3 – 11 OCT 2026
3 – 11 OCT 2026
Produksie: Ms B-haved
Deur: Marina Griebenow
Foto’s: Verskaf
Vertel ons eers ’n paar dinge oor jouself en hoe jy hier op Stellenbosch beland het met jou eenvroustuk Ms B-haved.
I am Johannesburg born and bred, and even though I have lived in the Cape for most of my life, I still consider myself a Jozi girl. My husband and I raised our three children in the beautiful Strand area. They are now all grown up and scattered all over the world.
I ran a drama studio in Somerset West and Strand for many years, so the decision to open The Drama Factory here was a no-brainer. We had a unit available in a business park which was an obvious home for this new theatre of mine. Also, with only one theatre in the area, there was definitely room for another one. I run my theatre when I am not acting and it is quite a demanding baby. I also write, produce, direct whenever I get the chance, and I am a voice artist. I actually do a lot of voice work, but fortunately I have a home studio for that purpose. I am very passionate about what I do, so I really do not mind constantly being very busy.
I watch theatre regularly and Cape Town has a lot on offer. I also love children’s theatre. Those are my favourite pastimes. I do love reading beautiful, well-crafted novels too, and then there are word games. I adore playing Scrabble on line and I do Wordle regularly.
I am told that I do not relax often enough, but I actually enjoy being active. I am addicted to my phone, so I also have to carve out time without it. A nice walk on the beach or on the mountain in the Helderberg Nature Reserve is a perfect way to unwind.
Obviously not everything in the show is laughable or funny, but it is a light‑hearted look at how silly we are, and how silly we have become, and that makes comedy a suitable vehicle for the story.
Jy het Ms B-Haved as ’n solovertoning vir jouself geskryf. Waar het die idee vir die stuk ontstaan?
A couple of years ago, I was asked to be a keynote speaker at a local school for a teachers’ support event. I had been a curriculum drama teacher there for many years. I decided that I didn’t really have much to offer as I was not teaching the curriculum at that point. Also, a lot had changed, even in the short time since I had been left teaching, so instead of giving a traditional speech, I decided to do it in the form of a teacher being interrupted, having to deal with a really difficult parent with grace and patience.
It was about 10 minutes long and the teachers loved it. I thought no more about it. A few years later I was at a party when a woman approached me, hugged me and said that she had seen the presentation and would love to see it again. That rekindled the idea in my mind. I was ready to tackle something new anyway.
I had spent enough time in school staff rooms to know that teachers take the brunt of parents’ wrath if things do not go according to plan. I have also been a teacher and a parent simultaneously and the recurring themes got me thinking. I contacted Wynne Bredenkamp, who sent me some more ideas, and then I finally sat down to create Sally Burkett’s world.
Die stuk het by die Nasionale Kunstefees in Makhanda gedebuteer en is sedertdien by verskillende venues opgevoer. Het die gehoor se reaksies jou enigiets meer oor die onderwerp geleer?
I have been touring with Ms B-haved for about 18 months now and the audience reaction has been fairly similar everywhere. I think the stories are believable as they are rooted in fact. The teacher and parents who feature in the play are recognisable to most. In terms of content, I pitched the events at society’s more privileged people, but the challenges that all teachers have to face are universal, for instance problems around children’s mental health and gender issues.
I also did not limit my research only to a certain sector of teachers. I asked questions across the board and I think we nailed it on that front. The beautiful teachers from Masikhule came to watch very early on, and they lent credence to the fact that what happens in the play is very much what they have to deal with at their sub-economic school. And the expectation of teachers to give of their time, expertise and care above and beyond the call of duty is also the same everywhere.
I have actually had some very visceral feedback from audiences. I once had a woman in a cubicle in the ladies’ restroom at The Drama Factory, sobbing her heart out for about 40 minutes because she related so completely with the play. The pain of having to give up on a profession that you love dearly because it is just too hard, lies at the heart of Ms B-Haved’s story.
Ms B-haved has been described as a dark comedy by some. I actually believe that comedy is a way of coping. Obviously not everything in the show is laughable or funny, but it is a light‑hearted look at how silly we are, and how silly we have become, and that makes comedy a suitable vehicle for the story. I think Woordfees audiences are going to love Sally Burkett. It is a play, after all, in which everybody recognises somebody. The play really asks how one copes with changing norms.
Die stuk gaan ook oor eietydse stressors waarmee onderwysers te kampe het: veeleisende ouers, sosiale media, aanlynleer en verwagtinge wat voortdurend verander. Hoe het julle dít benader in Ms B-haved?
We have seen huge changes in how people treat teachers. I think there is an expectation of transparency within the classroom environment that other people would not expect to tolerate in their own jobs. With teachers, because they are dealing with children, there is a sense that people are entitled to have an opinion about your work, your teaching methods, how you react to difficult situations, etc. It is hard to imagine that a teacher would be expected to put up with that in our parents’ day.
It was very important for me to explore this need for teachers to be seen to be perfect. That is vital to the play. With teaching, you are expected to be consistent. You have to be able to put whatever is happening in your personal life aside and be present. A teacher’s own emotional needs are not really supported, particularly with ever-increasing class sizes.
Ms B-haved was very carefully orchestrated because we do not want the audience to panic. We want them to understand that the stakes are high but reassure them that they are not going to be watching a train wreck. My director, Natasha Sutherland, and I devised places where Sally can sit and reflect on the situation, and then we show how she copes in other ways, for instance by laughing at this. We allow her to laugh at herself, to laugh at the situation and sometimes even at the profession as a whole.
Teachers are easy game in a world where parents are scared and children are vulnerable. I would like everyone to think about slowing down, taking time really to connect with the kids and teaching them what is important. It is everyone’s job.
Ms B-haved gaan eintlik oor veel meer as net die onderwysprofessie: Dit opper vrae oor oordeel, blaam en veranderende sosiale waardes. Wanneer die gehoor die teater verlaat, waaroor sou jy graag wou hê hulle moet gaan nadink?
Natasha and I also worked hard to ensure that we do not actually judge anybody, whether it be the teachers, the pupils or the parents. We are all human. We all make mistakes and screw up, and that is fine. Teachers are easy game in a world where parents are scared and children are vulnerable. I would like everyone to think about slowing down, taking time really to connect with the kids and teaching them what is important. It is everyone’s job. All of us in the village are supposed to contribute to the education of the kids, not just the teachers. We must also allow ourselves to be led by children to explore new possibilities and challenge ourselves in different ways. That is what I would like people to take away from Ms B-haved.
Ms B-haved
6 OKT 18:00
Paul Roos-teater
R150 | R180 by die deur
Geen o.14 (T)
