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PRESS: Suidoosterfees 2026 NATi Theatre Festival Programme highlights
- Mar 1
- 6 min read
Wilmer Muller
The Suidoosterfees takes place this year from 29 April to 3 May 2026 at the Artscape Theatre. The festival theme is Home (‘Tuiste’), reflecting the fact that Cape Town has been the home of the festival for more than two decades. This year’s NATi Theatre Festival programme will undoubtedly remind festivalgoers why the festival is regarded as an incubator of innovation and quality within the South African arts landscape.
Suidoosterfees’s flagship drama in 2026 is Eugene. In Saartjie Botha’s poetic stage adaptation of Kirby van der Merwe’s multi-award-winning novel, Nico Scheepers’s direction takes the audience on a stylish journey alongside a man who lives between worlds. Carlo Daniels stars in the title role, with Lynette du Plessis and Van der Merwe himself (in his capacity as painter) also appearing on stage. Eugene takes a nuanced look at marginalised masculinity, mental health and trauma, weaving together themes of love, hate, trust, betrayal and forgiveness. The drama is a co-production of the Suidoosterfees, the Vrystaat Arts Festival and the Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees.
Sandra Prinsloo appears on stage in Die ander dogter, based on Annie Ernaux’s text, translated by Naòmi Morgan, adapted for the stage by Saartjie Botha, and directed by Lara Foot.
Die ander dogter centres on the shocking discovery a woman makes about her childhood and is described as a finely woven examination of guilt, family and loss. With set and lighting design by Wolf Britz, it is presented in an intimate space where silence, memory, and a family’s unspoken emotions resonate.
Beloved theatre veteran Frank Opperman can be seen in two productions, each exploring the human condition in its own way. In CRYBABY by Carla Smith, he shares the stage with Nicole Holm, Wian Taljaard and René Cloete. A day-care centre becomes the springboard for an absurd tragicomedy in which a child ages within seconds under the crushing weight of news headlines and a disintegrating world.
In Eerste vir alles by Wessel Pretorius, Opperman stars opposite Margit Meyer-Rödenbeck. They portray Adam and Eve, centuries after the Fall, reflecting on love, children, and domestic life, and wondering whether they have it in them to face another long journey together. It is a comedy about ageing, old wounds, and old grudges still being nursed, especially when someone still owes you a rib.
Pieter-Dirk Uys, one of South Africa’s greatest icons, returns to the Suidoosterfees with two productions that demonstrate how sharp satire and compassion can be perfect companions. In Evita @ 90, the 80-year-old Uys appears as the 90-year-old Evita Bezuidenhout, outspoken about South Africa’s past and lending an ear to her grandchildren’s TikTok questions. With humour and wisdom, Evita reminds us why remembering matters – and why the present is often far more surprising than the past. In The Echo of a Noise, Uys shares moments from his life with infectious humour and inspiring insight – a life story that is funny, sad and deeply moving, and that will undoubtedly captivate audiences.
The Suidoosterfees has assisted several development productions that deepen the experience of the NATi Theatre Festival. In Joshlin: Meer as ’n naam, made possible by the Foundation for the Empowerment Through Afrikaans (SBA),and produced with support from Tribuo and the Proscenium Drama Competition, an ensemble of young actors takes to the stage.
Herschelle Benjamin’s text about the girl whose story continues to grip South Africans asks urgent questions about justice, communities, and a child who may not disappear from our collective memory.
In Kinderlê by Lynthia Julius, the actors Miché van Wyk, Theodore Jantjies, Lynette du Plessis and Damian Jacobs perform under the direction of Lee-Ann van Rooi. They build a world on stage where history, loss and faith rub uncomfortably against one another, and where “giving and taking back” becomes a wound that does not heal easily.
A Woman Alone, starring Kim Engelbrecht, is a powerful monologue drawn from the work of Franca Rame and Dario Fo. Through satire and raw emotion, the life of a housewife is laid bare, reaching the point where oppression, liberation, and social commentary intersect.
Lemoene, lemoene, lemoene, lemoene, lemoene is a moving futuristic story about a world in which people are allowed to use only 140 words per day. Mienke Ehlers and Dean John Smith appear in the cast. Kanya Viljoen translated Sam Steiner’s original text and also directs the production. It explores love, freedom, and the power of the human voice when language itself becomes dangerous.
In addition to new work, the NATi Theatre Festival brings highly popular productions to the festival that have already captivated audiences on the local festival circuit. Seun, starring Wilhelm van der Walt, is based on Dana Snyman’s book and directed by Nico Scheepers. This hit drama delves into the 1980s era of compulsory military service and poses the piercing question: How does a boy become a man?
In Ek is nie Danie, a runaway hit at last year’s Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees, Albert Pretorius and Schalk Joubert take audiences on a journey through poetry, music and parenthood. This rock-theatre production is based on the poetry of Danie Marais and focuses on the shrapnel that fragments an ordinary existence.
Huis van sand, which earned Dianne du Toit Albertze the Reinet Nagtegaal Text Prize in 2025, features Tinarie van Wyk Loots, René Cloete, Kristen Raath, and Jefferson J Dirks-Korkee. The drama is set in a caravan outside Springbok, where memories whip up a dust storm among the characters and carry the audience on a flight of imagination to where the horizon begins to blur.
Ont-, Wessel Pretorius’s award-winning solo piece starring Wian Taljaard, unpacks memories like family photographs and takes stock of loss, identity, pain and joy. This acclaimed production is rightly regarded as one of the iconic works of Afrikaans theatre.
Other productions that open the doors to new worlds include The Fool’s Guide with Andrew Buckland, in which the brilliant artist examines the influence of technology, social media and AI on modern life.
In Die olifant, presented in collaboration with Stellenbosch University’s Drama Department, actors such as Petrus du Preez, André Gerber, Antoni Schonken and Jeanne-Marié Koekemoer find themselves in an absurd world ruled by bureaucracy with comic consequences. Elana-Marié Snyman wears many hats behind the scenes as director, designer and puppeteer.
Ek en jy, tot laat toe is Zubayr Charles’s latest drama, starring Anzio September and Abdullatief Davids, with Carlo Daniels directing. An unexpected visit leads to a reckoning of years of unspoken feelings between old friends.
In Kom fietna saam Mareldia, starring Gaireyah Fredericks and Celeste Matthews Wannenburgh, Ummi’s house and stories become the site of a clash between generations, honesty and what is swept under the carpet. Lee-Ann van Rooi’s direction and Adil Dante’s musical direction frame this production, based on four stories from Fredericks’s award-winning collection Een voet innie kabr.
Marion Holm and Dean John Smith star in Kry vir jou ’n tux, Thomas by Retief Scholtz. Holm plays Tessa, who is due to receive a “lifetime achievement award” but stubbornly refuses to attend the event. Thomas (Smith) must then do everything in his power to convince her to make an appearance.
Out of Bounds, starring Rajesh Gopie and directed by Bertina Johnson, takes audiences to Durban in the 1980s. Gopie’s moving one-man show about growing up, identity, and cultural pride has been presented on several international stages.
Verwelkingslied returns to the Suidoosterfees by popular demand. This production, which was the festival’s flagship drama in 2025, deeply moved audiences. It is Breyten Breytenbach’s final play, written especially for the festival. Antoinette Kellermann and Dawid Minnaar shine on stage, with Marí Borstlap behind the scenes as director and designer.
This year, the Suidoosterfees expands beyond Artscape, the traditional hub of festival activities, with several new venues around the city. Full details are available in the festival programme, now available at suidoosterfees.com. Tickets can be booked via Webtickets.
The NATi Theatre Festival is made possible by the National Afrikaans Theatre Initiative (NATi), the Festival Enterprise Catalyst (FEC), the Jobs Fund, and the Het Jan Marais Nationale Fonds. The main sponsors of the Suidoosterfees are the Western Cape Government and the Province’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport, City of Cape Town, Netwerk24, Die Burger, NATi, kykNET, the ATKV, the National Arts Council (NAC), and Artscape.