The Market Theatre is proud to host the second season of Tembisa Township’s TX Theatre Hub at The Market Theatre, a four-day festival running from 23 – 26 July 2026 and comprising of five compelling, thematically rich and theatrically explorative productions.
Audiences are spoilt for choice as Masai Sepuru and Isaac Sithole return with the Naledi Theatre Award-winning Dark Magic and Standard Bank Ovation Award-winning Chasing Laughter, respectively. Mxolisi Masilela’s Adam’s Ale, also a recipient of an Ovation Award, makes a debut appearance alongside Untitled Deeds by Moruti Dlamini. Solly Ramatswi’s new work, Sinking, adds more flavour to the festival buffet.
The festival comes hot off the heels of The TX Theatre Hub’s successful showcase at the National Arts Festival in Makhanda, presenting works that won the hearts of audiences.
“The first year proved that there is both an audience and a need for this platform. Returning for a second year allows us to deepen that work,” reflects The TX Theatre Hub’s Artistic Director, Mxolisi Masilela. “This partnership with The Market Theatre is about creating continuity for artists, building audiences for independent theatre, and ensuring that stories developed in townships occupy the same stages and receive the same consideration as any other work in the country. We are not simply presenting productions, we are investing in a theatrical ecosystem that values access, collaboration and artistic excellence.”
The 2026 edition also welcomes the valued support of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, who will be sponsoring a series of technical workshops for women in theatre. Starting from 23 July 2026 and running throughout the festival, the workshops will cover areas such as producing, directing, administration and technical. Participation in the workshops is free, but registration is necessary.
The TX Theatre Hub Walk from Tembisa to The Market Theatre that took place on Mandela Day functioned as a symbol that highlighted to township-based storytellers that there’s a pathway to present their work at a leading cultural institution such as The Market. It marked a long walk of roughly 40 kilometres for independent theatre-makers, where every step was a bold statement of faith for access to venues, funding opportunities and audience cultivation.
“Many creators in townships find it incredibly difficult to showcase their creations on big stages. So, our walk is essentially a movement of dreams, where the distance signifies the obstacles township-based storytellers continue to face when trying to bring productions to mainstream spaces. Having since walked the journey, we are bringing others on board to ‘show them the way’. To us, this is not just an exercise but a transfer of knowledge, mentorship and inspiration,” Masilela states.
Greg Homann, Artistic Director at The Market Theatre Foundation, speaks with excitement about the return of The TX Theatre following a successful inaugural run in 2025, saying this continued collaboration further affirms The Market Theatre’s commitment to community-based storytelling, amplifying voices, creating access, and blurring the lines between so-called independent spaces and mainstream platforms.
“We’re looking forward to having The TX Theatre Hub with us again. This partnership is significant to us as it brings us closer to the communities and stories often limited only by resources and access. The Market Theatre, across five historic decades, has cemented itself as a home to the South African story in its complexities. Through our continued work with The TX Theatre, we’re reassuring community theatre-makers that The Market Theatre is a space where they – and their stories – can find an artistic home.”
Don’t miss this year’s instalment of The TX Theatre Hub at The Market Theatre for award-winning, socially engaged and entertaining storytelling created with the heart, soul and authenticity of the township.
Tickets for the festival are available on Webtickets.
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.
SINKING
In Sinking, written by Solly Ramatswi and directed by Moruti Dhlamini, a born-free revisits the memories in his blood. There are living shadows of his (great) grandmother and grandfather to aid him as he interrogates the times of apartheid. The journey starts with a remembrance of who we are – or more accurately, who our (great) grandparents were – and heads to the war zones where his grandfather disappeared. We see a name get buried when a body is not found; his absence is used as a telescope looking into the past and the future.
DARK MAGIC
Written and performed by the award-winning poet Masai Sepuru, Dark Magic is a powerful celebration of African spirituality, delving into its rich history and its profound influence on the global medical industry and spiritual institutions. Through an evocative blend of prose, poetry and music, Masai leads audiences on a journey into a world of mystery, ancestral wisdom and wonder. This work invites deep reflection, sparking conversation and urging audiences to reimagine and challenge dominant perspectives.
CHASING LAUGHTER
Chasing Laughter is a gripping drama exploring hate, guilt and grief. It follows a man driven by irrational desires, haunted by his past, where power blurs justice and destruction. His descent into madness warns that even justified acts can have unforgivable consequences. Through redemptive transitions and phenomenal storytelling, it confronts the darkness within and poses profound, unsettling questions. Age Recommendation 16LV
ADAM’S ALE
Adam’s Ale is a powerful one-man theatrical work that explores the complexities of identity, masculinity and loss within contemporary South African society. At the heart of the story is a young man – Letswai – navigating the uncertain space between boyhood and manhood, grappling with what the rite of passage into manhood truly means and whether the expectations placed upon him align with his own understanding of himself.
UNTITLED DEEDS
In a desolate land built from tin cans and plastic scraps, survival is a daily act of resistance. There is no water, electricity or any promise of service or care. Only the Law: a merciless system that forces citizens to move endlessly, evicted from one settlement to the next without reason or warning.