| What: The Call โ a queer African musical – inspired by Shakespeareโs The Tempest When: Sunday November 9, 2025 Venue: The Outlore Base, 80 Hout St, Cape Town, 8000 Time: 14:00pm Booking: Quicket Direct booking link: https://www.quicket.co.za/events/338641-the-call-a-queer-reimagining-of-the-tempest/#/ Chesray Dolpha โ Executive Producer & Producer Guiding the creative vision from concept to stage and championing the productionโs commitment to authentic, joyful African storytelling. Mkhululi Mabija โ Playwright & Librettist South African writer reimagining classic texts through contemporary queer narratives. Paul Castles โ Composer Brooklyn-based musician combining electronic production and storytelling to create The Callโs distinctive sound. Qondiswa James โ Director South African Black queer theatre-maker known for bold, visually powerful and emotionally charged productions. Nonku Phiri โ Music Director Renowned South African vocalist and songwriter shaping the showโs rich and modern musical identity. Lana Crowster โ Line Producer Ensuring smooth production management and coordination across creative teams. Namhla Kalipa โ Stage Manager Overseeing daily stage operations and supporting the cast and creative team throughout the workshop and beyond. |
Thrilling news is the staged reading, this, weekend, Sunday November 9, 2025, of The Call , an innovative new musical, in Cape Town at the Outlore Base. The musical which has been inspired by Shakespeareโs The Tempest, โreimagines the classic through South African history and queer lived experience, using African drag as a creative and theatrical language to shape narrative, conjure spectacle and celebrate the brilliance of marginalised communities.โ Intrigued? Read on for more. Info as supplied:
The Call: A Bold Queer African Musical Celebrating Joy, Artistry, and Survival
Cape Town – A bold new musical is emerging from South Africaโs creativ e landscape and is set to dazzle Cape Town audiences this weekend.
The Call is a queer African musical that places joy, artistry and survival at the heart of its storytelling. Inspired by Shakespeareโs The Tempest, the production reimagines the classic through South African history and queer lived experience, using African drag as a creative and theatrical language to shape narrative, conjure spectacle and celebrate the brilliance of marginalised communities.
Brought to life by South African-born, New York-based Tony-nominated and award-winning producer and theatre director, Chesray Dolpha, this must-see production celebrates the colour, creativity and resilience of queer life on the African continent. It is a story that is deeply rooted in local experience while speaking to audiences around the world.
A Story of Magic, Love and Transformation
The story begins when a plane from South Africa crashes into the Indian Ocean after a cyclone is conjured by the Exile. Among the passengers who wash up on a wild island is a former President. By day, the survivors are caught in the Exileโs magic, and by night, they are transformed into strange animals โ free from the confines of their ordinary lives.
The Exileโs quest for revenge against the President, her former husband, is complicated by a love story between the Presidentโs Protรฉgรฉ and the Exileโs Child. In the end, the Exile chooses forgiveness over vengeance, giving up her magic and allowing everyone to leave the island. The piece explores themes of nature versus nurture, identity, transformation and the freedom to define oneself.
A Club in Nature: The Sound and Aesthetic of The Call
The Call is imagined as a โclub show in natureโ, where the island becomes an otherworldly nightclub as the sun sets. The score, created using Ableton Live, is built around beats, texture, and atmosphere rather than traditional musical theatre harmonies. Grounded in the soundscape of a forest at night, the music moves between moments of celebration and stillness, reflecting the energy and depth of queer life in South Africa today.
A Vision Led by Chesray Dolpha
At the centre of this ambitious project is Chesray Dolpha, serving as Executive Producer and Producer. Dolpha, a dynamic force on the Broadway theatre and music production scene, is guiding The Call from concept to stage, ensuring it remains rooted in authenticity while reaching for international impact.
โThis work is about claiming space,โ says Dolpha. โItโs about joy as resistance, beauty as a political act, and telling African queer stories that exist beyond trauma. We want to show that our communities are rich with creativity, resilience and hope.โ
Dolphaโs leadership brings together a multidisciplinary team of South African and international talent, united by a shared commitment to bold storytelling and cultural exchange.
Born and raised in the Cape Flats communities of Uitsig and Belhar, Dolphaโs journey from local stages in South Africa to the bright lights of Broadway is nothing short of extraordinary. She has become a respected storytelling strategist, and visionary arts leader in Broadway circles and is passionate about bringing SA queer voices to the global stage.
Why The Call Matters Now
At a time when queer identities across Africa continue to face erasure and violence, The Call stands as an act of resistance through joy. It centres queer voices not in tragedy, but in celebration, colour, music and imagination.
A first draft of the musical is currently in progress, with a two-week workshop scheduled in Cape Town in November 2025. The team will refine the script and score, explore physical movement and deepen the storyโs South African context. By February 2026, a full draft is expected, ahead of plans to take the work to a New York audience and explore its resonance in a global theatre setting.
EVENT DETAILS:
Date: Sunday November 9, 2025
Venue: The Outlore Base, 80 Hout St, Cape Town City Centre, Cape Town, 8000
Time: 14:00pm
Tickets available via Quicket: https://www.quicket.co.za/events/338641-the-call-a-queer-reimagining-of-the-tempest/#/
Meet The Creative Team
Chesray Dolpha โ Executive Producer & Producer
Guiding the creative vision from concept to stage and championing the productionโs commitment to authentic, joyful African storytelling.
Mkhululi Mabija โ Playwright & Librettist
South African writer reimagining classic texts through contemporary queer narratives.
Paul Castles โ Composer
Brooklyn-based musician combining electronic production and storytelling to create The Callโs distinctive sound.
Qondiswa James โ Director
South African Black queer theatre-maker known for bold, visually powerful and emotionally charged productions.
Nonku Phiri โ Music Director
Renowned South African vocalist and songwriter shaping the showโs rich and modern musical identity.
Lana Crowster โ Line Producer
Ensuring smooth production management and coordination across creative teams.
Namhla Kalipa โ Stage Manager
Overseeing daily stage operations and supporting the cast and creative team throughout the workshop and beyond.
Chesray Dolpha Mini Bio:
Chesray Dolpha is a South African-raised theatre maker, director, and storyteller whose credits include Tina: The Tina Turner Musical on Broadway, Intimate Apparel at Yale, and productions at Princeton University. She is the founder of StoryBridge Consultancy, which champions storytelling as a vehicle for connection and social change. Chesray has held leadership positions at the Classical Theatre of Harlem and the Broadway Advocacy Coalition, and she has collaborated with institutions such as Columbia University, the Theatre Development Fund, Urban Arts Partnership, and Harlem School of the Arts. She was recently selected for the prestigious Theatre Producers of Color 2025 Fellowship.
Whether directing actors, developing arts education, or amplifying the voices of marginalized communities, Chesray leads with creativity, courage, and an unwavering commitment to building a more just and vibrant world through the power of story.
| SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS: Website Address: www.storybridgeconsultancy.com/ Instagram (Personal): www.instagram.com/chesrayblue/ Instagram (StoryBridge): https://www.instagram.com/storybridgeconsultancy/ |
โณ Chesrayย Dolphaย – Executive Producer & Producer of The Call , an innovative new musical, which is in development. There will be staged reading in Cape Town at the Outlore Base on Sunday November 9, 202. Sponsored content. Images supplied.
