There are 95 productions from around the country on the line-up for this year’s Cape Town Fringe. Here’s a quick introduction to 10 shows you may not want to miss. We’ll be adding to the list as we get closer to the start of the Fringe on 21 September.

  1. (w)asem (Meermin Produksies, Western Cape) is a dramatic comedy with elements of physical theatre, performance art and spoken word. Aimed at youth between the ages of 14 and up,
    this solo work deals with issues of race, sexuality and identity.
  2. 2LATE (Ladimash Productions, Polokwane) has teenagers as its primary target audience and tackles the issue of teenage pregnancy.
  3. Abangabonwa (Sibonelo Dance Project, Western Cape) is a dance piece in four movements, directed and choreographed by Mzokuthula Gasa. The title means “the unseen” in isiZulu and draws on “the unheard” stories of people living in the townships in poverty.
  4. Unmute Dance Company’s Access Me unpacks the theme of access through movement and is based on the dancers’ personal struggles and triumphs of accessibility.

    Acoustiq Assassins Xperience – an evening of music, dance and spoken word

  5. From KZN, Acoustiq Assassins Xperience is an evening of stories expressed through music, dance and spoken word. Accompanied by a contemporary dancer, this trio of storytelling musicians perform poetic, minimalistic music using two acoustic guitars, a djembe, a keyboard and a trumpet.
  6. Conceptualised and hosted by Mandisi Sindo from the Makukhanye Art Room, Bacah forms part of a series of events, designed as public conversations to explore the importance of black art, black artists and black communities in a democratic South Africa.
  7. Kieron “Bam Bam” Brown is a producer and singer-songwriter who has been both at the forefront and on the foundational side of the Cape Town music scene. He was the former frontman for both Saintfearless and Feverston and has now branched off into a solo career.
  8. Makukhanye Art Room’s Bars & Beats Emcee Challenge aims to encourage youth to gain knowledge, practice and to use hip hop to develop both themselves and their community.
  9. Bayephi, a theatre production from the Eastern Cape directed by Thembela Madliki, is set against three decades of South African history (1970s to late 90s). The play deals with loss, recollection and finding closure through remembering those whose spirits we continue to mourn.
  10. Presented by Ibhongolethu, Black Pride is a poetry and music performance work in isiXhosa and English.