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Under Pressure’ – Demands Climate and Gender Justice

The Windybrow Arts Centre in partnership with Terrastella Scen & Film presents ‘Under Pressure’, a new play by acclaimed playwright Mike Van Graan, directed by Kyla Davis. The play will be performed on selected days and times throughout October and November 2026 in an intimate venue at The Windybrow Arts Centre, marking the first time in more than a decade since the space staged a professional play.

‘Under Pressure’ follows the story of Gasira (played by Khutjo Green) and Abuya (portrayed by Lunga Aphane), two Kenyan women navigating an uncertain world shaped by climate change, forced migration, LGBTQI+ repression, racism, religion and rampant economic inequality.

When drought and environmental collapse threaten their families’ livelihoods, the pair leave Kenya in search of a better future in South Africa. But the so-called ‘land of milk and honey’ proves complicated and their search for stability leads them instead to a life of precarious work, xenophobia and missing home as they witness the painful contradictions of a continent divided by borders.

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However, Gasira and Abuya are two women who cannot be kept down. Their irrepressible nature and fierce love for each other pushes them to return home with a renewed understanding that the only way to survive, is by standing their ground. The two women flip the script on the power dynamic between the Global North and the Majority World to show that the future is not only sustainable, but Queer and Feminist as well.

Director Davis expressed excitement over Mike van Graan’s new text and the cast bringing the story to life. “Together, we are searching for a style that is part satire, part love story, part protest theatre as we tell the story of a Kenyan couple forced to migrate because of climate change,” said Davis.

The play forms part of a collaboration between The Windybrow Arts Centre in Hillbrow and Terra Stella Scen & Film in Sweden. ‘Under Pressure’ will be performed simultaneously in Hillbrow with ‘Under Ytan’ at the Södertälje Stadsscen near Stockholm with a live connection made between the two plays.

The Swedish play follows the story of Johannes and Carl, two friends who, terrified of rising temperatures and the threat of Russian Invasion, have decided to live in a bunker underground. Seen side by side, the two plays offer a speculative reflection on the impending climate crisis and how it might affect people, places and relationships everywhere.

‘Under Pressure’ is a playful and provocative production that jumps between 2026 South Africa via Sweden to 2038 Kenya to ask timely questions about African self-determination in a time of global polycrisis.

Due to the intimate venue and live-connection element in the performance, booking is strictly via RSVP. Groups and organisation working in the areas of climate change, gender justice, poverty alleviation, xenophobia and sustainable development are actively encouraged to attend.