ANGLO ANGST
With: Nichola Viviers, Mia van der Merwe, Jordyn Linklater, Thalia Alberts, Izette Blignaut, Vihann van Rooyen, Zoë-blu Mottram
Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet becomes Romeo and Johanna: The AngloBoer War Version in this crazy musical from Estefan Coetzee – a new director who excels in experimental theatre. This is the last dress rehearsal and everything goes wrong: Two actors don’t show up, the stage manager gets the move-in time completely wrong, and now church starts in half an hour in the lab. They will have to “Mickey Mouse” the whole thing.
BRANDMERK
With: Jurgen McEwan, Miché C. van Wyk
Danny has a phobia about ice cream. His sister Debra has trouble sleeping and is bothered by Miguel, the man on the moon. They move house during a lunar eclipse, but Debra finds it difficult to leave everything behind. Questions about the past arise as the earth finds itself between the sun and the moon …
BYSTER
With: Lara Hattingh
An uninformed, naive young woman struggles to navigate the deep waters of 2023. She’s really funny, but probably a bit of a narcissist. In a collection of seemingly random stories, she lays bare what she thinks; she wonders what it means to be a woman and whether she can really call herself an Afrikaner. She doesn’t know it, but she’s running, although it is unclear what she may be running from.
DIE TWEE LAKSMANNE
With: Nichola Viviers, Johann Dippenaar, Chrizelle Strydom, Merwe van Gent
A satire from the era of the Franco dic- tatorship, presented within the context of our modern dictatorship – technology. Francoise teaches her two children about sacrifice and culpability. In the next room she has their father tortured to death. She posts fragments of the events on Instagram. Actually she is following a strategy of propaganda and fake news. How far does “cancel culture” go? Are we dealing with the Spanish Inquisition of our time?
IS ALS ORAAIT BY DIE HUIS VAN DIE HERE?
With: Miché C. van Wyk, Vihann van Rooyen (piano)
Stability is fragile when a church closes. Auntie Bekkie is a chain smoker. Sister Frances steals. The police are pathetic. The rest is also just a mess. Everything and everyone except the Lord is present on Kookfontein. The devil isn’t even the devil anymore. From whence shall cometh their help?
JANTJIES AND THE PEARLS
With: Miché C. van Wyk, Julia Marone, Kerscha Titus, Mikyall Harris, Tamia Thompson, Nequin Petro, Keagon Cochrane
The Jantjies family live in the heart of District Six, determined to save their home from forced removal. In this comic, bitter- sweet struggle with loss, mourning, denial and hope, they devise a plan that has their fate resting on pearls: They believe three pearls will save them if they can find them. Winner of best text and best ensemble at the Première Theatre Festival.
PATISSERIE FEMME
With: Liphelo Matthews, Nomfundo Selepe
Patisserie Femme is a satirical comedy set in a bakery that doesn’t sell pastries, but women! The audience meets a mix of characters and is witness to the funny and heartbreaking confessions of the pantry’s main ingredients: Cherry on Top & Yeastica/Yeastiesha. Patisserie Femme is indeed a comedy, but one that also raises serious questions about the way in which society views and treats women’s bodies.
THE SESSION
With: Benna Bezuidenhout, Arnold Ntumvi-Nguti, Dyane Sampson, Tyrese Human, Sonwabo Duna
Created in the halls of Simonsberg men’s residence, The Session aims to provide a genuine look into the current residence experience. The play was crafted through workshops and participation by cast mem- bers. It gives audiences a glimpse into the complicated spaces that residences occupy. Recurring themes are: the subversion of expectations, the quest for love, showers, and the violent initiation residences used to be notorious for. The Session was performed at the annual Palesa Residence Festival.
TOM PYN
With: John B. Swart
Tom tries to make sense of his life, your life, our life. He’s going to steal every moment he can. Is it worth your time? He doesn’t care. Tom processes moments of his life and takes you along on the journey. There was an emergency; there was a woman; there was a dog, but not in that order. Tom doesn’t care if you think he’s wasting your time. Everything is unnecessary, but he’s still here.
TROU KOEK/TERT
With: Margo Kotze, Elmé Oosthuizen
Koek and Tert are on the brink of marriage, both in a pure white dress. It’s mid-twenties existentialism! Is it normal to get so hot on a cool spring evening? There is a knock at the door. It’s Adrian. Two wedding dresses, one groom, but only one bride will walk down the aisle in a white dress tomorrow.
TSEKMATE
With: Henrietta Cloete, Mikyall Harris, Nathaly Lottering, Ethan Patton, Nequin Petro, Tamia Thompson, Adri-Jo Waterboer
Tsekmate tells the story of six prisoners who, through a game of chess, try to make sense of the events that ultimately cost them their freedom. Are they being reject- ed because of circumstances or wrong choices, or should they be accepted for who and what they were before their crimes? The characters and audience wrestle with these and other questions – perhaps a solution awaits between the cell walls.
