Here are just some of the productions you can expect to see. More productions will be added through February and ticket bookings will open in March, when the full programme is released. Watch this space!
*Information below is subject to change
Productions
El Patio Teatro
Direction
Julián Sáenz-López
Izaskun Fernández
Design
Julián Sáenz-López
Izaskun Fernández
Performance
Julián Sáenz-López
Izaskun Fernández
Tour manager
Ana Sala
A Mano (By Hand) is a tender and delicate performance, a theatrical diamond that is a tribute to arts and artisans.
It is the story of a very small but very special hero with a great desire to escape from his pottery shop window and those who live there with him. Told with beautifully crafted clay characters and remarkable artistry, A Mano is a touching and life-affirming story about love, small failures, a potter's wheel and four hands at play.
El Patio Teatro build, model, write, direct and play. Together, they create moving, reflective and beautifully original performances inspired by stories from everyday life and by the lives of objects around them.
Venue
Baxter Theatre Centre
The Golden Arrow Studio
Thursday 18 May
12h00
Friday 19 May
12h30
18h30
Saturday 20 May
11h00
Duration
45 minutes
Recommended Age
Family
7+ years old
Language
Non-verbal
Nobulali Productions / Shakexperience
Direction
Neil Coppen
Performance
Mpume Mthombeni
Tshego Khutsoane
MoMo Matsunyane
Mandisa Nduna
Zesuliwe Hadebe
Khutjo Bakunzi-Green
Seven decades have passed since the first publication of Orwell’s Animal Farm, yet the plight of Manor Farm and its animal denizens is ever relevant in contemporary South Africa.
Dressed in what seems to be the broken fatigues of guerrillas, the characters embrace both political identity and farm-animal-hood, teetering between the two in terms of their articulated values and increasing hypocrisy.
Muriel the goat and Clover the sheep effectively act as the narrators in the aftermath of the uprising.
The fiery energy that exists between the all women cast is palpable, and offers a fresh approach to critically examining patriarchal and deeply masculine political systems, and forms of storytelling.
Venue
Artscape Theatre
Wednesday 17 May
12h00
Thursday 18 May
14h30
Friday 19 May
10h00
19h30
Saturday 20 May
19h30
Duration
90 minutes
Recommended Age
16+ years old
Language
English
Theatrehaus Frankfurt
Design and Direction
Melanie Florschütz
Michael Döhnert
Performance
Michael Meyer
Susanne Schyns
Anziehsachen from Theaterhaus Ensemble on Vimeo.
Anziehsachen (Clothes) is designed for children’s first contact with theatre.
A man and a woman, an old record player, a washing line and a large bag filled with wonderful things is all that is needed for the fun to begin.
All sorts of exciting things happen. Two very different people try to fit together. They play with different roles and they test their limits. They sing together, they dance, and they tease each other. With all the clothes they have, they try the possibilities of transformation.
With live songs from Henry Purcell’s Baroque opera “The Fairy Queen” this production does not only make children dream, but adults too!
"Most of the kindergarden youngsters that had taken seat on cushions in the Forum-Studio never had heard such songs and all the more live. But even diaper wearers cock their ears, open wide their mouths and eyes and were amazed and enchanted by this quiet and tender mood spread by Susanne Schyns and Michael Meyer who sang and played…. So you can leave the young spectators wanting for more. The young audience is not likely to forget too soon this theatrical experience."
- Rheinische Post
Venue
Baxter Flipside
Sunday 21 May
14h30
16h30
Monday 22 May
12h00
14h00
Recommended Age
3-6 years old
Language
Non-verbal
Duration
35 minutes
Theater De Spiegel
Concept
Karel van Ransbeeck
Scenography
Wim Van de Vyver
and
Andy Jones
Jessica Mias of
Shrinkray Puppets
Performance
Karel Van Ransbeeck
Nicolas Ankouninoff
Ncebakazi Mnukwana
Kudakwashe Kangombe
Caban is an on-going research performance in which we invite artists/musicians of different backgrounds to improvise together in relation to the installation modules, the space and of course the very inquisitive audience of children from 3 months to 3 years old.
A cosy play area, an oasis of peace containing a nest, a sleeve tunnel house, a bamboo hut, a camp, a ladder tent, etc. In-between playing, building and discovering, incredulous eyes, busy hands, open mouths, small steps carried along at their own tempo by what they see, hear and feel.
“Caban is a laboratory that allows itself to be a performance at the same time”
Venue
Baxter Theatre Foyer
Thursday 25 May
10h00
11h30
Friday 26 May
10h00
12h00
Saturday 27 May
10h00
12h00
Duration
60 minutes
Recommended Age
3 months -3 years old
Language
Non-verbal
The Last Great Hunt
Direction
Arielle Gray
Chris Isaacs
Tim Watts
Music
Rachael Dease
Performance
Arielle Gray
Chris Isaacs
Tim Watts
Itʼs Dark Outside explores Alzheimerʼs/dementia, an illness close to home for many people. As of 2010, there are an estimated 35.6 million people living with dementia worldwide.
An old man wanders into the wild. As the sun sets, he is swept up in a surreal western, on the run from a mysterious tracker hell-bent on hunting him down. The unique performance combines puppetry, animation and physical theatre
ʻMemory loss has rarely had such a novel treatment, approached with poetic insight and lightness of touch that makes it moving and uplifting to watch.ʼ
Itʼs Dark Outside was part of the 2013 Sydney Festival (Australiaʼs most prestigious international arts festival) and received four-star reviews.
Venue
Artscape Theatre
Wednesday 17 May
12h00
Thursday 18 May
14h30
Friday 19 May
10h00
19h30
Saturday 20 May
19h30
Duration
90 minutes
Recommended Age
16+ years old
Language
English
Magnet Theatre
Direction
Koleka Putuma
Jennie Reznek (Mentor)
Design
Francesco Nassimbeni
Performance
Jason Jacobs
Babalwa Makwetu
Nolufefe Ntshuntshe
Luvo Tamba
Ekhaya (Home) is an expression of the relationship of children towards home.
It delves into their understanding of being ‘’at home’’, in various contexts, and explores their associated feelings using age appropriate language, song, and clear imagery.
The songs are catchy and draw on diverse South African musical styles and the children sing the songs long after the actors have left!
“[Ekhaya] was wonderful. The children were glued to watching the actors, and laughed their way through the performance. The actors were so gentle and loving towards the children… magical experience – it was fantastic!” Jackie Hope, Social Worker, Nazareth House, Cape Town
“The show was wonderful. Very age appropriate and kept our children interested.” Kim Cooper, Educator, Peter Pan Dow Syndrome Centre, Maitland.
Venue
Baxter Upstairs Rehearsal Room
Wednesday 17 May
10h00
12h00
Thursday 18 May
10h00
12h00
Saturday 27 May
16h30
Duration
35 minutes
Recommended Age
3-6 years old
Language
Non-verbal
“Fingers and Toes, My Body Knows!” is a playful, mesmerising dance production for a very young an audience. The performance tells a story of touch, and rediscovering how intelligent our bodies are at perceiving the world around us.
By balancing both abstract and character-based performance styles, the work is absorbing and delightful for all ages, but is particularly relevant for little ones who see themselves and their own experiences mirrored by the performance language. “Fingers and Toes” was created in South Africa by multi-award winning choreographer-director Nicola Elliott.
Venue
Artscape Rehearsal
Room 207
Wednesday 24 May
10h00
11h45
Friday 26 May
10h00
11h30
Baxter Upstairs Rehearsal Room
Saturday 27 May
10h00
12h30
Duration
40 minutes
Recommended Age
0-4 years old
Language
Non-verbal
Le Carrousel, compagnie de théâtre
Direction
Gervais Gaudreault
Script
Suzanne Lebeau
Design
Milena Buziak
Performance
Émilie Levesque
Jean-Philip Debien
When Hansel arrives, it upsets the balance of Gretel’s life completely. Her little brother has turned everything upside down. When their parents abandon them in the forest and they end up at the witch’s house, she is very tempted to push him into the oven with their jailer and get rid of him forever...
By what tortuous route does one become a big sister?
The little brother in the belly of the hag.
The succulent, nicely fattened little brother who ends up on
a plate
Between a knife and fork.
That will teach him to say “me, too,” “me, too,”
for anything and everything.
“By making something new out of an old archetype, Suzanne Lebeau brings audiences to experience unexpected emotions and has surpassed herself in her writing, which is still just as precise and colourful, full of plot twists and games, and appealing to the intelligence of her young audience. The work of a pro.” Josée Lapointe, La Presse
Venue
Baxter Flipside
Friday 19 May
10h00
15h00
Saturday 20 May
10h00
14h00
Duration
55 minutes
Recommended Age
Family
5+ years old
Language
English
Drama For Life
Direction
Hamish Neill
Insta-grammar is a heart-wrenching story about speaking and keeping love in the whirlwind Instagram and SnapChat era. Two teen lovers are made to ask what is real or not when a relationship crosses the line between online and real life.
It all went down on the DMs. A double tap here, and only a little low-key ista-stalking there. Side stepped the catfish and tracked relationship statuses daily. Likes became tags, and then all those tags dropped an L-bomb comment: 'Love that track' which ripped the world in two. Everyone could see it. A scroll down our timelines had it all there. Click. Facebook official. The whole world watching their love, double-tapping their approval and envy. It was perfect. Until that one, unfaithful ‘Like’ from an outsider appear.
Venue
Cultural Hub Guga S'Thebe
Saturday 20 May
17h00
Sunday 21 May
17h00
Duration
60 minutes
Language
English
Direction
Lara Foot
Lighting and Set
Patrick Curtis
Music Advisor
Dizu Plaatjies
Performance
Zoleka Helesi
Mdu Kweyama
Bongile Mantsai
Thami Mbongo
Mfundo Tshazibane
Chuma Sopotela
The play was originally written as a film entitled No Fathers as Foot tackles the disintegration of the family unit and the violation of innocence endured by so many South African children.
Performed in English with isiXhosa, the story takes place in a remote and impoverished village in the Karoo, where the inhabitants are struggling to survive. A young girl called Thozama ends up killing a moose.
But what is the moose doing there? Writer and director Lara tackles the disintegration of the family unit and the violation of innocence endured by so many South African children. The play cleverly and creatively combines African storytelling and magical realism.
“Fresh, immediate and often delightful.” - The Guardian
“I’m not sure if Lara knew the scale of work she was making at the time, or if she now knows just how monumental Karoo Moose is, but either way it is the work of something outside herself, something really rare and true.”
– City Press
Venue
Artscape Arena
Wednesday 17 May
10h00
Thursday 18 May
10h00
19h30
Friday 19 May
14h30
Duration
90 minutes
Recommended Age
16-20 years old
Language
English
isiXhosa
National Children's Theatre
Direction
Francois Theron
Choreography
Nicol Sheraton
Musical Direction
Dale Scheepers
Performance
Keaton Ditchfield
Sandi Dlangalala
Suzaan Helberg
Nichole Makoba
Nomonde Matiwane
Thokozani Nzima
This vibrant musical marks the passing of a beloved Khokho (Zulu word for great grandfather), whose inheritance is revealed to the children of the village as treasure of a cultural (not monetary) kind, built from a collection of stories and songs that capture the rich diversity of South African culture.
"Khokho’s Treasure is a charming selection of traditional stories curated by Francois Theron and includes the beloved “Fudukazi” by award-winning iconic Gcina Mhlophe...I loved it." - Moira de Swardt
Venue
Atlantis
Cultural Hub
Saturday 20 May
14h00
Sunday 21 May
14h00
Venue
Baxter Theatre
Wednesday 24 May
11h30
Thursday 25 May
12h00
Duration
90 minutes
Recommended Age
Family
3+ years old
Language
English with Zulu, Sotho, Pedi, and Afrikaans songs
Hello Elephant
Direction and Design
Jenine Collocott
Script
Jenine Collocott and Nick Warren
Performance
Mlindeli Zondi
Jaques De Silva
Tsholofelo Mmbi
James Cairns
Winner of the Best Youth Production at the 2016 Naledi Theatre Awards. Making Mandela is an imaginative journey through the childhood of Nelson Mandela featuring colourful characters, vividly portrayed in beautiful masks, with physical performances supported by emotive sound design and theatrical styling.
“Innovative physical comedy … an unmitigated delight … a joy to watch.”
Chrsitina Kennedy
Business Day
“A playfulness that pulls you into the heart of the production.”
Diane de Beer
The Star
“Soars with clean narrative lines, superb physical theatre, humour and pathos … it will wow not only festivalgoers, but the world.”
Robyn Sassen
The Arts at Large
Venue
City Hall
Theatre 1
Thursday 18 May
19h30
Friday 19 May
10h00
12h00
Venue
Guga S’Thebe
Cultural Hub
Saturday 20 May
10h00
Sunday 21 May
10h00
Duration
60 minutes
Recommended Age
10+ years old
Drama for Life
Direction
Warren Nebe
Performance
Ensemble of the Drama For Life Theatre Company
Maimane! (Story Time) Is a magical journey into storytelling.
It is adapted from Janice Honeyman’s Amabali.
In a land of plenty, a King and Queen were blessed with a son. They called their son, Prince. And they gave Prince everything he wanted.
Maimane! speaks to the hurt caused by bullying, selfishness and entitlement. It speaks to the power of community, respect and compassion. It acknowledges the emotional struggles young people, particularly boys in South Africa on the brink of adolescents, with regard to personal and social power, relationships and a sense of self-value.
Venue
iThemba Labantu
Cultural Hub
Saturday 20 May
14h00
Sunday 21 May
14h00
Duration
60 minutes
Recommended Age
10-12 years old
Language
English
Koleka Putuma
Direction and Design
Koleka Putuma
Script
Koleka Putuma
Thumeka Mzayiya
Sisipho Mbopa
Nolufefe Ntshuntshe
Awethu Hleli
Performance
Thumeka Mzayiya
Sisipho Mbopa
Nolufefe Ntshuntshe
Awethu Hleli
Mbuzeni (Ask Her) tells the story of four little girl orphans, their sisterhood, and their fixation with burials. The story takes place in a tiny village, the only cemetery that exists in the village separates the villagers from the orphans. Here, there rules and regulations for burials which are monitored and constantly reinforced; rules which the villagers have observed that the girls have and continue to break when they play burials at the gravesite. Their defiance comes at a price, one they are made to pay.
"Mbuzeni takes the viewer on a visually evocative journey through tradition, burial rituals, African folklore, sisterhood and mortality. ... it says a lot of Putuma's skills as a storyteller that I, along with the other 50% white audience members, was able to follow most of what was going on despite the fact that the dialogue was in Xhosa." - Steyn du Toit, SLIPNet
Venue
Artscape Arena
Saturday 20 May
12h00
16h30
Sunday 21 May
12h00
Duration
55 minutes
Recommended Age
13-15 years old
Language
isiXhosa
Compagnie de la Casquett &
Compagnie Djarama &
La Traversée des Arts
Direction
Isabelle Verlaine
Script
Patricia Gomis
Márcia de Castro
Performance
Patricia Gomis
Alone on the stage, a woman narrates the fate of a girl born in Senegal. Born into a family of seven, she will be “given” to an aunt, “borrowed” to a cousin, “confined” by an uncle in France, yet find her way to becoming a woman.
She dances, sings and bites into a dozen characters with humility and an authentic voice, transcending suffering and causing a whirlwind of laughter. In this show, Patricia Gomis is laying herself bare in front of an audience that is questioning itself through the prism of its own culture, education, personal experience and legacy.
Venue
Baxter Theatre Centre
The Golden Arrow Studio
Saturday 20 May
17h00
19h30
Sunday 21 May
12h00
15h00
Duration
60 minutes
Recommended Age
As of 10+ years-old
Language
French (English subtitles)
Chipawo
Direction
Chipo Precious Basopo
Choreography
Tinashe Chiku
Blessed Rukweza
Design
Memory Mushayiwedu
Ruvarashe is a girl of about 14 years who lives with her grandfather and grandmother in their rural home. She likes the village life, the sense of togetherness and community and especially the practice of tsika and hunhu.
However news comes to the village from her Amainini in town that now is the time for her to leave the village and go to school in town.
She is frightened that if she goes there she will lose her identity and culture. She asks Ambuya to tell her one last story.
The story is about how Mwari created the world and everything Mwari created had a colour and different things and different colours. Different countries in the world were given different things. What did Mwari give to Zimbabwe?
Venue
Vrygrond
Hub5
Saturday 20 May
17h00
Sunday 21 May
17h00
Venue
City Hall
Theatre Two
Monday 22 May
11h30
14h00
Duration
60 minutes
Recommended Age
13-15 years old
Chaeli Campaign
Direction
Jayne Batzofin
Performance
Andile Vellem
Iman Isaacs
Daniel Richards
Christelle Dreyer
No Fun Ction All Anguage aimed at audiences 14+, produced by the Chaeli Campaign and funded by the takes a microscopic look at the in-between spaces where words fail us - where we desperately search for meaning between vowels, consonants and silences. How do we say what we mean or express what we feel?
This award-winning NPO which provides services to children with disability, is working actively towards creating a more inclusive theatrical landscape in South Africa - both off-stage, as well as on. A diverse group of creative collaborators come together to challenge artistic mainstream narratives around communication, ability, access and inclusivity.
"It was riveting. Emotionally intense, frequently heart wrenching but also funny – darkly funny, sure but very funny...the entire production is visually layered and beautiful to watch with the shapes of bodies, limbs moving in and out of the space - Robyn Cohen
Venue
Artscape Theatre
Friday 26 May
19h30
Saturday 27 May
10h30
14h00
Duration
55 minutes
Recommended Age
14+ years old
Language
South African Sign Language
Direction
Gregory Caers
Design
Iyen Agbonifo -Obaseki
Performance
Maria Perlick
Joy Eziefula
It is 1200 b.c.: The Trojan war cannot begin. Ongoing calm forces the Greek Armada to stay in Aulis. Princess Iphigenie shall be sacrificed to the gods, to eliminate the dead calm. The Mother wants to save her child, but the army claims for the sacrifice. And Iphigenia makes a decision...
About the same time the Yoruban are threatened by invisible invaders. Young Queen Moremi lets herself be captured. She wants to disguise the agressors secret and bring it home to her people. But the river godess will demand her most beloved one...
In an international collaboration artists from Lagos/ Nigeria, Duesseldorf/ Germany create with internationally well-known belgian director Gregory Caers a poetical, playful, honest and humorous story about coming of age in an European and an African culture and shared questions of self-determination and readiness to make sacrifices.
Venue
Vrygrond
Hub 5
Saturday 20 May
14h00
Sunday 21 May
14h00
Venue
City Hall
Theatre One
Wednesday 24 May
10h00
12h00
Duration
65 minutes
Recommended Age
10-12 years old
Language
English
Script and Direction
Tsungai Garise
Performance
Luse Kalibele
Morris Mukendi
Panali Panali! Is a Zambian nyanja name that means ''Once Upon A Time'.
Dinaledi Expressions performs different Panalis for children and their parents of movement, the dancers show that it is always worthwhile to seek out new perspectives, even in seemingly hopeless situations.
Creative costume design, based on astonishingly simple materials, allows the dancers to quickly shift from one story to the next, creating a series of fantasy-rich situations, short episodes, and pictures.
Venue
iThemba Labantu
Cultural Hub
Saturday 20 May
10h00
Sunday 21 May
10h00
Venue
Baxter Studio
Friday 19 May
10h00
12h00
Duration
40 minutes
Recommended Age
10-12 years old
Language
English
French
German
Direction
Joanna Evans
Design
Merryn Carver
Performance
Asanda Rilityana
Roshina Ratnam
Pedro Espi-Sanchis
The award-winning Patchwork is one of South Africa's first Early Years theatre productions. Since it was created in 2014 with a seed-funding grant from the European Small Size Network, Patchwork has toured extensively, from international festivals in Italy and Iran to rural South African schools
.
The whole show unfolds around a bed: the place where the comfort of home meets the strange world of dreams. In this world pillows become creatures learning to fly, a sheet dances with a life of its own, a teddy and a lamp make best friends, and the proverbial cow jumps over the moon (as do the sheep and the dinosaur).
Patchwork was developed through intense research with the age group, to develop a theatrical language that meets our audience eye-to-eye, mind-to-mind.
Venue
Baxter Masambe
Saturday 25 May
10h30
12h30
Saturday 27 May
10h00
11h30
Duration
35 minutes
Recommended Age
3- 6 years old
Language
Non-verbal
Boomerang Documents of Poverty and Hope
Direction
Fraser Corfield
Choreography
Jaqueline Gosselin
Design
Ben Pugh
Pur Montin
Dramaturgy
Odette Bereska
Performance
Holly Fraser
Nicholas Brites
Yves Simard
Emilie Leclerc
Giuditta Mingucci
Education
Mandy Smith
Producer
Dirk Nelder
"Recognize yourself in he and she who are not like you and me."- Carlos Fuentes
Something unsettling has crept into the neighbourhood. It’s a feeling, a suspicion that disappears when you look at it directly. Patrice Balbina has noticed that small things are starting to disappear. The butcher loses his laugh, the man with the pigeon is losing his patience, and Dad says the government has lost its mind. Even the love of her life seems to be a little further away each day. But you wouldn’t expect the end of the world. Then it rang the doorbell.
A Collaboration between 3 theatres from Europe, 2 from Canada and one from Australia, have joined together to work globally on the theme Poverty and Migration with the support of the European Union. A multi-lingual performance which is based on interviews with young people and written by the cast.
Venue
Artscape Arena
Monday 22 May
10h00
14h00
Tuesday 23 May
10h00
18h00
Duration
50 minutes
Recommended Age
10-12 years old
Language
English
Mariken Lauvstad
Direction
Thando Doni
Set design
Ingrid Solvik
Photography & graphic design Robert Marufu
Performance
Sikhumbule Nkonki
Lazola Sikhutswa
Ntsikayomzi Tyalana
Eric Menyo
Bongani Dyalivana
Phefumla (To Breathe) is developed through a devised process with five young men from the township areas surrounding Cape Town. All five have been involved or affected by the gang culture that rules the streets.
Through glimpses of their childhood, fragments of good and bad memories, we slowly puzzle the pieces of their young lives together. The performance reveals both fatal choices as well as well-hidden dreams and hopes for the future.
The play is built on the individual stories of the young performers. Their personal experiences is transformed into dramatic text, visual and physical images and choreographies, built from their own cultural language.
Venue
iThemba Labantu
Cultural Hub
Saturday 20 May
17h00
Sunday 21 May
17h00
Venue
Artscape Arena
Thursday 25 May
10h00
14h00
Duration
45 minutes
Recommended Age
14-18 years old
Language
English and
isiXhosa
Magnet Theatre
Design
Asiphe Lili
Performance
Joy Princess Akrah
Joshua Ademola Alabi
Lloyd Nyikadzino
Chipo Precious Basapo
Sandscape is a silent theatrical piece that embraces the beauty and essence of nature and evokes the visual, hearing and rhythmic abilities that get you closer to nature with the aid of “SAND” as its major tool.
With the accompaniment of a black plastic sheet, cups, umbrella and buckets, the piece introduces and sinks its audience into a world of playful experience. It is a relaxing and engaging piece of theatre that explores the texture, weight and breath of sand on various materials.
The piece offers an ever changing view - the sight of sand swirling and creating interesting shapes, prints, lines, games, landscape thus its title “SANDSCAPE”.
Venue
Baxter
Golden Arrow Studio
Friday 26 May
11h00
12h30
Saturday 27 May
10h00
12h30
Duration
40 minutes
Recommended Age
3-6 years old
Language
Non-verbal
Choreography
Dalija Acin Thelander
Performance
Kristine Slettefold
Peter Mills
Josefine Larson Olin
Sensescapes is a performance which proposes a choreographed, interactive and multi-sensory experience to babies 3-18 months old and their care-takers. It is conceived as an installation based environment, consisted of visual, tactile and auditory elements, which induces interplay of the audience's physical movement and sensory input. Sensescapes unfolds a series of carefully composed, interconnected events which aim to involve its audience, trigger their curiosity and encourage their agency in landscape rich in stimuli.
Venue
City Hall
Theatre Three
Wednesday 24 May
10h00
11h30
Thursday 25 May
10h00
11h30
Duration
40 minutes
Recommended Age
0-2 years old
Language
Non-verbal
Sparrows are small, chubby and tousled. They usually appear in a flock. They aren’t too afraid, almost a bit brazen. All through the year sparrows stay close to people. Most children are acquao the sparrow, and maybe they can see that they are curious and playful, just like themselves. In our sparrow-interpretation, the birds are hatched under the sun’s warming rays. They find their way out of the egg and try to tackle the first challenges in life. The most scary thing is probably to stray away from the others.
Michaels Duch’s large double bass and unpredictable improvisations allow for both individual, surrealistic freedom and collective interplay between those present. The piece is first and foremost a celebration of play and social interaction in an atmosphere of light, dance and music.
Venue
Baxter Flipside
Thursday 25 May
09h30
11h00
Friday 26 May
10h00
11h30
Saturday 27 May
10h00
Duration
40 minutes
Recommended Age
0-2 years old
Language
Non-verbal
A Wales Millennium Centre production in association with
Cape Town Opera
Music
Daf James
Book & Lyrics
Michael Williams
Director
Melly Still
Co-Director
Max Barton
Choreographer
Kenneth Tharp
Designer
Anna Fleischle
Tiger Bay is an epic new musical set in the docks of Cardiff at a time when coal was king. Filled with rousing music and a cast of unforgettable characters, Tiger Bay is a universal story of courage, reconciliation and love.
With Olivier and Tony Award- nominated director Melly Still leading an outstanding international creative team, this short run offers a rare opportunity to be the first to see a major new international musical.
Venue
Artscape Theatre
Opera House
Wednesday 24 May
19h30
Thursday 25 May
19h30
Friday 26 May
19h30
Saturday 27 May
18h00
Duration
120 minutes + interval
Recommended Age
Family 7+
Language
English
Cost
R350 (instead of R400)
R250 (instead of R300)
Please note that Tiger Bay is not included in the Delegate Packages.
To get this special Festival discount, request the booking code.
email: theatre4youth@assitej.org.za
Script
Lereko Mfono
In a street that carries a significant heritage, lives four kids, Femi, Jimmy, Palesa and Lillian. Together they grapple with issues of identity, school, distanced parents and the desires to see the completion of the street. In their transition years of 12, playing becomes an experience they need but also feel to detach from. A neighbourhood watchman presents a challenge that leaves them having to reach deep within to climb out of the confines placed by the society they exist in.
Venue
City Hall
Theatre Three
Saturday 20 May
11h00
14h00
Sunday 21 May
11h00
14h00
Duration
45 minutes
Recommended Age
13-15 years old
Language
English
Direction
Koleka Putuma
Script
Jon Keevy
Performance
Dustin Beck
Maggie Gericke,
Tankiso Mamabolo
Thando Mangcu
Cleo Raatus
Kathleen Stephens
Khanya is on the verge of getting through matric and out into the world when she crosses path with a fugitive from the cops. He gives her something forbidden in this future Johannesburg... a book. And inadvertently kicks off a race between government agents, terrorists and hackers to get control of the truth.
With lyrical physical style, the cast of this high energy story challenge authority and cast a light on current politics by asking what might happen next.
Venue
City Hall
Theatre Three
Saturday 20 May
11h00
14h00
Sunday 21 May
11h00
14h00
Duration
45 minutes
Recommended Age
13-15 years old
Language
English
China National Theatre for Children
Direction
Ernan Mao
Script
Xing Mu
Design
Juntau Yang
Performance
Xioming Liu
Yan Tang
Jingbo Hu
Zijing Wu
Three Monks is adapted from a Chinese fable story, a children’s story. Every one of us has a childhood full of laughter and happiness. The artists will unfold this interesting story through body languages, which will reminds us of the most beautiful and unforgettable period of time.
The performance tells such a story that “One boy is a boy; two boys half boy; three boys no boy”. It is well-known in China. The story is simple, yet it has the philosophy of unity and cooperation. It also reflects the sincerity among people and harmony between man and nature. The performance integrates traditional Chinese opera, martial arts and many other classic elements of Chinese culture. This will certainly make audiences feel the charm of Chinese culture.
Venue
Baxter Theatre
Thursday 25 May
14h00
Friday 26 May
19h30
Saturday 27 May
11h30
16h30
Duration
85 minutes
Recommended Age
3-6 years old
Corpus
Concept and choreography
David Danzon & Sylvir Bouchard
Costumes
Joanne Le Blanc
Performance
Darion Adams
Ambia Andrews
Gabriella Dirkse
Lynette du Plessis
Abdul-Aaghier Isaacs
Tanzley Jooste
Sanga Mabulu
Luyanda Mdingi
Mandisi Ngcwayi
Vuyolwethu Nompetsheni
Jeena Rodkin
Shane Rudolph
Paxton-Alice Simons
Shane van Wyngaardt
Keenun Wales
Thandiwe Mqokeli
Reality meets fantasy in this wordless live installation that recreates a bucolic country scene in a typical urban setting. Travel to a strange and hilarious universe as CORPUS takes you through a carefully studied, surrealistic overview of sheep behaviour. A truly innovative performance twists reality in surprising ways and takes audience interaction to new heights.
"Simple but a strike of genius" Het Folk, Belgium
Venue
City Walks
Saturday 20 May
11h30
Venue
Baxter Theatre Centre Garden
Sunday 21 May
14h00
17h30
Monday 22 May
10h00
14h00
Duration
80 minutes
Recommended Age
family
Language
Non-verbal
Bronks
Direction and script
Carly Wijs
Design
Stef Stessels
Dramaturg
Mieke Versyp
Cast
Gytha Parmentier
Roman van Houtven
Created with
Thomas Vantuycom
During a hostage drama in a school in Beslan that started in September 2004, the greatest of evils, terrorists, chose the greatest good, a group of children, as their victims. 'Us / Them' is not a straightforward account of this terrible drama, but is about the entirely individual way children cope with extreme situations.
With humour and a matter-of-fact approach, it contrasts the views of children with those of adults. BRONKS is one of Belgium’s leading theatres for young audiences. A lightness of storytelling, breath-taking scenography and a strong cast create a thrilling, unmissable theatrical experience.
Filip Tielens (Cobra, 29/09/2014)
****
“… lightness and humour are what prevents Us/Them becoming too grave, but nor does it make fun of these violent events.
… unlike what often happens with such serious topics in the theatre, not only were the parents convinced, but the children in the audience were also wildly enthusiastic.”
Venue
City Hall 1
Thursday 25 May
10h00
14h00
Friday 26 May
10h00
14h00
Duration
50 minutes
Recommended Age
10 + years
Language
English
What Goes UP… is a playful, gentle and explorative production devised to capture the imagination of young children aged 3 -7 years old.
Through the art of gentle clowning and experiential children’s theatre, the show investigates the physical and emotional scopes of all things Up and Down.
The costumes will captivate, the performers will enchant and the story will allow children the opportunity to connect with the emotions they experience in their worlds.
Created for Deaf Children, and using South African Sign Language, the play is also accessible and magical to hearing children.
Venue
City Hall
Theatre 3
Friday 26 May
10h00
12h00
Duration
45 minutes
Recommended Age
3-7 years old
Language
South African Sign Language
Jungle Theatre
Direction
Vincent Meyburgh
Design
Andy Jones of
Shrinkray Puppets
Translation
Bradley Van Sitters
Company Manager
Miranda Tait
Performance
Joce Engelbrecht
Ntombifuthi Mkhasibe
Seiso Qhola
Siyawandisa Badi
Kelly Spilhaus
Athenkosi Dyantyi
Vincent Meyburgh
When Lion Had Wings uses daring stilt characterizations, animal masks, original music and Nama language to tell a traditional Khoikhoi folktale. The story starts in ancient times when all the animals lived in fear of Lion who could fly. However, some tricky Frogs reveal that Lion’s magic is hidden beneath a pile of bones. The Frogs challenges Lion’s greed and lead the animals to discover their talents and restore the balance of nature. Jungle Theatre Company has developed a style of theatre that is based in clowning, draws from different cultures and it ideal for a family audience.
Venue
Vrygrond
Community Hub
Sunday 21 May
16h00
Venue
Artscape
Outdoor Piazza
Thursday 25 May
15h00
Duration
30 minutes
Recommended Age
Family
3+ years old
Language
English, Afrikaans, isiXhosa and Nama
Barrowland Ballet
Choreography
Natasha Gilmore
Design
Jennie Lööf
Performance
Jade Adamson
Nandi Bhebhe
Vince Virr
Kai-Wen Chuang
KJ Clarke-Davis
Sean Graham
Whiteout is a heartfelt dance theatre piece that gives resonance to the complexities of bi-racial relationships. Informed by personal experiences from her marriage and as the mother of bi-racial children, acclaimed choreographer Natasha Gilmore (Tiger Tale), explores this issue with honesty and humour. With original music by Luke Sutherland the six dancers use their versatility of styles to create a visually exciting show.
“Bringing a thrillingly muscular energy... this is a take on life with genuine strength of conviction in a natural, vivid style.” **** The Guardian
“There is a remarkable, compelling emotive power to Gilmore's concept and choreography” **** The Herald
Venue
Artscape Theatre
Tuesday 23 May
11h30
Wednesday 24 May
10h00
16h00
Duration
50 minutes
Recommended Age
14+ years old
Language
Non-verbal
La Máquina de Teatro en Un Teatro
Direction
Clarissa Malheiros
Script
Rogério Manjate
Clarissa Malheiros
Juliana Faesler
Set design
Juliana Faesler
Paulo Merísio
Puppetry
Toztli Abril de Dios
Performance
Toztli Abril de Dios
Andrés Tena
Ronan Vaz
Ricardo Augusto
Esteban Caicedo
Milena Pitombo
Zapato busca Sapato (Zapato seeks Sapato) is about Euyo, a little shoe born alone in his box, in México city. The search of his other pair, his brother shoe, takes him into a journey of adventure, full of symbolic meanings and discoveries. He goes form México to Brazil and from there to Mozambique where Euyo finally meets and recognizes his match and playmate Mumba.
Working between myths and reality, between cultural fictions and hard truths, this project is a metaphor where three realities, three identities recognise themselves in the search for their origins.
Venue
Baxter
Golden Arrow Studio
Monday 22 May
12h00
19h30
Tuesday 23 May
10h00
12h00
Duration
50 minutes
Recommended Age
5-7 years old
Language
Spanish and Portuguese
Company Mafalda and Verdever
Direction - Choreography
Teresa Rotemberg
Design
Tanja Liebermann
Heinze Baumann
Music
Tanja Müller
Performance
Diane Gemsch
Hella Immler
Fausto Izzi
Dramaturgy
Ralph Blase
A strange and wonderful world where fantasy creatures encounter one another. Together they overcome their limitations and differences to form a unified common strength.
With the language of movement, the dancers show that it is always worthwhile to seek out new perspectives, even in seemingly hopeless situations.
Creative costume design, based on astonishingly simple materials, allows the dancers to quickly shift from one story to the next, creating a series of fantasy-rich situations, short episodes, and pictures.
Venue
Baxter Theatre
Sunday 21 May
11h00
18h30
Monday 22 May
10h00
Tuesday 23 May
12h00
Duration
50 minutes
Recommended Age
Family
5+ years old
Language
Non-verbal