Stage: Debut of Messy, semi autobiographical solo show written and performed by Samantha Carlisle

Samantha Carlisle who captivated us as Amelia in Joanna Evans’ The Year of the Bicycle is back on stage in Messy, which she has written and performs in and is directed by Dara Beth. Messy premieres in Cape Town, at Theatre Arts on May 6 and 7, 2025. Read on for more about this semi-autobiographical “bawdy one-woman show”. But first, an early review, from Carlisle’s mom:

“As your mom… NOOOO! But divorced from that… great”

“ballsy”, “important”, and “embarrassingly relatable” (which she assumes is a compliment).

Messy, a brand-spanking-new, semi-autobiographical solo show

Spark in the Dark is proud to present Messy, a brand-spanking-new, semi-autobiographical solo show written and performed by Samantha Carlisle and directed by Dara Beth. Messy will debut at Theatre Arts on the corner of Milton Road and Wesley St, Observatory. The show will have two performances on the May 6 and 7, 2025 starting at 19:00.

Messy is a cumming-of-age play for the horny & unsatisfied. Sam, an online sex worker, explores her chaotic relationship with sex, love, and intimacy. It is a deeply personal story in which she figures out where she has gone wrong, whether or not romantic love is on the cards for her, and why the (expletive) it’s so hard to have an orgasm during sex. Messy is a bawdy one-woman show following Carlisle’s journey from the mediocre sex she used to have to the slightly less mediocre sex she is currently having.

Offering insight into Carlisle’s own experiences as an online sex worker, while still acknowledging the very privileged position from which she operates, this piece investigates the various ways in which modern dating culture, internalised misogyny, and sex work can impact our relationships and views on sex. From the misogynistic ramblings of the ill-equipped sex-ed teacher at her Methodist school (who was actually just an Afrikaans teacher with a free period and a basic understanding of how babies are made) to the toxic men she collected like Pokémon along the way, Messy is an ode to all the disappointing one-night stands, the short-lived shags, the tender moments we share with people who end up disappointing us, and all the divas who found themselves saying “I should just quit my job and sell feet pics instead”.

You don’t want to miss out on the debut of this explosive new show. It is a show for all of the women and femmes who are having to refigure out the modern landscape of desirability, dating, feminism, and their attraction to men as all of these things come to a head.

Thank you to both Spark in the Dark and Kgokelo, without whom Messy would have remained a poorly written monologue collecting metaphorical dust on Samantha’s laptop.

CREATIVE TEAM

Writer & Performer – Samantha Carlisle

Samantha Carlisle is a part-time mess, full-time actress, writer, and producer. While she was born and bred in the Eastern Cape, her work has travelled far and wide. Most notably she played the role of Renee in Some Mothers’ Sons, the film adaptation of Mike van Graan’s renowned play. Some Mothers’ Sons travelled to film festivals all over Africa, America, the UK, and Europe and is currently available to watch on Showmax. She then went on to play Amelia in Joanna Evans’ The Year of the Bicycle from 2022-2024, a piece she also produced. Most recently, she had a small role in an Afrikaans TV series called Wyfie. Her work balances lighthearted comedy, lived experience, and personal and societal observations. When she is not partaking in the anxiety-inducing, debilitating, Sisyphean task of writing her solo show, she can be found working on a myriad of projects that aim to rejuvenate the South African theatre scene and make it more accessible for women and gender-diverse theatre-makers. She works as a producer for Spark in the Dark and also oversees daily operations and communications for Kgokelo, a sustainable network for women and gender-diverse playwrights in South Africa.

Director – Dara Beth

Dara Beth is an angry Jewish queer feminist and award-winning director and writer. Their main focus is to provide an audience with a language and vocabulary to explore new worlds. Through tales that are raunchy, witty, tongue-in-cheek, high-energy, bubblegum pop, biting, quirky, honest, unflinching, and occasionally self-indulgent and overly romantic, Dara aims to evoke a sense of joy, inspire connections, and instigate pleasurable introspection.

Dara has written and staged multiple original works for various festivals and theatres such as Nasty Womxn, Just A Song And A Dance, Lolly and all my ex-lovers are dead to name a few. Dara has been nominated for Fleur du Cap, Broadway World, and Kanna awards. When not producing their own work, Dara often works as a facilitator, director, designer, and producer.

In 2023, Dara was awarded a grant from South Africa’s National Arts Council with which they founded Kgokelo, the South African Women and Gender-Diverse Playwrights Network and Database. In 2024, Dara joined forces with Spark in the Dark–a South African production company dedicated to making space and opportunities for artists to share their voices.

In 2025, Dara is set to direct their first feature film and a host of new theatre productions.

Stage Manager – Cailyb Prinsloo

Cailyb Prinsloo is a writer, director, and producer grown on Eastern Cape soil and seeking fortune in Cape Town. She holds a Masters degree in writing for performance and is a proud recipient of a Silver Standard Bank Ovation award for the 2022 run of What Do You Think the Birds are Doing? Cailyb enjoys making works that meditate on themes of hope and fear, making people laugh, and a good cup of coffee.

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❇ Samantha Carlisle, writer/performer of Messy, premiering in Cape Town at Theatre Arts, May 6 and 7, 2025. Photo by Maggie Gericke. Sponsored content. Images supplied.