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PRESS: Celebration of next generation theatre makers at Baxter Zabalaza Theatre Festival
- 5 days ago
- 4 min read
Christine Skinner
The 16th annual Baxter Zabalaza Theatre Festival will once again champion local stories and artistic excellence, while giving a platform to the next generation of theatre makers.
The Baxter comes alive as a vibrant festival hub from 13 to 22 March 2025, with a programme featuring drama, comedy, theatre for children, jazz, live music, workshops, panel discussions, an exhibition and of course, delicious food and drink on offer.
Zabalaza is committed to the growth and development of theatre-makers, with a key focus on promoting upcoming voices. For the past 16 years, the Festival has nurtured numerous artists and writers, making a significant contribution to the theatre landscape. Simultaneously, new audience members have had the chance to experience theatre for the first time.
The Festival is a celebration of identity, community, creativity and resilience through inspiring theatre and dynamic storytelling.
Zabalaza is made possible by the Western Cape Department of Cultural Affairs and Sports, the Oppenheimer Memorial Trust Fund, the Makwande Empowerment Trust, the City of Cape Town and the HCI Foundation.
“This year, we are presenting an exciting combined programme of curated work from artist proposals and productions that were first showcased at our various mini festivals held during the year,” says Zabalaza Artistic Director and Curator, Mdu Kweyama. “In doing so, we are thrilled to be returning to our roots, finding stories and theatre makers in the heart of our communities, bringing them alive on stage as full productions through mentorship and skills development.”
Festival goers will be able to engage in several workshops and panel discussions. These include Women in theatre spaces facilitated by Tiisetso Mashifane and a panel discussion honouring six decades of English Alive on Wednesday 18 March 2026.
“Robin Malan was the editor of English Alive for many years and the founder at Junkets, which publishes the scripts of the ZabalazaTheatre Awards winners,” says Bulelani Mabutyana, Zabalazacoordinator and co-curator.
“We will be hosting a special tribute in his memory, featuring a weeklong exhibition of English Alive book covers. The launch event on 18 March at 17h30, will be hosted by English Alive editor Kirsten Deane.”
English Alive is a flagship project of the South African Council for English Education (SACEE), an NPO that supports learners to enjoy communicating and expressing themselves in the English language, whether as a home or secondary language. English Alive is an annualanthology of the best creative writing from learners in schools across Southern Africa.
“Our programme is bursting with entertainment for everyone,” says Mabutyana. “We have three great shows for younger visitors including our invited productions, BOUNCED and Captain Kwanda’s Fanplastic Adventures, as well as Themba: The Little Lion That Lost His Mane.
The red-hot music line-up includes the popular Sunday jazz session, the RAW Experience, all-female band Mfazwe Ya Mwezi and on 18 March in the Concert Hall, Joliza Bhaca Soul in Ushuni WeBhaca, a celebration of traditional sounds, the honouring of cultural roots, African heritage and stories.
“The Festival would not be possible without the input of our theatre mentors. We extend our grateful thanks to them for bringing our vision to fruition: Jayne Batzofin, Tiisetso Mashifane, Jacqueline Dommisse, Mandla Mbothwe, Qondiswa James and Carlo Daniels,” says Mabutyana.
“As we continue to grow, Zabalaza is proud to forge partnerships with AFDA and ACT Cape Town,” says Kweyama. “Thanks to a generous collaboration with ACT Cape Town, we have been able to implement a theatre skills bursary as an additional opportunity for investing in the future of South African theatre. ”
The productions at the 16th Baxter Zabalaza Festival are:
The Battered Housewives’ Club (English, Afrikaans, IsiXhosa; Ages 14+)
Egameni (English, IsiXhosa; Ages 14+)
Behind the Frame (English, isiXhosa, Sotho; Ages 14+)
Becoming (English; Ages 14+)
Themba: The Little Lion That Lost His Mane (IsiXhosa; Ages 6+)
How To Train Your Thought (English, isiXhosa, Setswana; Ages 14+)
In Kinnes van Somers (English, Afrikaans, IsiXhosa; Ages 14+)
When Black Men Disappear (IsiXhosa and English; Ages 15+)
Bring Light (English and IsiXhosa; Ages 12+)
It’s My Baby (English, Afrikaans, IsiXhosa; Ages 14+)
Incindi Yedlaka (English and IsiXhosa; Ages 13+)
Isibeleko, Es’belekweni (English and IsiXhosa; Ages 13+)
BOUNCED (Physical theatre; Ages 3-6)
Captain Kwanda’s Fanplastic Adventures (English, Afrikaans, IsiXhosa; Ages 6+)
Make a difference, build the future: Take the Zabalaza Challenge! Purchase tickets at only R40, which The Baxter then distributes to learners, students and groups who cannot afford to purchase tickets themselves.
Lara Foot, CEO of The Baxter says, “We stand with our colleagues at ASSITEJ South Africa, in promoting their vision to provide access to theatre for children who would not otherwise be able to attend the theatre. Buy tickets as part of the Zabalaza challenge to make this possible.”
Purchase tickets HERE then share a post and tag @ZabalazaFestival and @ASSITEJ_za using the hashtags #TakeAChildToTheTheatre2026 #zabalazachallenge
The door takings from each show also go straight back to the groups or artists, investing in the future of the arts sector.
The Baxter will host the Best of the Fest Awards, with the ceremony taking place on 21 March.
The 16th Baxter Zabalaza Festival takes place at The Baxter from 13 to 21 March.
Performances are at 14h30, 16h00 and19h00
Performances for the schools programme are at 10h00 and 13h00
Bookings can be made at Webtickets online or at Pick n Pay stores.
Tickets to morning shows cost: R40
Tickets to afternoon shows cost R50
For block or schools bookings , charities or fundraisers contact Carmen Kearns on email carmen.kearns@uct.ac.za and Mark Dobson on mark.dobson@uct.ac.za.