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In Swan Song, multiple award-winning South African actor Buhle Ngaba invites audiences into a visceral coming of age journey rooted in mythology, memory, and the aching need to belong. Inspired by the ancient belief that swans sing only once, at the moment of their death, the play follows a young Tswana woman in Johannesburg, born with a winged scapula The production is brought vividly to life within the confines of a tiny flat through the evocative direction of Ilana Cilliers.

Originally conceived during Ngaba’s Brett Goldin Bursary at the Royal Shakespeare Company, Swan Song premiered in 2018 and earned her two Kanna Theatre Awards including “Best Upcoming Artist.” The production has since seen sold-out shows at Suidooster Kunstefees (South Africa, 2021), Wiener Festwochen (Vienna, 2022), and the Basel Theater Festival (Switzerland, 2022). Critics have described  the production as “a touching, gripping and contemporary solo performance.” Die Presse (Austria) and Ngaba's performance as one that “ lingers long after the final moment—achingly beautiful and fearlessly honest.”. Swan Song is a powerful meditation on identity, loss, and the fierce beauty of having loved at all. 

Credits:
Text, Performance : Buhle Ngaba
Director : Ilana Cilliers
Design : Ilana Cilliers, Amy Rusch
Image: Shaun Oelf
With artwork by : Amy Rusch
Production : Nicolette Moses, Maru Factory

Get ready for loads of laughter while embracing the unexpected with Causing a Scene : Joburg's hottest improv group!

This fearless ensemble of quick witted performers transform any stage into a whirlwind of hilarious scenes, outrageous characters and spontaneous brilliance with everything made up on the spot with the help of audience suggestion. 

Players include : Jess Taylor, Tshepang Khunou, Martin Grendele, Ncumisa Ndimeni, Nidaa Hussain, Jess Taylor, Chrisophocus Seboka and Hayleigh Evans!

Bring all your friends and get ready to make some fun suggestions. 

It's time for another official 30 DAY VUKA ACTOR CHALLENGE!

The 30 day challenge starts on 1 September 2025, and brings you 30 days of awesome and exciting community based activities to live your best actor life throughout this summer! Join us as we get a kick start to living our best physically and acting fit lives to take us into the last quarter of the year as healthy, active and practised performers.

The challenge offers community inspiration along with practical actors exercises for a full 30 day injection of self investment. 

For R 150 (that's R 20 a day), you'll be able to join : 

- Weekly live VUKA sessions at POPArt and other spaces

- Daily mail inspirations and community motivation 

- A weekly programme including bonus professional classes, as well as tips and tricks from the professional community 

- Exercises and content to take with you forever

- A chance to share your work in a showcase at POPArt on 30 Sept! 

... as well as a chance to win an Ub'dope Merch and photoshoot for the overall challenge winner!

We'll be gathering as much as possible, but there will always be an online component. 

For actors participating, we are also including a text component, which means you'll have the chance to work on, perfect and present a piece on the final day. 

Fresh from successful runs in Makhanda and Cape Town, Alan Parker presents his new physical theatre work, “Fallen (and I can’t get up)”. At its heart, the work is a playful but poignant exploration of ‘comfort zones’ – those literal and figurative spaces many of us retreat to when we feel threatened or need to feel safe. The work considers our changing relationships with our spaces of comfort and how these necessary spaces might sometimes hinder rather than hold us - asking: what do we do when our spaces of safety no longer do what they are meant to?

The work is created and performed by Alan Parker, with dramaturgy by Gavin Krastin, and costume design and construction by Shiba Sopotela.

The performance is 50 minutes in duration, with a recommended age restriction of 14+ (mature themes).