Art is Everything at Suidoosterfees 2025

The popular arts festival Suidoosterfees brings theatre, music, dance, book talks and visual art to audiences its 22nd edition. Held from 30 April to 4 May 2025, the 2025 edition has the theme “Art is Everything”, highlighting the important role that art plays in every facet of our lives. Here’s everything you need to know about every element of the festival.

Laaitie met die biscuits suidoosterfees 2025 — *Laaitie mettie biscuits*

NATi Theatre Festival

The Suidoosterfees’ NATi Theatre Festival boasts multiple different productions that will capture the imagination of festivalgoers. The festival pays tribute to the late Breyten Breytenbach with Verwelkingslied, his final dramatic work. This poignant piece, a dialogue between an ageing actress (Antoinette Kellermann) and a ghostly poet (Dawid Minnaar), serves as the author’s own theatrical farewell.

Ronelda Kamfer’s acclaimed Kompoun gets a heartfelt stage adaptation by Jolyn Phillips, with Lee-Ann van Rooi directing the story steeped in family memory and community. Meanwhile, Annie + Helen, in partnership with Curro Create, delivers a moving look at Helen Keller and Annie Sullivan’s bond, led by young talent Judi Hattingh and Cintaine Schutte.

Kafka-inspired Die uitweg, a one-man performance by Carlo Daniels, brings existential drama to the fore, while Simon Bruinders’ Die sideboard en die vuur revisits apartheid’s shadow through a personal history. Award-winning plays Stinkhout and Laaitie met die biscuits bring proven hits to the Cape Town stage, while Hortjies dig unearths the controversial life of poet Peter Blum.

Hollywood’s Arnold Vosloo returns to local theatre in Liefdesbriewe, a romantic drama alongside Elzabé Zietsman.
Wendy Anthonie’s Anderkant die treinspoor and Wessel Pretorius’ Die een wat bly both weave genre-blending performances around themes of love, loss and generational tension.

On the comedy side, Hans bars die bioborrel, Rondomtalie, and Sonde met die spoke promise big laughs with bold stories and familiar faces.

Mike van Graan’s The Good White tackles racial dynamics in university spaces, while Skatkis vol stories and Wag give voice to the Namaqualand community. Please, don’t call me moffie offers a rare look into queer identity in the Bo-Kaap, and Bo Petersen’s Pieces of Me adds emotional weight with award-winning depth.

Short and Sweet

A crowd-pleasing format born in the pandemic era, “Short and Sweet” returns with compact 30-minute gems across genres. From Cape Town City Ballet’s Bite-size Ballet to jazz legend Hilton Schilder in Pocket Rocket, the programme packs an artistic punch. With other music performances such as Halfuur huis toe, in which Dean Balie and Frieda van den Heever performs heart-warming words and music, and Davel & Klink in harmonie, where Anna Davel and Ilse Klink use their unique voices to explore songs of hope.

Audiences can expect dance, drama, cabaret, and comedy—like Ouma & Bettie kook! and Kleedkamer—all for just R50 per show.

Music

The musical offerings of Suidoosterfees 2025 are rich and varied. Creating Sarah | Die skep van Saartjie honours Sarah Baartman’s legacy with powerful collaborations between poets and musicians. Nataniël also returns with Duif, a theatrical exploration of life’s randomness.

Hoort offers a musical autobiography cabaret, while David Kramer’s Katrien, the King and the Kween adds a splash of camp and charm.

Other musical must-sees include the tragic-romantic Hoe mooi val die lig, Omwentelinge with Koos Kombuis and Jana Cilliers, and Zanne Stapelberg’s lyrical Once Upon a Tune.

Concert highlights include the beloved Suidooster Stormsterk, Boogie, and the Konsert van hoop, featuring top local talents and youth ensembles. Vrouestemme: Voices of Power elevates female voices in a rousing fusion of music, dance and spoken word.

Jakes Gerwel Discussions

Named after one of the founders of the festival, the Jakes Gerwel discussions aim to enter the South African discourse and discuss recently published literature in a South African context.

Luminaries like Antjie Krog, Jonathan Jansen, and Jeremy Vearey explore identity, literature and politics over multiple events. Meanwhile, top journalists debate media freedom, and panel talks delve into slavery’s legacy, faith, and South Africa’s place on the global stage.

Hardop poetry readings and a lively exploration of the gay code Gayle round out a vibrant literary programme for this year’s festival.

Comedy

Some of the heavyweights of the local comedy scene return in style to this year’s Suidoosterfees. The iconic Joe Barber celebrates 25 years with new antics from Boeta Joe and Gamat.

Marc Lottering, Marianne Thamm, Cathy Specific, and others serve up biting wit and cultural commentary, with Thamm skewering Trump and Musk in a satirical turn. Finally, Veronique Jephtas as Mavis vannie Lavis guarantees hilarity with a local twist.

Workshops and Development

Hands-on learning is centre stage at Suidoosterfees this year. Liezl de Kock’s ATKV drama workshops offer intensive creative training with access to various shows and critical discussions, while RSG’s broadcasting workshop gives aspiring radio hosts a rare backstage pass.

Meanwhile, the Suidoosterfees final rounds for the choir competition and Talent Search promise rising stars and community pride.

Dance

This year, three dynamic works by Figure of 8 Dance Company—Die een wat bly, Maze of the Mind, and Dance Synergy Volume IV—anchor the dance line-up with personal stories, social commentary, and artistic flair. Meanwhile, The Blueprint dazzles with choreography and visuals focused on queer identity.

Free public dance classes are also taking place. With popular styles such contemporary dance, Amapiano (TikTok), musical theatre and Vogue fem, there’s something for everyone to move to and enjoy.

“Onse Afrikaans” – Image and Sound

Language takes centre stage in Onse Afrikaans, a video series by Sandra Prinsloo presented by the Foundation for Empowerment through Afrikaans (SBA). Each episode explores a unique dialect or variety of Afrikaans, including Tsotsi Afrikaans, Karoo Afrikaans, Flaaitaal and Gayle, celebrating the rich linguistic diversity of the language.

Screened daily and free to the public at the SBA Isibaya Cinema, each episode is accessible with Sign Language and English subtitles, underlining the festival’s commitment to inclusivity.

Visual Art

Curated by Carin Bester, the 2025 Suidoosterfees art programme explores togetherness and community through a rich tapestry of exhibitions and performance art.

Kirby van der Merwe’s Pulp Fiction features large-scale paintings drawn from the psyche of Eugene, the protagonist in Van der Merwe’s novel of the same name. The trauma depicted in these artworks brings literary and visual storytelling into powerful dialogue.

In Stormkaap: Kom drome andersom uit?, artists Nathan and André Trantraal, alongside Ashley Marais, showcase over 20 years of strip art that blends the political with the personal. Finally, The Ihaos Project by CPUT Wellington students brings an interactive installation to Artscape, tracing family trees across campuses to counter colonial silences and revive ancestral narratives.

Expect surprises throughout Artscape’s more unconventional corners, where pop-up exhibitions and live art blur the line between spectator and participant.

Theatre for Young People

The Suidoosterfees continues its tradition of spotlighting emerging voices through an impressive youth and educational theatre programme. The NATi Rising Stars initiative, in partnership with NATi, the Jakes Gerwel Foundation, and Artscape, gives a professional debut platform to five new plays by young creators. This year’s premieres span Afrikaans, English and Sotho, offering fresh perspectives through works like Bella van’ie bôl and In Her Your Our Shoes.

The ATKV Youth Theatre programme brings student and amateur theatre into the spotlight, featuring productions from Northlink College (Queenie-hulle, En Silencio), CPUT (These Are Heavy on Us), and competition-winning pieces from Plettenberg Bay and Take a Bow. Top school productions also return, including 12 Reasons, 4 Solutions by Fairdale no. 2 High and Weg by Durbanville High, both previous festival favourites.

The WCED’s Proscenium programme features 15 brand new short plays performed by learners, enriching classroom drama with fresh content and mentorship.

For the youngest audiences, a charming children’s theatre lineup promises delight with shows like Liewe Heksie en die wals, Skoonlief en die Ondier, and Stinkie. Meanwhile, The SBA’s digital reading corner offers interactive storytelling in multiple languages, including accessible versions for visually impaired children on braille tablets.

The youth-centric SOF Junior festival returns from 5–8 May, extending the festival’s impact to classrooms and educators. With partners such as Penguin Random House and the WCED, the SOF Junior festival enriches learning through the arts from Grade 1 through 12.