THEATRE THINK TANK LOOKS AT THE IMPORTANCE OF SATIRICAL THEATRE IN SOUTH AFRICA
On 1 March 2025, The Market Theatre Laboratory will present its first Theatre Think Tank instalment for 2025, titled Satire, Subversion & Sacrilege: We Laugh So That We Do Not Scream. This Theatre Think Tank, which aims to poke holes in what we think we know about making satirical theatre, will be curated by Theatre-Maker and Director, Kyla Davis, who is also the founding Artistic Director of Well Worn Theatre Company as well as Co-director of The Johannesburg School of Mask and Movement Theatre (JMAM).
“South Africa and the wider world present us daily with rich pickings for mockery and ridicule. Big issues such as Inequality, Patriarchy, AI, Climate Change (to name a cheery few) and an ever more absurd and untenable political landscape, offer ample fuel for theatre-makers, artists and creatives on the hunt for new material,” she says.
Davis adds that the role of satire is to guide humanity through difficult times, making us laugh so that we don’t scream. “Some argue that it is the duty of The Artist to reflect humankind back upon itself, pointing out, with humour and grace, those nasty parts of ourselves that we shouldn’t ignore. Further, we could say that it is not only our duty, as artists, to roll up our sleeves and sift through the muck of our collective psyches, but that our very existence as a species depends on it. If this were true, then satire is a tool not only for entertainment, but for survival as well.”
According to Cherae Halley, Head of The Market Theatre Laboratory, the purpose of the Theatre Think Tanks is to explore and reflect on the wealth of knowledge enacted, embodied and performed by practitioners in the arts, culture and heritage fields. The specific aim is to gather, organise and ultimately draw on the knowledge of local communities, making this accessible to the greater community. “This upcoming Theatre Think Tank will invite some of the sharpest eyes and ears working in the theatre industry today to reflect on their practice of making, devising, writing and performing satire. We remind ourselves of what is at the heart of the satirical play: our love for humanity,” states Halley.
If you are engaged in the arts, or are just curious, don’t miss the Satire, Subversion & Sacrilege: We Laugh So That We Do Not Scream Theatre Think Tank taking place on Saturday, 01 March 2025 at The Market Theatre Laboratory in Newtown at 18:00. The event is free, but tickets should be reserved on Webtickets.
ENDS
The Market Theatre Laboratory is a Division of The Market Theatre Foundation, an agency of the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture.
For media enquiries, please contact Bongiwe Potelwa (Publicist at the Market Theatre Foundation) at bngiwep@marketheatre.co.za or (011) 832 1641.
For reduced price block bookings (of 10 or more) and school groups, contact Anthony Ezeoke (Audience Development) at AnthonyE@markettheatre.co.za or 083 246 4950
NOTES TO EDITORS:
About Kyla Davis:
Kyla Davis is a theatre-maker, director, activist, educator, mother and occasionally, when the mood takes her, a performer. She is the founder and artistic director of Well Worn Theatre Company, an independent arts organisation in Jo’burg that creates plays that respond to eco-social justice themes. Since 2008, Well Worn Theatre has produced and toured the length and breadth of South Africa with productions such as Planet B, Rat Race, The Baobab, Plastocracy, Galela and, more recently, Burning Rebellion. Kyla is also the co-founder and co-director of The Johannesburg School of Mask and Movement Theatre (JMAM), a training programme dedicated to the development of artistic excellence in aspiring theatre-makers, performers, practitioners and artists wishing to expand their creative and poetic limits.
Most recently, Kyla co-devised and performed in ‘The Agents’, an irreverent and satirical take on the real estate industry and the pitfalls of rampant Capitalism. When not consumed by the hustle of making theatre in uncertain times, Kyla can be found in her garden, pretending to know which plant is which; or on the street, causing a ruckus with a mask or a megaphone.
About The Market Theatre Laboratory:
Homed under the umbrella of The Market Theatre Foundation, The Market Theatre Lab is a multi-award-winning arts incubator, with a reputation for facilitating the development of exceptional young theatre-makers, facilitators, actors, writers and directors, and for creating innovative and relevant new plays. With multiple local, African and global partners, the Lab strives to create enriching experiences that contribute to the personal and artistic growth of each person who participates in our programmes. When The Market Theatre Laboratory opened its doors in 1989, the intention of its founders, Vanessa Cooke, Dr John Kani and Barney Simon, was to provide opportunities to talented youth from disadvantaged backgrounds who would not otherwise be able to pursue their passion for the arts or study further. This remains an integral part of The Lab’s purpose, along with a determination to assist young artists to build sustainable careers, and to create space and visibility for subaltern experiences, voices and identities. The Market Theatre Laboratory is led by Cherae Halley, with all projects managed by Thandeka Nheke.
