| What:ย Courage to be Average Writer/performer:ย Viv Vermaak When:ย June 4, 2025 Where:ย Theatre Arts, Cape Town Time:ย 19h00 Running time:ย approx. 50 mins Bookings:ย https://theatrearts.co.za/show/courage_to_be_averageย Genre:ย Performative Philosophy |
So you think you are exceptional? Does that motivate you to do better or do you need to shift your thinking radically? DisMotivational speaker Viv Vermaak received a standing ovation when she told a gathering at MENSA (High IQ society) that โdespite their high IQs they were just average people.โ As a DisMotivational speaker, she guides people in โa lateral shiftโ of thinking. โIt is about getting realโฆ. it is a deconstruction of the harmful side effects of the hyperbole of motivational speaking.โ Vermaak who grew up in Germiston on the East Rand in Gauteng, matriculated with six distinctions. She did not study at a tertiary institution. Her motto โto live with radical curiosity and relentless authenticityโ has powered her quest for learning and creativity. She has excelled in multiple media fields as an award-winning journalist, writer, TV director, public speaker and presenter on SAโs travel show, Going Nowhere Slowly. Vermaak who lives in Cape Town, is presenting her first theatre show Courage to be Average on June 4, 2025 at Theatre Arts in Cape Town:
TheCapeRobyn: Tell us about Courage to be Average and the genre of โPerformative Philosophyโ?
Viv Vermaak: Performative philosophy is a natural extension of my style of immersive journalism, which is known for its authenticity, raw curiosity and granularity.
Through the ages, thinkers could share their thoughts via speaking in town halls, writing minstrel songs or publishing books. This is a version of that: I go on quests and perform my findings. It is a more robust and entertaining form of thinking-out-loud that translates on YouTube and social media.
As an example, I have just started another quest on weight-loss. People who want to watch me on this epic journey can join a private WhatsApp group to get my daily updates, thoughts, what happens when I take Ozempicยฎ. I speak to various experts and ponder the many moral, biological and psychological aspects of our struggles with body image.
TCR: Is a DisMotivational speaker โ โthe courage to be average โ the name of your showโ. You are saying โ โyes you can be whatever you wantโ โ like being body-positive or sex-positive?
VV: DisMotivation is not de-motivation. It is a lateral shift. It is about getting real. โThe Courage to be Averageโ is a reality check. It is a deconstruction of the harmful side effects of the hyperbole of motivational speaking. After reviewing the neuroscience, stats and psychology of hyper-achievement and excellence, so often promised in the field of self-improvement, it was a profound shock to me to realise that I was not special. As such, I am now a recovering โspecialโ person. The initial bewilderment of understanding your own limitations made way for liberation.
I am now braver and explore more than when I was โspecialโ because I am not afraid to be average anymore. Stop believing the hype about your limitless potential. You are kidding yourself. If you lower your expectations, youโll get more out of life. More realistic expectations result in greater resilience, productivity, and compassion.
TCR: Can you tell us how you have taken DisMotivational from presentations in homes into a theatre context?
VV: I have shared this presentation to conferences and in peoplesโ houses, in a salon type environment. The home presentations have a lovely intimacy, as we all sit and share ideas over dinner afterwards.
For a theatre, expectations will be slightly different and I am restructuring content, but it remains true to what it is โ a philosopher sharing observations about their latest quest. Working with the Theatre Arts technicians, we are finding a way to add a bit of texture to the lighting, without expectations of it being drama.
This will be the first time that I play myself on stage. The format of the show is a feedback session by a journalist with a PowerPoint deck.
TCR: At the core of what you do: You are a story teller and your stories resonate realistically with people as you speak to them from a place of realism โ rather than delusion? They feel that they are been seen for what they are?
VV: I am a storyteller who speaks from a place of authenticity. I propose a way of being โas you are,โ instead of how โyou could or should be.โ It is not a place that sits comfortably with everyone, especially in an age where โexcellenceโ and โwinningโ is presented as natural and optimal and anything less is considered failure. This lateral shift in perspective makes space for realistic goals and the capacity for joy in smaller gains and improvements. It also results in more kindness, resulting in firmer friendships and more collaborative colleagues.
TCR: Is the show only pitched at those who want to work on their confidence/courage to be average or beyond that is it about being entertained and having a laugh?
VV: People get different things out of my presentations. Men like the science and stats and women prefer the story of when I ran to the top of Kilimanjaro.
Often, people are surprised that they find the tone inspirational, despite it being a DisMotivational talk. Others find themselves thinking very deeply, only to laugh or chuckle in an unexpected place.
One lady cried after hearing my thoughts: โThank you for affirming me,โ she said. โThank you for showing me how to be ordinary and be okay with it. We often feel we donโt have the right to an opinion.โ
I got a standing ovation when I presented this show to MENSA (High IQ society) who handled it quite well when I told them that, despite their high IQs they were just average people.
TCR: Is there audience participation? Is it like being picked on by stand-up-comics?
VV: It is not that type of interactive presentation. People are invited to ask questions afterwards or argue about what Jordan Peterson and Admiral McRaven really meant when they said: โIf you wanna change the world, start by making your bed!โ Yes, there is always someone mansplaining Jordan Peterson.
It is not comedy, although I am told I am quite entertaining. I am working on a version where I invite the audience to randomly pick phrases out of a hat and then compile a โmotivational;โ quote or random wisdom that sounds like it makes sense, but is actually rubbish. For example: โIf you wanna change the world, start by breathingโ, would work quite well. You take a complete platitude and axiomatic statement and make a whole ideology around it. Ka-chieng.
| ย Follow Viv Vermaak: Facebook:ย https://www.facebook.com/viv.vermaak/ YouTube:ย https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgf2C-RC_luI0pwmxv7Ee1w Instagram:ย https://www.instagram.com/vivvermaak Website:ย https://viviennevermaak.co.za/home/ LinkedIn:ย https://www.linkedin.com/posts/viv-vermaakย ย ย ย Info: e-mail info@vivienne.co.za or +27 83ย 755 7602. ย |
โณ Featured image: DisMotivational speakerย Viv Vermaak, giving a presentation in a home venue. She will be presenting Courage to be Average, her first theatre show, in the field of Performative Philosophy on June 4, 2025 at Theatre Arts in Cape Town. Pics supplied. Click here for the press release: https://thecaperobyn.co.za/stage-courage-to-be-average-performative-philosophy-theatre-show-with-viv-vermaak/
