Event information
Theatre Arts is an independent theatre presenting fresh, experimental and diverse performance across disciplines and for all ages, including work for very young audiences.
Based in the Methodist Church Hall, it runs a busy monthly calendar with a mix of new writing, devised works, movement pieces and spoken word, typically hosting five to eight productions per month. Programming favours intimate, process-driven theatre with room for risk and discovery, with a season featuring productions like Brett Bailey’s immersive The Stranger (a meditation on Orpheus), Sue Diepeveen’s one-woman show Ms B-haved, and the National Arts Festival Bronze Ovation Award winning Tiro’s ToughLoop Testimony.
Winner of a Fleur du Cap for Innovation in 2018, Theatre Arts has been home to directors and performers who have built their careers in part at Theatre Arts, and include Standard Bank Young Artist winners Mahlatsi Mokgonyana, Jefferson Tshabalala, Thando Doni, Billy Langa, Amy Jephta, as well as locals Qondiswa James, Mthuthuzeli Zimba, Amee Lekas, Carlo Daniels and Andi Colombo. Theatre Arts actively supports artist development through training programmes such as the Emerging Theatre Director’s Bursary and OY! Theatre, a neighbourhood company for young people aged 12-18 that has staged productions including Dennis Kelly’s DNA and Caryl Churchill’s Love and Information, with The Children’s Monologues winning a Standard Bank Ovation Award at the National Arts Festival.
The venue also hosts regular experimental platforms such as Soapboxing which won the 2025 Fleur du Cap for Innvovation, and houses the only dedicated play library in Cape Town. The church is home to the dynamic dance company SboNdabaDance during the day, and all four spaces are available for hire for rehearsals, show runs, workshops and community events.