| What: Your Perfect Life Where and when: Drama Factory, Strand from April 16-18, 2026 The Masque, Muizenberg from April 23 to 25, 2026 Written and performed by: Erika Breytenbach and Faeron Wheeler Director: Sue Diepeveen Bookings: For the Drama Factory via www.thedramafactory.co.za and for The Masque via https://www.dramafactory.co.za/whatson#16April26 |
Who has a perfect life? Be careful for what you wish. For women it is heightened, with societal expectations that they should get married, ditch the career (or dial back at least) and have babies. Erika Breytenbach and Faeron Wheeler are friends and colleagues in the theatre industry and drawing on aspects of their own lives, in 2019, they wrote Your Perfect Life, exploring choices and outcomes. They also perform in the comedic play, which received two Standard Bank Ovation Awards at National Arts Festival Makhanda – one award was for a live staging (2019) and the other was for a digital iteration (2020), during the pandemic. I have seen the play on several occasions, including one when we were still in lockdown (October 2020) and we had to wear masks and be socially distanced from each other. I look forward to the 2026 Your Perfect Life, which has been tweaked and updated. It is on at two venues – The Drama Factory (April 16-18) and the Masque (April 23 to 25). Read on for more. Info as supplied:
Western Cape tour for funny, poignant award-winning play Your Perfect Life
Winner of two prestigious, Your Perfect Life comes to the Cape this April, 2026.
The poignant comedy exploreswomen having it all – a career and a family! But what if they don’t? Your Perfect Life looks at how life can take unexpected turns and how society judges you for dealing with it the best way you can.
F Creations presents Your Perfect Lifeat The Drama Factory in Strand from April 16-18, 2026 then at The Masque in Muizenberg from April 23 to 25, 2026.
Written and performed by Erika Breytenbach (The Unlikely Secret Agent; I Can Buy Myself Flowers)and Faeron Wheeler (The Complete Works of Shakespeare – Abridged) the production is directed by Sue Diepeveen (The Emperor’s New Clothes / Die Keiser Se Nuwe Klere; Blueberry Toast).
Ever noticed how a woman is now expected to have a fulfilling career at the same time as raising a family? Really, she should have it all and be happy that she is now not only able to but expected to achieve everything. Add to this the stress of a 20-year high school reunion and you have two women stuck wondering if their lives are a success.
Karlien and Caitlyn were close friends in high school, but taking separate directions in life got in the way of keeping in touch. It’s now twenty years later and they couldn’t be more different. One woman has the family, the other the career. Neither one is sure that they have what they want.
“Your Perfect Life is a tale of two real women, doing things their way,” says producer, writer and performer Faeron Wheeler.
“As a testament to women for women, director Sue Diepeveen has helped steer Your Perfect Life from our conversations over catch-up coffees to a thoughtful, funny and truthful take on women’s lives. We all know that other people’s lives aren’t perfect, but we can’t help thinking that somehow, they are. Your Perfect Life pays tribute to these voices, while having a good laugh at them at the same time.”
Watch the trailer of the play here
Press comments about the production include:
“I loved this show because it is so real. It reminded me of the many special people who have moved in and out of my life. And how, no matter if your path has been a career double-decker highway or an obstacle course to avoid stepping on Lego, the essence of being human remains.” – Sam Says
“Breytenbach and Wheeler have a great chemistry between them that is genuine to watch … An exposé of “perfection”, F Creations has brought authenticity to the forefront with this endearing slice-of-life.” – Broadway World
“Loved this sassy, smart, funny comedy-drama. It’s fun, insightful, stylish; written with a wry eye … Your Perfect Life taps into an important discourse.” – The Cape Robyn
Your Perfect Life will be performed at The Drama Factory in Strand on:
April 16 & 17 at 7.30pm
April 18 at 3.00pm
Tickets cost R200 / R180 for pensioners and students
Book at https://www.dramafactory.co.za/whatson#16April26
Your Perfect Life will be performed at The Masque in Muizenberg on:
April 23, 24, 25 at 7:30pm
April 25 at 2:30pm
Tickets cost R160- R180
Book at- https://www.quicket.co.za/events/359211-your-perfect-life/#/
Parking is available at both venues. Enjoy snacks and drinks before or after the show!
Join the F Creations conversation on social media
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FCreationsCT
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fcreationsct
Faeron Wheeler (Producer, writer, actress)
Faeron has been involved in theatre and the stage since she was only three years old. She studied drama and dancing throughout her school years. She then went on to do a BA with a double major in Screenwriting and English before earning her Honours in Film Production from the University of Cape Town.
In 2017, she began producing theatre through her new company, F Creations, and has toured shows around South Africa. Branching out from just theatre, Faeron entered an F Creations team into the Cape Town 48 Film Project in 2019, and their film received a nomination for Best Editing. 2019 also saw Faeron take on the role of theatre critic, writing for Broadway World South Africa and Fine Music Radio.
Recent acting credits include The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged), The Comedy of Errors and a role in season two of the TV series American Monster. Faeron also works as a voice over artist, regularly lending her voice to educational and training material.
In 2019, Faeron teamed up with Erika Breytenbach to write and perform in Your Perfect Life. The show premiered at the National Arts Festival Fringe, where it received its first Standard Bank Ovation Award, before touring around Cape Town. In 2021, Faeron was named as a Regional Finalist in both the Main Pro and Endurance categories of the World Monologue Games. During the pandemic, Faeron continued to create – turning to directing, filming and editing with (extra)ordinary, (un)usual. Created as a hybrid of theatre and film, this piece was part of the vFringe on-demand streaming platform for the National Arts Festival in 2021, where it received a Silver Standard Bank Ovation Award. F Creations also received a second Standard Bank Ovation Award for their digital offering of Your Perfect Life during the 2021 festival. F Creations also took part in the World Monologue Film Festival that year, where they were chosen as a finalist in the festival.
As theatre opened up again in 2022, Faeron teamed up with Sue Diepeveen of The Drama Factory to co-produce a Women’s Month Festival. F Creation’s production So You Want to be a Trophy Wife? also toured to East London, Paternoster, Sandton and Woordfees (Stellenbosch) through the course of the year, before heading to KKNK and Hilton Arts Festival the following year. In 2023, Faeron became the Head of Programming for the Masque Theatre in Cape Town and has produced several shows for the theatre.
Erika Breytenbach (Writer, actress)
After studying drama at the University of Pretoria, Erika initially did educational theatre and puppeteering programs, with a special focus on the disadvantaged communities of the Mamelodi Township. She has also spent several years teaching drama at Amoyo Performing Arts, situated in Imizamo Yethu Hout Bay.
Her theatre credits include THE WISDOM OF EVE, INSPECTOR DRAKE AND THE BLACK WIDOW, THE HOUSE GUEST, SUNSHINE BOYS and THE BARRETTS OF WIMPOLE STREET. Erika performed her first one-woman show, JAM EVERY OTHER DAY, which she was also responsible for writing, along with Celia Musikanth, from the memoir of Emmaleen Kriel. The show toured to the National Arts Festival and Hermanus FynArts in 2018. She has also co-written and performed in YOUR PERFECT LIFE which won a Standard Bank Ovation Award at the National Arts Festival in 2019 and again in 2021.
Erika performed the role of Eleanor Kasrils in THE UNLIKELY SECRET AGENT, for which she received a 2022 Fleur du Cap Theatre Award nomination for Best Actress. As the founder of Unlikely Productions, she also produced the play, which was nominated for a total of eight awards, with Paul du Toit winning Best Director, and had successful runs in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban and at the Marylebone Theatre in London.
Erika also produced and performed her second one-woman show DIE GOEIE PA / THE GOOD DAD, written by Gail Louw, for which she received another two Fleur du Cap nominations for Best Solo Performance in 2024 and 2025.
Sue Diepeveen (Director)
Sue is a Cape Town based film, television and theatre actress, writer, director and producer. Her camera work includes Skoonheid; Honey 3, Killer Instinct, DPO, American Monster, Cultured, The Deprived, Signal High 2, Projek Dina and Dream Dinner. Sue is an accomplished voice actor who relishes the challenge of accent-based work. Her self-written solo show So You Want To Be A Trophy Wife? has toured nationally and has resonated strongly with audiences. Sue’s theatre performances include 2019’s Vday performance of The Vagina Monologues; Dario Fo’s A Woman Alone directed by Margot Wood; as well Mike Van Graan’s Two To Tango, which had successful runs at the National Arts Festival and The Hilton Arts Festival. Sue is currently performing a new solo show called Ms.B-haved which opened at The National Arts Festival 2025. Her performance In Prooi/Prey at Vryfees ’25 garnered her a Best Interpretation Nomination in the piece which was the winner of Best Production.
Sue directed Your Perfect Life for F Creations, which won two Standard Bank Ovation Awards at The National Arts Festival – for its live debut in 2019 and for its online presentation in 2021. In addition to directing Thirst for the Cape Town Fringe (2016) under the Sugar-Daddy Production house, she has directed the acclaimed Blueberry Toast (2018), which completed two successful Cape Town runs.
As a writer, she has written five plays for large casts for children. Sue has produced a series of puppet theatre plays for children called What Did The Fox Say? which toured the Western Cape and is played in both English and Afrikaans. Sue’s latest children’s project was The Emperor’s New Clothes which toured nationally to the delight of audiences. The piece is written, directed and produced by Diepeveen. The Afrikaans version, Die Keiser Se Nuwe Klere was nominated for a woordtrofee following a successful sold-out run at Woordfees 2024.
❇ Sponsored feature. Image of Faeron Wheeler and Erika Breytenbach in our Perfect Life, supplied.
