Two complete strangers happen to be in the same place at the same time. They are both very different from each other but have things in common. One and other. The OTHER is always a possibility, it can be someone to share with. A friend. An exciting experience, like every day. CERCA is a spectacle that, through a dramaturgy of actions and images, reflects on space as a means to try to establish complex relationships and affective relationships, and proposes to dialogue with the audience through a contemporary language.

Teatro al Vacío

Director

José Agüero and Adrián Hernández

Writer

José Agüero and Adrián Hernández

Performance

José Agüero and Adrián Hernández

Venue

The Market Theatre (Mannie Manim Theatre)

Date&Time

26 August 2023 - Saturday

12h00 | 15h00

Age: 3-6 years
Language: Non-verbal
Duration: 60 minutes

A choreographic refreshment where hip-hop, jazz and contemporary dances intertwine. With lightness, three individuals take a poetic look at our ordinary. They ask: how can our routines be a source of creativity, invention and play? Without paying attention to it, we repeat the same movements daily: do/redo, build/deconstruct. From funny situations to questions, the dancers turn our habits upside down to make our lives more beautiful. They make fun of our habits to say that our routine can be a source of fantasy. This carefree show blows a fresh wind of poetry.

The Carré Blanc company

Creator

Zoe Boutoille, Yane Corfa and Bryan Montarou

Choreographer

Michèle Dhallu

Light Creation

Yves-Marie Corfa

Scenography

Coline Vergez

Music Arrangement

Baptiste Verger

Venue

The Market Theatre (John Kani Theatre)

Date&Time

26 August 2023 - Saturday

19h30

Sun, 27 August 2023 - Sunday

15h00

Age: From 5 years up
Language: Non-verbal
Duration: 60 minutes

“Living in a democratic country where “democracy” is spewed out and inked in sacred deceptive scrolls of policy, rule and clogs up every trace of existence. Yet it remains a myth. We live in a system that promises an impeccable harmonic space of existence but constantly proves to coerce and dictate us into a vicious circle of torment. War is an integral influence of “Dictated Democracy”. The different scales of a war that brews in the temples of one’s mind to the bottomless pit of mass graves catalyzed by brutality and force.

Isifiso SakaGogo Performance Theatre

Project leader, Choreographer, conceptualizer

Smangaliso Ngwenya

Artistic Direction & Mentorship

David April

Poetry

Smangaliso Ngwenya & Solly Ramatswi

Performers

Smangaliso Ngwenya & Solly Ramatswi

Composition

Alva Noto

Costume

Luzuko Mbalo

Lighting

Wilhelm Disbergen

Venue
Sibikwa Art Centre - Main Stage
Date & Time

26 August 2023 - Saturday

12h00 |14:00

Duration: 30 minutes

Before dance became art, before it tried to express anything, before it was a ceremony or a technique, it was a game. Let’s be frank: the games we like the best are often the ones we probably shouldn’t be playing in the first place. Games that have consequences and risks, games that are more than just a game, games that make our head spin and can break our heart. Gaming is a thread that connects many of Joshua Monten’s previous work. Now, in “Game Theory,” Monten looks a bit more deeply at some of the building blocks of play: freedom and rules, ritual and surprise, adrenaline and flow. The result is an aesthetically rigorous composition with ample room for freedom and joy.

Joshua Monten Dance Company

Choreographer

Joshua Monten

Dancers

Claudio Costantino, Angela Demattè, Sandra Klimek, Max Makowski, Jack Wignall

Dramaturge

Guy Cools

Costumes

Catherine Voeffray

Lighting

Jonas Bühler

Produced by

Verein Tough Love

Co-produced by

Dampfzentrale Bern, Krokusfestival Hasselt

Venue

Windybrow Art Centre

Date&Time

25 August 2023- Friday

10h00 | 12h00 | 15:00

Venue

Sibikwa Art Centre

Date&Time

26 August 2023- Saturday
12:h30 | 16h00

Language: Non-verbal

“How to Do Things with Words” is a pas de deux between bodies and graphic text, between language and movement. How does one dance with text? What new meanings arise when dancers manipulate objects printed with words and phrases? The results range from the literal to the poetic, from the meaningful to the absurd. Printed signs may be flat, but they add a surprising depth to a dance performance. Lush physicality and a detailed movement language color a black-and-white landscape of printed text fragments.

Joshua Monten Dance Company

Dramaturgy

Guy Cools

Props/Graphic Design

Franziska Lüthi

Costume Design

Catherine Voeffray

Venue

The Market Theatre Square (Courtyard)

Date&Time

27 August 2023 - Sunday

12h00 |15h00

Age: 10 + years

Language: English

Duration: 35 minutes

The Market Theatre Lab’s latest production, “KiDDING,” is a captivating and innovative play that offers a fresh take on the challenges and complexities of growing up in modern South Africa. Set against the backdrop of high schools, the play delves into the unspoken traumas and guilt that teenagers face in the era of social media.

The Market Theatre Laboratory

Director

Thabang Chauke

Assistant Director

Mzwandile Mphiti

Mentored by

Stella Dlangalala

Cast

Mzwandile Mphiti, Nomsa Myth Tavarwisa, Tumelo Modiane Namtweya-Phiri, Siphesihle Dube, Kamogelo Nong, Mmokwa Mosadi, Chrisophocus Thabiso Seboka, and Eleloang Soko.

Stage Manager

Nomsa Myth Tavarwisa

Set and Costume Design

Tumelo Modiane Namtweya-Phiri and Siphesihle Dube

Sound Design

Kamogelo Nong

Publicity by

Chrisophocus Thabiso Seboka, Mmokwa Mosadi and Eleloang Soko

Venue
The Market Theatre (Ramolao Makhene)

Date & Time

23 August 2023 - Wednesday

19h30

24 August 2023 - Thursday

11h30 | 16h00

Kganyapa’s egg has gone missing. A little girl, Motlalepula, leads the search for Kganyapa’s egg. Kganyapa has kidnapped Motalepula’s brother and is keeping him underwater until the egg is found. This has caused major floods in the region. Kganyapa's retaliation puts the lives of humans and animals in danger. Can Motlalepula help to restore harmony between humans and water creatures?

Street Arts Government

Writer & Director

Modisana Mabale

Choreographer

Mzimkhulu Mthimkhulu

Performance

Paul Musi, Mofokeng Pretty-Boy Sekhoto, Katleho Tshaka, Idabeth Ranake, Portia Mafisa, Thato Mphashane, Mzimkhulu Mthimkhulu, And Kholisile Dlamini.

Venue
The Market Theatre (Ramolao Makhene)

Date & Time

21 August 2023- Monday

16H00

22 August 2023- Tuesday

10H00 | 13h00

Recommended Age: 10 - 15 years

Duration: 60 Minutes

Language: English & Sesotho

Set in an idyllic rural African village, the production displays the majesty of the surrounding forest and rivers and an array of glorious creatures and characters living in harmony with each other. But when a stranger arrives from a faraway land, bringing with him change and new ideas, it threatens the villagers’ way of life and tests the strength of family, their loyalty to each other and their heritage. Seeing the effects of the stranger’s arrival on her village, a young girl is faced with a difficult decision. Will she find her voice and use it to stand up for what she believes in?

Lunch Box Theatre

Writer

Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi

Director

Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi

Cast

Mncedisi Ncedani, Amanda Valela, Stuart Palmer, and Sisipho Gxagxa

Venue
The Market Theatre (Mannie Manim Theatre)

Date & Time

25 August 2023- Friday
11h30 | 14h00

Venue
Sibikwa Art Centre Main Stage

Date & Time

26 August 2023- Saturday
11:00 | 15:00

Recommended Age: 10+ years

Duration: 45 minutes

Language: Non-verbal, some isiXhosa, English, and Afrikaans.

Kesho in Swahili means tomorrow, and in this vibrant musical show, essential and urgent themes are addressed to meet planetary challenges: climate change, the erosion of biodiversity, the non-respect and the absence of protection/preservation of our environment, pollution, overexploitation leading to the impoverishment of the soil, the air, and above all the choices and the responsibilities to be taken by all of us and even more so by younger generations. Little Kesho is a musical interrogation, a poetic encounter, a mysterious journey, an opportunity to share our views of the world, but above all as a temporary inhabitant of this beautiful planet.

There is no planet B.

Ishyo Arts Center

Director:

Carole Karemera & Herve Twahirwa

Writers:

M. Sengazi, R. Bingo, S. Nadege Uwayezu and U. Karemera

Cast:

Michael Sengazi, Herve Twahirwa and Carole Karemera

Original Cast includes: Aline Sano Shengero, Philippe Mirasano, Lydia Abijuru, Emmanuel Gasasira Nshongoza, Raphale Rusake, Ishimwe Etienne,

Venue

The Market Theatre (John Kani Theatre)

Date&Time

22 August 2023 - Tuesday

12h00 | 17h00

Age: From 10 Years
Language: Mixed languages (i.a. English, French, Swahili)
Duration: 60 minutes

A high energy playful production exploring the dynamics of a group of friends. 4 young men are caught up in the themes of exclusions, bullying and ‘othering’. A gang of 4 boys play with balls: Who is in, who is out, who leads and who follows? Young audiences are invited to respond to these themes within their own lives and friend groups. The young male actors work with extreme sensitivity and humour to expose the delicate balance of human interaction and power struggles that can exist in groups of all sizes and kinds.

Magnet Theatre Youth Company

Originally created by

Jennie Reznek and Jayne Batzofin in collaboration with the company

Director

Jennie Reznek

Cast

Azola Mkhabile, Siphenathi Siqwayi, Sipho Kalako & Thabo Mkenene

Venue

National Children's Theatre

Date&Time

26 August 2023- Saturday

14h00 | 16h00

27 August 2023- Sunday

11h00

Language: Non-verbal
Duration: 40 minutes

Amandla Danca Teatro ZA is an award-winning theatre company from Kimberley. Mwana wa Mvula is derived from a Malawian language Chichewa for Rain Child. Mwana Wa Mvula follows the journey of a male rainmaker, Lerumo. We witness his tug of war of good versus good, where his natural spiritual gift clashes with his father’s Christian belief. Throughout the journey of this young man, he is faced with situations and circumstances that test his innate instincts against his societal-fed metric. His answers lie in water as he struggles to find his balance in an extreme tug-of-war. He later starts to understand his power and communication with water. When he begins to be one with water, his journey and path is cleared. We eventually watch him choose his path.

Amandla Dança Teatro ZA

Writer

Mkhululi Mabija and Monwabisi Bangiwe

Director

Mkhululi Mabija and Bisi Bangiwe

Cast

Mase Oliphant, Obakeng Moapesi, Neo Ntlatseng and Ngwedi Moroka

Venue

The Market Theatre (John Kani Theatre)

Date&Time

23 August 2023- Wednesday

12h00 | 18h00

Language: SeTswana, IsiXhosa, Chichewa

Age: All Ages

Duration: 1hr 15min

The production was created through a combination of clowning, physical theatre and interactive play. It explores personal space, social space and intimate space and how these differ across cultures. How big is my bubble and who do I let in? Two very opposite men meet on their way to the beach. 
A tender, adventurous and funny meeting confronting their differences in order to put light on their prejudices, to overcome them, create bridges and find a way of living together, better. We are touched by this coming and going of smiles, surprises and emotions.

This engaging production was devised through Assitej SA and ASSITEJ Belgium’s "Letsema/Collaborate" project with support from Wallonie-Bruxelles Internationale and the Government of Flanders.

Creation residencies: Compagnie La Casquette Brussels BE and Windybrow Arts Centre Johannesburg SA. 

ASSITEJ South Africa / ASSITEJ Belgium

Director and choreographer

Jordi Vidal (Belgium)

Costume design and props

Frankie Van Straten

Cast

Sibusiso Khambule

Sjaka Septembir

Venue

National Children's Theatre

Date&Time

26 August 2023 - Saturday

16h00

27 August 2023- Sunday

14h00 | 11h00

Age: 3-10 years

Duration: 35 minutes

Language: Non-verbal

Thembekile Nkosi is a lifestyle influencer whose posts have drawn a following from young people. Unknown to her followers, she struggles to free herself from social addictions. She sinks into a dark hole and is saved by her grandmother's stories. The play explores the vulnerable lives that young people live in their bid to be liked.

This production is inspired by events of 2022 where children and young people died, while they had gone out to celebrate the end of exams in June 2022. Pent(s) Down Haha! was awarded a Standard Bank Ovation Award at the National Arts Festival 2023.

Rhodes University Drama Department

Writer: Lalu Mokuku

Director: Luvuyo Yanta

Designer: Illka Louw

Lighting: Tersia Du Plessis

Cast: Lisa Simelane, Nokulunga Masia, Rozelle Hartenzberg, and Suthukazi Memela

Venue

The Market Theatre (Mannie Manim Theatre)

Date&Time

21 August 2023- Monday

15h00 | 18h00

22 August 2023- Tuesday

11h00

Language: English

Age: 13-15 Years

Duration: 60 minutes

"The Red Balloon" tells the story of a grumpy old man celebrating his birthday alone when a magical balloon appears at his window. Initially set in his solitary ways, everything changes for him as he is compelled to share his home with this lively balloon, which playfully coaxes him out of his grumpiness.

Combining the imaginative power of play with elements of mime, clowning, and more, "The Red Balloon" is a dialogue-free, one-performer show from the National Children’s Theatre, that presents a series of comical and touching moments. The old man and the balloon explore the power of friendship, demonstrating that companionship can be found anywhere with a little imagination and acceptance.

The play was a Gold Ovation Award Winner at this year’s National Arts Festival. Recommended for audiences aged 2 years and older, "The Red Balloon” was written by Barry Kornhauser, an award-winning playwright, director, and educator known for his significant contributions to enriching children's culture.

The role of the grumpy old man is brilliantly portrayed by the supremely talented Craig Morris, who was nominated for a Naledi Theatre award for Best Actor in a children's play earlier this year. Craig Morris is a multi-award-winning actor, including accolades such as the Lourie, Naledi, Fleur Du Cap, Standard Bank Ovations, Mec Dance, and Vita awards. The piece is directed by another award-winning artist, Toni Morkel with music by Tony Bentel.

Filled with physical comedy that will charm and delight audiences of all ages, this award-winning play showcases how companionship can emerge from the most unexpected places. Children will enjoy interacting with the old man and the balloon, and they are in for a riotous laugh. They will leave the show completely charmed by the old man and the red balloon.

National Children’s Theatre

Director

Toni Morkel

Writer

Barry Kornhauser

Designer

Lisa Younger

Music

Tony Bentel

Performer

Craig Morris

Photographer

Rebecca Hearfield

Venue

National Children’s Theatre

Date&Time

25 August 2023 - Friday

10h00 | 15h00

Age: All Ages

Duration: 50 minutes

The Skin We Are In is a new performance in which a group of school friends learn about the evolution of human skin. The Skin We Are In is a vibrant and dynamic adaptation by Omphile Molusi of the eponymous children’s book written by Nina Jablonski and Dr Sindiwe Magona. The production transforms facts and figures into a truly engaging and important piece of theatre.

Kwasha! Theatre Company

Director

Mosie Mamaregane

Writer

Omphile Molusi

Performance

Kwasha6! is Ndonie Ntshiza (AFDA Cape Town, Duma Ndlovu Actor’s Academy), Sanele Phillip (Rhodes University), Sinegugu Mdluli (Tshwane University of Technology), Nontombi Ramphele (Market Theatre Laboratory) and Nontuthuko Mkhungo (AFDA JHB).

Venue
The Market Theatre (Ramolao Makhene)

Date & Time

20 August 2023 - Sunday

12h00 | 17h00

21 August 2023 - Monday
11h00

Venue
National Children’s Theatre Outdoors
Date & Time

26 August 2023 - Saturday
11h00 | 14h00
27 August 2023 - Sunday
14h00

Recommended Age: 10 -15 Years

Duration: 1 hour - 40min (Performance) 20min Post-performance discussion

Language: English

“When you hear the word ‘disabled’ people immediately think about who can’t walk or talk or do everything that people take for granted. Now, I take nothing for granted. But I find the real disability is people who can’t find joy in life and are bitter”. Teri Garr

Luthando takes us through a journey of the stories she sees. She is intrigued to teach and learn through sound, sticks and the different stories told by the visually impaired.

Abled youth use sound to communicate with visually impaired youth. Choreography is used to travel into different environments, and shows being able to work together – inclusivity. It also connects the stories as a form of transition from one environment to another.

“I do not want to go back to seeing. I have techniques to navigate the world and I am teaching myself how to do things. If I see I again, I will go back to 2005, when I used to see, then I would be left behind because I have learned so much in my blindness and must start as a person who sees again.” Peter Mabote

Director:

Gcebile Dlamini

Choreographer:

The late Bigboy Ndlovu (In Remembrance)
Assistant Choreographer: Tshepang Lebelo
Cast:

The Johannesburg Society for The Blind
Venue

The Market Theatre (Ramolao Makhene)

Date&Time

26 August 2023- Saturday

18h00

27 August 2023- Sunday

11h00 | 13h00

Age: From 13 years old
Duration: 50 minutes

A contemporary interactive issue-based play that seeks to create awareness and explore the realities of bullying taking place in our schools and communities. Using modern popular cultures, such as hip hop (rap), street dance and beat boxing, the performance presents this hard-hitting issue in a way that is both accessible and appealing to young audiences. The play employs participatory theatre techniques for engagement, reflection and dialogue; enrolling learners as social work students, and can include facilitated post-performance break away sessions for learners to explore topics in small groups and present their insights back to the audience.

Sibikwa Arts Centre

Director

Smal Ndaba & Phyllis Klotz

Venue

The Market Theatre (Mannie Manim Theatre)

Date&Time

27 August 2023- Sunday
12h00 |16:00

Age: 13-15 years
Duration: 35 minutes

Doctor Hokaspokas is the host of a reality TV show the Dr Hokaspokas Show. The topic on this show today is “Regaining Your Laughter” and the guests are King Panda and Queen Aishani. King Panda has a disturbing condition - he has lost the ability to laugh, and the Royal couple are seeking for a remedy for it, for it is threatening the King’s health and that of their marriage.

Cebo Lwakhe Trading Enterprise

Director

Bafana Dladla

Writer

Christopher Mlalaz

Cast

Tshepo Mohlala, Thulani Masango, and Thulisile Magagula

Band Members

BoyAgain Mthombeni, Nkosikhona Mkhonza, and Tammy Mtsweni

Venue

The Market Theatre (Ramolao Makhene)

Date&Time

22 August 2023- Tuesday

18h00

23 August 2023- Wednesday

10h00 | 14h00

Age: 10+ Years

Language: English

Duration: 60 minutes

de Stilte’s much beloved and acclaimed dance production for early years finally comes to South Africa! Flying on the wings of their imagination, two girls and a boy embark on a stand-off. When there are three of you, who plays with whom? Out of the rolling eggs, the shuffling old woman and the flying cow emerges as a game of friendship, loneliness, and solidarity.

De Stilte

Choreography

Jack Timmermans

Decoration

Bert Vogels

Costumes

Joost van Wijmen

Light Design

Pink Steenvoorden - Einstein Design

Venue
The Market Theatre (Ramolao Makhene)
Date & Time

25 August 2023- Friday
18h00
26 August 2023- Saturday
10h00 | 13h00

Recommended Age: 4+ Years

Duration: 50 minutes

Language: Non-verbal

The King of Broken Things is an adventurous and magical excursion into the rehabilitation of broken and discarded objects, hearts included. The show takes you on a bittersweet journey, viewed through the unfiltered mind of a child, wise beyond his years. The King of Broken Things’ touches on ancient Japanese traditions, mythology, and dreams, and reminds us of the magic that we so easily forget is everywhere. 

The King of Broken Things was awarded a Standard Bank Ovation Award at the National Arts Festival 2023

https://youtu.be/DW8IUp6nrgI

Reviews:

The King of Broken Things The ending of this piece by Michael Taylor-Broderick is sheer theatrical genius. (Review by Barry Meehan)

“The King of Broken Things,” created and directed by Michael Taylor-Broderick and performed by Cara Roberts, is a truly mesmerizing piece of theatre, taking the audience on an incredible 45-minute-long journey, that comes to an end far too soon, in my humble opinion. The premise of the show is that everything broken can be fixed – inanimate objects, promises and even people. Cara Roberts (daughter of two of South Africa’s greatest actors – Ian Roberts and Michelle Botes) draws us into her enthralling performance as a bullied child who finds an outlet as “the King”, fixing, repairing and finding alternative uses for a plethora of broken objects that litter the stage. Taught by “Dad”, who has been absent for many years (we never find out why), “the King” poses many questions about life and family, and anxiously awaits the return of “Dad”, whose departure caused “Mom” to break. I wouldn’t dream of revealing more of the plot, or what “The King” builds on stage to await the return of “Dad”, but suffice it to say that the ending of this piece by Michael Taylor-Broderick is sheer theatrical genius! And we mere mortals would do well to dwell more on the magic words – imagine, believe and dream. If you get the chance to see this wonderful production, don’t dare miss it!

- Barry Meehan

Theatresmiths

Scriptwriter

Michael Taylor-Broderick

Director

Michael Taylor-Broderick

Performance

Cara Roberts

Venue
The Market Theatre (John Kani Theatre)

Date & Time

24 August 2023- Thursday

15h00 | 19h30

25 August 2023- Friday

10h00

Recommended Age: 8 - 20 Years

Duration: 50 minutes

Language: English

A loud and proud bell tower is befriended by a tree that teaches him love and self-sacrifice. It is a wonderfully funny and thoroughly delightful modern fairy tale. Winner of a 2020 Ovation Award from the National Arts Festival.

Creative Madness, Leopard Moon, and Mixed Media

Director

Peter Court

Playwright

Patrick Kenny

Designer & Fabricator

Peter Court

Music

Alan Judd of Leopard Moon Studios and Shannon Kenny

Puppeteers

Peter Court; Patrick Kenny; Shannon Kenny

Voice Artists

Peter Court; Anna Kenny, Patrick Kenny, Shannon Kenny, Londiwe Ngwazi

Venue

The Market Theatre (Mannie Manim Theatre)

Date&Time

20 August 2023- Sunday

11h00 | 15h00

21 August 2023- Monday

10h00

Genre: Puppetry

Age: 7-9 years, 10-12 years

Language: English

Duration: 60 minutes

The Visitors is a co-production with artists from Berlin and youth from Hillbrow. The show re-elaborates on the codes, aesthetics, and dramaturgy of the teen-slasher horror cinema. Violence and horror is used to convey the elaboration of the Other as a monster, the xenophobic constructions around the immigrants, and the real horrors of the colonial intruders that continue to influence current socio-political structures today

Supported by: Constanza Macras I DorkyPark, Market Theatre Foundation, Windybrow Arts Centre, Goethe-Institut, Kampnagel, Ruhrtriennale. Supported by the NATIONALES PERFORMANCE NETZ Coproduction Fund for Dance, which is funded by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media

Dorky Park, Constanza Macras & Windybrow Arts Centre

Director

Constanza Macras

Composer

Spoek Mathambo

Dramaturg

Tamara Saphir

Vocal Coach

Nhlanhla Mahlangu

Set Design

Thando Lobese

Costume Design

Roman Handt

Lighting Design

Sergio Pessanha

Sound Design

Stephan Wöhrmann

Perfromers

Miki Shoji, Emil Bordás, Thulani Mgidi, Alexandra Bodí, John Sithole, Brandon Magengelele, Jackson Mogotlane, Vusi Magoro, Tshepang Lebelo, Ukho Somadlaka, Bongani Mangena and participants from the Windybrow Art Centre’s After-School Programme.

Venue

The Market Theatre (John Kani Theatre)

Date&Time

20 August 2023 - Sunday

19:00

21 August 2023- Monday

12h00

Age: 13+ years
Language: English
Duration: 60 minutes

After almost ten years, Joanna Evans’ hit play ‘The Year of the Bicycle’ returned to South African stages, with a fresh take under new direction and with new performers. ‘The Year of The Bicycle’ is a tale of friendship stretched across race and time. Amelia and Andile, children from very different backgrounds, befriend one another over a garden wall. Ten years later, they have become estranged, and, in separate accidents, fall into concussions at the same moment. They meet again in each other’s confused minds. Their bodies are broken, but their thoughts are very loud as they reach out for contact. While piecing together fragments of self, their memories draw them back to 1997; the year of Ninja Turtles, bicycles, and tazos. And the year when their friendship was shattered by a place in which it is impossible for even a child to feel at ease.

Kamogelo Mhlantla and Samantha Carlisle are recent drama school graduates who take on the lead roles in this two-hander. Under the direction of Dara Beth, this work was presented in Cape Town at Theatre Arts, The Baxter's Masambe Theatre, and The Drama Factory. We have also performed it at various schools in and around Cape Town, as well as the Denis Goldberg House of Hope. "A thoughtful and touching reworking of Evans' vision, repurposed in a way that feels fresh and light. Dara Beth is to be commended on taking strong source material and taking it to a wholly novel place, while honoring the facets of the piece that made it so special in the first place. Her direction is decisive and sharp, and both actors grab hold of the work with candor and aplomb-- and assured, bold re-imagining."- Francesco Nassimbeni "The 2022 iteration of The Year of the Bicycle reminded me of a magic of a simple sweetness. One that grows into a quiet kind of liveliness, a seamless tenderness wrapped in a wonderfully unfussy theatrical box" - Tiiesetso Mashifane "The Year of the Bicycle is gripping storytelling held together by nuanced performances and taught direction. A real treat."- Alan Committie

Scriptwriter

Joanna Evans

Director

Dara Beth

Performance

Kamogelo Mhlantla and Samantha Carlisle

Venue
The Market Theatre (Mannie Manim Theatre)

Date & Time

23 August 2023 - Wednesday
16h00
24 August 2023 - Thursday
12h00 | 18h00

Recommended Age: 10-14 Years

Duration: 50 Minutes

Language: English with isiXhosa

Tiébélé echoes the magnificent footprints left on their homes by the women of a village in Burkina Faso. It is a show that combines plastic and poetry. Earth and song. Organic matter and sensitive material. A creation that links the gestures of these African women to the first traces left by toddlers. By reappropriating these ancestral gestures, she follows in the footsteps of toddlers playing in the earth. At his side, a woman accompanies him with her voice to the soft sound of N'goni. Together, they outline the lines that will later brighten up the walls of their homes. And travel closer to the roots of humanity.

Théâtre de la Guimbarde

Director

Gaëtane Reginster

Performance

Nadège Ouedraogo, alternating with Alex Lobo and Bérénice De Clercq

Venue

National Children's Theatre

Date&Time

26 August 2023- Saturday

10h00 | 13h00

27 August 2023- Sunday

12h00 | 15h00

Age: 18 months - 3 years
Duration: 40 minutes

When Adam meets Juliet, it is not just the story of two young people with a taste for forbidden fruit. It is at the same time two of world literature’s greatest dramas – The Old Testament and Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet – which are shaken into an explosive, juicy, socially satirical cocktail. 8 of Batida’s musical actors shake it all up. Put on your dancing shoes, because no one can sit still when Paradise is sent to Hell.

Batida Theatre Company

Director

Susanne Bonde and Søren Valente Ovesen

Playwright

Søren Valente Ovesen

Cast

Tobias Heilmann, Per Thomsen, Peter Albinus Rasmussen, Karen Rasmussen, Tine Sørensen, Maria Sonne, Danay Anaya Blanco, Søren Valente Ovesen.

Venue

Sibikwa Art Centre - Outside

Date&Time

26 August 2023- Saturday

10h00 | 14h00

Venue

The Market Theatre Square (Courtyard)

Date&Time

27 August 2023 - Sunday
10h00 | 17h00

Age: From 10 years

Language: English

Duration: 45 minutes

Meet Wanda with her beautiful head of hair. She is brave and strong, but she’s unhappy because of the endless teasing by the boys at school. After a particularly hard day at school, feeling confused, forlorn and hopeless, Wanda’s grandmother lets her in on a few secrets. Through these hair secrets and stories, she finds the courage to face her fears and realize that her hair is a crown and something to be proud of. This tender and big-hearted musical stands at the intersection of identity and beauty, celebrating how cultural pride is learned and passed on over generations. The story is based on the book Wanda's Wandaful Coils written by Sihle Nontshokweni and Mathabo Tlali.

Ticket to the Moon Youth Theatre Company

Book, Music, & Direction

Daniel Geddes

Musical arrangements

Viwe Mkizwana

Scenic Design

Joshua Law

Venue

The Market Theatre (John Kani Theatre)

Date&Time

25 August 2023- Friday

16h00 | 19h30

26 August 2023- Saturday

10h00

Age: 7+ years
Language: English
Duration: 50 minutes

Is attack the best form of defense? It is the final match of the field hockey season. The championship title is on the line. The winner takes all. A committed team of young women bursts onto the field, ready for the challenge. But much more is at stake, as the play reveals back-stories and situations that the women have been experiencing. As the lines between the game and social commentary start blurring, and the team finds a collective voice of anger and frustration at the plight of women in this country, the team needs to make a vital choice: attack or defend. Shifting between physical and visual performance, searing storytelling, and surrealist dream sequences, Whistleblowers is an honest and tragicomic call to action. A war cry for the soul.

Whistleblowers was nominated for a Naledi Award in 2022 and won a Gold Standard Bank Ovation Award at the National Arts Festival in 2022.

Reviews

The Critter at National Arts Festival
http://thecritter.co.za/?p=4720

Robin Sassen at Hilton Arts Festival
https://robynsassenmyview.com/2022/09/24/review-of-whistleblowers-at-the-hilton-arts-festival/

Verity Productions

Direction

Quintijn Relouw & Rob Murray

Choreographer

Quintijn Relouw

Writers

Boitshepo Lefaposang Maile, Reabetswe Caroline Gaentse, Kgaogelo Elizabeth Makgoba, Modipadi Mamokiritle Mokgohloa, Phindiwe Qakoshe, Quintijn Relouw, Rob Murray

Performance

Boitshepo Lefaposang Maile, Reabetswe Caroline Gaentse, Kgaogelo Elizabeth Makgoba, Modipadi Mamokiritle Mokgohloa, Phindiwe Qakoshe, Feziwe Thobeka Vuyelwa Nyoni

Venue

The Market Theatre (Mannie Manim Theatre)
Date & Time

22 August 2023- Tuesday
15h30 | 19h30
23 August 2023- Wednesday
10h00

Recommended Age: 13+ years

Duration: 50 Minutes

Language: English

Vusamazulu, Indaba Bantwana Bami is a celebration of the life, times, and teachings of Credo Mutwa, poetically and spectacularly devised and directed by the Sibikwa Arts Academy teachers and brought to life by the high school and out of school students of the Sibikwa Arts Academy. The Sibikwa Arts Academy, which was founded in 1996 stands on the tenets of the power of the arts, democratizing quality arts education for marginalised young people and encouraging the preservation of South Africa’s cultural and heritage practices through performance. The writings of Mutwa, who is a notable African playwright and indigenous knowledge keeper, are zealously articulated by the Sibikwa Arts Academy students through storytelling, dance, and music performed in a variety of African languages and artistic forms, such as isiZulu and isiPedi, gumboot dancing and the indigenous African music of the marimba and jembe drums. The original presentation of Vusamazulu, Indaba Bantwana Bami at the Sibikwa Arts Centre was made possible through the support of TotalEnergies, the Oppenheimer Memorial Trust and Business & Arts South Africa.

Sibikwa Arts Centre