Mane Fest

PALI Incubation is proud to present the fourth official Mane Fest, taking place this June at the Wilge Theatre in Pretoria.

This festival serves as a platform for up-and-coming writers, directors, and actors to showcase their talents beyond the classroom. This year features five brand-new student productions developed by PALI’s second-year students. Over nine weeks, under the mentorship of Lara Lourens, the students created original short theatre scripts. These were submitted to a reading panel—Albert Pretorius, Johann Smith, and Kaz McFadden—for assessment. The top five works were selected and are now receiving further mentorship to prepare for the stage.

The five student plays span across various genres and themes—from infidelity (Woman of the Hour by Wasim Morris) and gender violence (Sitroen by Corrine-Marie van Hoogdalem) to satirical dating apps (On the Shelf by Chrizaan Raath), domestic dynamics (Afrika by Melandi Swiegelaar) and a chaotic news broadcast (Weatherman by Connor McGill).

In addition to student work, PALI facilitators are contributing six diverse pieces, each offering young actors a chance to perform.

This year’s highlights include:

• Drop Dead, a new comedy written and directed by PALI’s Managing Director, Kaz McFadden.

• Skemerlig, the writing and directorial debut of Juanita de Villiers.

• Ilke König’s reimagining of Shareen Swart’s Mamma ek wil 'n Man hê!.

• Luan Jacobs’ fresh comedy Skaakmat tussen Brakfontein en die Vagevuur.

• Sewentig Grade Sterker, a drama about family dynamics by Tiaan Slabbert.

• Lara Lourens’ ...and then he created her., exploring the true meaning of authorship.

Mane Fest runs from 6–8 June at the Wilge Theatre, Pretoria.