Among the numerous award-winning productions on stage at the 30th KKNK in Oudtshoorn are amongst others Ek is nie Danie with Albert Pretorius and Schalk Joubert, Alfred Adriaan’s Positive Strokes, Tony Bonani Miyambo in Kafka’s Ape, the internationally acclaimed Police Cops: The Original with Zachary Hunt, Nathan Parkinson and Tom Roe and Stephanie Baartman and Janine Neethling in Hoort.

Numerous award-winning theatre productions, artists and directors are included on the programme for the 30th KKNK in Oudtshoorn.

Over the past three decades the KKNK has created a platform for South Africa’s foremost theatre productions and theatre makers, and the 2026 festival is no exception. The KKNK, sponsored by Absa, will be presented in Oudtshoorn from Saturday 28 March to Saturday 4 April.

Among the list of award-winners visiting the Klein Karoo are dramas, comedy, music, dance – and children’s theatre.

Ek is nie Danie with Albert Pretorius and Schalk Joubert received four Woordtrofees at the Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees in 2025 – Best Theatre Production, Best Script Adaptation and/or Composition (Danie Marais), Best Male Performer (Pretorius) and Exceptional Technical Contribution for Joubert’s live sound design.

Dana Snyman’s Seun with Wilhelm van der Walt and directed by Nico Scheepers, received five awards at Momentum Aardklop 2025, including Best Theatre Production, Best Director and Audience Favourite. This drama also received the Woordtrofee for Best One-person Performance at the 2025 Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees.

Andrew Buckland’s The Ugly Noo Noo has already received a total of 17 national and international awards, including a Scotsman Fringe First and a Perrier Pick of the Fringe nomination at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Buckland is also on stage in a brand-new drama, The Fool’s Guide.

Police Cops: The Original with Zachary Hunt, Nathan Parkinson and Tom Roe, a worldwide hit in London’s Soho Theatre and at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, has won multiple awards from Melbourne to Toronto and from Brighton to Cape Town.

Frank Opperman returns with his hit comedy drama Reünie, for which he received the kykNET Fiësta Award as Best Actor for his performance. Chris Vorster’s Gebou soos Steffi Graf won the Vryskitter Awards at the Vrystaat Arts Festival in 2025 for Best Interpretation and Best Set Design. Alfred Adrian’s stand-up comedy show Positive Strokes received the Aardklop UitKlop Award in 2025. Mandri Sutherland, better known as Vroudrie, was awarded as Best Actress and Innovative Work at the Vrystaat Arts Festival in 2023. She is at the KKNK in Vrou ens. 1.2.

Oudtshoorn’s own Karoo Kaarte team, behind award-winning productions such as Die Swartmerrie and Droomkraan Kronieke – returns with a brand-new drama, Spoel, based on this KKNK project’s research.

The English version of Jakob, a family theatre production featuring Bryan Hiles and directed by Michael Taylor-Broderick, received an Ovation Award at the National Arts Festival. Hiles was also awarded as Best Actor in a Solo Performance at the Durban Theatre Awards.

Festivalgoers can also look forward to the debut performance by Zip Zap Circus at the KKNK with MOYA. This company has received numerous awards over the years, both for its exceptional circus achievements and its social impact. Recognition includes awards from the Western Cape Government, BASA and the International Circus Awards.

Kafka’s Ape is an internationally acclaimed one-man show with Tony Bonani Miyambo, directed by Phala Ookeditse Phala. This drama, adapted from Kafka’s A Report to an Academy, received the NIHSS Award for Best Public Performance (2017), Best Satire at the United Solo Festival in New York (2019) and for Exceptional Performance at the Praque Fringe (2019).

Tshiamo Moretlwe’s Filled, Sbuja Dywili’s Ganga Nyoko! Inzima Nyoko!, Samantha Carlisle’s Messy and Christine van Hees’s Sade in Hollandse kombuise all received Ovation Awards at the National Arts Festival.

Kristen Fichardt and Shannon Hendry’s Akrasia, and Alyssa Jacobs’s Kenan ennie Klopse are two of the finalists of the Stellenbosch University Drama Department’s Première Theatre Festival, with the latter awarded as among others Best Production. Matthew Gray’s Destiny Twice Over. And the Fate of a Half-eaten Sandwich. and Lisa Kukard’s Granaatsap were also staged at the festival. Matthew Smith’s Pas, with Carin Fourie and Bronlyn van Rhyner, won the DCAS Drama Festival in 2025.

The music programme includes award-winning artists Stephanie Baartman and pianist Janine Neethling on stage in Hoort, winner of the Woordtrofee for Exceptional Contribution to Contemporary Music: Small Groups at the 2025 Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees. The Scullery Quintet’s Stir-Fried Sonatas won the Momentum Aardklop Award for Best Music-driven Production, as well as Innovative Work. Winand Grundling is well-known to KKNK audiences as an organist and recipient of several Kanna Awards – and performs as a pianist this year in A Victor Borge Tribute.

Award-winning children’s theatre is also included, with Durbanville Primary’s Potloodsakkie: Agter die zip, one of six primary school productions that participated in the ATKV-Tjokkertoneel Final at The Baxter Theatre in 2025.

In addition to these numerous award-winning productions, several productions and artists also received nominations for awards. These include Breyten Breytenbach’s drama Boklied, nominated for five Woordtrofees at the 2025 Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees, for among others Best Production and Best Director. The cast include De Klerk Oelofse, David Viviers, Obed de Koker, Ntombi Makhutshi, Wian Taljaard, Keagon Cochrane, Hannah Borthwick, Jurgen McEwan and Ben Albertyn, directed by Marthinus Basson.

Magda Louw en haar Erhard: How Louw can you go? was a top-seller at the Vrystaat Arts Festival in 2025 and nominated for four Momentum Aardklop Awards, including Best Theatre Performance. Hannes van Wyk and Desiré Gardner share the stage.

Margit Meyer-Rödenbeck, Deon Lotz and Gary Naidoo can be seen in Rafiek Mammon’s Rondomtalie / Marry-go-round, for which Lotz was nominated as Best Actor at Momentum Aardklop in 2025.

Beste van alle tye with Ané Koegelenberg and Christie van Niekerk was nominated for the Kanna for Best Comedy and Best Blitsteater Performance at the KKNK in 2025 and now returns as a full-length theatre production.

Doolhof with Minke Marais and Vian Singleton, written and directed by Robert Kruger, was nominated for four Aardklop Awards in 2025 – Best Actress (Marais), Best Director (Kruger), Best Theatre Presentation and Best Newly Written Afrikaans Script (Kruger).

Luna Paige’s music theatre production Die reisigers was nominated for Best Music Production at Momentum Aardklop in 2025. Figure of 8 Dance Theatre’s Wings of Light: Dance of an Angel was nominated for the Momentum Aardklop Uitklop Award in 2025, directed by Figure of 8 Dance Theatre with music by Mauritz Lotz.

Festivalgoers have an exceptional opportunity to see all these award-winning productions, artists and directors in the Klein Karoo. KKNK 2026 is sponsored by Absa, with support from the Het Jan Marais Nationale Fonds, NATi, Checkers, Netwerk24, kykNET, ATKV, Oudtshoorn Municipality and the Western Cape Government.

The complete programme for the 30th KKNK, sponsored by Absa, is available at kknk.co.za. Tickets can be purchased via Webtickets or the KKNK Office. For more information, visit kknk.co.za or contact 044 203 8600, info@kknk.co.za or send a WhatsApp to 065 285 2337.

J.C. Aucamp
jc@kunste.org.za
KKNK
https://kknk2026.kknk.co.za/en/