| What: The Masque’s One-Act Play Festival When: August 20-22, 2026 Where: The Masque, 37 Main Rd, Muizenberg, Cape Town Featuring: Plays by Kudzai Mhangwa, Lindy Wilson, Savannah Steyn and Clive Myburgh Tickets: R160 and R180 Bookings: Quicket –https://qkt.io/1-A2026 Festival Pass: Get a R50 discount if you book to see all four plays – email programming@themasque.co.za to claim your pass. Masque box office: Open Tuesday, Wednesday and Fridays between 9am and 2pm The schedule for the Masque’s One-Act Play Festival 2026: Thursday August 20 at 7:30pm – The Black Bird and Bottle Service Friday August 21 at 7:30pm – An Unexpected Guest and Lady Marmalade Saturday August 22 at 2:30pm – An Unexpected Guest and Lady Marmalade Saturday August 22 7:30pm – The Black Bird and Bottle Service If you have a play you would like to submit for the monthly Play Reading Programme, please visit the Masque website: https://www.themasque.co.za/play-reading-programme Good to know: Secure parking, wheelchair access and facilities available |
Four brand-new South African plays will make their stage debut at The Masque’s annual One-Act Play Festival, showcasing local playwrights. The festival director is Debi Thomas Hawkins and she says: “Each performance at the festival will also be followed by a hosted discussion with the playwrights, directors and cast, giving audiences a rare behind-the-scenes insight into the creative process.” Read on for more about this exciting festival, which serves as vital incubator and platform for writing for the stage:
New voices take centre stage at The Masque’s One-Act Play Festival
This year, the Festival runs from August 20-22, 2026, featuring works by writers Kudzai Mhangwa, Lindy Wilson, Savannah Steyn and Clive Myburgh.
Unlike a traditional theatre festival, every play in the programme has followed a unique development journey – from script submission, through staged readings and feedback sessions, to a fully realised theatrical production. Each performance at the festival will also be followed by a hosted discussion with the playwrights, directors and cast, giving audiences a rare behind-the-scenes insight into the creative process.
“Every new play begins as an idea on a page,” says Festival Producer Faeron Wheeler. “Our Play Reading Programme gives writers the opportunity to hear their work, refine it through feedback, and ultimately see it performed before a live audience. It’s an incredible opportunity for both emerging and established playwrights.”
“There are so many stories waiting to be told. The festival celebrates local voices while also giving audiences the chance to discover new playwrights and stories told from a fresh perspective.”
An Unexpected Guest, written by Lindy Wilson and directed by Kaulana Williams, is set in 1965 America, where the arrival of a former anti-apartheid activist at the home of newlyweds Mark and Justine Rutherford forces long-buried truths to the surface. This thoughtful drama explores loyalty, identity and the lasting impact of political struggle on personal relationships.
Bottle Service, written by Savannah Steyn and directed by Andrea Grant, is a heartfelt comedy about two fathers who form an unexpected friendship after finding themselves stranded together at a Mommy and Me class. Filled with humour and warmth, the play explores modern fatherhood, chosen family and the life-changing moments found in everyday chaos.
Lady Marmalade, written by Kudzai Mhangwa and directed by Tanya Smith, is a quirky comedy inspired by the legend of a famous dancer who returns to perform one final dance each year after her death. When ghost hunters, sceptics and curious onlookers gather in a lonely graveyard, mystery, humour and unexpected twists soon follow.
The Black Bird, written by Clive Myburgh and directed by Kerith Coulson, follows a young couple who retreat to a remote bird hide, only to find themselves trapped with an elderly birdwatcher who is convinced a terrifying creature is hunting them from above. As fear and suspicion take hold, reality begins to blur in this haunting exploration of the things we fear losing most.
The schedule is:
Thursday August 20 at 7:30pm – The Black Bird and Bottle Service
Friday August 21 at 7:30pm – An Unexpected Guest and Lady Marmalade
Saturday August 22 at 2:30pm – An Unexpected Guest and Lady Marmalade
Saturday August 22 7:30pm – The Black Bird and Bottle Service
Tickets range between R160 and R180
Bookings can be made at Quicket – https://qkt.io/1-A2026
Festival Pass available – get a R50 discount if you book to see all four plays – email programming@themasque.co.za to claim your pass.
If you have a play you would like to submit for the monthly Play Reading Programme, please visit the Masque website: https://www.themasque.co.za/play-reading-programme
The Box Office at The Masque is open three days a week.
Visit them on Tuesday, Wednesday and Fridays between 9am and 2pm.
The Masque is situated at 37 Main Rd, Muizenberg, Cape Town, 7950, South Africa.
Parking is available at the venue. Wheelchair Access and Facilities available.
The Masque has a back-up generator so the show will go on, even when there is load shedding!
| Join the conversation: https://www.facebook.com/masquetheatresa https://www.instagram.com/masquetheatresa/ www.themasque.co.za Invest in the future of The Masque, donate here. Join The Masque community. Become a member and have your say in the theatre. You can also sign up as a volunteer to participate on stage or behind the scenes, from stage management to archiving the wardrobe department! Sign up here: https://www.themasque.co.za/volunteer |
About the playwrights
Lindy Wilson (An Unexpected Guest)
Lindy Wilson is a documentary film producer and director, educationalist and writer. Her films include: Last Supper in Hortsley Street; Robben Island Our University; A Travelling Song and The Guguletu Seven. Previously, she was the Cape Town director of SACHED (the South African Committee for Higher Education), an independent, national NGO and adult education centre initiated when apartheid created segregated universities. She has three children and two grand-children who, to her delight, all live in Cape Town. In 1989, she was invited to research and write a short biography of Steve Biko. This is her first play.
Savannah Steyn (Bottle Service)
Savannah Steyn is an award-winning playwright, theatre-maker and facilitator whose work explores storytelling as a tool for connection, healing and social change. She holds a BA in Theatre and Performance Studies and a Master’s in Applied Theatre and Drama Studies from the University of Cape Town. Her plays have been staged at festivals including Zabalaza, Redhill Arts Festival and Suidoosterfees. A 2021 Mandela Rhodes Scholar, Savannah has collaborated with diverse communities in South Africa and the UK, and is the founder of ThreeC Productions, creating impactful, socially conscious theatre.
Kudzai Mhangwa (Lady Marmalade)
Kudzai Mhangwa is a multi-award winning writer of plays, short stories, essays and poetry, a talented performer and a passionate humanitarian. He is studying towards a Masters of Creative Writing degree from the University of Cape Town under the supervision of Imraan Coovadia. His plays have enjoyed stagings and readings in his native Zimbabwe, the US and South Africa. His work has been featured in a number of magazines such as the Kalahari Review, the White Wall Review, the African Writer Review and elsewhere.
Clive Myburgh (The Black Bird)
Clive Myburgh is an accomplished creative director, filmmaker, and internationally award-winning photographer with over 15 years of industry experience. He has worked on productions such as Deutschland 89 for Amazon Prime in Germany, and has collaborated with major brands, including Apple Music and Netflix. His work has been featured in film festivals across the globe, publications and most recently exhibited at a photography festival in Arles and Venice. A creative driving force, he is always exploring new ways to tell compelling stories across mediums. The Black Bird is Clive’s first stage play.
Debi Hawkins – Festival Director
Debi Thomas Hawkins is an actress, director, writer, VO artist, drama teacher and well-loved drama judge. She performed in a semi-biographical musical play called Mpinga Mornings, receiving rave reviews for this play all over southern Africa, notably at Kalk Bay Theatre and the National Arts Festival. Hawkins also produced and performed in The Jolly Good Show 2013, 2014 and 2017. She was last seen onstage in Baboon in Revue in 2024. Before that she performed in and produced a variety show, JAMPACKED, at The Masque in 2022. She has also spent a couple of seasons with Nicholas Ellenbogen at The Rosebank Theatre, performing in the very popular Murdering Agatha Christie and directing The Bulawayo Boogie.
The Masque
The Masque is an iconic cornerstone of Cape Town’s cultural landscape, celebrating over six decades of fostering creativity, inclusivity and community spirit. Founded by the visionary Bertie Stern, The Masque boldly stood as a beacon of inclusivity, one of only two theatres at the time that welcomed participants of all backgrounds through its doors.
Home to many amateur theatre societies over the years, it was forced to close in 1997 following a devastating fire. It reopened in 1999,largely thanks to the generosity of the late Joan St Leger-Lindberg. This enabled The Masque to carry on with its work as a vibrant and resilient community-driven venue, encouraging voluntary participation in all forms of theatre by all people.
Today, under the dedicated stewardship of the Stern Masque Theatre Trust, The Masque continues to thrive, curating high-quality amateur productions, promoting skills development, providing a service of artistic engagement with the community, celebrating diversity and building on the theatre’s reputation as a sought-after professional venue-for-hire.
Through innovation, growth and creativity, as well as the support of volunteers and members, The Masque remains an important part of the social fabric, welcoming audiences of all backgrounds to experience the magic of live theatre.
The Masque offers a wide range of projects and programmes, including:
*Annual productions covering a range of genres;
*The Youth Theatre Club running for 8 – 16 year olds in term time;
*The Play Reading Programme, which provides the chance for writers to have their new scripts brought to life, as well as the opportunity for the public to be part of the development process. Selected plays are presented as part of The Masque’s One-Act Play Festival.
Invest in the future of The Masque, donate here.
❇ Featured image – in rehearsal for the The Masque’s One-Act Play Festival 2026. Sponsored feature. Images supplied.
