Shakespeare School's Festival SA founder Kseniya Filinova, centre, onstage at the Homecoming Centre in District Six last year with SSFSA participants.
Image: Mike Leresche
The 15th annual Shakespeare Schools Festival South Africa (SSFSA) returns to the District Six Homecoming Centre from Tuesday May 6 to Saturday May 31.
Forty-eight drama groups from in and around Cape Town will be presenting abridged 30-to-45-minute versions of the Bard’s iconic works.
Each year, the festival stage transforms into a platform for self-expression, as talented casts explore their craft through the spoken word, acting, dance, music, song, and physical theatre.
Since its inception in 2009, the SSFSA has worked with 15 027 pupils from 807 schools, and supported 1006 teachers in their roles as drama and performance arts directors.
For the first time, the SSFSA will welcome pupils from School 1306 Moscow, a UNESCO-associated, International Baccalaureate school based in the south-west of the city. The school is bringing a cast of nine Russian students directed by English actor Jonathan Salway and with original music by Andrey Borisov.
The festival provides a unique, non-competitive space for young thespians to develop their theatrical potential in a fun and educational way, while also promoting literacy, classic literature, and live theatre.
In preparation for the festival, SSFSA offers training programmes for teachers, young pupil directors, and school casts to enhance their performances.
SSFSA embraces inclusivity and accessibility, welcoming blind, deaf and physically challenged participants.
Tickets are available through Webtickets from R95 to R150 with block booking and pupil discounts available.