What: Stacey’s Bay
When: September 8-19, 2026
Where: Masambe Baxter, Cape Town
Written by: Pierre Malherbe
Directed and designed by: Adrian Collins
Performed by: Berenice Barbier and Pierre Malherbe
Bookings: Webtickets
Age restriction: 18 age restriction for language and sexual subject

Berenice Barbier and Pierre Malherbe are performing in Stacey’s Bay, a play written by Malherbe, which is making its debut in the Masambe Baxter, Cape Town, September 8-19, 2026.  It is a comedy about two neighbours and a parking bay which is being rented. The inspiration for the play was as a result of an amusing incident in the complex that Malherbe lives in. Berenice Barbier grew up in Bedoni and she has no parking bay stories. She made a meteoric entry into the Cape Town theatre scene, when she performed in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, in 2022, directed by Sylvaine Strike – and won a Fleur du Cap Theatre Award (now The Cape Town Theatre Awards). When casting, Barbier was the obvious choice as she in innately funny, with “funny bones” – even when she is in something tragic:

TheCapeRobyn: Berenice, have you had a parking bay interaction in a complex?

Berenice Barbier: No. Not really. I have parked in a visitor’s bay before knowing I was not allowed to. I was just given a warning thankfully.


TCR: And you Pierre?

Pierre Malherbe: Yes, it was inspired by something that happened to me – an amusing incident. About 12 years ago, I was renting a parking bay from a woman … I was in a rush one day and she came to pick up the money from me. I had been through an Elvis phase. There was a photograph of Elvis that a friend of mine had framed and given to me for my birthday. When we moved in, it was lying there with like other stuff. And this woman came around to pick up the parking money and she noticed this picture. She was a big Elvis fan and kept going on about Elvis. The next time she came round and she bought a photo album with trip to Graceland – to show me photos. I was in a rush to get out and I found it amusing how she zoned in on this picture of Elvis. I wondered – what would happen if one took this further – if the situation became more and more ridiculous? What could happen? How could this end?  

It has been through a lot of different formats and versions. It was originally going to be a short film.  Then I decided to make it a play. I extended and rewrote it – with different drafts different characters.  I finally completed the play during the Covid lockdown – which was when I has enough time.

TCR: Berenice, how did you get involved in this production?

BB: Pierre approached me with this project, which was such a lovely surprise! I loved Wolf Biscuit so it was an exciting opportunity.

TCR: Pierre although you began working on the play, 12 years ago, it sounds like it could have been written for Berenice? How did her casting come about? An audition?

PM: We were trying to cast it and thought about a lot of people. A lot of people’s names were thrown around and suggested. Eventually Berenice’s name came up. We both thought that she would be great. She didn’t audition or anything. We just asked her to do it. I had never worked with her before I had seen her in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf  in which she was fantastic. I had seen some of her film work as well. She just seem she’s so funny. Someone described as having “funny bones”. She is naturally very funny – everything she does – the expressions. It is quite hard not to corpse when rehearsing. We had to struggle to keep it together she’s so funny.

TCR: Berenice, have you brought your own ideas to shape the character during rehearsals? For example, to heighten her quirkiness? If I recall correctly, you brought a bird-song reference to your interpretation of the laugh for Honey in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

BB: Absolutely, I love finding the little physical and vocal details that make a character feel like a real person rather than simply someone I’m “playing.” I’ve decided to give Stacey a lot of indigestion, we will see how that manifests. The possibilities are endless as far as indigestion goes.

TCR: Your thoughts?

PM: Yeah, well Berenice comes up with all these great things in rehearsals. She has these little quirks. Some of them are what she came up with herself in rehearsal and then and then some of it stuff that that Adrian (Collins) as director, worked with her on. In his role as director, he worked more with her in the characterisation – helping flesh things out   – with his suggestions and then other things were things that she brought to the rehearsal and which Adrian brought in to stage the play.

TCR: And your character, Pierre?

PM: A lot of my characters in my plays are composites of people that I know more than just basing it on one specific person. Jason, the character that I play, is a composite of people. One of them is a very good friend of mine who works in advertising. But, there are elements of other people as well.

TCR: Can we talk about you, Berenice? When did you graduate from AFDA? You were in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf in 2022 and won the Fleur du Cap in 2023, so just trying to get a sense of the timeline?

BB: I studied at the New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts and on screen acting for 3 years. I came back to South Africa and decided to pursue cinematography at AFDA but about 6 or 8 months in I found myself back in the live performance department. I graduated AFDA in 2019 and then Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? came along very soon afterwards. It was an extraordinary first major theatre experience for me. I played Honey in the 2022 production, directed by Sylvain Strike. To then receive the Fleur du Cap Theatre Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2023 was a wonderful pat on the head.

TCR: Did the acting bug hit at school? Do you come from a theatrically inclined family?

BB: I grew up in Benoni. I think the acting bug was always somewhere in me. I was drawn to performance and storytelling from quite a young age, although I don’t think I necessarily understood then that it would become my career. I wouldn’t say I come from a particularly theatrical family, although a couple of them are incredibly talented artists. I’m the oldest of three children. My little brother and sister are these academics and I’m the family clown. My Dad and Mom have always unconditionally encouraged and supported my dream to be a performer, but I’m sure they call me a lunatic behind my back.

TCR: Circling back to Stacey’s Bay, Berenice, can you talk about working with Pierre as writer and co-star and Adrian as director?

BB: Pierre is such a brilliant writer and all round lovely human. There’s something particularly special about working on new writing with these guys. You’re not trying to recreate something that has already existed, you’re discovering the world of the play together. It’s been so much fun to explore in rehearsals with them. Adrian is the youngest 40 year old I’ve ever met. He is mad in all the best ways possible. As a director he has really opened my creative third eye. I think under his influence I’ve really evolved and transcended as a performer… Hopefully I can still work in town after this.


TCR: Pierre, is Stacey’s Bay set in Cape Town, now or could it be anywhere?

PM: And then yeah it’s set today in Cape Town, now. But I suppose I mean it’s could be set anywhere in the wold. It is not too Cape Town South African specific. I think it would translate well to other parts of the world. These parking and body corporate issues come up when you live in a complex.