The Market Theatre Presents Mantsopa

New Mantsopa-Inspired Play With Music Celebrates the Resilience of African Women

Following a highly successful staged reading performed at The Market Theatre on 5 October 2024, Mantsopa, a play with music written and directed by veteran actor and theatre-maker, Dr. Jerry Mofokeng wa Makhetha, makes a return as a fully developed production, running for 10 performances from 30 April – 11 May.

Mantsopa, whose grave lies at Modderpoort in the eastern Free State, was born in 1793 and died in 1908. A survivor of famine and subsequent cannibalism, she grew to become a trusted advisor to King Moshoeshoe I, correctly predicting victorious battle outcomes for Basotho against colonial settlers and speaking truth to power with unshaking honesty. Mantsopa’s tale is interwoven with the very existence of Basotho, highlighting the immense contributions of women in shaping history. Gifted with sharp foresight and divine wisdom, she stands as a symbol of resilient femininity and a source of hope to many women battling structural limitations.

In this brand new work, the story of diviner, seer and rainmaker, Mantsopa, is shared through the journey of her fictitious great-granddaughter, Tholoana, who has inherited the gift of song. Tholoana’s blossoming music career coincides with echoes from the spirit world to take her great-grandmother’s gift. As she struggles to reconcile the gift and the calling, Mantsopa’s towering greatness compassionately guides her through the internal conflict. Tholoana’s journey of refusing to be reduced to the entrapments of fame delivers a powerful message for women to claim their power.

The Market Theatre has partnered with TheatreDuo & Co for a season of The Fall, an award-winning collaborative protest theatre piece originally written by post-grad Drama majors at the University of Cape Town and first produced by The Baxter Theatre Centre. The original production went on to enjoy multiple outings in Europe and the USA, receiving commercial and critical acclaim as it sold out venues and earned raving reviews from leading publications such as The New York Times. After its premiere in 2016 at The Baxter Theatre in Cape Town, The Fall went to the Edinburgh Fringe in 2017, and later toured to London in the UK, as well as New York and Washington D.C in the U.S.

Now in its re-imagined instalment, The Fall comes to The Market Theatre with a fresh new take, co-directed by the award-winning Mahlatsi Mokgonyana and Billy Langa, in collaboration with Ernest “Ginger” Baleni in movement direction.

This searing and insightful play recounts the experiences of #RhodesMustFall activists who called for the removal of the towering statue of British imperialist, Cecil John Rhodes, from the University of Cape Town. It further examines the crosscutting roles that race, class, gender, sexism, colonialism and the ideologies of patriarchy play in the perpetuation of discrimination.

A curatorial companion to The Fall is playwright Mike van Graan’s new work, The Good White. It is directed by multi-award-winning writer and director, Greg Homann, who is also The Market Theatre Foundation’s Artistic Director.

This explosive new play aims to interrogate South Africa’s non-racial project using #FeesMustFall as a context. It presents a scathing critique, making a compelling call to reflection on nation-building, national unity and non-racialism. All this is brilliantly delivered with a power and theatricality that makes for an unforgettable experience.

It’s 2016 – Jacob Zuma is in power, corruption is rife, and the “born-free” generation is taking to the streets as the #FeesMustFall movement demands change. Four characters, played by an outstanding cast (Russel Savadier, Renate Stuurman, Vusi Kunene and Shonisani Masutha), are forced to confront their beliefs, their identities, and the choices that define them. As ideals are tested, their journey reflects a nation grappling with its past and future.

Highlighting the historical importance of the Fallist movement and its contribution to reshaping post-struggle student politics, The Market Theatre Foundation’s Artistic Director, Greg Homann, explains that the objective of these two intersecting plays is to show the complexities of race and transformation, following witty, relatable and complicated characters that reflect the realities of those who were involved in, and impacted by, #FeesMustFall. Homann further states that these creative explorations underscore the historical function of The Market Theatre, reaffirming its global recognition as a space for protest theatre in its nearly 50 years of existence.

“As we gear up for our 50th Anniversary milestone in 2026, we continue to fulfil our historical role of being a vibrant space for staging entertaining and compelling protest theatre, and showcasing creative explorations that confront injustice and give a voice to the under-represented. The Fallist movement, much like the 1976 student uprisings in whose wake The Market Theatre was formed, played a crucial role in conscientising us to the hardships of young people in post-struggle South Africa. These two complementary productions are therefore an invitation to a multilayered, nuanced and necessary conversation about access to, and success in, institutions of higher learning for the disadvantaged.”

Catch The Fall from 9 April 2025 and The Good White from 8 May 2025 at The Market Theatre. Tickets available on Webtickets, with all Wednesdays at half-price and special discounts for preview performances and when tickets are bought for groups of four or more.

Show Information:
Mantsopa

Venue:
John Kani Theatre at The Market Theatre

Dates & Times:
30 April – 11 May 2025
Wednesday to Friday at 19h00
Saturday at 15h00 & 19h00
Sunday at 15h00

Tickets:
Tickets from R170 – R275

Bookings:
Can be made through Webtickets

Age Restriction:
PG