Isitha Sabantu

All New Musical Drama – Isitha Sabantu – Stages the Plight of Environmental Defenders

Empatheatre, in partnership with Ibsen Scope, The Market Theatre and Home in Crisis, proudly presents the world premiere of “Isitha Sabantu”—an exciting reimagining of Henrik Ibsen’s “An Enemy of the People” for contemporary South Africa.

Running at The Market Theatre from 6 – 29 March 2026, “Isitha Sabantu” is a theatrically rich and visually bold musical drama where land rights, extractivism, climate crisis and the safety of environmental defenders collide in the country’s ‘thick present’.

Winner of one of the 2024 Ibsen Scope Grants, “Isitha Sabantu” interweaves theatre, praise poetry, choral song and puppetry at an awe-inspiring scale. It invites audiences to a world where justice is more than a legal ideal, but a deeply ecological, spiritual and communal practice.

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The script is inspired by the courage and legacy of slain human rights defender Fikile Ntshangase, who was assassinated for her environmental justice activism to protect her community from a proposed coal mine in KwaZulu-Natal.

The story follows the tranquil village of Hlanzeka, where the bonds that knit this community quickly begin to fray when residents discover that their lives and homes lie directly in the path of a planned new coal mine. With courage and relentless faith, an environmental defender known as ‘Mam Nomsa’ (portrayed by Mpume Mthombeni) leads the charge against the land-hungry mine and fosters a fragile resistance to defend her home, history and ancestors. 

Churches, school halls, fields and kitchens become her battle grounds, while bees, birds, elephants and a faithful dog guide her way as she tries to unite her people against the destruction masked as progress that wears an all too familiar face. Worn down by the might of the system, soon the growl of machines reverberates across the same valley, poisoning the hearts and minds of the people of Hlanzeka along with their water and land. Her community, too, rejects her defence of their land, seeing her instead as standing in their way to prosperity.

“Her community,” states co-writer and director Neil Coppen, “are not united and she must confront corrupt traditional leaders, mounting threats to her family’s safety, and the bitter irony of being declared an enemy of the very people whose lives and land she is fighting to preserve. Joined by a puppeteered elephant matriarch called Ndlovukazi, their journeys pose urgent questions about who decides what progress looks like. What is the cost of development when the dead are displaced along with the living? And who becomes the ‘enemy’ when truth threatens power?”

The highly anticipated brand new production features an incredible cast of twelve, led by Mpume Mthombeni, Tony Miyambo, Billy Langa, Minenhle Skhosana, Zesuliwe Hadebe and Sabelo Sekgoto. It is co-written by Neil Coppen, Tony Miyambo, Mpume Mthombeni and Dr Dylan McGarry and directed by Coppen, with original music, score and choreography by Nhlanhla Mahlangu, set and puppetry design by Dylan McGarry and Craig Leo. Puppetry direction by Craig Leo, lighting design by Tina le Roux and sound design by Tristan Horton. Additional musical and sound elements by Guy Buttery.

Greg Homann, Artistic Director of The Market Theatre Foundation, says this hard-hitting musical drama is set in KZN but bears profound resemblance of the 140-years-old history of Johannesburg, a city built on the gold rush, migrant labour towards the mines and forced removals to make space for industry.

“As The Market Theatre celebrates 50 years of bold storytelling, welcoming this strongly relevant play continues on our legacy as a  performance space renowned for being unafraid to take on difficult subjects in beautifully crafted theatrical ways, holding the powerful accountable and amplifying bold voices such as those of environmental defenders. We’re overjoyed that the production – with its strongly aligned themes – sits with us in our crucial anniversary year,” remarks Homann.

The play has been devised by the award-winning KZN-based company Empatheatre whose multiple Naledi Theatre Awards winning work “Isidlamlilo/The Fire Eater” as well as “The Last Country” had a run at The Market Theatre in 2024 and 2025 respectively.

The theatre project is supported and made possible by The Naia Trust, the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), Collaboration of Humanities and Social Sciences in Europe (CHANSE),  Humanities in the European Research Area (HERA), groundWork,  Rhodes University and the University of Southampton.

Don’t miss this bold new piece as it premieres at The Market Theatre. Tickets are available on Webtickets, with special prices for preview performances and half-price Wednesdays.

ENDS.

The Market Theatre is a Business Unit of The Market Theatre Foundation, an agency of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture.

 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.

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

Under the shade of a tree

30 Years on from the TRC: A New Play Reflects on the Act of Forgiveness

 The Market Theatre in partnership with Qendra Multimedia in Kosovo presents “Under the Shade of a Tree I Sat and Wept”, a piercing and irreverent new play that explores national reconciliation and public forgiveness through South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and Kosovo’s Movement for the Reconciliation of Blood Feuds.  

Through archive and newly-collected testimonials, the highly visual, and often playful production reflects on the lessons that the Movement for the Reconciliation of Blood Feuds and the TRC offer Kosovars, South Africans and the world today. The production coincides with the 30th anniversary of the start of the TRC hearings, adding its voice in interrogating the commission’s unfinished business. The play questions national processes of truth-telling, forgiveness and reconciliation, and probes what liberates us in today’s post-truth age. 

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 After its premiere last year in Kosovo and North Macedonia, the work was hailed for being a “deeply complex” (Theatre Times) and “heartfelt piece” (SeeStage) that reimagines the theatre into “a new truth commission” (Kosovo 2.0), among other raving reviews. Following its world premiere, “Under the Shade of a Tree I Sat and Wept” now comes to South Africa for 10 compelling performances only, from 9 – 19 April 2026 at The Market Theatre. After its limited South African run, the production will then go on a much anticipated European tour to Norway, Italy, Germany, and Portugal, with more dates planned up until 2027 in New York.  

A bold take at documentary theatre, the play is written by award-winning Kosovar playwright Jeton Neziraj and directed by Blerta Neziraj, with Greg Homann – Artistic Director of The Market Theatre Foundation – as dramaturg. South African performers Les Made, Bongile Gorata Lecoge-Zulu, Kensiwe Tshabalala and Gontse Ntshegang join Amernis Nokshiqi (North Macedonia), Ilire Vinca (Kosovo) and Arben Bajraktaraj (Kosovo/France) to form a sterling cast. Collectively, though deriving from their unique national contexts, the cast and creative team unpack the complications of forgiveness, amnesty and justice. The work is presented in English, with Albanian and some South African languages. 

In 1990 in Kosovo, Southeast Europe, a group of former political prisoners, female students and intellectuals initiated a historical movement for blood feud reconciliation to stop the war on the horizon. By then, hundreds of Kosovar families were landlocked in blood feuds under the centuries-old customary code known as the Kanun.  

The Movement for the Reconciliation of Blood Feuds quickly transformed into a big national forum, with mothers, fathers and family members publicly forgiving the blood of their beloved to the murderer’s family. In total, over 1 200 blood feuds and conflicts were settled through this courageous process, with over half a million people recorded at the last public forgiveness meeting. 

In April 1996, the TRC first began its work, unfolding a deeply vulnerable and often contested process aimed at facilitating truth-telling, forgiveness and reconciliation between victims and perpetrators of apartheid-era crimes.  

The play connects and contrasts these events, and is presented at the same time as the ongoing Judicial Commission of Inquiry investigating allegations of political interference in the prosecution of TRC-related cases. Profoundly, this context anchors the work as a sharp commentary on collective trauma, nation-building and reconciliation. 

Playwright Jeton Neziraj shares that the production relies on the two historic processes in Kosovo and South Africa to explore important questions of why and under what conditions people forgive. “By analysing why and how people forgive, we also put forward for discussion the bigger question: under what circumstances is reconciliation possible, between people, between nations.” 

Greg Homann, Artistic Director of The Market Theatre Foundation, shares that – for local audiences – the objective of the play is to reflect on the TRC without memorialising it.  

Homann continues, “The Market Theatre is drawn to stories that confront uncomfortable truths with nuance and imagination, while holding space for memory, justice and healing. With this work, we aim to revisit the TRC  process in counterpoint to an international and contemporary context. We are compelled to explore the lack of political will to finish the business of the TRC while simultaneously acknowledging the lingering trauma. Connecting the two nations’ processes offers a powerful opportunity to explore reconciliation not as a fixed destination but a deeply human and often painful journey shaped by who gets to speak, who listens and what is remembered.” 

Don’t miss this probing and playful piece that dives deep into the complexities of forgiveness and the parallel paths of restorative justice and retribution.  

Tickets for “Under the Shade of a Tree I Sat and Wept” are available on Webtickets, with special prices for preview performances, groups of 4-or-more and half-price Wednesdays. 

ENDS 

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

 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. 

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

Marabi

Marabi

Musical Theatre Classic – “Marabi” – Returns to The Market Theatre

South Africa’s musical theatre classic, “Marabi”, makes a grand return to The Market Theatre, launching the theatre’s year-long 50th anniversary celebrations on a high note. Directed by Arthur Molepo, who was part of the original cast, the play with music that is produced by Mpho Molepo (Molepo Theatre Projects) in association with The Market Theatre runs from 19 Jan – 22 Feb 2026.

Set in the tough Doornfontein yards of the 1930s, “Marabi” tells the story of an ordinary family of first-generation black migrants to Johannesburg who have had to move to the city, leaving behind a peaceful and predictable life. Held neatly together by a wonderful musicality, the play explores love and loss, as well as how music and memory connect the past to the present.

As an adaptation of Modikwe Dikobe’s seminal book titled “Marabi Dance”, the story unfolds through the character of July Mabongo as he struggles with ancestral duty, poverty and urban life. Mabongo’s daughter Martha falls in love with Ginger George, a charismatic marabi instrumentalist, defying tradition and sparking family conflict. 

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The script – originally workshopped by Junction Avenue Theatre Company – is brought to life by a nine-member cast that features Sello Sebotsane (as Mabongo), Katleho Moloi (as Ginger George) and Gabisile Tshabalala (as Martha), to mention a few.

Staged in the 140th year since Johannesburg was formed, the piece in 2026 presents an important reflection on the city’s unique cultural identity, artistic richness and movement of people. It looks into the introduction of recorded music and the exploitation of artists that followed, bearing rich reflection for the music industry, especially for up-and-coming musicians. This local classic further exposes the evils of the apartheid regime’s forced removals, which uprooted families from Doornfontein to Soweto in order to achieve its ideology of segregation.

Director Arthur Molepo calls the revival of “Marabi” during The Market Theatre’s landmark year a profound tribute to South Africa’s cultural heritage. “This is not just a classic story retold with a fresh voice and sound,” he explains. “It’s also an opportunity to bridge generations of artists, promote social cohesion and preserve our country’s musical heritage. This piece speaks to the power of music as a transcendent force, using rhythm to guide us back to our roots.”

For The Market Theatre, opening its 50th anniversary year with this uniquely South African work illustrates its proud legacy as the people’s theatre.

Greg Homann, Artistic Director at The Market Theatre Foundation, states: “Our 50th celebrations will be guided by our principles of fearless storytelling, shared ownership and programming that reflects our nation’s diversity. This work is a signature South African theatre piece that will be enjoyed by both our legacy audiences as well as new theatre-goers of any age, giving them access to a period that defined the soul of the city. It’s a perfect play to sit as our 50th Anniversary season premiere, as we look back at the past and set the tone for the future.”

Homann further notes that just as marabi rose from the hardship of one of Johannesburg’s toughest spaces to become the city’s defining cultural sound and movement, The Market Theatre too was born in the wake of one of apartheid’s darkest tragedies: June 16, 1976. “We opened our doors in the same week as the Youth Uprising, which rooted The Market to a legacy of using artistic expression to resist oppression. It feels especially fitting, then, to begin our 50th-anniversary year with a production that celebrates how music and dance have shaped our social life and created a sense of home for generations of migrants navigating a fast-paced and unfamiliar city,” he says.

Get ready to start your year with a theatrical experience that reminds us of South Africa’s true gift to the world: the power of sound, movement and storytelling.

Tickets for the show are available on Webtickets via The Market Theatre’s website, with special festive season prices at R150 available till 11 January 2026. Reduced price bookings of 4 or more and half-price Wednesdays are also on sale.

Affordable, safe and secure underground parking is available at the 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 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.

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

Naledy’s Teddy Bear

Naledy’s Teddy Bear: Blowing the Whistle on SA’s Missing Children Crisis

To shine the spotlight on missing children, The Market Theatre Kippies Fringe presents “Naledy’s Teddy Bear” from 28 – 30 November 2025 at Kippies, Newtown. South Africa continues to experience high numbers of missing children, with statistics revealing that nearly a quarter of children reported missing in the last three years – 2 000 in total – were found. Unaccounted for, these children – typically 17 years and younger – are often presumed dead or trafficked, leaving shattered families behind.

Starring Andile Vilakazi and Ntokozo Vilakazi, “Naledy’s Teddy Bear” will be staged in line with the 16 Days of Activism Against for No Violence Against Women and Children.

Developed in 2021, the play emerged in response to a spike in missing children’s cases, giving voice to young girls and drawing attention to ongoing child and women abuse in our country. Today, its relevance is even more critical—the production sparks community dialogue and social reflection, encouraging young people to think critically about social issues.

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“Using the metaphor of a missing teddy bear, the show appeals to young audiences with a powerful message that breaks down an otherwise heavy topic to entertain and educate children. This production is a beacon of hope, a call to action, and a testament to the resilience of the human spirit.  While the subject matter is intense, the production is crafted with care to ensure an engaging and thought-provoking experience,” said Andile Vilakazi.

The Market Theatre Kippies Fringe, which has delivered exceptional developmental works throughout the year, nears its glorious end with a number of productions scheduled for November. The month’s programming is themed around healing, reflection and renewal. This play continues to engage our collective conscience, interrogating how we treat the most vulnerable. Again, it offers affected people a moment to grieve and heal, while sharing educational information about children’s safety.

This is  a production that will leave audiences moved, inspired and motivated to act against South Africa’s worsening crisis of missing children.

Tickets are out on Webtickets for R100.

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Kippies Fringe is an initiative of The Market Theatre, curated by Art Cave.

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 of 10 or more and school groups, contact Anthony Ezeoke (Audience Development Specialist at The Market Theatre Foundation) at anthonye@markettheatre.co.za or 083 246 4950.

MEDEA

MEDEA: Hell Has No Fury Like a Sorceress Betrayed

Fans of theatre classics are in for a ride as The Windybrow Arts Centre stages “Medea” at The Market Theatre, an ancient Greek tragedy now reimagined for South Africa and the world’s current fractured times. Directed by Leila Henriques, the play will run from 27 – 30 November 2025 for four unmissable performances only.

The reimagined story plays out in a parched Johannesburg where water is running out. There, Jason, crushed by debt, abandons his lover Medea as he believes marrying an affluent daughter will keep his family afloat. But to Medea – a foreigner in a hostile land who is devastated by betrayal – revenge becomes the only response. Featuring an impressive young cast and teenage chorus from the Windybrow Arts Centre who embody the city’s conscience, “Medea” is an exploration of emotional dysregulation, betrayal and the cost of love in a world running dry.

Henriques says although the play was first performed in 431 BC, it still resonates with local and global dynamics, capturing the complexities of modern-day love, betrayal, obsession, immigration and gender politics. “In its essence,” Henriques elaborates, “it is a story of a breakup where the children are used as bargaining chips between the two warring parties. Adults sacrificing children for honour, wealth, power and to inflict as much pain on the other side as possible. This is relevant in the world today.

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Not only in love relationships but also in global politics and wars. I was drawn to the original play by Euripides because of the relevance of its themes, but also because of its heightened language, heightened emotion that tells a domestic story of love, betrayal and survival.”

Gerard Bester, Head of The Windybrow Arts Centre, adds that “Medea” presents a reframing of marginalisation, calling for deeper understanding of each other’s lived experiences. “The work forces us to engage, in the most visceral way, what desperation can do to us to create havoc and destruction to those close to us and ourselves. How poverty and finding oneself unwanted in a foreign land can lead to this destruction. The work demands understanding, empathy and compassion for humans who perform horrific acts under the most difficult of circumstances.”

“Medea” is a collaboration between The Windybrow Arts Centre, Kwasha! Theatre Company as well as Playgroup, a multidisciplinary art collective whose interest lies in how Johannesburg is experienced through sound. Chloe Whittstock designs set and costumes, Andile Mgeyi choreographs and Themba Mthimkulu designs lighting. The cast comprises Gofaone Bodigelo, Londa Mkhize, Thingo Mcanyana, Jack Mabokachaba, Natasha Dube, Malcom Moloi, Andile Ngoboza and Privilege Ndhlovu.

Tickets for “Medea” are available on Webtickets starting from R110, with special prices for groups of four or more. The recommended age for this play is 14+.

Affordable, safe and secure underground parking is available at the Newtown Junction.

                                                                                                                                ENDS.

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

 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.

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

Kaza Kamba

Kaza Kamba Pan African Theatre Festival Returns to The Market for its 2nd iteration

The Market Theatre and mehlo-maya (eye-to-the-sun) have once again partnered for the four-day festival of theatre, music, workshops, film screenings and talks, curated by Bobby Rodwell and Lesego Rampolokeng. This dynamic new festival, which takes place from 06 – 09 November 2025, brings together the arts and the political discourse.

The festival features seven Southern African countries, making it a very critical cross-border initiative aimed at strengthening ties between countries. Again, it gives audiences an opportunity to immerse themselves in the stories of our sub-region.

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Afropocalypse

Afropocalypse

Imaginative and Allegorical Play – Afropocalypse – Returns to Jo’burg

The award-winning production “Afropocalypse” returns to Jo’burg after a critically acclaimed run at the 2025 National Arts Festival, where it won the festival’s highest Fringe accolade—the Standard Bank Gold Ovation Award. Running at The Market Theatre from 19 November – 7 December 2025, this energetic and hugely imaginative production follows the journey of a group of storytellers in an apocalyptic setting as they share their fables of hope and resilience.

We’re all used to apocalyptic imaginings, but what would an apocalypse in the African context look like? How would its survivors tell the story as they rise from the ruins?

Directed by Daniel Buckland, “Afropocalypse” was originally produced by The Market Theatre Laboratory as their student production in 2024. It played to sold-out runs at The Ramolao Makhene Theatre, becoming a hit and instant favourite for audiences. The fourteen-strong ensemble now present the work in their professional debut in the Mannie Manim Theatre at The Market Theatre. The brilliantly entertaining work uses physical comedy and tragic magic realism to paint a vivid and vibrant picture of the past, present and speculative future. The stories they tell are inspired by a myriad of South African voices, from Credo Mutwa to Jan Rabie, to our shared collection of modern South African myths and fables, all interwoven in a comical tapestry of catastrophe and release.

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“This is a mischievous and vibrant look at South African society through the lens of all the weird and wonderful ways it could come to an end. The show uses dynamic and joyous ensemble storytelling, with bucket loads of physical comedy, puppetry and storytelling, to paint a vivid picture of the fallibility of humankind, as well as the resilience and creativity of the human spirit. The story leans into joy and tragedy. The idea of an apocalypse is a dark subject matter and framing, the story itself is not only about that. It’s a fun, silly platform to poke fun at contemporary society and take all the delicate bits of South Africa and satirise them,” explained Buckland.

Greg Homann, Artistic Director at The Market Theatre Foundation, said staging the production is an opportunity to celebrate the journey it has gone on, highlighted by winning the highest accolade in the National Arts Festival fringe programme – the Standard Bank Gold Ovation Award. Homann further stressed that the show is a family-friendly offering perfect for winding down after a long year.

Homann adds, “This is a show young and old should look forward to watching. Its youthful energy combined with imaginative storytelling make for an entertaining, relaxing treat best enjoyed with loved ones and in groups. It’s a wonderful work, with an impressive balance of dark and more bleak moments mixed in with joy and hope.”

If you are craving theatre that’s out of this world, then “Afropocalypse” is here for that. Travel to a time yet to come and immerse yourself in stories untold.

Tickets are available on Webtickets starting from R110, with special discounts for the preview performance, for groups of four or more, and with all Wednesdays at half-price.

Affordable, safe and secure underground parking is available at the 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 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.

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

THIS IS WHO I AM

THIS IS WHO I AM

British High Commission and Windybrow Arts Centre present 

London Artists Projects

THIS IS WHO I AM

South African premiere

This Is Who I Am is a theatrical journey into Hillbrow and beyond, a place where history and present collide with contradictory illusions and dreams of a mercurial South Africa. A storied, yet troubled inner-city area of Johannesburg, Hillbrow remains a safe harbour for an ever-changing mix of iconoclasts.

Imbued with all the power and the passion of deeply personal real-life stories, ten Hillbrow artists and participants express the truth of their lived experience in their own five-hundred-word monologue in response to the title. Lives of abuse, alienation, disability, violence, and xenophobia connect in a mosaic of hope and resistance that demands justice and the right to a better future. 

This Is Who I Am is an ongoing multidisciplinary, intercultural arts platform featuring live and online performances, photo portraits, exhibitions, workshops and dialogue between artists from London Artists Projects in the UK and Windybrow Arts Centre in Hillbrow, South Africa.

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Launching as part of the G20 Culture Ministerial in South Africa, This Is Who I Am is part of UKwithSA cultural exchange and the British High Commission’s commitment to diversity and equality by drawing on the transformative power of the arts to contribute to wider access and inclusion in collaboration with local partners.

This Is Who I Am is the companion work to Jeremy Goldstein’s Truth to Power Café. Both works are inspired by the political and philosophical beliefs of Nobel Prize winning playwright Harold Pinter and his inner circle, The Hackney Gang, who included Jeremy’s late father, Mick Goldstein, and poet and actor Henry Woolf, whose original poetry bejewels the work.

“Revolutionary theatre at its best and most direct” 

Guardian on Truth to Power Café

This Is Who I Am is a London Artists Projects and Windybrow Arts Centre co-production commissioned by British High Commission South Africa with support from Canon South Africa 

Hillbrow artists and participants:

Gcebile Dlamini, Simphiwe Dube, Reneilwe Leopeng, Tshiyeya Kalombo, Minenhle Masina, Hlengiwe Masondo, Thabang Matsaung, Sandiso Mbatha, Tyson Nkala, Caleb Nyanguila

Artistic team:

Created by Jeremy Goldstein for London Artists Projects

Original score by DYSKINETIC

Co-directed by Jeremy Goldstein and Jaden Mmokwa Oratile Mosadi

Media Editor Flick Harrison 

Photo Portraits by Roger Machin and Quintin Mills 

Videography by Presley Mpofu and Sandile Daniel Radebe

Sound Recordist Tumelo Mosenogi

Behind the Scenes Photography by Kopano Lebotse

Dramaturgy and Workshop Facilitation Stacy Hardy (Creative Writing, Wits University)

Script Consultant Chris Thompson

Executive Producer 

Dr Sarah Meisch Lionetto, MBE 
Public Diplomacy – Head of Arts, Culture & Sports
British High Commission, South Africa
 

Performances contain stories of lived experience that include trauma, political stances and adult themes. 

Audience age: 14+ – parental guidance recommended

Photo: Roger Machin and Quintin Mills

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Kaza Kamba Pan African Theatre Festival returns to the market for its 2nd reiteration

Kaza Kamba Pan African Theatre Festival Returns to The Market for its 2nd iteration

The Market Theatre and mehlo-maya (eye-to-the-sun) have once again partnered for the four-day festival of theatre, music, workshops, film screenings and talks, curated by Bobby Rodwell and Lesego Rampolokeng. This dynamic new festival, which takes place from 06 – 09 November 2025, brings together the arts and the political discourse.

The festival features seven Southern African countries, making it a very critical cross-border initiative aimed at strengthening ties between countries. Again, it gives audiences an opportunity to immerse themselves in the stories of our sub-region.

An installation speaking to the history of Pan Africanism opens on Thursday, 04 September in The Market Theatre’s Lindelani Buthelezi Gallery, setting the tone for the festival.

Mainlining at the festival is “Lyrics Unchained on website / webtickets”, in which South Africa meets Zimbabwe meets Lesotho in a blend of poetry and percussion, featuring poets Matodzi Ramashia (Makhafula Vilakazi) from South Africa, Mercy Dhliwayo (sista x) from Zimbabwe, naledi chai (zeph) South Africa and Lesotho’sThabiso Mohapeloa (Tha Hymphatic Thabs). Musicians Louis Mhlanga (Guitar) and Gontse Makhene (Percussion) join the production, hosted by poet Lesego Rampolokeng.

BUY TICKETS BELOW:

Kaza Kamba Festival LYRICS UNCHAINED : https://www.webtickets.co.za/event.aspx?itemid=1577437811

Kaza Kamba Festival Setimo Juramento: https://www.webtickets.co.za/event.aspx?itemid=1577431186

Mozambican Producer Joaquim Matavel of Grupo de Teatro Girassol brings “Setimo Juramento / Seventh Oath”, written by Paulina Chiziane and directed by Ramadane Matusse. Paulo Jamine plays a character who traverses dark worlds in search of a new global identity – one that offers wellbeing, social justices and love – through storytelling, poetry and movement, offering provocations for a better world. The piece is in Portuguese, with English sub-titles.

Workshops over the four days include a performance dance workshop, “Barena: Reimagined” by Smangaliso Ngwenya, “Finding My Voice, Speaking My Truth”, Directing for Theatre by Liatile Mohale of Lesotho, a dance workshop on gender based violence, “Still We Dance” by choreographer Gaby Saranouffi from Madagascar, the Somatic Library workshop on voice by Mpho Malesa and Gifter Ngobeni, and “gubhu seNtshomi (Djembe of Stories)”. There will also be a workshop for young people, facilitated by Sibusiso ‘Vonde-r’ Fihlani, and one for the very young, our Baby Corner, for adults who wish to attend workshops or films.

 

Our films are: “Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat” [2024], a film by Johan Grimonprez that examines the political machinations behind the 1961 assassination of Congolese leader, Patrice Lumumba and “Dying for Gold” [2018] that focuses on the impact of Gold Mining in the SADC region, produced by Richard Pakleppa and Catherine Meyburgh. There will be panel discussions with the screenings of both documentaries.

A film showing and discussion on the situation in Sudan will be held by members of Sudanese solidarity groups.

The Kaza Kamba Colloquium this year will be held on Saturday, 08 November 2025, “Decolonising the Theatre Space” to be presented by Warona Seane, who will engage with theatre producers from the sub-region.

Our late evenings will be spent at our Kaza Kamba Pavement café in The Market Theatre Precinct, with music and an open mic and lots of lovely food and drink to purchase.

In short, there is a lot to see, experience and debate at Kaza Kamba Pan African Theatre Festival 2025.

All documentary films and workshops are FREE. Tickets for our play and “Lyrics Unchained” are on Webtickets.

There will be food and drinks for sale throughout the day, as well as stalls with books and other delights.

Come down to The Market Theatre from 06 – 09 November 2025 for a weekend of live performances, film, workshops and debate on Pan Africanism. Everyone is most welcome!

                                                                                                                    -ENDS –

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

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 or Mamello Khomongoe mamellok@markettheatre.co.za 0815729612.

Pride Month at The Market Theatre Kippies Fringe

Pride Month at The Market Theatre Kippies Fringe

Paint-On-Stage Productions in association with The Art Cave and The Market Theatre Kippies Fringe present ‘The Queer In The Queue’, a bold and intimate portrait of queer love in the face of rejection and red tape by Jason Wheeler, starring performer Luke Ness playing multiple characters.

The play runs from 2 – 5 October 2025 at 19:30pm, with two matinees at 3:30pm over the weekend in the 50-seater fringe venue.

Curated by The Art Cave in celebration of Pride Month, ‘The Queer In The Queue’ follows a newly married gay man trying to change to a new name; one name that changes everything. “In this deeply moving and sharply humorous solo performance, a gay man sits in the dreaded Home Affairs queue, paperwork in hand, ready to change his surname to that of his beloved husband. But what begins as a bureaucratic chore becomes a heartfelt excavation or memory, identity, and family. As he inches forward in the line, the protagonist unpacks his complicated-relationship with his father, the scars of homophobia, and the bittersweet triumph of reclaiming his name, not just legally, but emotionally and spiritually,” explains writer and director, Jason Wheeler.

Staged with innovative intimacy, the audience is seated in a U-shape formation, mimicking the very queue our character finds himself in. With no fourth wall to hide behind, the audience becomes the other citizens in line, witnessing his story unfold step by step. In the centre of this space lies memory itself, a performance zone where the character relives moments from his life with poignancy and poetic insight. 

Wheeler – an emerging playwright – brings his  wit, nuance and emotional range to this highly personal work. Following the acclaim of his previous works, ‘The Marvellous Mr Moffie’, ‘4:59’ and ‘Birds of a Feather’, Wheeler continues to explore queer identity, vulnerability and the pursuit of dignity with unflinching honesty. In 2024, Wheeler was appointed Associate Playwright at The Market Theatre and won the STAND (Sustaining Theatre and Dance Foundation) Global South Playwright Competition.

The play’s solo performer, Ness, recently graduated with distinction from the University of Witwatersrand, and has numerous roles under his belt, including Hally in Fugard’s ‘Master Harold and the Boys’, Gigi in ‘Bobo Eats Sand’ and Doctor A in the absurdist piece, ‘The Patient’.

Presented during The Art Cave’s Pride and Identity Spotlight this October, ‘The Queer In The Queue’ is more than a play about changing a surname; it’s about changing the story we tell ourselves, and finding freedom in the truth of who we are. “In many ways, queer lives are suffocated by a bureaucracy that turns a blind eye on the many queers in the queue looking for dignity. There’s no better way to mark Pride Month than tackling real issues facing the queer community in an entertaining yet meaningful way, which is what this play offers,” says The Art Cave, curators of The Market Theatre Kippies Fringe.

Tickets for the 5 performances are available on Webtickets for R100.

ENDS

Kippies Fringe is an initiative of The Market Theatre, curated by Art Cave.

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.

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