| Who and what: Savannah Steyn – writer and director of The Princess and The Pea Where: The Masque, 37 Main Rd, Muizenberg, Cape Town, 7950, South Africa When: December 12 to January 11, 2025 Tickets: R160 (adults), R130 (seniors and under 18s). Family discount – four tickets for R500 (R125 each) Bookings: Quicket Masque Box Office: Open Tuesday, Wednesday and Fridays between 9am and 2pm Written and directed by: Savannah Steyn Musical direction: Lara Basson Parking is available at the venue. Wheelchair access and facilities available. |
Savannah Steyn has written and is directing The Princess and The Pea at the Masque in Cape Town in the 2025/2026 festive season. The young and talented theatre maker, the recipient of a prestigious Mandela Rhodes Scholarship, loves “building worlds that feel relatable, playful and rooted in the lived experiences of everyday people” and is thrilled to be creating a new version of the fairytale at the Masque. She muses: “What does it mean to be a real, empathetic human being? The characters in our production challenge the traditional fairy-tale expectations of strength, identity and perfection. Our heroes grapple with being sensitive—not as a weakness, but as something powerful and necessary. Ultimately, the show invites audiences to rethink authenticity: realness is about compassion, awareness and responding to the needs and challenges of the community around us.” Ahh, we love this.
TheCapeRobyn: Can you talk about directing this fairy tale? This production marks your directorial debut at the Masque – and not only are you directing but you have written the script and I am assuming the lyrics for songs which have been changed?
Savannah Steyn: The Princess & The Pea has been an incredible challenge in the best way. When I joined the Masque as an intern in 2023, I worked on the production team for a classic Twelfth Night and later a reimagined Rapunzel—both opulent, whimsical takes on well-known stories. I loved those productions, but they sparked a desire to create something more identifiable and grounded, a story that reflects all members of our community and how we’re constantly trying to balance our many flavours. That impulse shaped this show completely. Because I wrote the script and re-crafted lyrics for familiar, local songs, the process felt wonderfully holistic; the humour and heart of the story were clear to me from the start. This marks my directorial debut at the Masque, and creating a world that blends fairytale whimsy with a contemporary, Afrocentric energy has been an empowering, deeply meaningful next step in my theatre-making journey.
TCR: Where and when is this tale set – Cape Town? Anywhere specific. Now? Insights into set, costumes, props in terms of context? And song play list?
SS: This story is set in a fairytale-kingdom version of Cape Town—an imagined city where castles sit beside mountains, magic mingles with everyday life, and the rhythms of the Cape shape the kingdom itself. The world isn’t tied to a specific era, but it feels unmistakably now, with touches of nostalgia woven through.
Our set, costumes and props all blend classic Western fairytale aesthetics with the diverse cultural influences that make Cape Town unique. So yes, you’ll see tiaras, ball gowns, crowns and witchy cloaks, but alongside them you’ll notice Cape Malay patterns, fabric textures inspired by African landscapes, and props that subtly reference our geography and heritage. The aim was to create a world that feels both enchantingly mythical and deeply local.
The playlist carries that same spirit—familiar South African artists, re-crafted lyrics, and bursts of gumboot dancing that bring humour, warmth and cultural joy to the stage.
TCR: Insights into the conceptual arc of “sweet, a little nutty, and full of flavour”?
SS: The idea of the show being “sweet, a little nutty, and full of flavour” speaks to the playful surface of the story, but beneath the humour there’s a thoughtful conceptual arc. The Princess & The Pea also carries its own thematic weight. This time, the narrative gently questions gender stereotypes—what it means to be a leader, how sweet and strong coexist, and who gets to define worthiness. It also looks at diversity and belonging: how do we welcome people whose backgrounds, identities or “flavours” differ from our own?
At its heart, the show explores how communities face crises. When the kingdom is thrown into unexpected chaos, the characters must learn to collaborate, listen and adapt. The story invites audiences to consider how resilience, empathy and humour help us navigate uncertainty together—while still keeping the experience deliciously fun.
TCR: Can you talk about “real” in terms of your Princess, in relation to Hans Christian Andersen’s notion of a “real woman”? This is 2025 – what is a “real” woman now? Your insights into the characters in your production please?
SS: In the original Hans Christian Andersen tale, the prince searches for a “real princess,” someone whose sensitivity proves her authenticity. In our reimagining, we flip that idea on its head. In this version, it’s the male herowho feels the pea beneath twenty mattresses, shifting the focus from proving royal worth to exploring emotional sensitivity.
For us, the question isn’t “What is a real woman in 2025?” but rather, “What does it mean to be a real, empathetic human being?” The characters in our production challenge the traditional fairy-tale expectations of strength, identity and perfection. Our heroes grapple with being sensitive—not as a weakness, but as something powerful and necessary. Ultimately, the show invites audiences to rethink authenticity: realness is about compassion, awareness and responding to the needs and challenges of the community around us.
TCR: Can you tell us about yourself as a theatre maker and educator – where you grew up, schooling. If you don’t mind sharing your age?
SS: I’m 27 years old, and I’ve spent the past eight years studying, working and teaching in the performing arts. My journey in theatre has been shaped by a love of storytelling, whether as a playwright, director or facilitator. I’ve worked across professional stages as well as in community-focused initiatives, and I’m passionate about making theatre that feels accessible, joyful and meaningful.
I was born and raised in Cape Town as the eldest daughter and eldest grandchild in a coloured family, moving between the quiet suburbs and the vibrant streets of the Cape Flats. Those contrasting spaces shaped my sense of humour, my resilience and my belief in the power of shared stories.
As a theatre maker and educator, I’m committed to creating work that brings hope, sparks imagination and reflects the communities I come from. I love building worlds that feel relatable, playful and rooted in the lived experiences of everyday people.
TCR: We want to know about your awesome Mandela Rhodes Scholarship. That was 2021. For your masters at UCT, you looked at “working collaboratively with projects helping communities and causes”. When did you complete your masters? This leads me to asking you: How did you get involved with the Masque. Did you involvement with community theatre started when you were growing up /at school?
SS: I completed my Master’s in Applied Theatre and Drama Studies at UCT in 2024, fully funded by the Mandela Rhodes Foundation. Becoming a Mandela Rhodes Scholar was a childhood dream—not only because it supported my studies, but because the programme brings together emerging African leaders and challenges us to think about service, integrity and community-centred leadership. For me, that has always meant using theatre to uplift, listen and build connections.
My path to the Masque began quite simply: I answered an Instagram call for a production secretary. But the theatre’s history immediately drew me in. Its founder envisioned an inclusive creative space during a time of deep segregation, and that mission resonated deeply with me. I grew up hearing stories of my family expressing their beauty and artistry in an era when coloured people were not seen as beautiful. Community theatre has always been part of my world and joining the Masque felt like coming full circle.
TCR: Please tell us about your work at the Baxter Zabalaza Festival and any other projects you want to mention?
SS: I’ve been fortunate to participate in the Zabalaza Theatre Festival twice. In 2024, my play Extreme Lengths was staged there and won Best Script. That piece explored hair politics and the search for authentic beauty among young women. In 2025, I returned as one of fifteen commissioned artists with In the Shade of the King Protea, a work that examines nature versus nurture and the pressure placed on boys to “grow up strong,” questioning what strength truly means.
Another key milestone in my journey was in 2022, when I took part in The Unmasked Project, a research exchange between two prison-theatre companies. I worked as a facilitator in Pollsmoor and later in a UK women’s prison, exploring how drama-based processes can support rehabilitation, healing and self-reflection.
Each of these experiences has shaped my commitment to telling socially conscious stories that invite empathy and spark meaningful dialogue.
TCR: What do you do as a “day job”?
SS: I work a lot of different jobs at the moment, much like the rhythm of working on a show—busy, varied and creative. I teach part-time as a drama teacher, mostly working with children aged 3–10, which keeps me playful, patient and constantly inspired by how naturally imaginative young people are. I also freelance as a writer, with a strong focus on children’s books, a space where I can blend storytelling with emotional learning and adventure.
In my first year of university, I started my own company, and I’ve been slowly growing it on my own ever since. The business focuses on designing and facilitating workshops that build skills, confidence and teamwork. Each workshop is tailored to a client’s specific needs and shaped by the experience I’ve gained working in a wide range of communities. It’s meaningful, hands-on work, and it allows me to bring people together through creativity and shared storytelling.
TCR: Can we talk about underlying themes in this fairytale in relation to class, domination and social climbing etc? I was fascinated to read that Jack Zipes suggested that Hans Chris Andersen, “was obliged to act as a dominated subject within the dominant social circles despite his fame and recognition as a writer.” He therefore” had a mixed opinion of the upper classes, at the same time aspiring to them and scorning them. According to Zipes and other writers, this tendency found expression in Andersen’s stories, where people like the princess undergo ordeals to prove their virtuousness”.
SS: The class tension in The Princess & The Pea has always interested me, especially when viewed through the lens Jack Zipes offers. Hans Christian Andersen’s own complicated relationship with the upper classes—aspiring to them while simultaneously feeling excluded—absolutely filters into the tale. The idea that someone must undergo an ordeal to “prove” their worthiness is a clear reflection of social climbing, domination and the rigid hierarchies of his time.
In our reimagining, I wanted to honour that tension but shift its meaning. Instead of proving royal legitimacy, the story questions why communities create tests at all—tests of class, gender, identity or belonging. The pea becomes a metaphor for sensitivity: not a measure of pedigree, but of awareness.
This version asks: Who gets to decide what makes someone “valuable”? And how do systems of class or tradition limit our ability to welcome difference? The fairytale remains playful, but its themes gently challenge how we judge, include and uplift one another.
TCR: Anything else to add – about the fun and magic that you are creating in bringing this story to life?
SS: The show’s style is different from previous years. I love chorus work, object theatre and puppetry. I’ve spent the last five years honing my skills in those areas for performance.
In the show, we have some really fun props and set, but what I’m most excited for is the ensemble. I felt because of the story and my desire to focus on community and the idea of sensitivity and empathy, it was only fitting that the ensemble – the people in the land sharing the stage with the princess and heroes- should be the voices that help tell the story. As they feel the consequences of their actions. Just like citizens feel the impact of leaders’ decisions. Oh, and the masks… I’m so excited for the masks.
