| What: Baxter Zabalaza Theatre Festival When: March 13 -22, 2026 Where: The Baxter, Cape Town Performance times: 14h30, 16h00 and19h00 Performances for the schools programme are at 10h00 and 13h00 Family day: March 14 with jazz, food and drinks- fun and a vibe for all the family Tickets: R40 for morning shows, R50 for afternoon shows Bookings: Webtickets and at Pick n Pay stores Block bookings: For block or schools bookings, charities or fundraisers contact Carmen Kearns on email carmen.kearns@uct.ac.za and Mark Dobson on mark.dobson@uct.ac.za Artistic Director and Curator: Mdu Kweyama |
Exciting news is that the Baxter Zabalaza Theatre Festival is on from March 13 -22, 2026. The programme includes drama, comedy, theatre for children, jazz, live music, workshops, panel discussions, an exhibition and delish food. Wonderful playwrights and theatre makers are participating. Tickets are R40 for shows in the day and R50 for evening shows and no, that is not a misprint. Get there. Read on for more. Info as supplied:
Baxter Zabalaza Theatre Festival celebrates South African stories and artistic excellence with the next generation of theatre makers
The 16th annual Baxter Zabalaza Theatre Festival will once again champion local stories and artistic excellence, while giving a platform to the next generation of theatre makers.
The Baxter comes alive as a vibrant festival hub from March 13 -22 2026, with a programme featuring drama, comedy, theatre for children, jazz, live music, workshops, panel discussions, an exhibition and of course, delicious food and drink on offer.
Tickets can be purchased atWebtickets
Zabalaza is committed to the growth and development of theatre-makers, with a key focus on promoting upcoming voices. For the past 16 years, the Festival has nurtured numerous artists and writers, making a significant contribution to the theatre landscape. Simultaneously, new audience members have had the chance to experience theatre for the first time.
The Festival is a celebration of identity, community, creativity and resilience through inspiring theatre and dynamic storytelling.
Zabalaza is made possible by the Western Cape Department of Cultural Affairs and Sports, the Oppenheimer Memorial Trust Fund, the Makwande Empowerment Trust, the City of Cape Town and the HCI Foundation.
“This year, we are presenting an exciting combined programme of curated work from artist proposals and productions that were first showcased at our various mini festivals held during the year,” says Zabalaza Artistic Director and Curator, Mdu Kweyama. “In doing so, we are thrilled to be returning to our roots, finding stories and theatre makers in the heart of our communities, bringing them alive on stage as full productions through mentorship and skills development.”
Festival goers will be able to engage in several workshops and panel discussions. These include Women in theatre spaces facilitated by Tiisetso Mashifane and a panel discussion honouring six decades of English Alive on Wednesday March 18.
“Robin Malan was the editor of English Alive for many years and the founder at Junkets, which publishes the scripts of the Zabalaza Theatre Awards winners,” says Bulelani Mabutyana, Zabalaza coordinator and co-curator. “We will be hosting a special tribute in his memory, featuring a weeklong exhibition of English Alive book covers. The launch event on 18 March at 17h30, will be hosted by English Alive editor Kirsten Deane.”
English Alive is a flagship project of the South African Council for English Education (SACEE), an NPO that supports learners to enjoy communicating and expressing themselves in the English language, whether as a home or secondary language. English Alive is an annual anthology of the best creative writing from learners in schools across Southern Africa.
“Our programme is bursting with entertainment for everyone,” says Mabutyana. “We have three great shows for younger visitors including our invited productions, BOUNCED and Captain Kwanda’s Fanplastic Adventures, as well as Themba: The Little Lion That Lost His Mane.
The red-hot music line-up includes the popular Sunday jazz session, the RAW Experience, all-female band Mfazwe Ya Mwezi and on March 18, in the Concert Hall, Joliza Bhaca Soul in Ushuni WeBhaca, a celebration of traditional sounds, the honouring of cultural roots, African heritage and stories.
“The Festival would not be possible without the input of our theatre mentors. We extend our grateful thanks to them for bringing our vision to fruition: Jayne Batzofin, Tiisetso Mashifane, Jacqueline Dommisse, Mandla Mbothwe, Qondiswa James and Carlo Daniels,” says Mabutyana.
“As we continue to grow, Zabalaza is proud to forge partnerships with AFDA and ACT Cape Town,” says Kweyama. “Thanks to a generous collaboration with ACT Cape Town, we have been able to implement a theatre skills bursary as an additional opportunity for investing in the future of South African theatre.”
The productions at the 16th Baxter Zabalaza Festival are:
- The Battered Housewives’ Club English, Afrikaans, IsiXhosa Ages 14+
- Egameni English, IsiXhosa Ages 14+
- Behind the Frame English, isiXhosa, Sotho Ages 14+
- Becoming English Ages 14+
- Themba: The Little Lion That Lost His Mane IsiXhosa Ages 6+
- How To Train Your Thoughts English, isiXhosa, Setswana Ages 14+
- In Kinnes van Somers English, Afrikaans, IsiXhosa Ages 14+
- When Black Men Disappear IsiXhosa and English Ages 15+
- Bring Light English and IsiXhosa Ages 12+
- It’s My Baby English, Afrikaans, IsiXhosa Ages 14+
- Incindi Yedlaka English and IsiXhosa Ages 13+
- Isibeleko, Es’belekweni English and IsiXhosa Ages 13+
- BOUNCED Physical theatre Ages 3-6
- Captain Kwanda’s Fanplastic Adventures English, Afrikaans, IsiXhosa Ages 6+
- Make a difference, build the future: Take the Zabalaza Challenge! Purchase tickets at only R40, which The Baxter then distributes to learners, students and groups who cannot afford to purchase tickets themselves.
Lara Foot, CEO of The Baxter says, “We stand with our colleagues at ASSITEJ South Africa, in promoting their vision to provide access to theatre for children who would not otherwise be able to attend the theatre. Buy tickets as part of the Zabalaza challenge to make this possible.”
Purchase tickets HERE then share a post and tag @ZabalazaFestival and @ASSITEJ_za using the hashtags #TakeAChildToTheTheatre2026 #zabalazachallenge
The door takings from each show also go straight back to the groups or artists, investing in the future of the arts sector.
The Baxter will host the Best of the Fest Awards, with the ceremony taking place on March 21.
The 16th Baxter Zabalaza Festival takes place at The Baxter from March 13-21.
Performances are at 14h30, 16h00 and19h00
Performances for the schools programme are at 10h00 and 13h00
Tickets to morning shows cost: R40
Tickets to afternoon shows cost R50
Bookings can be made at Webtickets online or at Pick n Pay stores.
For block or schools bookings, charities or fundraisers contact Carmen Kearns on email carmen.kearns@uct.ac.za and Mark Dobson on mark.dobson@uct.ac.za
Production information:
THE BATTERED HOUSEWIVES CLUB
Directed by: Zubayr Charles Language: English, Afrikaans, IsiXhosa Age restriction: 14+
After experiencing severe emotional distress, five women attend a weekly meeting called The Battered Housewives’ Club to express their frustrations with domestic abuse and gender-based violence
EGAMENI
Directed by: Lamla Menziwa Languages: IsiXhosa and English Age Restriction:14+
Egameni is an intimate, emotionally charged two-hander exploring the deep and complex bond between a single mother and her son. Rooted in the cultural soil of the Eastern Cape, the production unpacks the rites of passage that define identity — a boy becoming a man, and a girl becoming a woman – and the often-overlooked parallels between the two.
BEHIND THE FRAME
Written and Directed by: Zandile Mentjies
Languages: English, isiXhosa, Sotho
Age restriction: 14+
In a home filled with photographs and memories frozen in time, Cikizwa Zoyi and Relebohile Moloi struggle to keep their marriage from quietly fading. Cikizwa hides behind her camera, capturing moments she can’t bring herself to feel, while Relebohile longs for connection especially with his children, hoping to give them what he never had with his own father. Their different ways of showing love slowly reveal the cracks between them: her distance born from fear of failing as a parent, his tenderness shadowed by inherited hurt. As buried truths surface, Behind the Frame exposes the fragile distance between what we show and what we truly feel, revealing that sometimes the hardest thing to face is not each other, but ourselves.
BECOMING
Directed by: Hlalanathi Panya Language: English
Age Restriction: 14+
An actor steps into a role. The role steps into her. “Becoming” follows France, a first-year actress cast as Miss Jane: a grieving mother in a tragic period film. Under the relentless direction of Roman D., France pushes herself beyond performance, venturing deep into method acting in a desperate effort to be taken seriously as an artist. But as rehearsals stretch on and boundaries dissolve, France begins to lose sight of where she ends, and Jane begins. On a confined movie set — observed only by Roman and the silent cameraman, Bennet: a psychological unraveling takes place. What starts as art becomes obsession.
What was once a script becomes something real. By the time France looks in the mirror, she no longer knows who is looking back. In this haunting blend of theatre and cinema, Becoming explores identity, artistic sacrifice, and the silence of becoming someone you’re only supposed to portray.
THEMBA: THE LITTLE LION THAT LOST HIS MANE
Written by: Amy Melhuish
Directed & adapted by: Thandolwethu Mzembe Language: IsiXhosa
Age restriction: 6+
Themba is about a little lion that lost his mane. He goes on an extraordinary journey to find the mane.
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR THOUGHTS
Directed by: Olwethu Ntanjana-Mapisa Language: English, isiXhosa, Setswana
Age restriction: 14+
While working at a cozy café in Kloof street, Monde politely navigates her difficult reality with 4 voices in her head. No fighting, no challenging anyone, just keeping her head down. Things remain this way until the voices decide that something needs to change.
KINNES VAN SOMERS
Directed by: Tamsyn Alexander, Hanro Cloete Language: English and Afrikaans
Age restriction: 14+
“Oupa het gewaarsku: as jy met die vuur speel, gaan jy in die kooi pee. Oppas, Dolli, die vuur gaan jou brand!” In Kinnes van Somers, childhood warnings come alive in the shadows of a small community, where stories are both lullaby and curse. Around the kitchen, whispered questions linger: “Wat maak hy, Mammie? Wat is sy naam, Mammie?” Dolli grows up hearing of Antjie Somersdie donker man, the one who walks between light and lie, dressed in another man’s sin and another woman’s name. But when the legend begins to stir inside her, folklore and flesh start to blur. Through folk drama, shadow play, and the crackle of enamel kitchenware and cobalt blue overalls, Kinnes van Somers re-members the Antjie Somers myth as a haunting confrontation between what we inherit and what we become.
WHEN BLACK MEN DISAPPEAR
Directed by: Mthuthuzeli Zimba Language: IsiXhosa and English
Age restriction: 15+
On an ordinary day, a white man of British descent arrives and introduces a concept he calls The Eyes of
Truth, tasked with monitoring all activities in the area and maintaining law and order. His intention is to prevent the men in the community from reverting to past behaviors. When something mysteriously goes missing days later, The Eyes of Truth become central, prompting a group of men to search for what’s lost—a journey that ultimately leads them to self-discovery.
BRING LIGHT
Directed by: Tina Manyisana
Language: English and IsiXhosa Age restriction: 12+
A harrowing journey through the shadows of a Cape Town township,seen through the eyes of fifteen-year-old Zanokhanyo, as she grapples with poverty, violence and the brutal shattering of her first love, all while embodying the vibrant, dangerous world around her.
IT’S MY BABY
Directed by: Nelisa Fusa
Language: English, Afrikaans, IsiXhosa
Age restriction: 14+
What happens to a child when a father’s silence echoes louder than a gunshot? It’s an intimate, physical, poetic piece about broken families, injustice and the small voices lost between fences and prison bars.
INCINDI YEDLAKA
Directed by: Buhle Stefane
Assistant director: Asamekela Ketelo
Language: Isixhosa and English
Age restriction: 13+
“We are self-destructing. Tick Tock” In a world suffocating in violence, toxic masculinity and gun power, Phumla sits with a vision of her younger sister’s death, a traumatic memory of her father’s abuse and a mother that abandoned them.
However, all the younger sister remembers is love, warmth and desire. Will the prophecy prevail or will the sisters find new fates?
ISIBELEKO, ES’BELEKWENI
Directed by: Yolanda Ntanyana
Language: Isixhosa and English
Age restriction; 13+
IIMPIXANO Zomphefumlo (Conflicts of the soul). This piece explores the story of a mother and daughter who died while in conflict with each other. The grandchild is haunted by the emotional suffering caused by their loss and conflict narrative delves into the grandchild’s grief, depression, and the overwhelming questions that arise from losing loved ones bahambe bengawafezanga amadinga. As the grandchild imagines what it would have been like if her mother and grandmother had been given a chance to reconcile.
BOUNCED
Directed by Jennie Reznek (originally co-directed with Jayne Batzofin).
Magnet Theatre
Artistic form: Physical Theatre
AGE SUITABILITY: 3-6 years
The performance is 35 minutes long.
BOUNCED is a fun, high energy, playful production to delight young audiences. Bounced explores the dynamics of the world of four friends as they come together. From the deflated lows to the highest highs, we are led through a vibrant journey where we are asked to question, who leads, who follows, and who is left out?
In an unusual cast combination 4 young men explore the themes exclusions, bullying and ‘othering’. This allows a space for young people to respond to these themes within their own lives and friend groups. The 4 young male actors work with extreme sensitivity and humor to expose the delicate balance of human interaction and power struggles that can exist in groups of all sizes and kinds. The piece works delicately to a point of understanding that pleasure shared is always pleasure doubled.
Captain Kwanda’s Fanplastic Adventures
Directed by: Heather Gielink
Language: English, Afrikaans, and isiXhosa Age restriction:6+
In partnership with Captain Fanplastic and based on their book “The Legend of Captain Fanplastic” Jungle Theatre Company presents Captain Kwanda’s Fanplastic Adventures. The story is a fun way for young learners to understand the effects of ocean pollution and climate change also empowering them with practicable steps they can take to make a difference.
Captain Kwanda and his turtle friend, Fin, sail around the Cape coast and beyond in search of sunken treasures from old shipwrecks. Suddenly a strange storm brews when the Ocean Spirit, Lwandle, pays them a visit and gives Kwanda the power to speak to all ocean creatures. They are sent on a quest to help sea animals affected by plastic pollution. Captain Kwanda is rewarded with a different treasure and earns a new name – Captain Fanplastic.
Zabalaza
Zabalaza Outreach and Development Programmes is a Baxter Theatre Centre Development Programme that develops theatre practitioners from in and around the Western Cape, in partnership with the Western Cape Department of Cultural Affairs and Sports, by providing them with performance platforms so that they can realise their creative concepts. This has been achieved through mini-festivals in target communities, script readings, showcases and a theatre festival held at the Baxter Theatre Centre annually in March.
The Baxter Zabalaza Theatre Festival forms a fundamental part of The Baxter’s broader vision to be a vibrant and integrated cultural hub, reflecting the diversity of the country’s demographics for all its patrons, communities, artists and visitors.South African and African themes are given voice and visibility through the Zabalaza activities.
Zabalaza process and programmes aim to:
- Identify and nurture talent
- Build theatre audiences
- Create performance platforms through the following activities
- Present skills development workshops
- Present mentorship/Internship programmes:
- Present Community mini-festivals that take place in various communities in and around the Western Cape. Mini festivals have been hosted in the communities of Robertson, Kraaifontein, Stellenbosch, Khayelitsha, Langa, Delft, Nyanga East and Athlone to name a few.
The Baxter Zabalaza Main Festival
The Zabalaza Theatre Festival takes over the Baxter Theatre Centre every March, invading all the Baxter’s spaces to create a festive atmosphere. Community theatre groups are given the opportunity to present their plays on a professional performance platform. Approximately 50 new theatre works, many of them in indigenous languages, are created annually.
Golden Arrow Bus Services provides transport for audiences to attend the festival at a very low cost.
Every year one or more production is awarded the winner of Zabalaza Finest of the Fest. The winning production goes through a mentorship process to raise the standard of the work before it is mounted for a two week season at the Baxter. This provides the company with another opportunity to stage their work in a professional theatre with full logistical support.
For the past four years we have partnered with City Varsity and ACT Cape Town for the bursary program that takes one participant for a degree, diploma, or certificate in creative arts courses.
Programmes in partnership with the Western Cape Department of Cultural Affairs and Sports
The Western Cape consists of six districts: City of Cape Town, Cape Winelands, Eden, Overberg, West Coast and Central Karoo. The Western Cape Department of Arts and Culture, together with Zabalaza, aims to create drama festivals in all of the districts. To date we have managed to create festivals in the following districts: Cape Winelands, Eden, Overberg and the West Coast.
Every June we host a 3-day script-writing workshop, in which writers are invited to develop their skills. These writers are asked to go back to their communities and create productions to be staged in a showcase in August. Selected productions from the showcase are invited to attend another 3-day workshop in September, where the focus is on acting, directing and the development of their scripts.
The best productions from these showcases are awarded a place in the Baxter Zabalaza Theatre Festival programme. These productions also participate in the annual Suidoostefees at Artscape, and a select few are also granted the opportunity to participate in either the ABSA KKNK in Oudtshoorn or the Best of the Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport.
✳ Zabalaza theatre makers at The Baxter Zabalaza Theatre Festival 2026. Image supplied. Sponsored content.
