018. The show was later shown at the Baxter Theatre in July and December 2019. He is finalizing the writing process of his new play, Four Fathers: Bananas for the Baboons under the Masambe Writing Residency at the Baxter Theatre, a project by Lara Foot, the CEO of the Baxter. Kitso is part of the cast of Dipalo which won the Bronze medal in the Standing Ovation awards of the 2021 National Arts Festival. He hopes to grow as a theatre-maker and an art critic. His paper, The Land of Many Mothers (2020), a review of Nwabisa Plaatjie’s play When We Awake, (2020) can be found on iLiso Magazine. 

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He runs a journal titled .ngaphakathi. where he writes theatre reviews and has recently wrote a feedback of Thando Doni’s Ndiza Kuwe.

Kitso Seti has also performed in Durban and Johannesburg, and has shared the stage with such prolific artists as Makhafula Vilakazi, Aymos, iPhupho L’ka Biko, LaliBoi, Thandeka Mfinyongo, Tankiso Mamabolo, Odwa Bongo, and Ndlulamthi, just to mention a few.  

Live at Kippies, at the Market Theatre, the Black Consciousness Spoken Word artist is accompanied by his family, including the Pan-Africanist band iPhupho L’ka Biko, the Johannesburg based poet Sabelo Soko, and the Cape Town based poetry duo Tongue Twisters Collective. PHUMAN’EBHABHILONI is a synthetic fusion of Spoken Word, Poetry, and Jazz. 

iPhupho L’ka Biko has just released its EP titled Azania, and can be found on all digital music streaming platforms. They are currently working on an album. Sabelo Soko has two projects on all digital music streaming platforms, ‘Umkhondo’ & ‘Spin Venek’. The Tongue Twisters Collective is working on blessing us with their music. Be sure to catch these amazing artists on a venue near you. 

Be sure to catch this sonic movement from the 2nd to the 4th of November at 19:30 daily. Tickets are found at Webtickets at R100 each. 

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A Story I’m Here to Tell 

A Story I’m Here to Tell

Ziwe Lufefe will be presenting his production, A Story I’m Here to Tell, at the Kippies Fringe Festival over a three-day period. A Story I’m Here to Tell is a series of stories that take the form of songs and come together to form a larger narrative. A narrative that takes the listener on a musical journey that is designed to make them think deeply and feel even deeper. As the author relays these stories, he hopes that the listener will relate to what is being shared while also reflecting on their own story as well.
 
It is a chronicle of our collective history as humanity, our history as a nation, as well as the personal history of its author. It takes the audience on a journey that begins at the very formation of the world and looks at the relational brokenness that humanity has experienced. A relational brokenness that results in atrocities in the past such as Apartheid, and atrocities in the present such as murder, theft, and corruption. It is careful not to dwell on pain and indulge in gore but looks at the redemption of humanity from a psychological, spiritual, and socio-economic perspective.
 
Multiple topics are tackled in this production. Topics such as such as history, agriculture, depression, familial relationships, life in the hood, the government, and romantic relationships. They are woven together using a combination of lyrical mastery and melodious musical accompaniment.
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Being experimental in nature, the work integrates several genres including Maskandi, Hip Hop, Mbaqanga, Jazz, Spoken Work, and Seben. These genres are married together by Ziwe Lufefe who is the writer and composer of the music and lyrics, and the Lo Lights, a band renowned for its ability to effortlessly navigate different genres and soundscapes. The band itself comprises of many members but for this show, it shall be represented by Bhungz the bassist, DB Mundukz the drummer, Emang the guitarist, Adept Felix the keyboardist, and Kuhle the vocalist.
 
It is a show that is suitable for the entire family, but parental guidance is advised as some of the topics are of a heavy nature. It has moments of depth and intensity, but catchy hooks and improvised tangents help reign in the difficult subject matter.
 
There shall be 4 performances of the show, which include a matinee on Saturday.
 
This show will run from 16 to 18 November.
The show dates and times are:
16 November 2023 at 19:30
17 November 2023 at 19:30
18 November 2023 at 15:00
18 November 2023 at 19:30
 
Tickets are charged at R100 per person and are available through Webtickets.
 
We look forward to seeing you there.
For more information, please contact Ziwe Ntshiba on 060 947 7272 / ntshibaziwe@gmail.com
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Ukutshintsha Kwekhasi

Ukutshintsha Kwekhasi

Rhasatsha Wengqiqo presents Ukutshintsha Kwekhasi as part of the Kippies Fringe Festival, the show aims to uncover and introduce innovative expressions of rhythmic and interactive poetry.

It is an integration of Jazz with spoken word, embodying a variety of emotions as the set preaches spirituality, peace and mental health awareness. 

Rhasatsha Wengqio, an award winning poet produces authentic spoken word poetry or original pieces that focus on societal issues and how we are able reinvent ourselves and be the birth givers of the future. 

The concert stands against the narrative that poetry has no value in shaping society, that it is not worthy of recognition and that it lacks variety and is unentertaining. Ours is to educate, liberate and inspire our community while also uplifting young poets. 

We can entertain but still leave a trail of knowledge. 

This will be Rhasatsha’s first performance in Johannesburg, courtesy of the Market Theatre and their Fringe programme, please come support her by watching her show from the 8th November to the 12th November. 

Come deal with reality, traumas and go home as a new person that wants to practice positivity.

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Nkoli: The Vogue Opera

Nkoli: The Vogue-Opera
A show like no other

Philip Miller in association with The Market Theatre, brings you the world premiere of Nkoli: The Vogue-Opera.

Imagine it’s the 13th of October 1990.  Simon Nkoli is leading the first Gay Pride March in Africa, four years ahead of Nelson Mandela’s presidency and South Africa’s first democratic elections. Now picture a classic fashion runway as used in Black Queer Vogueing events. Performers walk the runway, competing in different categories, with song and dance battles. Sometimes it is playful sparring, other times it is all-out-style war.  Large video projections show images of Simon Nkoli;  his letters from prison, Sebokeng township and anti-apartheid protest marches. 

This is Nkoli: The Vogue-Opera about the life and trials of Simon Nkoli, a gay anti-apartheid freedom fighter who was imprisoned for four years in the famous Delmas Treason trial (1985-1988).  Simon Nkoli was at the forefront of the queer liberation movement in South Africa, and if it weren’t for him, South Africa would not have been the first country in the world to explicitly protect sexual minorities.

With a cast of more than 26 top singers, dancers, voguers and musicians the production is highly contemporary in feel with a mix of rap, opera, protest songs and archival audio clips. 

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Check out Nkoli: The Vogue-Opera medley mix

Part opera, part vogueing-ball, Nkoli: The Vogue-Opera, is as fierce and fabulous as Simon was. “Think if Hamilton and RuPaul’s Drag Race had a baby in South Africa. That’s Nkoli: The Vogue-Opera!” says S’bo Gyre, co-lyricist. Nkoli: The Vogue-Opera is created and composed by internationally renowned composer Philip Miller, whose recent successes include the soundtrack to the uShaka iLembe score; his collaboration on William Kentridge’s The Head and the Load, and the Reuben T Caluza B-Side concerts with composer Tshegofatso Moeng.  

The show is directed by the award-winning international UK director and screenwriter Rikki Beadle-Blair (known for “Noah’s Arc” and “Stonewall”).  “I have always wanted to work at The Market Theatre. The home of protest theatre in South Africa,” says Beadle-Blair. “Simon Loved glamor, and so we can’t think of a better way to tell his story. To combine his story with vogue-ball culture which is a celebration of possibility, defiance, activism, dance, glamour and escapism.”

Nkoli: The Vogue-Opera has been four years in the making. Its social media campaign is already making waves.  With choreography by Llwellyn Mnguni, costumes by the designer Mr Allofit combined with multi-media projections by South African filmmaker and celebrated video designer, Catherine Meyburgh. Musical direction by Tshegofatso Moeng and produced by Harriet Perlman. It’s a show not to be missed. 

Simon Nkoli is a South African icon, but many people don’t know his story. Nkoli: The Vogue-Opera, changes all of this. Never before in South Africa, has a vogue opera quite like this been imagined. It talks to both opera fans and those who have never been to an opera but regularly attend vogueing nights, balls and drag clubs. 

Next year, it will tour internationally. Celebrate and be part of its birth in Jozi, from 17 – 19 November.  Tickets are available on Webtickets.

Follow @NkoliVogueOpera for more.

Members of the media are cordially invited to the world premiere on 17 November at the Market Theatre.  Please confirm attendance as seats are limited.

For additional details about Nkoli: The Vogue-Opera ticket sales please visit Webtickets and stay updated on social media using the hashtag #NkoliVogueOpera.

For media inquiries, interviews, or press passes, please contact:

Welcome Mandla Lishivha

073-122-5175

wlishivha@gmail.com

Karatara

Multi-award-winning dance-drama reopens The Barney Simon Theatre at The Market Theatre

After multiple successes in the Cape, the lauded dance-drama Karatara makes its way to the newly refurbished Barney Simon Theatre at The Market Theatre for a limited run from 9 November 2023.

The Karatara River runs through the Outeniqua plateau in a beautiful setting amidst agricultural land and forests. It has been, for thousands of years, an integral part of the Outeniqua Khoi-tribe.

On 29 October 2018 the so-called “Knysna-fires” devastated a community and ruined the land leading to more cases of homelessness and poverty. Amidst the media-frenzy accompanying the fires, some corporate companies, politicians and affluent individuals living on the Knysna-heads, appropriated the media attention and used the crisis as an opportunity for personal gain.

Karatara is a deeply personal inter-disciplinary dance-drama that deals with the loss of family, home, community and land. It looks at the complex racial and social politics of the area around the Karatara River and explores the role and power of the media. Through the beautifully crafted production, the audience see a family struggling to make sense of an atrocity amidst the opportunism and greed others find in a tragedy.

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The theatre piece has been described as “a sensory experience where raw talent has been honed to professionalism”. It is an emotional take on the inferno that devastated a community and claimed seven lives and where hundreds of homes were destroyed.

Six years on from the tragedy, questions sadly remain unanswered. The consuming fire exposed the fissures within the community along racial and class lines. The lackluster response of the media to the endemic problems faced by the community, including homelessness and food scarcity, and the opportunistic response by the elites in society have not helped the situation.

The ownership of the land is divided between the Western Cape Province and the National Department of Public Works. This dual ownership and the separate planning of settlement programs, makes land reform projects complicated. This is largely to the detriment of the indigenous people whose direct descendants live next to the Karatara River.

Karatara debuted at the Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees (KKNK) in 2022 where it won Best Debut Production. It has gone on to successful runs at Woordfees, The Baxter Theatre, and most recently a short run in Kynsna itself. It has won a Fiësta award for Best Design, and earlier this year it won two Fleur Du Cap awards for Best Lighting and Best Sound Design.

This theatrical treatment and style of the work, with its restrained staging that puts the focus on the cast and storytelling, is a fitting work to reopen the Barney Simon Theatre after that venue’s complete refurbishment. The late artistic director of the Market Theatre, Barney Simon emphasized the role of storytelling based on truth and an honest aesthetic that never clouded the emotional and socio-political weight of a work. It is befitting that Karatara will be the first show to open the newly refurbished Barney Simon venue at the iconic struggle theatre.

The team behind this award-winning production is lead by director, Gideon Lombard, and includes actor/dancer/writer Shaun Oelf and writer Wilken Calitz. The Knysna local Oelf has won many accolades for his stage work, including the Baxter Theatre Artist of the Year Award in 2014. Together with fellow dancer Grant van Ster they founded the Figure of Eight Dance Collective (F08) in 2014. Dean John Smith (Suidooster) completes the cast, alongside Grant Van Ster and Shaun Oelf.

Calitz is a writer from Cape Town who holds a MA (Creative Writing) from the University of Cape Town (UCT). He also did a Masters in Music (MMus) from the Stellenbosch University. The creative was nominated for 6 Fleur du Cap theatre awards in 2015, including for best new South African text for his paly 2092: God van klank. The play bagged the 2013 outstanding drama production at Woordfees. His debut novel Swart swaan was published by Penguin Random House in 2020.

Karatara is an opportunity to see a poignant tribute to acts of resilience and remembrance, told by an outstanding cast and creative team. The three week run ends 26 November.

The Market Theatre acknowledges the generous support of the Eyesizwe Mining Development Trust, whose funding has made this production possible.

Tickets through webtickets, or via The Market Theatre’s website (markettheatre.co.za)

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For media enquiries contact Lusanda Zokufa (Market Theatre Brand and Communications manager) at lusnadaz@markettheatre.co.za or 072 367 7867. For block bookings and special discounts contact Anthony Ezeoke at anthonye@markettheatre.co.za or 083 246 4950.

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Paint the house pink!

Paint the house pink!

By popular demand, House of Pink is back at the Market Theatre for 5 performances only. Volume 3 promises to be unforgettable, with fun, music and great entertainment in the mix from 26 October 2023.

This third edition of the gender-bending popular drag show is directed by Lebohang Toko.

The Queens take us through a journey of the ever evolving stages of what we today know as The culture of Drag

The show pays homage to a rich and storied history of drag performance that has captivated audiences worldwide for decades. Drag performance, with its roots dating back to the late 19th century, has evolved into an electrifying art form that transcends gender norms and celebrates diversity, self-expression, and empowerment. From the glamorous, groundbreaking performances at legendary venues like the Stonewall Inn in the 1960s to the mainstream popularity of reality TV competitions in recent years, drag has become a powerful symbol of resilience and LGBTQ+ pride.

House of Pink Volume 3 is an affirming continuation of this legacy, featuring a talented cast of Johannesburg-based drag artists who will mesmerize, inspire, and entertain a broad range of audiences with their artistry and charisma.  

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Speaking on the side-lines of the first iteration back in 2021, Toko said, “Celebrating Pride Month with House of Pink is an ode to the LGBTQ+ community… we have the right to express our lives however we please without anyone’s permission to exist.” More recently he adds, “As we mince forward toward another Season of House of Pink at the Market Theatre, from us to you we say, come celebrate Pride month with us. Come be apart of us. Come learn and be one with us.”

The production is celebratory in tone. It’s a fun way of looking at the hopes, dreams, and ambition of LGBTQ+ experiences. Music, dance, and bold costumes take centre stage, championing resilience in the face of challenges.

In addition, The Market Theatre sees this production as another opportunity to proactively foreground the queer community’s performers and theatre practitioners on a mainstream stage, which many have for too long been excluded from. It promises Joburg audiences an unforgettable, spectacular time in the theatre, featuring exceptional drag queens.

Brace yourselves for 5 performances (including  matinees on Saturday and Sunday) of fierceness. Get ready to enjoy a world of positive affirmation as House of Pink Volume 3 takes the stage, pushing the boundaries of what drag can be.

Show dates and times:

26 October 2023 at 7pm

27 October 2023 at 7pm

28 October 2023 at 3pm

28 October 2023 at 7pm

29 October 2023 at 3pm

Tickets start from R150 per person and there are special prices for groups. Tickets available through Webtickets.

For media queries please contact Lusanda Zokufa – Brand and Communications Manager  at 072 367 7867 or lusandaz@markettheatre.co.za

For bookings and special discounts contact Anthony Ezeoke at (011) 832 1641 ext 203 or 083 246 4950.

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 Windybrow Arts Centre’s Inaugural Spelling Bee to Ignite Literacy and Learning in Inner-City Johannesburg 

Windybrow Arts Centre’s Inaugural Spelling Bee to Ignite Literacy and Learning in Inner-City Johannesburg

On Saturday, 30 September, the Windybrow Arts Centre, in collaboration with Camp I Am and Nando’s, is set to host its first-ever Spelling Bee competition for schools in inner-city Johannesburg. This exciting event will bring together thirty-seven Grade 7 learners from IH Harris Primary School, Mahlasedi College, New Model Private College, and participants of the Windybrow’s Literacy and Homework Support Programme to showcase their spelling prowess, compete for prizes, and earn the esteemed title of the city’s best speller. The Spelling Bee is a highlight of the Centre’s Literacy and Homework Support Programme, designed to empower local youth with critical language skills.

Connecting Through Literacy and Art

The Windybrow Arts Centre is a hub for connection and curiosity, dedicated to nurturing the talents and inquisitiveness of children and young adults. Through innovative programs rooted in best practice methodologies, the Centre fosters literacy skills and inspires the youth through the arts, driving positive social change in the community.

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Empowering Youth Through Spelling

Gerard Bester, Head of the Windybrow Arts Centre, says the Spelling Bee marks an exciting and novel opportunity for local learners – “many of whom have never participated in such an event, and a fun way for them to develop essential skills”. Nando’s Benmore Gardens Branch Manager, Collen Nxumalo, a proud alumnus of Hillbrow Theatre, wanted a space at the Windybrow Arts Centre to hold a spelling bee, and Bester immediately responded: “we want to partner”! Nxumalo, a committed advocate for children and youth of the neighbourhoods surrounding the Windybrow Arts Centre wants to “offer learners in Johannesburg a stage to showcase their remarkable spelling abilities”. Bester reconnected with Kai Crooks-Chissano, Executive Director of Camp I Am, a youth educational program. She worked with the Department of Basic Education to launch the national Spelling Bee in 2015, and has supported district, provincial and national competitions. Crooks-Chissano mentored the Windybrow Arts Centre, and crafted the challenging wordlist, which will remain a secret until an hour before the competition. “A Spelling Bee is a great way to ignite a passion for spelling, which serves as the gateway to reading and writing” said Crooks-Chissano. She added that “participating in the competition boosts learners’ confidence and competitive spirit, enhancing their self-esteem as they perform in front of an audience.” With a few days to go, Bester enthused “may the best learner win!”

Countdown to an Educational Showdown

Event Details

Date and Time: Saturday 30 September 2023, at 10:00 a.m.

Location: Windybrow Arts Centre, corner Nugget & Pietersen Street, Doornfontein, Hillbrow

Media Inquiries: Aroma Lebooa aromal@markettheatre.co.za Cell: 079 771 1416 /011 832 1641