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Wilmer Müller
In choosing “Art is everything” as the theme for Suidoosterfees 2025, this popular arts festival reminds South Africans that art enriches people’s lives and brings hope. Art is much more than entertainment. It helps us to better understand life and our world, and festivals have the added benefit of creating valuable jobs that stimulate the local economy.
This year, the Suidoosterfees takes place from 30 April to 4 May in Cape Town and is followed by SOF Junior, a mini festival for teachers and learners, from 5 to 8 May. The Artscape Theatre Centre is once again home to all festival activities.
The festival programme, which is available on suidoosterfees.com, brings theatre, music, dance, book talks and visual art to audiences for the 22nd year. True to the festival’s motto, “A festival for all!”, there is a wide variety on offer that will appeal to young and old alike.
NATi Theatre Festival
The Suidoosterfees’ NATi Theatre Festival boasts productions that will capture the imagination of festivalgoers.
Connoisseurs can look forward to Breyten Breytenbach’s Verwelkingslied, the author’s last stage drama, which he wrote especially for the Suidoosterfees shortly before his death in 2024. Breytenbach, who is considered one of our most influential Afrikaans writers, dedicated his swan song to Antoinette Kellermann and Marthinus Basson, theatreveterans with whom he worked closely.
In Verwelkingslied, Kellermann plays an ageing stage actress opposite Dawid Minnaar, who represents a dead poet, recognisable as Breytenbach himself. With Verwelkingslied, Breytenbach communicates his last words to the theatre world and, in an almost prophetic manner, the poet describes his death and burial.
Marí Borstlap directs and Tessa Louw adapted Breytenbach’s text for the stage.
Ronelda Kamfer’s award-winning novel Kompoun has been adapted for the stage by Jolyn Phillips. This is the story of the Mckinney family told by two grandchildren, Nadia and Xavie.Melissa de Vries and Angelo Bergh star under the direction of Lee-Ann van Rooi.
Annie + Helen is staged in partnership with Curro Create. This touching drama tells the story of 12-year-old Helen Keller and 25-year-old Annie Sullivan. Judi Hattingh, a 13-year-old learner from Curro Durbanville, plays the role of Helen, and Cintaine Schutte portrays Annie. This inspiring story of two formidable women has lessons that are still relevant today.
The celebrated Carlo Daniels brings the one man play, Die uitweg, based on a Kafka short story, to the festival. He plays the role of a pedantic man who comes home after a hard day and finds two bouncing balls in his living room.
Simon Bruinders is back on stage with Die sideboard en die vuur, a follow-up to his Die sideboard which was released a decade ago. Vanessa Swartz joins Bruinders on stage in this tale about Abraham and Stella, whose existence is threatened by forced removals. Zane Meas directs.
The Suidoosterfees is co-producer of several productions that have already been well received at other arts festivals. Philip Rademeyer’s Stinkhout with Frank Opperman and Wilhelm van der Walt has won awards at festivals all over the country and can now be seen in Cape Town. Christo Davids’ popular Laaitie met die biscuits, with Wayne van Rooyen, Stephanie Baartman, Carla Classen and Joshwin Dyson, is also making its debut at Artscape.
Poet Peter Blum would have turned 100 years old this year. In Hortjies dig – die storie van digter Peter Blum, this controversial writer’s often scandalous life and literary legacy are examined. Chris van Niekerk and Joanie Combrink portray Blum and his wife Hetta. Jean Meiring is the executive producer, and Juanita Swanepoel directs.
Arnold Vosloo, who has made a name for himself in Hollywood with, among other things, the Mummy movies, appears together with Elzabé Zietsman in Liefdesbriewe. Zietsman translated this Broadway hit by A.R. Gurney into Afrikaans.
Wendy Anthonie’s Anderkant die treinspoor combines theatre, spoken word, music and dance to tell a love story involving two gangs in the village of Spoorvallei. The production is reminiscent of West Side Story and Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet and boasts an extensive cast.
Another production in which different genres and disciplines are combined is Figure of 8 Dance Company’s Die een wat bly. Wessel Pretorius directs this work which features Daneel van der Walt, Grant van Ster and Shaun Oelf. It deals with the relationship between children and parents, and the loss that almost certainly accompanies it.
Comedy makes a big splash at the festival with stage plays such as Hans bars die bioborrel, Rondomtalie/Marry-go-round and Sonde met die spoke, which are sure to bring lots of laughs. Hans is based on Rudie van Rensburg’s popular books, Rondomtalie is about a marriage boat that ends up in murky waters after a cheating incident, and Sonde met die spoke is Marianne Thamm’s first stage play in Afrikaans.
Mike van Graan’s new play, The Good White, takes place against the background of student uprisings in 2016 and holdsa magnifying glass over characters who are at a university in various capacities. This drama is presented in partnership with the Market Theatre.
Popular Namaqualanders Danneline Ramsden and Miché van Wyk bring Skatkis vol stories to the stage – packed with anecdotes from the world of Kommagas. Another Namaqua actress, René Cloete, shares the stage with Stephanie Hough in the drama Wag.
Zubayr Charles’ Please, don’t call me moffie takes place in the Bo-Kaap and deals with homophobia in a Muslim context. Veteran actress Bo Petersen can be seen in Pieces of Me, a work for which she received a Standard Bank Ovation prize at the National Arts Festival in 2024.
Short and sweet
In 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic, the Suidoosterfees introduced short, powerful theatre productions that proved immensely popular with audiences, and this format can now be found on several Afrikaans arts festival programmes.
This year, festivalgoers can once again look forward to a series of short productions in different genres: dance, music, spoken word, comedy, drama and musical theatre. Productions in the Short and Sweet section of the programme last half an hour and cost only R50.
Dance lovers will be treated to Cape Town City Ballet’s Bite-size Ballet, choreographer Thalia Alberts’ Ode to Earth Worms, and students from the Waterfront Theatre School will perform Spotlight and Wings of Light: Dance of an Angel, with music by Mouritz Lotz and presented by the City Ballet and the Figure of 8 Dance Company.
On the music front, there is something for everyone, from opera to jazz to works of words and music in Afrikaans. The ever-popular SAMA award-winning Charl du Plessis Trio takes to the stage with dazzling new jazz arrangements of classic favourites, and Viva Italia! An Operatic Songbook showcases the talented young voices of UCT Opera at their best. Lisa Engelbrecht accompanies her students, Karabo Rabaloi, Molly Dzangare, Thandolwethu Longo and Themba Mdlalose and introduces them to festivalgoers.
In Part One: Pocket Rocket, the spotlight falls on jazz legend Hilton Schilder, who can make magic on 16 traditional musical instruments and has 46 albums to his name. In Halfuur huis toe Dean Balie and Frieda van den Heever performs heart-warming words and music, and in Davel & Klink in harmonie, Anna Davel and Ilse Klink use their unique voices to explore songs of hope.
Comedy favourites in the Short and Sweet programme include: Brendon Daniels in Kleedkamer and Dean John Smith and Margit Meyer-Rödenbeck in Ouma & Bettie kook!
Music
Music lovers are in for a treat with the spectacular concerts on this year’s Suidoosterfees programme.
Creating Sarah | Die skep van Saartjie under the direction of Coenie de Villiers, is a tribute to Sarah Baartman. Diana Ferrus, Ramon Alexander, Dizu Plaatjies, Nomapostile Nyiki, Lungiswa Plaatjies and De Villiers are all on stage in this extraordinary production.
Ferrus will talk about her famous poem and the role it played in bringing icon Sarah Baartman’s remains from France back to South Africa. The composers and musicians each deliver an original interpretation of Saartjie’s history and legacy,accompanied by a blend of sounds from both traditional and indigenous instruments.
Nataniël is at the festival with Duif. Through unique stories, brand new music, influences from world cultures and a few classic moments, he and his company explore histories of chance and opportunity as they visit an ostrich farm or ponder the meaning of table settings.
Stephanie Baartman and Janine Neethling perform in Hoort, a semi-autobiographical cabaret in which stories from Baartman’s life as the daughter of two pastors are interwoven with beautiful music.
David Kramer is responsible for the music of Katrien, the King and the Kween. It tells the story of a couple, played by Elzabé Zietsman and André Schwartz, whose dull life is turned upside down when a flamboyant pianist (Tony Bentel) moves into the house next door. Kramer and André Odendaal are the directors with text by Johann Slabbert.
Hoe mooi val die lig is a musical production created by the Hessequa Harmonie Festival and focuses on the destructive love affair between the French writer George Sand, who wrote under a male pseudonym, and the brilliant, tortured Polish pianist Frédéric Chopin. Riana Scheepers wrote the text for this production.
Koos Kombuis and Jana Cilliers appear together in the production Omwentelinge,’n papierspel, in which these two veterans reflect on the way in which words and music shape their inner worlds. In Once Upon a Tune, the formidable Zanne Stapelberg sings of the bittersweetness of being human, love and the gift of being able to laugh.
The popular Suidooster Stormsterk, which always ensures sold-out shows, is brought to the festival by kykNET with the support of Tafelberg Meubels and Biggi Popcorn. This concert kicks off the soap opera Suidooster’s tenth birthday celebrations and will include appearances by popular characters such as Bennie, Wade, Juicy Justin, Suzy, Bianca, the sly Nazeem and other Ruiterbosch residents.
Other hit shows on the programme are Suidoosterfees Boogie, Kunstetreffers and the Stellenbosch University Choir. The Konsert van hoop, the traditional festival opener, this year showcases top artists accompanied by the Cape Town Philharmonic Youth Orchestra. Stars such as Amira Willighagen, Stephanie Baartman, Ilse Klink, the South African Youth Choir and the finalists of the National Youth Music Foundation’s competition will ensure an unforgettable evening of music and entertainment to open the 22nd Suidoosterfees.
Pedro Kruger and Hennie van Greunen, together with Melissa van der Spuy, are the driving forces behind Vrouestemme: Voices of Power, a special concert that raises women’s voices through music and literature. Artists such as Corlea Botha, Edith Plaatjies, Tashé, Phoebe Mgxaji, Mia Dippenaar, Antoinette Kellermann, Lee-Ann van Rooi, Veronique Jephtas, the Figure of 8 dancers and a Curro mass choir all feature in this uplifting production.
Comedy
Festivalgoers looking for a refuge from the daily grind and the burdens of the world have several delightful comedy shows to choose from. The Joe Barber duo, David Isaacs and Oscar Petersen, are making an appearance, as are Marc Lottering, Marianne Thamm, Cathy Specific, Mavis vannie Lavis and Aunty Cheryl.
In celebration of 25 years of the iconic Joe Barber, Isaacs and Petersen return to the Suidoosterfees stage with new adventures from Boeta Joe and Gamat as they dispense anecdotes from the beloved barber shop. Joe Barber still holds the record as the best-selling show in the history of the GrandWest Grand Arena.
Suidoosterfees’ own Mavis vannie Lavis, alias Veronique Jephtas, entertains audiences with her sharp tongue in Mavis mettie marbles, and Marianne Thamm will be casting a satirical eye on Donald Trump and Elon Musk.
Dance
The renowned and popular Figure of 8 Dance Company are responsible for three vibrant and thought-provoking productions on the dance programme: Die een wat bly, Maze of the Mind and Dance Synergy Volume IV. These innovative productions will leave audiences in awe of the power of dance.
Wessel Pretorius, together with Figure of 8, is responsible for the text and the direction of Die een wat bly. This work, with Daneel van der Walt, Grant van Ster and Shaun Oelf, takes the artists’ personal memories as a starting point to outline the relationship between mothers and sons.
The Blueprint combines choreography, storytelling, visual projections and the artist Ina Propriette’s infectious charisma to present an inspiring and moving look at the queer community. It encourages festivalgoers to unapologetically live outside the box.
As in the past, members of the public can attend free dance classes. Celebrated choreographers and professional dancers guide those interested in the finer art of various dance styles,such as contemporary dance, Amapiano (TikTok), musical theatre and Vogue fem. Details about the classes are available at suidoosterfees.com.
Workshops and development
Besides free dance classes, there are several opportunities for festivalgoers to refine their skills. Under the direction of Liezl de Kock, the ATKV once again offers a drama package for theatre makers. This training session spans three days, costs only R1 300, and includes workshops focusing on non-verbal storytelling, pre-verbal physical role-playing, bodies meeting each other in space and creating sound spaces. Along with the workshops, course participants will attend festival productions to gain inspiration and to critically discuss the works they experience. A package that includes accommodation is available, and reservations can be made at suidoosterfees@media24.com.
This year, RSG is broadcasting live from the festival grounds on 1 and 2 May, and on 3 May the radio station is offering a workshop for would-be broadcasters. In Werk in die wêreldvan klank, three seasoned RSG broadcasters, Johan Rademan, Haidee Muller-Isaacs and Fran-Rico Lucas, take course participants through the finer arts of broadcasting. Attendance is free, but participants must book through Webtickets.
Community projects and competitions presented by Suidoosterfees in the past year reach a climax at the festival where the final rounds and announcement of the winners take place. The ATKV-Suidoosterfees choir competition will be presented on 4 May at 08:00, and the Talent Search finals on the same day at 13:00.
Jakes Gerwel Discussions
The Jakes Gerwel Discussion series, named after one of the festival’s founding members, is presented this year in partnership with the Jakes Gerwel Foundation, the ATKV and Netwerk24. All talks are free but reserving a seat by booking through Webtickets is essential.
Writers, journalists, experts and political commentators talk about the issues dominating public discourse in South Africa.
Dr. Franklin Sonn (Karooseun van Vosburg) and Prof. Jonathan Jansen (Breaking Bread) will talk about their autobiographies.
Antjie Krog talks to Mia Spies about her semi-autobiographical novel, Die binnerym van bloed, which deals with the complicated relationship between Krog and her writer mother, Dot Serfontein. Jeremy Vearey is in conversation with Candice Jantjies about his war novel, Crimson Sands.
Patric Tariq Mellet joins the discussion with his book about the history of slavery in the Cape, and Bettina Wyngaard will be in conversation with Siya Khumalo about comments and statements about faith in the public domain.
Explore the world of journalism in discussions such as Persvryheid – ons sal nie stilbly nie, with celebrated investigative journalists Pieter-Louis Myburgh, Karyn Maughan, Jana van der Merwe and Caryn Dolley. Brin Hodgskiss, Nicole Engelbrecht and Hannes Koekemoer share their processes for conducting research for books about serial killers.
Political topics such as Africa on the Global Stage – who are we playing with? with Mandira Bagwandeen andSiphamandla Zondi, A Love Letter to the Many with Vishwas Satgar and Dinga Sikwebu, and Smuts and Mandela – The men who made South Africa with Roger Southall, Anthony Butler and Imraan Coovadia, give insight into our uniquely South African environment. Zelda la Grange shares some of the many lessons she learned from former president Nelson Mandela.
Poets and writers read from their works during Hardop, and Sandra Prinsloo leads an SBA discussion about Gayle, the gay code language with which speakers used to foil the authorities in earlier years.
Afrikaans language and literature are the subjects of several discussions, as well as the highly topical issue of the shift from print media to online platforms.
Visual Art
In 2025 the Suidoosterfees showcases several art exhibitions and performance art works. The art programme has been curated by Carin Bester and focuses on togetherness and cohesion.
Kirby van der Merwe’s exhibition, Pulp Fiction, brings together a series of large-scale paintings that link to the main character in Van der Merwe’s novel Eugene. The artworks represent the trauma paintings of Eugene, as depicted in the award-winning novel.
Stormkaap: Kom drome andersom uit? features the strip art of Nathan Trantraal, André Trantraal and Ashley Marais. The exhibition contains works created over twenty years.
CPUT students from the Wellington campus present The Ihaos Project, an interactive exhibition that installs “family trees” on campuses across South Africa. In this way, colonial narratives are challenged and silenced family histories are brought to life.
Art exhibitions and performances will be presented in both traditional and unusual spaces in and around Artscape. Several surprises await festivalgoers on the Piazza.
“Onse Afrikaans”
In the Image and Sound section of the programme, The Foundation for Empowerment through Afrikaans (SBA) brings a series of video recordings by Sandra Prinsloo – OnseAfrikaans. Each episode focuses on the unique nature, character and origin of Afrikaans’ diverse varieties and dialects, such as Flaaitaal, Karoo Afrikaans, Tsotsi Afrikaans, Gayle and many more.
During the festival, these videos will be shown daily free of charge in the SBA Isibaya Cinema. Each episode has Sign Language and English subtitles.
Theatre for young people
The Suidoosterfees is known for its strong development focus and this year, in collaboration with partners, there is an emphasis on emerging theatre makers. Participants will develop new works and have the opportunity to present them in a professional setting at the festival.
The NATi Rising Stars project, presented together with NATi, the Jakes Gerwel Foundation and Artscape, results in the creation of five brand new debut dramas every year. This year’s Rising Stars make their debut with the following productions in Afrikaans, English and Sotho: Diano October – Bella van’ie bôl, Nelandi Boshoff – Hoek, lyn en sinker, Franka Kirby – In Her Your Our Shoes, Mosa Rabannye – Mmaotoanafinyel and Mikyall Harris – Vannie wal af.
The ATKV Youth Theatre component of the festival brings productions from schools, universities and colleges to thestage, including amateur productions presented with partners such as the Western Cape Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport (DCAS).
Northlink College is at Suidoosterfees with Marcheline Andrea’s En Silencio: The Nun Who Vowed Silence as well as Christo Davids and Lloyd Davids’ Queenie-hulle. Students from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) present These are Heavy on Us by N.T. Jikwa.
In Beste van DKES Dramafees, the winner and runner-up productions of an amateur theatre competition will be presented. These are Plettenberg Bay Secondary School’s Pasand the Take a Bow company’s Klip in my pad.
The Stage Performing Arts Studio brings Siobhan Taljaard’sWeerskant to the festival stage, and Angelique Filter’s The Old Man Who Thought He Had a Dog, which performed excellently at the Première Theatre Festival in Stellenbosch and is also on the ATKV Youth Theatre programme.
Schools that staged excellent productions last year also take a Suidoosterfees bow: Fairdale no. 2 High School’s 12 Reasons, 4 Solutions, which was named as the Suidoosterfees and Artscape’s High School Drama Competition winner, and Durbanville High’s Weg, winner of the Klein Libertas Theatre Festival.
Learners from all over South Africa take part in the Proscenium Youth Theatre programme, the Western Cape Education Department’s drama development project for learners and educators. The learners perform in 15 brand new short dialogues created for the WCED to support teachers and learners in the classroom.
There is also a children’s theatre programme with productions that will keep toddlers and tots happy while their parents enjoy the festival: Liewe Heksie en die wals, Skoonlief en Die Ondier, Stinkie, Don’t Touch! and Storge.
A digital reading corner has been set up at the festival by the SBA. This is where young festivalgoers can explore multilingual children’s publications in digital format. The reading corner offers access to creative learning opportunities and audio presentations of the stories. A version for the visually impaired can be enjoyed on a braille touchplus tablet.
The SOF Junior festival takes place after the main festival from 5 to 8 May at Artscape. This festival, which is aimed at teachers and learners from grades 1 to 12, was presented for the first time last year with great success. Penguin RandomHouse, NB Publishers, the Afrikaans Education Network and the WCED are among the partners of this educational festival.
The complete Suidoosterfees programme is available on suidoosterfees.com and tickets can be booked through Webtickets, unless otherwise stated.
The main sponsors of the festival are the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture; the Western Cape Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport; City of Cape Town; Netwerk24; Die Burger; NATi; kykNET; the ATKV and Artscape.