Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards

The Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards are a well known and respected set of theatre awards on offer in the Western Cape since 1979.

History

Fleur du Cap was originally the name of one of a famous old wine farm in Somerset West and a brand name used by Stellenbosch Farmers' Winery. This name was chosen as the name under which the former Three Leaf Arts Awards were to be made from 1979 onwards, when Stellenbosch Farmers' Winery and Distillers Corporation merged to form Distell and the Oude Meester Foundation for the Arts (later the Distell Arts and Culture) became the sponsors. When speaking of them, people tend to say someone has won a Fleur du Cap Award or more often simply a Fleur du Cap.

Awards and winners

The awards recognise excellence in theatre by giving awards to top professionals for distinguished acting, directing and technical abilities in 16 different categories. There is also a Special Lifetime Achievement Award and the People’s Choice Award, which are announced and presented at the ceremony.

2023

Held at the Oude Libertas Amphitheatre in Stellenbosch on Sunday, 26 March 2023.

Winners of the 58th Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards are:

1. AWARD FOR MOST PROMISING STUDENT Mikayla Joy Brown | University of Stellenbosch/Honours

2. BEST NEW SOUTH AFRICAN SCRIPT Nadia Davids | Hold Still

3. BEST NEW DIRECTOR Carlo Daniels | No Complaints - New Day, New Dawn

4. BEST THEATRE PRODUCTION FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE Marinda Engelbrecht and Margit Meyer-Rödenbeck | Vlooi en die geheim/Kipper and the Secret

5. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ENSEMBLE Marcel Meyer, Matthew Baldwin and Lungile Lallie | Contested Bodies | Doctor James Barry, Lord Charles Somerset and John Nobody

6. BEST PERFORMANCE IN A REVUE, CABARET OR ONE-PERSON SHOW Daniel Newton | Shadow Boxing | Flynn

7. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MUSICAL OR MUSIC THEATRE SHOW Earl Gregory | Star+Crossed | Billy

8. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL OR MUSIC THEATRE SHOW Isabella Jane | Star+Crossed | Bess

9. BEST PUPPETRY DESIGN Adrian Kohler | Handspring Puppet Company | Life and Times of Michael K

10. BEST LIGHTING DESIGN Gideon Lombard | Karatara

11. BEST SET DESIGN Greg King | Fordsburg’s Finest

12. BEST COSTUME DESIGN Marcel Meyer | Contested Bodies

13. BEST SOUND DESIGN, ORIGINAL MUSIC, SOUNDSCAPE OR LIVE PERFORMANCE Gideon Lombard | Karatara | Sound design

14. BEST PERFORMANCE IN AN OPERA – MALE Conroy Scott | Le Nozze di Figaro | Figaro

15. BEST PERFORMANCE IN AN OPERA – FEMALE Brittany Smith | Le Nozze di Figaro | Susanna

16. BEST PERFORMANCE BY A SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A PLAY Carlo Daniels | The Unlikely Secret Agent | Various roles

17. BEST PERFORMANCE BY A SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A PLAY Berenice Barbier | Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf | Honey

18. BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEAD ACTRESS IN A PLAY Mwenya Kabwe | Hold Still | Rosa Feigel

19. BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEAD ACTOR IN A PLAY Mncedisi Shabangu | Blood Knot | Zacharia

20. BEST DIRECTOR Fred Abrahamse | Contested Bodies

21. BEST PRODUCTION Baxter Theatre Centre; Theater der Welt, Düsseldorf; Les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg | Life and Times of Michael K

2024

The winners of the 59th Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards, sponsored by HEINEKEN Beverages, were announced on 17 March 2024 at a glittering ceremony at the Baxter Theatre Centre in Rondebosch, Cape Town.

The winners of the 59th Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards are:

MOST PROMISING STUDENT Angelique Viaan Filter | University of Stellenbosch

BEST NEW SOUTH AFRICAN SCRIPT Tiisetso Mashifane wa Noni | Delela

BEST NEW DIRECTOR Amée Lekas | African Gothic | Drama

BEST THEATRE PRODUCTION FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE The King of Broken Things | Theatresmiths

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ENSEMBLE Oedipus at Colonus #aftersophocles | Buhle T Stefane, Azola Mkhabile, Mihlali Bele, Lindokuhle Melaphi, Thabo Mkenene, Kuhle Myathaza, Nosiphiwo Ndabeni, Siphenathi Siqwayi, Wendy Mrali, Moluphi Lepeli and Sipho Kalako

BEST PERFORMANCE IN A REVUE, CABARET OR SOLO SHOW Marlo Minnaar | Die halwe huis | Bumper Jansen

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL OR MUSIC THEATRE SHOW William Berger | The Sound of Music | Max Detweiler

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL OR MUSIC THEATRE SHOW Tankiso Mamabolo | Ziyana | Mother

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEAD ACTOR IN A MUSICAL OR MUSIC THEATRE SHOW Stuart Brown | We Will Rock You | Galileo

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEAD ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL OR MUSIC THEATRE SHOW Brittany Smith | The Sound of Music | Maria Rainer

BEST PUPPETRY DESIGN Luyanda Nogodlwana | Maxeke: This work is not for yourselves | Drama

BEST LIGHTING DESIGN Nicolaas de Jongh | Die fel omstrede kroon van Edward II en Gaveston | Drama

BEST SET DESIGN Joshua Lindberg | The Promise – On Stage | Drama

BEST COSTUME DESIGN Marthinus Basson | Die fel omstrede kroon van Edward II en Gaveston | Drama

BEST SOUND DESIGN, ORIGINAL MUSIC, SOUNDSCAPE OR LIVE PERFORMANCE Charl-Johan Lingenfelder | The Promise – On Stage | Sound design and original score

BEST PERFORMANCE IN AN OPERA – MALE Lukhanyo Moyake | Tosca | Mario Cavaradossi

BEST PERFORMANCE IN AN OPERA – FEMALE Nobulumko Mngxekeza | Tosca | Floria Tosca

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A PLAY Mark Elderkin | A Midsummer Night’s Dream | Bottom

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A PLAY Jennifer Steyn | The Beauty Queen of Leenane | Mag Folan

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEAD ACTOR IN A PLAY Brent Palmer | King George | George Megalos

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEAD ACTRESS IN A PLAY Sandra Prinsloo | Die moeder | Anna

BEST DIRECTOR Marthinus Basson | Die fel omstrede kroon van Edward II en Gaveston | Drama

BEST PRODUCTION Die moeder | US Woordfees | Drama

Judges

The judges are drawn from the industry and include critics, academics, and other informed workers in the industry.

Award Ceremonies

The Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards are presented in March. Formerly it was an afternoon affair held on a Sunday, but in the late 1990s, under the auspices of Distell Arts and Culture, it became a more glamorous evening affair hosted by a Cape Town theatre, where South African entertainers perform and tickets are made available to the general public through Computicket. All funds generated are donated to development in the performing arts.