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Welcome to '''''The Encyclopaedia of South African Theatre, Film, Media and Performance (ESAT)''''', the online, [[open access]], digital reference work on theatre, film, media and performance in South Africa. 
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__NOTOC__
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''(Latest version of the '''Main Page''': 7 July, 2016)''
 
  
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'''''(To skip the rest of this introductory background section, and go directly to the entries, click here: [[The ESAT Entries|THE ESAT ENTRIES]])'''''
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<big>'''''[[ESAT]]''''': '''''[[The Encyclopaedia of South African Theatre, Film, Media and Performance]] '''''</big>
  
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An [[Open access|open-access]], online record of theatre, film, media and performance in South Africa — its history, forms, people and places.
  
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= '''About ESAT''' =
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''Founding editor: [[Temple Hauptfleisch]]. A project of the [[University of Stellenbosch]] Drama Department.''
  
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[[ESAT]] is a Wiki-based, online, open access encyclopaedia, currently being edited by [[Temple Hauptfleisch]] (founder, editor and project director), with [[Freddy Ogterop]], [[Johann van Heerden]] and [[Miriam Terblanche]] as assistant editors. Hosted by [[Stellenbosch University]]
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''Current editors [[Temple Hauptfleisch]] and [[Annel Pieterse]]''
  
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Conceived in the early 1980s and registered as a research project  in 1994 by [[Temple Hauptfleisch]], it was originally intended for publication in printed book format (see ''[[Companion to South African Theatre and Performance|COMSAT]]''). However in 2008 the switch was made to the current digital, online publication, which was opened up for public access and use in late 2011.  The current open-access reference work is the result of a national research programme, involving a large number of voluntary writers, researchers, editors and technical supporters over more than 15 years. Sponsorship has come from a number of institutions, among which the most prominent have been the [[Human Sciences Research Council]] ([[HSRC]]), the [[National Research Foundation]] ([[NRF]]) and the [[University of Stellenbosch]].
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''<small>This page last updated on 18 August 2026.</small>''
  
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'''For more detailed information about specific aspects of ''[[Encyclopaedia of South African Theatre, Film, Media and Performance|ESAT]]''''', click on the appropriate link below:
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== Start here ==
  
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#[[About ESAT|Aims, organizational structure]]
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* '''[[The ESAT Entries|Browse all entries]]''' — over 25,500 entries, grouped into sixteen categories.
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#[[Contributors]]
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* '''Search''' — use the search box at the top right of the page (or press Alt+F) to jump straight to a person, play, venue or company.
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#[[Background, origins and history of ESAT]]
 
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#[[Basic principles in editing and using ESAT]]
 
  
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''The encyclopaedia holds over 25,500 full entries. Since its launch in 2011 the main page has been viewed over 2.5 million times, and all its articles over 140 million times.''
  
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You can also consult the entry on the '''[[Encyclopaedia of South African Theatre, Film, Media and Performance]]''' in the encylopaedia itself.
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== What's New? ==
  
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= '''The [[ESAT]] address''' =
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'''August 2026'''
  
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'''''The Editor: ESAT, Department of Drama, University of Stellenbosch, Private Bag X1, MATIELAND 7602, South Africa.'''''
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'''''Staff news:''''' On 17 August, 2026, [[ESAT]] contributor Dr [[Annel Pieterse Roux]] joined the management team as co-project-leader and co-editor of the encyclopaedia. 
  
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'''E-mail address: satj@sun.ac.za'''
 
  
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'''Fax number: (+ 27) 21 882 9141'''
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'''''New entries:
  
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'''Namaqualand on stage, the radio drama of Lee Doubell, and the 1970s touring repertoire'''''
  
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='''How to use ESAT'''=
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More than fifty new entries have been added since mid-July, alongside substantial expansions to several existing articles. The period's work falls into three large clusters — a contemporary [[Afrikaans]] playwright documented with her full oeuvre, a body of Afrikaans radio drama, and the reconstruction of a 1970s touring company — with further additions in dance history, cinema history and screen biography.
  
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While [[ESAT]] uses the [[Wiki]] programme, which makes provision for a very useful '''''search''''' function, the database has avoided contemporary multi-screen web-design, and has been constructed rather more traditionally, like a printed encyclopaedia, with an '''index''' to the various entries (called '''[[The ESAT Entries]]'''). The entries in the index have been grouped in '''fifteen''' distinct categories, each one managed and edited by one of the research editors.  
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The largest single body of new material documents [[Dianne du Toit Albertze]] (19**-), a playwright, novelist, actress, director and arts journalist whose [[Afrikaans]] work draws on her native [[Namaqualand]] and on trans and queer material. Eight of her works now have entries: ''[[Bottelnek breek bek|bottelnek breek bek]]'', which she adapted from her own novel of the same title; ''[[Klip Kween]]'', about a young transgender woman who returns to her birthplace; ''[[Huis van sand]]'', set in a caravan park outside Springbok; ''[[Kaap]]'', which engages the sound, colour and colonial history of Cape Town; the one-performer tragicomedy ''[[Katrina Kakkerlak]]''; the twenty-minute one-woman drama ''[[Die meermin-kompleks]]''; ''[[Kommapunt]]'', a devised piece on depression assembled from poems and prose; and ''[[’n Kraai song]]''. The cluster is anchored by a substantial new contextual entry on [[Namaqualand]] — the Afrikaans '''Namakwaland''', historically also '''Little Namaqualand''' or '''Klein-Namakwaland''', as distinguished from Great Namaqualand north of the Orange River — the longest addition of the period, and a rare instance of a geographical entry created to serve a body of dramatic work.
  
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== Important notes for everyone using '''ESAT''' ==
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[[ESAT]]'s coverage of [[Afrikaans]] [[radio drama]] has been significantly strengthened following the death of the writer [[Lee Doubell]] (1958*-2026). Six of his radio works now have entries: the serials ''[[Tien Dae]]'' and ''[[Sestig Dae]]'', and the dramas ''[[Krag]]'', ''[[Koue Kaiings]]'', ''[[Sou die Sterre Luister]]'' and ''[[Wild en Woeker]]''.
  
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# [[The focus is on pre-21st century theatre, film, media and performance ]]  
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A third cluster reconstructs [[Theatre Roundabout]] through its people and its repertoire. Nine plays from the company's mid-1970s touring seasons have been added, most of them by [[Brian Darnley]] — ''[[When the World Was Very Young]]'', ''[[The Lost Laugh]]'', ''[[The Music Makers]]'', ''[[Grinappy]]'', ''[[The Carton of Oon]]'', ''[[The 1820 Settlers]]'', ''[[STOP!]]'' and ''[[Oodles]]'' — together with ''[[The Baron Returns]]'' by [[Roger Holt]]. Company members [[Lea Hodgekinson]], [[Ann Larson]], [[Julius Exter]], [[Walter Tamsen]], [[David Chambers]], [[Stephen Scott]] and [[Christopher Voysey]] have been documented for the first time.
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# [[It is work in progress]]
 
  
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To find out more about these matters, click on the items above.
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Further [[Afrikaans]] stage work has been added: ''[[Diva]]'', the solo cabaret-theatre piece written and performed by [[Amanda Strydom]]; ''[[Oupa en Ouma]]'' by [[Leon Kruger]], on a couple married more than forty years; ''[[Seks in die suburbs]]'' by [[Francois Toerien]]; ''[[Die dinges is 'n watsem – Jan Spies kom tot verhaal]]'' by [[Johan Engelbrecht]]; the Afrikaans ''[[Dinsdae by Morrie]]'', from the play by Jeffrey Hatcher and Mitch Albom; and ''[[Duiwelsbrood]]'' by [[Annelie Botes]], staged in 2026 by [[ATKV-tak PEAAT]] at the [[Isithatha Theatre]]. The singer, director, producer and arts manager [[Niël Rademan]] (19**-), who works across cabaret, art song, folk music and music theatre, has also been documented.
  
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== Accessing the database of entries ==
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South African dance history gains an institutional lineage: [[Joburg Ballet]], formed by the 2012 merger of [[South African Ballet Theatre]] and [[Mzansi Productions]] (2006-2012), the latter founded by [[Dirk Badenhorst]], who now has his own entry; and the [[South African Academy of Drama and Ballet]], formerly affiliated to the [[University of Natal]].
  
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To access database material on the relevant category, the reader has two options:
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Venue and cinema history is represented by two East London (now KuGompo City) houses — the [[20th Century Cinema Theatre]] in Fleet Street, which seated 800 on a single air-conditioned floor, and the [[Springbok Cinema]], established before the Second World War by the Layden brothers — while [[Apollo Theatre]] now disambiguates venues in Germiston and Victoria West. New personality entries include the singer-songwriter [[Jonathan Butler]] (1961-), born in Athlone; the singer [[Ronald Joyce]] (?-2013), known initially as [[Little Ronnie Joyce]] and also raised in Athlone; the actress, director and teacher [[Gladys Lazarus]]; and the costumier, stage and publicity manager and performer [[Michael de Beer]] (1951-). On the screen side, ''[[Lied in My Hart]]'', the Afrikaans musical film by [[Ivan Hall]] also known as ''[[Song in My Heart]]'', has been documented.
  
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=== Using the '''"Search"''' function ===
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Among expansions, the Makhanda material has been substantially reworked. The entry on [[Andrew Buckland]] has been enlarged across its actor, playwright, solo performer and director sections, with linked updates to ''[[The Well Being]]'', ''[[Feedback]]'', the [[Rhodes University Drama Department]] and the [[Ubom! Eastern Cape Drama Company]]. [[Anton Calitz]] has been expanded and his cabaret ''[[Dead Slugs and Strawberries]]'' added. ''[[My Plaas se Naam is Vergenoeg]]'' has been considerably enlarged, with a corresponding update to [[Vergenoeg]]. Finally, the [[Andre Huguenet Memorial Lecture]], started by the [[Port Elizabeth Shakespearean Festival]], now has an entry listing its guest lecturers.
  
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Go to the '''''"Search"''''' block at the top right of this page (or type: Alt+F) and type in the search word/phrase.
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'''July 2026 — New entries: contemporary performance-makers and the Woordfees drama archive'''
  
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=== Using the '''Index to the ESAT Entries''' ===
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More than 70 new entries have been added to ESAT over recent weeks, with a strong focus on contemporary South African performance.
  
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Go to the '''Index to the ESAT Entries''' (below) and click on the appropriate link in the list of 16 categories of entries, then follow instructions on the landing page.
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A group of entries documents the Johannesburg live-arts world of [[Jefferson Tshabalala|Jefferson Tshabalala ("J. Bobs")]] — his production house [[Kiri Pink Nob|Kiri Pink Nob Arts]] and his works ''[[Khongolose Khommanding Khommissars]]'', ''[[Ekasi Lam]]'' and the game-show series ''[[J.Bobs Live]]'' — alongside the collaborative duo [[Theatre Duo]] ([[Billy Langa]] and [[Mahlatsi Mokgonyana]]) and the award-winning Afrikaans production house [[Polony]]. The poet-performer [[Kgafela oa Magogodi]] has also been documented for the first time.
  
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New play and company entries include the dark comedy ''[[Amper, Vrystaat]]'' by [[Nico Scheepers]], the one-man music-theatre piece ''[[Ek is nie Danie]]'' by [[Danie Marais]], the Cape Town company [[Spark in the Dark]], and a run of Afrikaans works and translations such as ''[[Skeer op Richmond]]'' ([[Saartjie Botha]]), ''[[Bullets over Bishop Lavis]]'' ([[Christo Davids]] and [[Jody Abrahams]]), ''[[Skop]]'', ''[[Grieta kry geleerdheid]]'', ''[['n Lewe in die Teater]]'' and ''[[Voor ek vergeet]]''.
  
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='''INDEX TO THE ESAT ENTRIES'''=
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On the festival side, the [[Sanlam Dramafees]] — the former sponsor-branded name of the [[Woordfees|US Woordfees]] drama programme in Stellenbosch, used in the early 2010s and later renamed the Toneelfees — now has an entry, together with the first production write-ups from the 2010 festival: ''[[Maskermaan]]'' by [[Cecilia du Toit]], ''[[Suurgat II]]'' by [[Leon Kruger]], ''[[Daan de Wet hou sy oog op die bal]]'' by [[Gaerin Hauptfleisch]], and ''[['n Koeksister vir Zuma]]'', [[Pieter-Dirk Uys]]'s satirical solo turn as [[Evita Bezuidenhout]]. A new overview entry on [[South African sketch comedy]] traces the form's local history.
  
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The entries for [[ESAT]] have been grouped in sixteen categories, managed and edited by one of the research editors. (Please note that public celebratory events and [[Pageant|pageants]] are viewed as single [[Performance|performances]] or [[Theatrical event|theatrical events]] for the [[South_African_Theatre/Plays|Stage Plays]], while [[Festival|festivals]] and competitions are listed in a separate category as [[South_African_Festivals|Festivals and Competitions]].)
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New reference and screen-history entries include the documentary filmmaker [[Michael Duffett]] (1956–2021) and the film ''[[The Gods Must Be Crazy]]'' (1980); the bilingual essay collection ''[[Die Breytie-Boek/The Breytie Book]]'', dedicated to [[P.P.B. Breytenbach]]; the cabaret ''[[Die Siel van Eugene Marais]]'' by [[Amanda Bothma]]; and J.M. Barrie's classic ''[[Peter Pan; or, The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up]]''.
 +
Browse all new additions via [[Special:NewPages|recent additions]] or explore the full encyclopaedia at [[The ESAT Entries]].
  
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'''IMPORTANT''':
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'''June 2026 — New entries: people, plays, companies and venues'''
  
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For information on  the ''bibliographic conventions'' used in [[ESAT]] listings as a whole, go to: '''[[ESAT Bibliographic Conventions]]'''
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Fifty new entries have been added to ESAT this month, spanning four centuries of South African theatre history.
  
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'''''To access database material on the relevant category, click on the appropriate link below.'''''
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Among the new personality entries, [[Pieter Madibuseng Odendaal]] is a bilingual Afrikaans and English poet, playwright and educator whose multilingual drama ''[[Droomwerk]]'' won the 2021 [[ATKV-Woordveertjie]] and was nominated for the [[Hertzog Prize]]. [[Adrian van Wyk]], who has also performed as "Diff", is a Cape Town–based performance poet, filmmaker and cultural historian, documented here for the first time. Two historical figures have also been added: [[Vivienne Adley]], a Durban-born singer and actress who performed widely in the mid-twentieth century; and [[Thomas Barrow-Dowling]] (1861–1926), a British-born organist and choirmaster who made a significant contribution to musical life in South Africa.
  
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'''Overviews of South African Theatre, Film, Media and Performance'''
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On the plays side, ''[[The Scarlet Pimpernel]]'', the 1903 adventure drama by Baroness Orczy, and ''[[The Prisoner of Zenda]]'', Edward Rose's 1895 adaptation of Anthony Hope's novel, both have new entries documenting their South African performance histories. New SA work is represented by ''[[What the Water Remembers]]'', a collaboratively created multilingual spoken-word production, and ''[[Droomwerk]]'', noted above.
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#[[South African Film/Overview|Film]]
 
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#[[South African Media/Overview|Radio and TV]]
 
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#[[South African Theatre/Overview|Theatre and Performance]]  
 
  
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'''Terminology and Thematic Entries'''
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Two companies have been added. [[Wela Kapela Productions]], founded in 2018 by [[Amanda Bothma]], is a contemporary touring production company. At the other end of the timeline, [[Morgan and Wheatman's English Pantomime Company]] was a British touring company that brought pantomime to South African audiences in the late nineteenth century. The [[Carlton Theatre]] in Johannesburg, which opened in September 1912 in the same block as the original Carlton Hotel, has also been documented for the first time as a venue entry.
  
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#[[The South African Context/General Terminology and Thematic Entries|General Terminology and Thematic Entries]]  
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Browse all new additions via [[Special:NewPages|recent additions]] or explore the full encyclopaedia at [[The ESAT Entries]].
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#[[South African Film /Terminology and Thematic Entries|South African Film]]
 
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#[[South African Media/Terminology and Thematic Entries|South African Media]]
 
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#[[South African Theatre/Terminology and Thematic Entries|South African Theatre]]
 
  
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'''Individual Entries'''
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'''May 2026 — New contributors'''
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: Volunteers [[Martin Botha]], [[Riaan Oppelt]], [[Annel Pieterse]] and [[Kevin Turner]] have joined the editorial team. See [[Contributing to ESAT]] to find out how to help.
  
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#[[South_African_Festivals|Festivals and Competitions]]
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'''May 2025 — The ESAT archive finds a home'''
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#[[South_African_Films|Films]]
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: ESAT's growing collection of programmes, posters, photographs and texts is now held in the [[Performing Arts Research Collection]] (PARC), established in 2025 at the [[Africa Open Institute]], [[University of Stellenbosch]], with the help of Prof [[Stephanus Muller]]. [[Esther Marie Pauw]] was appointed as its first administrator.
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#[[South African Personalities|Personalities]]
 
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#[[South_African_Radio/Plays|Radio Plays and Serials]]
 
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#[[South_African_Theatre/Plays|Stage Plays]]
 
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#[[South_African_Television/Plays|Television Plays and Series]]
 
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#[[South African Venues, Companies, Societies, etc|Venues, Companies, Societies, etc.]]
 
  
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'''Resources'''
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'''March 2025 — ESAT recognised at the [[Fleur du Cap]] Theatre Awards'''
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: At the 60th [[Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards]], founding editor [[Temple Hauptfleisch]] received the Lifetime Achievement Award for his career documenting South African theatre and for establishing ESAT.
  
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#[[ESAT Chronology|A Chronology of South African Theatre, Film, Media and Performance]]
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== About the encyclopaedia ==
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#[[ESAT Bibliography|A Bibliography of South African South African Theatre, Film, Media and Performance]]
 
  
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= '''Copyright and referencing of material used''' =
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''[[ESAT]]'' documents the evolution, history and forms of theatre, film, media and performance in South Africa, and originated from historical research undertaken by the [[Centre for South African Theatre Research]] at the [[Human Sciences Research Council]] between 1979 and 1987 and continued at the [[University of Stellenbosch]] from 1988 to 2010. The website finally opened to the public online in 2011.
  
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[[ESAT]] is an [[open access]] publication, which means that even though the material contained in the encyclopaedia is copyrighted to [[ESAT]] and the [[University of Stellenbosch]], it may be freely used for academic and artistic purposes as long as such use is clearly referenced and the material used is attributed to The '''[[Encyclopaedia of South African Theatre, Film, Media and Performance]]''' ('''[[ESAT]]'''), the reference also including the '''URL for the particular entry''' in [[ESAT]].
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An open access project, it is edited by a team of research editors and written by contributors around the world. Though using the [[Wiki]] programme for the website, it has, from the start, deliberately been conceived and structured like a printed encyclopaedia, with an index of entries grouped into sixteen categories to facilitate its role as a basic research tool.
  
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= '''An invitation to contribute to ESAT''' =
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Please note that [[ESAT]] was founded in 2010 with its main focus then conceived to be on pre-21st-century theatre, film, media and performance. However, we are very aware that we are now well into the 21st century and that [[ESAT]] will always remain a work in progress. So, though the encyclopaedia will always be incomplete and subject to occasional error, it is the aim of the contyributors to keep it as up to date and relevant as we can make it, with the help of our readers.
  
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All researchers, artists and other interested parties are invited to help us to expand, improve, update and correct [[ESAT]], since by its very nature, the database will always be incomplete and prone to error on occasion.
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For the full history and aims of the project, and list of editors, see '''[[About ESAT]]'''.
  
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== Submitting contributions, suggestions and corrections  to [[ESAT]] ==
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== Finding your way around ==
  
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There are a number of ways of submitting entries, suggestions or material, as described below.  
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; Search
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: Type a name, title or keyword into the search box (top right, or Alt+F) and press Enter.
  
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=== NB Note about the possibility of registering a Wiki-account===
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; Browse the index
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: Go to [[The ESAT Entries]] for the full list of sixteen categories, each managed by a research editor.
  
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Unlike [[Wikipedia]] and similar websites, , [[ESAT]] does '''not''' allow anyone, except the appointed researchers on the research programme, to make changes directly to the [[ESAT]] website. When we began there ''was'' a facility for applying for an ESAT account available on the website, a facility which is an inherent part of the Wiki-programme. However, that has now been disabled as far as the ESAT project is concerned.  
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; Follow the links
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: Links shown in red mark entries not yet written. Click one, then choose "What links here" under Tools to find related mentions elsewhere in the encyclopaedia.
  
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'''So we ask that you please submit material and suggestions to the ''Editor'', in one of the ways described below. On receipt, the contributions will all be seriously considered and assessed by the research team, for inclusion where and if suitable.'''
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'''Good to know:''' ESAT focuses on [[The main focus is on pre-21st-century theatre, film, media and performance|pre-21st-century performance]], is [[It is work in progress and thus subject to error on occasion|a work in progress]], follows a [[Policy regarding offensive language and terminology|policy on historical and offensive terminology]], and [[ESAT is not an archival facility|is not itself an archival facility]].
  
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If used, you will naturally be credited as one of  the '''Sources''' for the article, so we ask that you also supply us with the name we have to credit.
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== Contributing to ESAT ==
  
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=== Ways of submitting material for inclusion ===
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ESAT is always growing, and all researchers, artists and interested readers are welcome to help expand, correct and update it. To find out how, see '''[[Contributing to ESAT]]'''.
  
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To submit any pieces of data, visual material or suggestions for alterations,  '''please send such proposals, changes, edits, and new material in Word-format (and if possible as an e-mail attachment)  directly to the Editor at satj@sun.ac.za for evaluation and inclusion.'''
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== Copyright and referencing ==
  
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If you wish to write up a full, new '''entry''' and send it to us, you may do so using the '''[[ESAT Templates]]''', which are  explained and provided below as a guideline for entries in various sections of the encyclopaedia.  
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ESAT is an [[Open access|open-access]] publication. Although its content is [[Copyright|copyrighted]] to ESAT and the [[University of Stellenbosch]], it may be freely used for academic and artistic purposes, provided the use is clearly referenced and attributed to the ''Encyclopaedia of South African Theatre, Film, Media and Performance'' (ESAT), including the URL of the entry used.
  
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Original material, such as CV's, documents, photographic and other material can also be scanned and sent to the same address for possible use as source material or illustrations.
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== Contact the editors ==
  
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'''VERY IMPORTANT: Please ensure that you submit all necessary and relevant ''references'' for sources used to compile entries, sources (and copyright holders) of material submitted, or information supplied.'''
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'''Postal''': The Editors: [[ESAT]], Department of Drama, [[University of Stellenbosch]], Private Bag X1, Matieland 7602, South Africa.
  
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Material  can also be mailed or faxed to any of the following addresses for the attention of the Editor:
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'''E-mail''': satj@sun.ac.za ([[Temple Hauptfleisch]]) or annelp@sun.ac.za ([[Annel Pieterse Roux]])
  
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The Editor: ESAT, Department of Drama, University of Stellenbosch, Private Bag X1, MATIELAND 7602, South Africa.
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'''Fax''': +27 21 882 9141
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Fax number: (+ 27) 21 882 9141
 
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= '''The [[ESAT Templates]]''' =
 
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We have devised the following templates for the varous categories in the encylopaedia (see [[The ESAT Entries|Index to ESAT Entries]] above), and we invite you to use them when preparing material to submit to us, especially when submitting full, new entries. To find the appropriate '''[[ESAT]] Template''' for your purposes, click on the category below:
 
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#[[Film ESAT Template]]
 
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#[[Personalities ESAT Template]]
 
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#[[Radio Plays & series ESAT Template]]
 
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#[[Stage Plays ESAT Template]]
 
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#[[Festivals and Competitions Template]]
 
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#[[Themes and definitions ESAT Template]]
 
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#[[TV Drama & series ESAT Template]]
 
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#[[Venues, Companies, Institutions etc ESAT Template]]
 
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Please use the headings outlined in the appropriate category to write up your entry/entries for inclusion in ESAT. Do so in a ''Word'' document, and then mail it back to us as an e-mail attachment '''satj@sun.ac.za''', or in a letter to the address given above, and we will upload it onto the website.
 

Latest revision as of 08:46, 30 August 2026


ESAT: The Encyclopaedia of South African Theatre, Film, Media and Performance

An open-access, online record of theatre, film, media and performance in South Africa — its history, forms, people and places.

Founding editor: Temple Hauptfleisch. A project of the University of Stellenbosch Drama Department.

Current editors Temple Hauptfleisch and Annel Pieterse

This page last updated on 18 August 2026.

Start here

  • Browse all entries — over 25,500 entries, grouped into sixteen categories.
  • Search — use the search box at the top right of the page (or press Alt+F) to jump straight to a person, play, venue or company.

The encyclopaedia holds over 25,500 full entries. Since its launch in 2011 the main page has been viewed over 2.5 million times, and all its articles over 140 million times.

What's New?

August 2026

Staff news: On 17 August, 2026, ESAT contributor Dr Annel Pieterse Roux joined the management team as co-project-leader and co-editor of the encyclopaedia.


New entries:

Namaqualand on stage, the radio drama of Lee Doubell, and the 1970s touring repertoire

More than fifty new entries have been added since mid-July, alongside substantial expansions to several existing articles. The period's work falls into three large clusters — a contemporary Afrikaans playwright documented with her full oeuvre, a body of Afrikaans radio drama, and the reconstruction of a 1970s touring company — with further additions in dance history, cinema history and screen biography.

The largest single body of new material documents Dianne du Toit Albertze (19**-), a playwright, novelist, actress, director and arts journalist whose Afrikaans work draws on her native Namaqualand and on trans and queer material. Eight of her works now have entries: bottelnek breek bek, which she adapted from her own novel of the same title; Klip Kween, about a young transgender woman who returns to her birthplace; Huis van sand, set in a caravan park outside Springbok; Kaap, which engages the sound, colour and colonial history of Cape Town; the one-performer tragicomedy Katrina Kakkerlak; the twenty-minute one-woman drama Die meermin-kompleks; Kommapunt, a devised piece on depression assembled from poems and prose; and ’n Kraai song. The cluster is anchored by a substantial new contextual entry on Namaqualand — the Afrikaans Namakwaland, historically also Little Namaqualand or Klein-Namakwaland, as distinguished from Great Namaqualand north of the Orange River — the longest addition of the period, and a rare instance of a geographical entry created to serve a body of dramatic work.

ESAT's coverage of Afrikaans radio drama has been significantly strengthened following the death of the writer Lee Doubell (1958*-2026). Six of his radio works now have entries: the serials Tien Dae and Sestig Dae, and the dramas Krag, Koue Kaiings, Sou die Sterre Luister and Wild en Woeker.

A third cluster reconstructs Theatre Roundabout through its people and its repertoire. Nine plays from the company's mid-1970s touring seasons have been added, most of them by Brian Darnley — When the World Was Very Young, The Lost Laugh, The Music Makers, Grinappy, The Carton of Oon, The 1820 Settlers, STOP! and Oodles — together with The Baron Returns by Roger Holt. Company members Lea Hodgekinson, Ann Larson, Julius Exter, Walter Tamsen, David Chambers, Stephen Scott and Christopher Voysey have been documented for the first time.

Further Afrikaans stage work has been added: Diva, the solo cabaret-theatre piece written and performed by Amanda Strydom; Oupa en Ouma by Leon Kruger, on a couple married more than forty years; Seks in die suburbs by Francois Toerien; Die dinges is 'n watsem – Jan Spies kom tot verhaal by Johan Engelbrecht; the Afrikaans Dinsdae by Morrie, from the play by Jeffrey Hatcher and Mitch Albom; and Duiwelsbrood by Annelie Botes, staged in 2026 by ATKV-tak PEAAT at the Isithatha Theatre. The singer, director, producer and arts manager Niël Rademan (19**-), who works across cabaret, art song, folk music and music theatre, has also been documented.

South African dance history gains an institutional lineage: Joburg Ballet, formed by the 2012 merger of South African Ballet Theatre and Mzansi Productions (2006-2012), the latter founded by Dirk Badenhorst, who now has his own entry; and the South African Academy of Drama and Ballet, formerly affiliated to the University of Natal.

Venue and cinema history is represented by two East London (now KuGompo City) houses — the 20th Century Cinema Theatre in Fleet Street, which seated 800 on a single air-conditioned floor, and the Springbok Cinema, established before the Second World War by the Layden brothers — while Apollo Theatre now disambiguates venues in Germiston and Victoria West. New personality entries include the singer-songwriter Jonathan Butler (1961-), born in Athlone; the singer Ronald Joyce (?-2013), known initially as Little Ronnie Joyce and also raised in Athlone; the actress, director and teacher Gladys Lazarus; and the costumier, stage and publicity manager and performer Michael de Beer (1951-). On the screen side, Lied in My Hart, the Afrikaans musical film by Ivan Hall also known as Song in My Heart, has been documented.

Among expansions, the Makhanda material has been substantially reworked. The entry on Andrew Buckland has been enlarged across its actor, playwright, solo performer and director sections, with linked updates to The Well Being, Feedback, the Rhodes University Drama Department and the Ubom! Eastern Cape Drama Company. Anton Calitz has been expanded and his cabaret Dead Slugs and Strawberries added. My Plaas se Naam is Vergenoeg has been considerably enlarged, with a corresponding update to Vergenoeg. Finally, the Andre Huguenet Memorial Lecture, started by the Port Elizabeth Shakespearean Festival, now has an entry listing its guest lecturers.

July 2026 — New entries: contemporary performance-makers and the Woordfees drama archive

More than 70 new entries have been added to ESAT over recent weeks, with a strong focus on contemporary South African performance.

A group of entries documents the Johannesburg live-arts world of Jefferson Tshabalala ("J. Bobs") — his production house Kiri Pink Nob Arts and his works Khongolose Khommanding Khommissars, Ekasi Lam and the game-show series J.Bobs Live — alongside the collaborative duo Theatre Duo (Billy Langa and Mahlatsi Mokgonyana) and the award-winning Afrikaans production house Polony. The poet-performer Kgafela oa Magogodi has also been documented for the first time.

New play and company entries include the dark comedy Amper, Vrystaat by Nico Scheepers, the one-man music-theatre piece Ek is nie Danie by Danie Marais, the Cape Town company Spark in the Dark, and a run of Afrikaans works and translations such as Skeer op Richmond (Saartjie Botha), Bullets over Bishop Lavis (Christo Davids and Jody Abrahams), Skop, Grieta kry geleerdheid, 'n Lewe in die Teater and Voor ek vergeet.

On the festival side, the Sanlam Dramafees — the former sponsor-branded name of the US Woordfees drama programme in Stellenbosch, used in the early 2010s and later renamed the Toneelfees — now has an entry, together with the first production write-ups from the 2010 festival: Maskermaan by Cecilia du Toit, Suurgat II by Leon Kruger, Daan de Wet hou sy oog op die bal by Gaerin Hauptfleisch, and 'n Koeksister vir Zuma, Pieter-Dirk Uys's satirical solo turn as Evita Bezuidenhout. A new overview entry on South African sketch comedy traces the form's local history.

New reference and screen-history entries include the documentary filmmaker Michael Duffett (1956–2021) and the film The Gods Must Be Crazy (1980); the bilingual essay collection Die Breytie-Boek/The Breytie Book, dedicated to P.P.B. Breytenbach; the cabaret Die Siel van Eugene Marais by Amanda Bothma; and J.M. Barrie's classic Peter Pan; or, The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up. Browse all new additions via recent additions or explore the full encyclopaedia at The ESAT Entries.

June 2026 — New entries: people, plays, companies and venues

Fifty new entries have been added to ESAT this month, spanning four centuries of South African theatre history.

Among the new personality entries, Pieter Madibuseng Odendaal is a bilingual Afrikaans and English poet, playwright and educator whose multilingual drama Droomwerk won the 2021 ATKV-Woordveertjie and was nominated for the Hertzog Prize. Adrian van Wyk, who has also performed as "Diff", is a Cape Town–based performance poet, filmmaker and cultural historian, documented here for the first time. Two historical figures have also been added: Vivienne Adley, a Durban-born singer and actress who performed widely in the mid-twentieth century; and Thomas Barrow-Dowling (1861–1926), a British-born organist and choirmaster who made a significant contribution to musical life in South Africa.

On the plays side, The Scarlet Pimpernel, the 1903 adventure drama by Baroness Orczy, and The Prisoner of Zenda, Edward Rose's 1895 adaptation of Anthony Hope's novel, both have new entries documenting their South African performance histories. New SA work is represented by What the Water Remembers, a collaboratively created multilingual spoken-word production, and Droomwerk, noted above.

Two companies have been added. Wela Kapela Productions, founded in 2018 by Amanda Bothma, is a contemporary touring production company. At the other end of the timeline, Morgan and Wheatman's English Pantomime Company was a British touring company that brought pantomime to South African audiences in the late nineteenth century. The Carlton Theatre in Johannesburg, which opened in September 1912 in the same block as the original Carlton Hotel, has also been documented for the first time as a venue entry.

Browse all new additions via recent additions or explore the full encyclopaedia at The ESAT Entries.

May 2026 — New contributors

Volunteers Martin Botha, Riaan Oppelt, Annel Pieterse and Kevin Turner have joined the editorial team. See Contributing to ESAT to find out how to help.

May 2025 — The ESAT archive finds a home

ESAT's growing collection of programmes, posters, photographs and texts is now held in the Performing Arts Research Collection (PARC), established in 2025 at the Africa Open Institute, University of Stellenbosch, with the help of Prof Stephanus Muller. Esther Marie Pauw was appointed as its first administrator.

March 2025 — ESAT recognised at the Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards

At the 60th Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards, founding editor Temple Hauptfleisch received the Lifetime Achievement Award for his career documenting South African theatre and for establishing ESAT.

About the encyclopaedia

ESAT documents the evolution, history and forms of theatre, film, media and performance in South Africa, and originated from historical research undertaken by the Centre for South African Theatre Research at the Human Sciences Research Council between 1979 and 1987 and continued at the University of Stellenbosch from 1988 to 2010. The website finally opened to the public online in 2011.

An open access project, it is edited by a team of research editors and written by contributors around the world. Though using the Wiki programme for the website, it has, from the start, deliberately been conceived and structured like a printed encyclopaedia, with an index of entries grouped into sixteen categories to facilitate its role as a basic research tool.

Please note that ESAT was founded in 2010 with its main focus then conceived to be on pre-21st-century theatre, film, media and performance. However, we are very aware that we are now well into the 21st century and that ESAT will always remain a work in progress. So, though the encyclopaedia will always be incomplete and subject to occasional error, it is the aim of the contyributors to keep it as up to date and relevant as we can make it, with the help of our readers.

For the full history and aims of the project, and list of editors, see About ESAT.

Finding your way around

Search
Type a name, title or keyword into the search box (top right, or Alt+F) and press Enter.
Browse the index
Go to The ESAT Entries for the full list of sixteen categories, each managed by a research editor.
Follow the links
Links shown in red mark entries not yet written. Click one, then choose "What links here" under Tools to find related mentions elsewhere in the encyclopaedia.

Good to know: ESAT focuses on pre-21st-century performance, is a work in progress, follows a policy on historical and offensive terminology, and is not itself an archival facility.

Contributing to ESAT

ESAT is always growing, and all researchers, artists and interested readers are welcome to help expand, correct and update it. To find out how, see Contributing to ESAT.

Copyright and referencing

ESAT is an open-access publication. Although its content is copyrighted to ESAT and the University of Stellenbosch, it may be freely used for academic and artistic purposes, provided the use is clearly referenced and attributed to the Encyclopaedia of South African Theatre, Film, Media and Performance (ESAT), including the URL of the entry used.

Contact the editors

Postal: The Editors: ESAT, Department of Drama, University of Stellenbosch, Private Bag X1, Matieland 7602, South Africa.

E-mail: satj@sun.ac.za (Temple Hauptfleisch) or annelp@sun.ac.za (Annel Pieterse Roux)

Fax: +27 21 882 9141

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