| What: Moffie – based on the novel by André Carl van der Merwe Stage adaption: Philip Rademeyer Director: Greg Karvellas Performer: David Viviers Sound Design: Charl-Johan Lingenfelder Lighting Design: Niall Griffin Where and when: Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees, October 3 – 11, 2026 Performance Details Adam Small Auditorium, Stellenbosch Block 1: Saturday October 3, 15:00 · Sunday October 4, 19:00 · Monday October 5, 10:00 · Tuesday October 6, 18:00 Block 2: Saturday October 10, 20:00 · Sunday October 11, 10:00 Age Restriction: No under 14s. Mature themes including bigotry, violence, sexual assault, child abuse, and suicide. Run Time: 85 minutes (no interval). Performed in English Tickets: R210–R350 in advance, R240–R380 at the door Book: via Woordfees or directly through Quicket. Presented by: The Common Humanity Arts Trust |
Thrilling news is that the acclaimed Moffie, starring David Viviers, will be on Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees, October 3 – 11, 2026. Greg Karvellas is directing the play, based on the novel by André Carl van der Merwe. The stage adaption is by Philip Rademeyer. It is a wonderful opportunity to see this superb piece of theatre, which received five nominations at the 61st Cape Town Theatre Awards (formerly the Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards) and the acclaim in South Africa, followed its five-star London premiere. Read on for more about the season at Woordfees is presented by The Common Humanity Arts Trust, a UK-registered charity supporting theatre and film worldwide:
Critically Acclaimed MOFFIE Returns to South African Stages at the Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees
Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees, October 3 – 11, 2026 · MOFFIE plays the Adam Small Auditorium on October 3, 4, 5, 6, 10 and 11.
The Common Humanity Arts Trust presents MOFFIE at the Adam Small Auditorium, Stellenbosch, as part of the Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees, across six performances in two blocks: October 3, 4, 5 and 6, and October 10 and 11, 2026.
Following a five-star London premiere and a critically acclaimed South African debut at the Baxter Theatre in September 2025, the one-man show MOFFIE returns to South African stages for a limited season.
Based on the novel by André Carl van der Merwe, the stage adaptation has been brought to life by a stellar South African team, in a powerful, poignant sharing of this story about love, survival, and identity under apartheid.
Critical Reception
MOFFIE arrives at Woordfees carrying a powerful critical response on two continents. Following its South African premiere at the Baxter Flipside in September 2025, the production earned five nominations at the 61st Cape Town Theatre Awards (the newly rebranded Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards): Best New South African Script for Philip Rademeyer, Best Director for Greg Karvellas, Best Performance in a Revue, Cabaret or One-Person Show for David Viviers, Best Sound Design, Original Music, Soundscape or Live Performance for Charl-Johan Lingenfelder, and Best Lighting Design for Niall Griffin.
South African critics were unequivocal:
“It is also as close to a perfect piece of theatre as you could want… Throughout a gripping, masterful performance he holds you in the palm of his hand.”
– Daily Maverick, Keith Bain
“It will devastate you, disgust you, anger you, disturb you and destroy you. But it will also amaze you, uplift you, inspire you and move you beyond words… Viviers is sensational… This is a performance of a lifetime.”
– BroadwayWorld South Africa, Jaime Uranovsky
It is the same response that first greeted MOFFIE’s world premiere in London, where the production played to five-star reviews and four Off West End Award nominations:
“A gripping one-man show that evokes a gay soldier’s torment… Karvellas’s production strips everything away except the pain and beauty of one young man’s survival. It’s theatrical storytelling at its most essential.” FIVE STARS
– The Guardian
“A searing, brutal, exposing and highly personal account… simply stunning… first class.” FIVE STARS
– The Stage
The Production
Directed and produced by Greg Karvellas (Dear Evan Hansen; former Artistic Director of The Fugard Theatre), the production is fully funded by the Common Humanity Arts Trust. Moffie is written by Philip Rademeyer (Stinkhout; Niggies), who adapted André Carl van der Merwe’s novel for the stage.
Esteemed, award-winning actor David Viviers (The Tempest; Binnelanders) performs the role of Nicholas van der Swart, the closeted conscript whose harrowing journey lies at the heart of this tale. “These men trying to mould us into something we’re not… They must not be able to touch us…”
Lighting Design for the Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees season is by Kieran McGregor (Pretty Woman: The Musical; My Name Is Lucy Barton). Sound Design is by Charl-Johan Lingenfelder (Prima Facie; King Kong – The Musical).
“Audiences can expect an intensely immersive theatrical experience. Staged as a gripping solo performance, Moffie places Nicholas alone in a stark, stripped-down set, a mound of military kit bags symbolizing the baggage of war and identity he carries. Every moment is charged with emotion, drawing spectators into a soldier’s internal battle in a way that only live theatre can achieve,” says Director Greg Karvellas.
“The journey of Moffie has been an incredible one: from opening in London, to bringing it back to South Africa, and now having another opportunity at Woordfees feels very special, and incredibly urgent. The violence and trauma inflicted on so many young lives needs to be remembered, and even more so because of the continued violence experienced by the LGBTQ+ community, not only here in South Africa but all over the world. The story that Moffie tells, a title that is itself a terrible slur, is painful, but it’s also a call to rally, to never forget what hate and violence has done, and continues to do, to the world,” says Director Greg Karvellas.
Synopsis
Moffie is set in 1979 against the backdrop of apartheid South Africa, when the South African government’s main concern is keeping Southern Africa free of communism, to protect the Afrikaner people, Christianity, and the free world. To do this, they need bodies, and seventeen-year-old Nicholas van der Swart is conscripted into the South African Defence Force. He finds himself in the dark heart of a regime that demands absolute conformity, brute masculinity, racism, and bigotry.
Facing the dread of being labelled a ‘moffie’, and the ever-present fear of exposure, Moffie is an exploration of toxic masculinity and trauma, highlighting how, decades into South Africa’s democracy, the emotional wounds inflicted during those turbulent times persist, offering a reflection on the lingering scars of the past and their influence on the present and future.
Viviers, a two-time Fleur du Cap Theatre Award-winning actor, says, “It is a huge honour and responsibility to bring Nicholas’ journey to the South African stage. I remember coming across van der Merwe’s book as a schoolboy and being deeply affected by it. I realised then that there was a lot I didn’t know about our country’s past. There were things that weren’t spoken about because it was easier not to. Moffie holds up a mirror to our past in a way that is honest, relentless and also beautifully fragile. I am really excited to share this story with audiences.”
In 2019, Van der Merwe’s novel was also adapted into a critically acclaimed feature film, produced by Eric Abraham, who also commissioned this stage adaptation. The stage production is based solely on the original literary work.
This landmark production invites South African audiences to witness it again, a story that, for too long, remained in the shadows, and now returns to the country that lived it.
Performance Details
Adam Small Auditorium, Stellenbosch
Block 1: Saturday October 3, 15:00 · Sunday October 4, 19:00 · Monday October 5, 10:00 · Tuesday October 6, 18:00
Block 2: Saturday October 10, 20:00 · Sunday October 11, 10:00
Age Restriction: No under 14s. Mature themes including bigotry, violence, sexual assault, child abuse, and suicide. Run Time: 85 minutes (no interval). Performed in English.
Tickets: R210–R350 in advance, R240–R380 at the door.
Book via Woordfees or directly through Quicket.
The Common Humanity Arts Trust (Presenting and Producing Organisation)
The Common Humanity Arts Trust is a UK-registered charity supporting theatre and film worldwide. Moffie is directed and produced by Greg Karvellas on behalf of the Trust; without its support, this production would not have been possible.
❇ David Viviers in Moffie – based on the novel by André Carl van der Merwe, in the stage adaption by Philip Rademeyer, directed by Greg Karvellas, to be staged at Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees, October 3 – 11, 2026. Photo: Daniel Rutland Manners. Sponsored feature.
