Mail & Guardian
Mail & Guardian
live performancelatest news & developments
The Cape Town theatre complex celebrates its 55th anniversary by reflecting on transformation, accessibility and the evolving role of public cultural institutions

Artscape celebrates 55 years by opening its doors wider than ever

The Cape Town theatre complex celebrates its 55th anniversary by reflecting on transformation, accessibility and the evolving role of public cultural institutions

Intentional: Billy Monama quotes Nelson Mandela on the power of
music to elevate and liberate, to unite people in a shared voice.

Billy Monama is staging a revival of memory

The Rebirth of Ubuntu returns with a focus on legacy, as Billy Monama pushes for music that remembers, questions and resonates beyond the stage

A visually arresting, multidisciplinary spectacle challenges both narrative clarity and audience comfort, raising questions about how theatre must evolve for modern spectators

‘mAnJE! MaNJe (an epic)’ demands prompt attention at The Baxter

A visually arresting, multidisciplinary spectacle challenges both narrative clarity and audience comfort, raising questions about how theatre must evolve for modern spectators

Spirit leader: Zawadi Yamungu.

Zawadi Yamungu: The African Dramaturg

Blending jazz, folk and indigenous instrumentation, Zawadi crafts a sound that reconnects audiences to heritage while confronting the politics of the present

Audiences can expect a set that moves between Lordkez’s earlier, more experimental work and her newer, R&B-driven material.

Lordkez brings R&B-rooted sound to Cape Town International Jazz Festival debut

Blending R&B, soul and jazz, Lordkez arrives at CTIJF with a clearer sense of identity and a growing reputation as a compelling live performer.

Back to love: Judith Sephuma on legacy, music and the long road home

From global stages to intimate performances, Judith Sephuma shares what has sustained her career and what she hopes to build

Jonny Grundy and Manuel Artino perform their lyra hoop act which has
been added to the line-up.

Splish splash: Zingara’s new high-flying dance of bathtub joy

A daring duo turn a humble bathtub into a stage for sensual acrobatics, aerial feats and playful humour in the latest show at Zingara’s Cape Town spiegeltent

cellist Mietze Dill

Great art has no gender: Female composers take centre stage in Wakkerstroom

Overlooked women composers are finally given their due as Wakkerstroom’s 2026 festival spotlights music long sidelined by history and patriarchy

Creating a movement: Two of Septober Energy’s co-founders Flames Shilowa (Vusi Hlatywayo) (left) and
Sound of Xee (Xolisa Tshomela) (right). Photo: Supplied

Umbrella of sound and resistance

More than a collective, Septober Energy is a living ecosystem, weaving archival research, DJ sets and experimental performance into South Africa’s sonic landscape

Smooth jazz: Gregory Porter music bridges eras and emotions with sincerity and grace. Photo: Erik Umphery

Diary: Gregory Porter in SA; Zeitz MOCAA symposium; DJ Bob Jazz Club

Your essential dose of art and culture

Inspired: American hip-hop star Lupe Fiasco performs at the Back to the City Festival in Johannesburg

Lupe Fiasco’s mural of purpose, craft and substance

For years, Lupe Fiasco’s music lived softly in my mind – a hum of resistance, a reminder of truth. Then, under Joburg’s stormy sky, I finally stood before the man who wields…

Travelling together: Jesse Clegg and Msaki collaborated on Entropy, which is due to be released in January. Photo: Marty Bleazard

Msaki and Jesse Clegg on friendship, chaos and creation

When two artists stopped planning and started listening, they found music, and meaning, in the natural disorder of life

Life re-engineered: Comedian Vafa Naraghi, who hails from Mahikeng in North West, is about to embark on his first solo national tour, titled Becoming South African. Photo: Man Magazine South Africa

‘This Is the most alive I’ve felt: Vafa Naraghi on language, laughter and the journey of belonging

From an engineering degree to over 570 000 followers, Vafa Naraghi reflects on taking a leap of faith into comedy

Hip-hopping: The Back to the City Festival will take place in Johannesburg on 11 October. Photo: Supplied

Diary: Back to the City Festival; Babalwa Mentjies; A Protea Is Not a Flower

Your essential dose of art and culture

In her own words: The Mail & Guardian’s multimedia journalist Busi Lethole explores her vocal range. Photo: Nova4Media
Video

How I became a rockstar in four months

Rebecca Malope sparked a fire in me as a child. Decades later, I honoured that flame with my first full-band performance

New hope: Lumanyano ‘Mzi’ Bizana will be performing in Cape Town after a stint abroad. Photo: Henry Schulz

Diary: Mandisi Dyantyis goes symphonic with the Cape Town Philharmonic, Lumanyano Mzi debuts Ithemba Elitsha at The Basement, Riaad Moosa brings What’s the Point? to Durban.

Your essential dose of art and culture

Between bows and hymns: Zawadi’s Ngimuhle and the sound of ancestral play

Through voice and vision, Zawadi channels her foremothers to reimagine tradition with soul, instinct and sonic power

Diary: Jazz in the Lights, Dance for all, Street art in Maboneng

Your essential dose of art and culture