Woza Albert! return to The Market Theatre for a limited run of two weeks as part of the Theatre’s 50th anniversary from 15 July – 26 July 2026.

Woza Albert! makes a highly anticipated return to The Market Theatre for a strictly limited run of two weeks as part of the Theatre’s 50th anniversary celebrations. The work was first created and staged at The Market Theatre in 1981 by Mbongeni Ngema, Percy Mtwa and Barney Simon. Through biting satire and chilling truthfulness, the creators explored what would happen if Morena – the Lord – were to return to a racist, oppressive apartheid South Africa.

The current version is performed by Hamilton Dhlamini – who also directs it – and Thulani Mtsweni. The two actors move between characters to capture the daily realities of Black lives under apartheid. They highlight the resilience, imagination and defiance of Black South Africans, while confronting audiences with the moral contradictions of the time.

Set to run in the Barney Simon Theatre from 15 July – 26 July 2026, this hugely influential piece of protest theatre is an honest and raw portrayal of the apartheid regime’s brutality as it satirically revisits the ground we walk on today.

Actor-director Hamilton Dhlamini regards the staging of Woza Albert! as an opportunity for the nation to sit back and reflect on its progress more than 30 years after democracy, especially in a high-stakes local government election year.

“Thematically, this play is about power and its (mis)use. We need responsible and accountable leadership who will honour the sacrifices of the past and deliver a better life for all. When it was created, it pierced sharply into the heart of apartheid. Its return is now an examination of the conduct of our current leadership. The piece is an important mobilising tool towards elections, reminding both leaders and the electorate of what the struggle has always been about: the people.”

“It is an immense honour,” Hamilton goes on, “to bring Mbongeni Ngema, Percy Mtwa and Barney Simon’s seminal piece to its original home. With this totally unmissable run, we’re not just reviving an old apartheid story; we’re confronting contemporary issues facing the nation in the new dispensation.”

At the height of apartheid in the ‘80s, which included the declaration of the State of Emergency alongside calls to make the country ungovernable through mass action, Woza Albert! commanded attention globally as a strong voice against the regime. Through impactful performances, the work contributed to the international condemnation of the system, proving how powerful art can be in giving language to people’s struggles.

Almost 50 years later, the play has enjoyed a prolific local and international life, with successful tours and rave reviews at the Edinburgh Festival, Berlin, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Philadelphia and more.

It has also won numerous international awards and is now among South Africa’s stage classics read in schools nationally, and is studied worldwide.

About its return during the crucial 50th birthyear of The Market Theatre, Artistic Director Greg Homann comments: “Woza Albert! is woven into the DNA of The Market Theatre. Created here in the early years of our existence, it stands as one of the seminal works that helped define both our stages and the South African story we have been home to for the past 50 years. Bringing it back now acknowledges where we come from as a nation, as well as how our story continues to evolve.”

Tickets for Woza Albert! are available on Webtickets https://www.webtickets.co.za/v2/event.aspx?itemid=1597019803 starting from R110, with special discounts for the preview performance, for groups of four or more, and with all Wednesdays at half-price.

Affordable, safe and secure underground parking is available at the Newtown Junction.

The Market Theatre is a division of The Market Theatre Foundation, an agency of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture.

For reduced price block bookings (of 10 or more) and school groups, contact Anthony Ezeoke (Audience Development) at AnthonyE@markettheatre.co.za or 083 246 4950.

For media enquiries, please contact Bongiwe Potelwa (Publicist at the Market Theatre Foundation) at bongiwep@markettheatre.co.za or 011 832 1641 ext 224.

Bongiwe Potelwa
bongiwep@markettheatre.co.za
079 967 3441
The Market Theatre Foundation
http://www.markettheatre.co.za