Jason Wheeler
Jason Wheeler (2001-) is a playwright and director.
Contents
Biography
Born in 2001, he completed an Honours Degree (Cum Laude) at AFDA in Johannesburg in 2023, majoring in Live Performance and Theatremaking. He was appointed as an Associate Playwright at The Market Theatre in 1924, where he was mentored by Maralin Vanrenen and also had the privilege of collaborating with other theatre veterans including Vanessa Cooke and Palesa Mazamisa.
Contribution to SA theatre, film, media and or/performance
He has written a number of plays, often directing them himself. They include:
2019: Wrote, directed and performed in Birds of a Feather in his final year. This was staged at the National Arts Festival.
2024/2023: He co-wrote and performed in 4:59 which was directed by MoMo Matsunyane. Staged at the National Arts Festival, RedFest and at the Wits Theatre Complex.
2025: He wrote and directed The Queer in the Queue which was staged at The Market Theatre.
He wrote The Marvelous Mr Moffie which was one of three plays to win the STAND Global South Playwright Award. It was staged as a reading, directed by Jason Wheeler with Vanessa Cooke, Tessa Jubber, Joël Leonard, S'boniso Thombeni and Ter Holmann. The script was subsequently adapted into a radio play that aired on SAFm.
He was one of six playwrights invited to be part of the first version of Jeremy Goldstein's project This is Who I Am[1] at the Market Theatre with Palesa Mazamisa, Gina Schmukler, Hannah van Tonder and Lehelehonolo Shale.
Sources
E-mail correspondence with Jason Wheeler, 10-11 December, 2025.
https://markettheatre.co.za/2025/09/
https://www.stage32.com/profile/891436/about
https://markettheatre.co.za/this-is-who-i-am/
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