Now in their 58th year, the Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards are South Africa’s most prominent and longest running awards of their kind and Fleur du Cap nominees or winners are always proud to highlight this award on their biographic and promotional material.

The theatre fraternity managed to raise the curtain on an impressive 59 productions eligible for consideration in 2022, despite still being hampered by Covid-19 restrictions in the first part of the year.

Nominations were made by the panel of judges across 21 competitive categories. The names of the winners will be revealed at a red-carpet, open-air celebration at the Oude Libertas Amphitheatre in Stellenbosch on the evening of Sunday, 26 March. On the same occasion, the recipients of the Lifetime Achievement and Innovation in Theatre Awards will also be announced. Every category winner will receive a sum of R15 000.

Panel chair, Africa Melane, says: “Theatre audiences in Cape Town and surrounds were treated to extraordinary creativity in 2022, with theatre demonstrating the breadth and diversity that the sector has to offer. Theatre-makers showed great resilience in yet another difficult year of producing and mounting outstanding work.

“The industry is grateful to the public for supporting the arts, returning to theatres in their droves, hungry for a live theatre experience.

“These shows helped us to experience deep-seated emotions and change our perceptions of the world, as well as better understand the struggles and successes of other people and cultures. They reminded us that we are not alone. With these nominations, we celebrate and honour the sterling work showcased.”

Melane explains that in the category for Musicals and Music Theatre productions, there will only be awards for Best Performance by an Actress and Best Performance by an Actor. This is attributed to the limited number of musicals and music theatre productions that were staged.

Tracey Saunders, overseeing the evaluation of all student productions for awards, says: “It’s been a delight to watch students return to full-time study on campus after the Covid-enforced break. Their enthusiasm shone through on stages at all of the tertiary institutions.

“Students staged 70 productions ranging from a few large-cast extravaganzas to small, intimate pieces and several in between. Increasingly, students venture beyond acting to hone their talents in writing, directing and the technical craft required to stage work. These multi-talented and disciplined young people, 185 of them to be precise, were the focus of much deliberation. Ten nominees have deservedly earned their places on this list. With a cohort of such disciplined and talented students, the future of the creative industry in South Africa looks bright.”

The student institutions represented are Act (Cape Town), AFDA, CTDPS, LAMTA, Magnet Theatre, Northlink College, University of Stellenbosch and the Waterfront Theatre School.

Audiences will be able to tune in for a livestream of the event from 18:00 on 26 March. Details will be released via social media, closer to the time of the event.

Nominees for the 58th Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards, in alphabetical order:

1. AWARD FOR MOST PROMISING STUDENT Anna Olivier | LAMTA Buhle Stefane | Magnet Theatre Gerard van Rooyen |LAMTA Katherine Sharp | AFDA Ketsia Velaphi | AFDA Koketso Mere | Waterfront Theatre School Miché C van Wyk | University of Stellenbosch Mikayla Joy Brown | University of Stellenbosch Minke Marais | University of Stellenbosch Sunny Yoon | LAMTA

2. BEST NEW SOUTH AFRICAN SCRIPT Basil Appollis and Sylvia Vollenhoven | Dance of the La Gumas Fred Abrahamse and Marcel Meyer | Contested Bodies Nadia Davids | Hold Still Nico Scheepers | Nêrens, Noord-Kaap Scott Sparrow | Dinner at the 42s

3. BEST NEW DIRECTOR Carlo Daniels | No Complaints – New Day, New Dawn Duane Alexander | Your Song – The Music of Elton John Emma Amber | The Marvelous Wonderettes Iman Isaacs | Irma Sohail Booise | Hostel Lights (Zabalaza Best of the Fest)

4. BEST THEATRE PRODUCTION FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE Liewe Heksie en die rolskaatse | Margit Meyer-Rödenbeck Peter Pan | A&M Productions (Fred Abrahamse and Marcel Meyer) Sonde met die spoke | University of Stellenbosch Drama Department Vlooi en die geheim/Kipper and the Secret | Marinda Engelbrecht and Margit Meyer-Rödenbeck

5. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ENSEMBLE Albert Pretorius, De Klerk Oelofse and Geon Nel | Nêrens, Noord-Kaap | Ronnie, Andries and Frans Andrew Buckland, Billy Langa, Carlo Daniels, Craig Leo, Faniswa Yisa, Marty Kintu, Nolufefe Ntshuntshe, Sandra Prinsloo and Roshina Ratnam | Life and Times of Michael K | Various roles Brendan van Rhyn, Christopher Dudgeon and Rudi Jansen | The Triplets of Bellville | Cathy Specific, Holly and Molly Dean Balie, Grant van Ster and Shaun Oelf | Karatara | Themselves Lungile Lallie, Marcel Meyer and Matthew Baldwin | Contested Bodies | John Nobody, Doctor James Barry and Lord Charles Somerset

6. BEST PERFORMANCE IN A REVUE, CABARET OR ONE-PERSON SHOW Daniel Anderson | Vincent – His Quest to Love and Be Loved | Various roles Daniel Newton | Shadow Boxing | Flynn Erika Marais | Die Goeie Pa | Various roles Sibuyiselo Dywili | The House of Truth | Can Themba Sophie Joans | Île | Herself

7. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MUSICAL OR MUSIC THEATRE SHOW Anzio September | Aunty Merle: Things Get Real | Zane Earl Gregory | Star+Crossed | Billy Loukmaan Adams | Aunty Merle: Things Get Real | Benny Marc Lottering | Aunty Merle: Things Get Real | Aunty Merle Shaun Oelf | Aunty Merle: Things Get Real | Lead Dancer

8. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL OR MUSIC THEATRE SHOW Jawaahier Petersen | Aunty Merle: Things Get Real | Soraya Keiko Mdwaba | Once on this Island | Little Ti Moune/Peasant Noluthando Dlamini | The Marvelous Wonderettes | Betty Jean Sarah Jane | Star+Crossed | Bess Tankiso Mamabolo | Aunty Merle: Things Get Real | Ayanda/Dr McTavish

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

10. BEST LIGHTING DESIGN Faheem Bardien | Star+Crossed Gideon Lombard | Karatara Joshua Cutts | Life and Times of Michael K Mannie Manim | Kiss of the Spider Woman Wolf Britz | Firefly

11. BEST SET DESIGN Greg King | Fordsburg’s Finest Nial Griffin | Dinner with the 42s Patrick Curtis | Hold Still Themba Stewart | No Complaints – New Day, New Dawn Wolf Britz | Kiss of the Spider Woman

12. BEST COSTUME DESIGN Brendan van Rhyn, Christopher Dudgeon and Rudi Jansen | The Triplets of Bellville Marcel Meyer | A Streetcar Named Desire Marcel Meyer | Contested Bodies Nial Griffin | Dinner with the 42s Phillis Midlane | Life and Times of Michael K

13. BEST SOUND DESIGN, ORIGINAL MUSIC, SOUNDSCAPE OR LIVE PERFORMANCE Gideon Lombard | Karatara | Sound design Charl-Johan Lingenfelder | A Streetcar Named Desire | Sound design Kyle Shephard | Life and Times of Michael K | Original music Simon Kohler | Life and Times of Michael K | Sound design Wessel Odendaal | Star+Crossed | Original music

14. BEST PERFORMANCE IN AN OPERA – MALE Conroy Scott | Le Nozze di Figaro | Figaro Lwazi Dlamini | Le Nozze di Figaro | Bartolo Smelo Mahlangu | Sara Baartman – The Opera | Georges Cuvier Van Wyk Venter | L’elisir d’amore | Belcore William Berger | Le Nozze di Figaro | Count Almaviva

15. BEST PERFORMANCE IN AN OPERA – FEMALE Bongiwe Nakani | Sara Baartman – The Opera | Sara Baartman Brittany Smith | Le Nozze di Figaro | Susanna Megan Kahts | Alcina | Ruggiero Setsoane Jeannette Ntseki | Alcina | Morgana Siphamandla Moyake | Le Nozze di Figaro | Countess Almaviva

16. BEST PERFORMANCE BY A SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A PLAY Brent Palmer | Dinner at the 42s | Drinkwater Carlo Daniels | The Unlikely Secret Agent | Various roles Gerard Rudolf | Neon Smoel | The Lobster Man Matthew Baldwin | A Streetcar Named Desire | Mitch Sanda Shandu | Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf | Nick

17. BEST PERFORMANCE BY A SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A PLAY Babalwa Makwetu | IKrele leChiza… The Sermon | The mother Berenice Barbier | Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf | Honey Lauren Snyders | Curl Up and Dye | Charmaine Melissa Haiden | A Streetcar Named Desire | Stella Nomakrestu Xakatugaga | Ikrele leChiza… The Sermon | Nongoma (Guardian of the ancestral realm)

18. BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEAD ACTRESS IN A PLAY Emily Child | Dinner with the 42s | Eva Fiona Ramsay | A Streetcar Named Desire | Blanche DuBois Marí Borstlap | Neon Smoel | Kaval Mwenya Kabwe | Hold Still | Rosa Feigel Sylvaine Strike | Firefly | Ferine, Sophia and Mariti

19. BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEAD ACTOR IN A PLAY Andrew Buckland | Firefly | Ferase, Uxor and Conrad Elton Landrew | Dance of the La Gumas | Alex La Guma Mncedisi Shabangu | Blood Knot | Zacharia Nicholas Pauling | Dinner with the 42s | Burn Paul Slabolepzsy | Fordburg’s Finest | Freddie Volschenk

20. BEST DIRECTOR Fred Abrahamse | Contested Bodies Gideon Lombard | Karatara Greg Karvellas | Dinner with the 42s Jay Pather | Hold Still Toni Morkel | Firefly

21. BEST PRODUCTION A Streetcar Named Desire | A&M Productions Contested Bodies | A&M Productions Firefly | Baxter Theatre Centre, SU Woordfees in Association with Fortune Cookie Theatre Company Karatara | Marie Vogts Life and Times of Michael K | Baxter Theatre Centre; Theater der Welt, Düsseldorf; Les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg

2022 eligible productions:A Christmas Carol, A Revue of the Songs of Brel and Piaf, A Streetcar Named Desire, Agulhasvlakte, Aunty Merle: Things Get Real, Back to Ashes (Zabalaza Best of the Fest), Betrayal, Blood Knot, Born Naked, Buzani Kubawo, Concerning the Life of Babyboy Kleintjies, Contested Bodies, Curl Up and Dye, Dance of the La Gumas, Defending the Gay Man, Die Goeie Pa, Dinner with the 42s, Double Star, Earworm, Firefly, Fordsburg’s Finest, Four Fathers: Bananas for the Baboons, Hamlet, He Had it Coming, Hold Still, Hostel Lights (Zabalaza Best of the Fest),I Want to Write You a Submarine, iKrele leChiza, Île, Imbilini…My Friend!, Irma, Karatara, Kiss of the Spiderwoman, Life and Times of Michael K, Love! Valour! Compassion!, Mad About the Boys, May I Have This Dance, More Than a Handful, Mutton Hour, Neon Smoel, Nêrens, Noord-Kaap, No Complaints - New Day, New Dawn, Once on This Island, One Arm, Platform 9: Coming Home, Shadow Boxing, Shirley Valentine, Star+Crossed, The Dead Tinder Society, The House of Truth, The Last Five Years, The Marvelous Wonderettes, The Triplets of Bellville, The Unlikely Secret Agent, Thuto, Vincent – His Quest to Love and Be Loved, Vloeibare moed, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Your Song - The Music of Elton John.

The panel for the year 2022, selecting the 2023 nominees and winners: Africa Melane (Chair), Dr Beverley Brommert, Hadley Tituss, Dr Lwando Scott, Mariana Malan, Marina Griebenow, Tracey Saunders, Dr Wayne Muller.