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.

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.