| What: The Pirates of Penzance Presented by: Cape Town G&S When: July 4-12, 2026 Where: Artscape, Cape Town Director: Darryl J Spijkers Guest conductor: Levi Alexander Musical director: Alastair Cockburn Choreography: Marlize Cronje and Tania Roberts Orchestra: Cape Town Sinfonietta – 26 piece orchestra of professional musicians Cast: 67 performers. Principals: Frances van Vuuren (Mabel), Renier van Rooyen (Frederic), Julie Dickson (Ruth), Stephan le Roux (The Pirate King) and Bevan Timm (Major General) Tickets: R225-R350 Bookings: Webtickets or via the Artscape Box Office on +27 21 421 7695 |
Pirates of Penzance, Cape Town 2026 is a stunner of a production. Bowled over. Loved! It is on July 4-12, 2026 at Artscape. The season is sold out and in this situation, sold out means “sold out”. But, no harm in trying box office for returns. One never knows. Yes, it is THAT good.
Cast, set, props, dancing – wow. Astounding performances – principals and ensemble. Gorgeous set and costumes – countless changes. Seamless direction by award winning Darryl J Spijkers. There is lots of crowd work and terrific dance which evokes for me, the gorgeous precision of synchronized swimming scenes from Hollywood films like Million Dollar Mermaid (1952) starring Esther Williams (actress and singer). Athletic, cirque inspired and high energy acrobatic choreography by Marlize Cronje and Tania Roberts.
Spikers’ direction teases out the drama and whacky comedy of the madcap story and holds space for the glorious songs, with a layering of the visual and vocals. Spijkers marshals all 64 on stage – from solos and duos to crowd scenes. It is impressive – never mind that this is “community theatre”. It would be impressive if it was a “professional production”. Okay, let’s unpack that one, quick quick as it is kinda of boring and I want to get back to how effing-fantaboulistic this production is. Community theatre, aka Amateur Theatre means that people don’t get paid. This generally includes all actors and creatives but some creatives may be paid such as choreographers but not in this production. For Pirates, the orchestra is being paid. The guest conductor, Levi Alexander is being remunerated for his services. He took to the podium last minute when Alastair Cockburn, the musical director was unable to continue because of a medical situation. We wish this legend, and musical theatre maven, a speedy recovery and hope to see him back in the orchestral pit soon.
In community theatre, most people are participating on a voluntary basis – for the love of theatre. There has been a swing in theatre to embrace the term “amateur” as it comes from French, derived from the Latin amātor (“lover”) and amāre (“to love”) AMATEUR Definition & Meaning – Merriam-Webster. Etymologically, it translates to “one who loves” Source: Cambridge Dictionary. This I learned from Faeron Wheeler, the programming manager at the Masque in Cape Town. She transitions seamlessly between “community” and “professional” theatre, as actor and producer. The Masque recently presented the musical, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, which was “community theatre” and was effing-fantab.
Anyway, we digress. Cutting through tothe chase, let’s say that this Pirates of Penzance, presented by the Cape Town G&S is non-profit theatre. The budget is sizable. According to my NDA, I can’t reveal the figure. It is not small change, but it is a fraction of budgets for other big musical budgets. The G&S pays for sets, sound and lighting – for safety considerations and for production excellence.
Now let’s get to the excellence of the performers for this production. I have said it before and I will reiterate: Performers in the community theatre sector – non-profit –whatever – always bring an utter sense of joy. They are doing it for the love of theatre. Obviously within that construct, some productions are more accomplished than others. Pirates of Penzance is a dazzler – in every way – staging, design, voice, music and cast.
On that note, let’s have a peek at some of those involved in this production of Pirates of Penzance. It is all in the glossy keep-sake souvenir programme (beautifully printed). I want to highlight a few of the artists– as a shout-out to their extensive “professional” tertiary training in performing arts and music. Many have day jobs in teaching and education, within the performing arts. For example, Darryl Spijkers is currently Head of Culture and Dramatic Arts at Parel Vallei High School and heads the Helderberg Academy of Theatre.
Julie Dickson who takes on the role of the saucy and sassy Ruth (who triggers the whole wacky plot), heads up the Drama Lab in the Strand. It is wonderful to see the brilliant Dickson back on stage – after a very long time. She conjures up a Ruth who is a disruptor of note, with a yummy Cornish accent. The musical is set in Cornwall. By the way, she is Mama of the award winning musical theatre star, Bethany Dickson, who learned with her mom. To add to that, a Drama Lab student, Mia-Cecilia Kriel is currently on stage in A Little Night Music at Theatre on the Bay [June 30 – July 12, 2026]. She has a beautiful expressive voice, is a terrific actor AND plays piano in the production. She learned with Julie Dickson. She could skip out tertiary training – like Bethany Dickson and Jonathon Roxmouth – and go directly into musical theatre.
Here is a glimpse at four of the other performers: Renier van Rooyen (Frederic) has a BA in Music and Performance from Stellenbosch University (2023 – recent). Soprano Frances van Vuuren (Mabel) is a graduate of the South African College of Music, where she studied with Violina Anguelov-Hobbs and has BMus and MMus degrees from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University. Her awards include the David Aldred Memorial Prize for Sopranos in 2025, Fine Music Radio Bursary Trust Awards in 2024. Stephan le Roux (The Pirate King) has a Performance Diploma in Opera from the South African College of Music at UCT and has appeared in numerous productions with Cape Town Opera and the SACM. Wow! The full list of principal performers is in the box below. Just saying – look at the training and experience of this cast.
Essentially the G&S is non-profit theatre, with any after production costs rolled over to fund the next major production. To add, the non-profit theatre sector in Cape Town is very hipster, young and on-trend. It’s hot and cooking – with a very appreciative responsive audience. Yes, Pirates of Penzance is sold out but sign up for the newsletter to find out about upcoming productions and follow them on social media. They are always looking for people to audition and very importantly for peeps to get involved backstage, finances and what-what. The person to contact is its marketing manager, the ultra-organised Linda Eedes. She is a musical theatre performer who decided to give back and attend to marketing, admin and production details, this time round. Her day job is in finance. We exchange emails at 2am. Bravo to the Cape Town G&S for the stunning Pirates of Penzance 2026 – magical, madcap and hilarious.
| Some of the performers in Pirates of Penzance 2026 – presented by Cape Town G&S FREDERIC – Renier van Rooyen Renier van Rooyen is a KwaZulu-Natal-born baritone based in Cape Town. He completed his Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance at Stellenbosch University in 2023. His operatic and musical theatre experience includes Schaunard, Benoit and Alcindoro in La Bohème, Solari in Pluto with the Vienna Summer Music Festival in 2025, and Joly in Les Misérableswith the International Lyric Academy in Vicenza, Italy. He has also appeared in Opera UCT’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann. In August 2026, he returns to Vienna to perform Papageno in Die Zauberflöte. MABEL – Frances van Vuuren Frances van Vuuren is a soprano and graduate of the South African College of Music, where she studied with Violina Anguelov-Hobbs. During her time at UCT, she won the David Aldred Memorial Prize for Sopranos in 2025 and the Fine Music Radio Bursary Trust Awards in 2024. Frances also holds BMus and MMus degrees from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, where she performed as Sandman in Hansel and Gretel, Fortuna and Damigella in L’incoronazione di Poppea, and sang regularly in the opera chorus. She is also a passionate voice educator. THE PIRATE KING – Stephan le Roux Stephan le Roux graduated in 2001 with a Performance Diploma in Opera from the South African College of Music at UCT. Since 1998, he has appeared in numerous productions with Cape Town Opera and the SACM, with highlights including Schaunard in La Bohème and Papageno in The Magic Flute at Artscape. A long-standing G&S performer, he has played Giuseppe in The Gondoliers, Sergeant Meryll in The Yeomen of the Guard, Pooh-Bah in The Mikado, and Sir Despard in Ruddigore. His musical theatre credits include The Student Prince, Evita, My Fair Lady, The Wizard of Oz and South Pacific. MAJOR-GENERAL STANLEY – Bevan Timm Bevan Timm makes his G&S debut as the iconic Major-General Stanley. An engineer by day, he is no stranger to the stage, having appeared in Fiddler on the Roof and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat with Full House Productions, as well as several Gilbert and Sullivan operettas with the Oily Chart Opera Company. Bevan is equally at home in comedy, having played both René Artois and Officer Crabtree in stage productions of ’Allo ’Allo! He usually sings tenor, but secretly suspects baritones have more fun, and is excited to find out. RUTH – Julie Dickson Julie Dickson is a wife, mom, proud granny, teacher, actor and director. Over the years she has performed many much-loved roles, including Carrie in Carousel, Ado Annie in Oklahoma!,Annie in Annie Get Your Gun, Maria in The Sound of Music, Mrs Anna in The King and I, and Golde in Fiddler on the Roof, many with G&S. With 45 years in education, she has spent the past decade growing The Drama Lab, her youth theatre studio in Table View. Her most treasured role remains Mom and Granny to her ever-growing family. SERGEANT OF POLICE – Henco Hunter Henco Hunter is a high school teacher with a deep love for the stage and has been active in theatre for the past nine years. His performance credits include Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Cabaret, Sister Act, Fiddler on the Roof, The Yeomen of the Guard and The Mikado – In Concert. Henco is thrilled to step into the comedic shoes of the Sergeant of Police and to add The Pirates of Penzance to his growing repertoire of memorable stage roles, especially in a production filled with such energy, wit and musical charm. SAMUEL – Geoffrey Muller Geoffrey Muller is fairly new to the theatre scene, but after many nights of karaoke and finally agreeing to get on stage in a musical, he has never looked back. With a modicum of hobbies and no free time, he enjoys trying new things and always looking on the bright side. Over the past few years, Geoffrey has performed on the Artscape, Masque Theatre and Milnerton Theatre stages. He is excited to return to the Artscape stage to be part of the spirited pirate crew in this production. KATE – Anske van der Westhuizen Anske van der Westhuizen trained at Waterfront Theatre School, where she completed her LTCL in Musical Theatre Performance. During her studies, she performed in several one-act play festivals, devised theatre projects and a Miscast production, gaining experience across a range of performance styles. She is now continuing her training at the University of Cape Town as a first-year opera student, where she is developing her classical vocal technique and stagecraft. Anske is delighted to be part of The Pirates of Penzance and to bring her musical theatre background to this lively G&S production. EDITH – Nicola de Jager Nicola de Jager is a Cape Town-based performer with a passion for musical theatre. She began dancing at the age of five, later expanding into acting and singing, and has been immersed in the performing arts ever since. Nicola trained in musical theatre at LAMTA, where Come Together was among her highlights. Since graduating, she has performed in The Yeomen of the Guard with G&S, as well as productions with Cape Town Theatre Company, Milnerton Players and Pinelands Players. She also holds an Associate Level 1 Teachers certification in dance. ISABEL – Karla Britz Karla Britz has been dancing since she could walk and appreciating music even earlier. Initially a flautist, she later focused more on singing, first as a member of the Tygerberg Children’s Choir and then the Stellenberg Girls’ Choir. Karla continued developing her voice under Liz Wright and went on to complete a diploma in Music Performance at Stellenbosch University. Since beginning dance lessons at the age of three, she has seemed destined for musicals. Her stage experience includes productions at Artscape and the Masque Theatre, including My Fair Lady, Legally Blonde and the title role in Sleeping Beauty. |
❇ Featured image: Bevan Tim as Major General-Stanley and members of the ensemble, Credit: Beatrice Glenister in The Pirates of Penzance, presented by Cape Town G&S, July 4-12, 2026, Artscape, Cape Town. Directed by Darryl J Spijkers and accompanied by Cape Town Sinfonietta. Pic: Beatrice Glenister.
