……BILLY SUTER……
DURBAN talent has once again shone brightly at a major awards ceremony – this time at the 61st Cape Town Theatre Awards (formerly the Fleur du Cap Awards), held at an intimate ceremony on Sunday at Cape Town’s Baxter Theatre.
Isidlamlilo/The Fire Eater, created by a largely Durban team, took all seven awards for which it was nominated, including Best Production for Empatheatre, in association with The Baxter Theatre Centre and the National Arts Festival. The touring play also scooped awards for best director for Durban’s Neil Coppen, best set design for Durban’s Greg King, best lighting design for Durban’s Tina le Roux, best sound design for Tristan Horton, and best actress in a revue, cabaret or one-person show, for Mpume Mthombeni. Additionally, the production took the Best New South African script award, for Coppen and Mthombeni.
Embarking on the next era of its existence, the oldest theatre awards in the country have a new name – the Cape Town Theatre Awards. A new non-profit company (NPC) has also been established for convening the awards in the future.
“With the wealth of outstanding talent we have in the Western Cape – an incredible 65 productions were eligible for consideration in 2025 – competition was stiff. We salute our theatre-makers and encourage them to keep pushing the boundaries and overcoming obstacles to continue creating their work. We congratulate all the nominees and winners,” says Africa Melane, Chair of the Cape Town Theatre Awards Panel.
The eligible productions included seven operas, three children’s productions (two musicals and one opera), 24 student productions and 55 other main productions, five of which were musicals.
The 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Nigel Vermaas, who was recognised for his immense contribution to the performing arts and broadcasting as an actor, director, and writer for stage and radio dramas. Vermaas is also a documentary-maker and host of an arts and jazz radio show, all this with his instinctive and dramatic flair.
The full list of winners of the 61 st Cape Town Theatre Awards are:
AWARD FOR MOST PROMISING STUDENT
Scarlett Pay | LAMTA
BEST NEW SOUTH AFRICAN SCRIPT
Isidlamlilo/The Fire Eater | Neil Coppen & Mpume Mthombeni
BEST NEW DIRECTORSmauel Jumat
Samuel Jumat | ’n Pandok se Liefde
BEST THEATRE PRODUCTION FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE
Moana Jr – Sonwa Sakuba Institute for the Performing Arts (SSIPA)
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ENSEMBLE
Cats | Austin Tshikosi, Brittane van Loggerenberg, Cassiel Eatock-Winnik, Cleto van
Rooi, Darren Rockman, Hannah Marshall, Harry Smallman, Jackie Lulu, Marco Titus,
Michael Fullard, Morgan Marshall, Noa Duckitt, Phoebe Charles, Ryan Flynn, Scarlett
Pay, Sibusiso Mxosana, Sipesihle Ngamlana, Stephan Van Der Walt, Tania Mteto,
Tannah Levick, Tatum Coleman, Zoë Mclaughlin
BEST PERFORMANCE IN A REVUE, CABARET OR ONE-PERSON SHOW
Mpume Mthombeni | Isidlamlilo/The Fire Eater
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL OR MUSIC
THEATRE SHOW
Carlo Daniels | Randall Simons | Colleen The Musical
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL OR MUSIC
THEATRE SHOW
Tankiso Mamabolo | Matron Mama Morton in Chicago
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MUSICAL OR MUSIC THEATRE SHOW
Jonathan Roxmouth | Billy Flynn in Chicago
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL OR MUSIC THEATRE
SHOW
Cindy Ann Abrahams | Grizabella in Cats
BEST PUPPETRY DESIGN
Adrian Kohler and William Kentridge | Faustus in Africa!
BEST LIGHTING DESIGN
Isidlamlilo/The Fire Eater | Tina Le Roux
BEST SET DESIGN
Isidlamlilo/The Fire Eater | Greg King
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Cats | John Napier
BEST SOUND DESIGN, ORIGINAL MUSIC, SOUNDSCAPE OR LIVE
PERFORMANCE
Isidlamlilo/The Fire Eater | Tristan Horton
BEST PERFORMANCE IN AN OPERA – MALE
William Berger | Bluebeard in Bluebeard’s Castle
BEST PERFORMANCE IN AN OPERA – FEMALE
Siphamandla Moyake | Judith in Bluebeard’s Castle
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A PLAY
Albert Pretorius | Caliban in The Tempest
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Carla Smith | Laura in Speelgoed van Glas | The Glass Menagerie
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEAD ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Rolanda Marais | Hedda in Hedda Gabler
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEAD ACTOR IN A PLAY
Ben Albertyn | Tom in Speelgoed van Glas | The Glass Menagerie
BEST DIRECTOR
Neil Coppen | Isidlamlilo/The Fire Eater
BEST PRODUCTION
Isidlamlilo/The Fire Eater | Empatheatre in association with The Baxter Theatre Centre
and the National Arts Festival
AWARD FOR INNOVATION IN THEATRE
Shakespeare Schools Festival South Africa
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Nigel Vermaas
.....SoSuterBill..... 