SparkHub to Bring Emerging South African Theatre Makers to National Arts Festival
The collective, founded by Wyatt Afrika, will present new work at Grahamstown's flagship arts event.
Spark in the Dark Productions has announced the return of The Spark Hub, its flagship programme dedicated to getting South Africa's emerging theatre and comedy artists onto the national stage at the prestigious National Arts Festival (NAF) in Makhanda. The event will run 25 June - 5 July.
The 2025 Spark Hub delivered results that stunned even its most optimistic supporters. Ten emerging artists had their careers launched on one of South Africa's most important cultural platforms. Fourteen shows travelled to Makhanda, with every single artist's costs – transport, accommodation, food, and marketing – fully covered. The collective's ThundaFund campaign raised R120 000 in just three weeks, a testament to the public's appetite for fresh, homegrown talent. Most remarkably, seven out of ten qualifying productions walked away with Standard Bank Ovation Awards – an extraordinary 70% award rate that speaks to the calibre of artists the Spark Hub selects and supports.
“We always believed in these artists. What the 2025 season proved is that South African audiences believe in them too. Seven Ovation Awards, R120 000 raised, and ten careers launched – the Spark Hub is doing exactly what it was built to do.” – Sophie Joans, Co-founder, Spark in the Dark Theatre
The 2026 edition of the Spark Hub will once again curate a line-up of South Africa's most exciting emerging voices in theatre and comedy, heading to the National Arts Festival in Makhanda (25 June – 5 July 2026). The collective will be housed at the Princess Alice Hall, former home for the iconic Cape Town Edge.
List of shows in this year's Spark Hub:
- The Ugly Noo Noo by Andrew Buckland
- Solitude by Kamogelo Mhlantla
- Netphlix by Sophie Joans
- Messy by Samantha Carlisle
- Kenan ennie Klopse by Alyssa Jacobs
- Markus en die brandblusser op die derde verdieping by Vihann van Rooyen
- Filled by Tshiamo Moretlwe
- Please, I Promise by Anne Bosch
- Mlungu by Shannon Hendry
- The Betaman Alphabet by David Schmidt
- The Fool's Guide to Living and Dying by Andrew Buckland
- Sophie Joans is a Real Comedian by Sophie Joans
- Play Things and Raunchy Renditions.
Spark in the Dark's mission is to remove the financial barriers that stand between young artists and the national spotlight. A new ThundaFund campaign will launch on 25 May 2026 to make this possible – and the public is invited to be part of the story.
Videos
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Max Angioni - ANCHE MENO – ROUND FINALE Piazza Europa (7/22-7/22) |
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PRETTY WOMAN: The Musical Teatro at Montecasino (4/24-5/31) |
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MAMMA MIA! The Musical! Teatro at Montecasino (10/16-11/22) |
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MAMMA MIA! Artscape Theatre (9/03-10/11) |
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MAMMA MIA! The Musical! Artscape Opera House (9/03-10/11) |
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Broadway to Blockbuster City Hall (6/12-6/13) |
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MAMMA MIA! The Musical! Artscape Theatre (9/03-10/11) |
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Enrico Brignano - Bello di Mamma 2026 Piazza del Duomo di Pistoia (7/06-7/06) |
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MAMMA MIA! Teatro at Montecasino (10/16-11/22) |
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MAMMA MIA! Artscape Opera House (9/03-10/11) |
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