The 15th annual Shakespeare Schools Festival South Africa (SSFSA) will return to the District Six Homecoming Centre from 6 to 31 May 2025, with 48 drama groups from in and around Cape Town presenting innovative renditions of William Shakespeare's timeless plays.
The festival will deliver captivating performances by passionate young thespians for audiences. The festival will come on the heels of World Shakespeare Day taking place on 23 April.
SSFSA is pocket-Shakespeare at its most entertaining as participants present abridged 30-to-45-minute versions of his iconic works, making all the plays even more accessible and engaging for both young audiences and seasoned theatregoers.
Each year, the festival stage transforms into a vibrant platform for self-expression, as talented casts explore their craft through the spoken word, acting, dance, music, song, and physical theatre.
Since inception in 2009, the SSFSA has grown into Africa’s largest youth drama event dedicated solely to Shakespeare.
To date, it has worked with 15,027 learners from 807 schools, and supported 1 006 teachers in their roles as drama and performance arts directors.
For the first time ever, the SSFSA will welcome Learners from School 1306 Moscow, a UNESCO associated, International Baccalaureate school based in the south west of the city.
The school is bringing a cast of nine Russian students directed by English actor Jonathan Salway and with original music by Andrey Borisov.
The festival provides a unique, non-competitive space for young thespians to develop their theatrical potential in a fun and educational way, while also promoting literacy, classic literature, and live theatre.
One Grade 10 pupil from The Settlers High School, who took part in last year’s festival, said: “I really enjoyed being part of the Shakespeare festival last year. It was an experience I will never forget.
“Being part of a stage performance for the first time was exhilarating. It was fun to play a unique character who has a different personality compared to mine.
“It was, however, a challenge for me as I never understood how to project, articulate and to use my diaphragm but with time, I overcame these obstacles and enjoyed participating in the Shakespeare festival,” he said.
In preparation for the festival, SSFSA offers training programs for teachers, young learner directors, and school casts to enhance their performances.
SSFSA embraces inclusivity and accessibility, welcoming blind, deaf and physically challenged participants as well. One of the schools participating for the first time will be Paarl School for learners with physical disabilities.
Department Head Intermediate Phase, Alet Marais, said that they are very excited to bring 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' to the stage.
“The learners are excited, as many of them have not been in a professional theatre before, and that it is an opportunity for them to showcase their unique abilities to a broader audience.
“We are always focusing on promoting awareness, and the audience will be a community who may not have seen learners with physical disabilities perform before in such a way.”
Marais said that one of the challenges they've been learning to overcome is the speed required to perform as able-bodied people move faster from point A to point B, and for learners with physical disabilities, it will take a bit longer.
“Ultimately, it is a wonderful opportunity, and we are so glad that the SSFSA management is willing to accommodate us, and our learners. Our learners are really excited to be a part of it.”
Tickets are available through Webtickets from R95 to R150 with block booking and learner discounts available.