e.ID: A Fugue invites Pretoria audiences into a Digital Meditation on Identity.

An immersive contemporary dance work exploring identity, mortality and what it means to exist in an increasingly digitised world

What happens to the human self when our lives exist simultaneously in flesh and data, memory and algorithm, the physical and the digital?

The South African State Theatre invites audiences to enter this provocative space with e.ID: A Fugue, an immersive contemporary dance production that challenges audiences to reconsider identity, mortality and existence in a rapidly changing technological world. The production runs from 19 to 23 August 2026 at the Drama Theatre at the South African State Theatre in Pretoria, with tickets priced at R150.

Created and directed by award-winning choreographer and filmmaker Louise Coetzer, e.ID: A Fugue inhabits a suspended reality where the boundaries between the human and the technological begin to dissolve. Structured as a fugue, the work traces a fragmented way of being, simultaneously flesh and data, instinct and algorithm, contained within systems that remain largely invisible to us.

At its heart, the production asks audiences to consider an increasingly urgent question: what does it mean to exist when the physical self can disappear, but its digital trace can continue indefinitely?

Through physical performance, original music, live interaction and responsive scenography, e.ID: A Fugue creates a sensory landscape in which the self continuously dissolves and reforms. Bone, flesh, blood, DNA, memory and instinct meet technology and digital reproduction, creating a compelling meditation on the fragile boundary between biological life and the digital world.

The production draws on cosmologies of life, death and rebirth, offering audiences an experience that is as visually arresting as it is intellectually provocative. Rather than providing easy answers, e.ID: A Fugue invites audiences to pause, reflect and confront the changing nature of human consciousness in a near post-human age.

The production features an original score by acclaimed South African composers Njabulo Phungula and Inge Beckmann, alongside German composers Heidrun Schramm and Nicolas Wiese, under the musical direction of Brydon Bolton. Responsive scenography has been developed in collaboration with Methodlab, with technical direction by Oscar O’Ryan.

Performed by award-winning South African contemporary dance company Darkroom Contemporary Dance Theatre, the production brings together an interdisciplinary team whose work explores the relationship between movement, technology, installation and new forms of storytelling.

Coetzer, whose practice centres on experiential and experimental work that interrogates the tensions between the physical and psychological, has established a distinctive voice in contemporary South African performance. Her work incorporates new technologies and media applications to create immersive experiences that challenge conventional perceptions of dance and theatre.

e.ID: A Fugue is presented in partnership with the South African State Theatre, DOCK ART and Future Storytelling Lab. The production is supported by the National Lotteries Commission of South Africa, the National Arts Council of South Africa, The Christian Ludolph Marais Trust, the Goethe-Institut, DOCK ART (DE), and Future Storytelling Lab (NL).

Performance Schedule
19 August 2026: 19:00 – Opening Night
20 August 2026: 11:00 – followed by an Artist Talk
21 August 2026: 19:00
22 August 2026: 15:00 and 19:00
23 August 2026: 15:00

Venue: Drama Theatre, South African State Theatre, Pretoria

Tickets: R150

With its fusion of contemporary dance, music, technology and interactive performance, e.ID: A Fugue offers Pretoria audiences an opportunity to experience a bold and forward-looking work that speaks directly to the world we are becoming.

For audiences fascinated by contemporary performance, technology, identity and the future of storytelling, e.ID: A Fugue is an invitation to step beyond the familiar and encounter the human condition from an entirely new perspective.

The South African State Theatre continues to provide a platform for innovative artistic work that challenges, inspires and expands the possibilities of live performance.

Bookings:
Webtickets, Pick n Pay stores nationwide and the South African State Theatre
Box Office Website: www.statetheatre.co.za
Box Office: 012 392 4000.

MEDIA ENQUIRIES
Bongani Nicholas Ngomane
Dramaturge | Acting PR & Communications
South African State Theatre
Tel: 072 700 6030
E-mail: bongani@statetheatre.co.za

Production Contact:
Oscar O’Ryan
Tel: 084 659 4519

Mrs NE Mafuyeka
Nkhensani@statetheatre.co.za
079 296 3871
South African State Theatre
http://www.statetheatre.co.za