MME WE! is a searing and intimate theatrical work that delves into the complexities of a mother-daughter relationship shaped by silence, resilience, and generational longing. Set within the intimate confines of a family home, the production unfolds through a rich interplay of dialogue, movement, and song, revealing the emotional landscapes, tensions, and unspoken connections that define the lives of Black women.
Language: Sesotho
Vrywees – Public Art Project
Vrywees turns the festival into a moving canvas of performance. Throughout the day, artists emerge from the crowd – dancers, musicians, spoken-word artists, stilt walkers, acrobats, puppeteers, and fashion in motion – transforming ordinary spaces into moments of wonder. These spontaneous encounters invite audiences to pause and experience art in unexpected ways. Artistically curated by Zane Muller, Vrywees celebrates imagination, movement, and the shared magic of live performance with festivalgoers.
The Nights Were Velvet
South Africa
As actress Jane Mpholo prepares for an intensely personal solo performance, the boundaries between rehearsal and reality begin to blur. Confronted by echoes of her past, she is forced to reckon with buried memories and the unresolved grief surrounding her family. Every line she speaks feels like a confession and Jane discovers that art can be both a mirror and a wound. A meditation on memory, performance, and healing, this intimate short film explores how grief lingers and how creation can become a form of release.
18
South Africa
Predominantly set in court, the story unravels the mystery behind the death of a young girl who was brutally murdered and raped. Her devastated mother is left at the mercy of the system to find justice.
Trieng!
Tring–tring! Hello? Are you talking on your smartphone? Or through a shoe? It doesn’t matter. You can call someone you miss – after all, it’s the same stars hanging above all of us. This production, specially developed for audience members aged 4 months to 5 years, is an ode to the landline and a story about connection. From a very young age, we have a deep-rooted need to communicate, and theatre is the ideal place to explore this even further!
Ticket Information: Each ticket admits one adult (parent/guardian) and one baby or toddler (under 6 years of age). A separate ticket must be purchased for each additional baby or toddler attending the performance.
Example: One adult with one child requires one ticket. One adult with two children requires two tickets.
Bahumi and his Magical Voice
Bahumi and His Magical Voice is a heartfelt theatre production for young audiences that celebrates the boy child and the power of emotional expression. When Bahumi discovers that his voice can transform the world around him, he helps his friends see that true strength lies in kindness, honesty, and courage. Starring Katleho Mabote (Showmax, Outlaws) in the lead role, the play challenges harmful ideas about masculinity and creates a safe space for boys to speak, feel, and be heard.
Made possible by the Vrystaat Kunstefees and Jane Mpholo PTY Ltd.
Inherited Silence
Inherited Silence is a physical theatre production exploring the emotional inheritance carried by firstborn daughters. Through movement, repetition, and embodied memory, the work traces the quiet weight of unhealed maternal trauma, love intertwined with silence, provision without emotional presence. As the daughter navigates anger, loyalty, and the struggle to leave what she loves, the body becomes an archive of everything unsaid. This performance invites audiences to reflect on generational pain, accountability, and the courage to name what was never spoken.
