Durban Drops 8 Spoken Word Theatre Shows This October!

Photo Credit: Publicity Matters

Lovers of quality spoken word theatre, you can craft your own festival this October, as Durban is hosting eight incredible theatre productions in venues around the city!

Durban, South Africa (09 October 2025) – Spoken word theatre productions are rare at the best of times. However, Durban will be hosting eight of these theatre productions in one month! It’s blue-moon-unusual and absolutely worth supporting!

These plays are in addition to the excellent musical theatre productions, cabarets, musical comedies, fine music and student dance dramas also on offer this month.

The first three brilliant productions are part of the Red Mango Festival taking place at Sastri College from 8 – 11 October.

On the bill is Letters of Suresh, a poetic exploration of identity by Pulitzer-nominated American playwright Rajiv Joseph. The four-hander drama is a celebration of the lost art of letter writing performed by Shika Budoo, Sahil Samlal, Shika Maharaj and Ralph Lawson. Directed by Rajesh Gopie.

Also at Red Mango is Roti Queen: a solo comedy by Shika Budoo, directed by Dhaveshan Govender. Marriage is a dance between love, sacrifice, and personal identity. Amrita, once a professional dancer, unravels domestication, dedication and life’s decisions as she makes a fresh batch of roti for her 19th anniversary dinner.

Out of Bounds at the Red Mango Festival has become a South African classic written and performed by Rajesh Gopie. Using 28 different characters, Gopie, often humorously, tells the story of Lal Lachund, a young Indian man growing up in 1980s South Africa, who lives with his parents and extended family in a cramped house in Inanda.

The ever innovative Durban University of Technology’s Drama and Production Studies Department is extending the performance range of their students with two unusual one act comedy/dramas to be staged as a double bill: an original farce, No Added Bank Charges written and directed by lecturer Dr Verne Rowin Munsamy; and the iconic absurdist play, The Bald Soprano written by Eugène Ionesco, and directed by lecturer Palesa Matabane, both coming to the Courtyard Theatre on DUT’s Ritson campus from 6 to 8 October, with afternoon and evening shows daily.

On October 15, 16, and 17, two South African classics will be staged at the Actor’s Studio as part of the DUT Higher Certificate in Performing Arts Technology Industry Interface project on the DUT campus.

The first production, Andrew Buckland’s masterpiece of comic physical performance, The Ugly Noo Noo, tells the story of a man’s encounter with the infamous Parktown Prawn. The Ugly Noo Noo will feature Mpilo “Straw” Nzimande, directed by Peter Mitchell.

The second production, Neil Coppen’s Tin Bucket Drum, is directed by Bryan Hiles and stars Mpilo “Straw” Nzimande alongside recent Naledi Award-winner Cara Roberts. In Tin Bucket Drum, Neil Coppen weaves together elements of magical realism, shadow puppetry, Kabuki theatre, and live percussion, offering a fresh twist on traditional African storytelling.

Finally, at Seabrookes Theatre, DHS from 29 October to 2 November, Darren King produces the beautiful Callum’s Will, which was created for him more than a decade ago by Janna Ramos Violante. This time around, it is directed by Blessing Xaba and will star King with Joburg actor, Tafara Nyatsanza.

Callum’s Will is a poignant drama exploring the touching relationship between two men of very different backgrounds. The story follows Callum, an ex-ballet dancer (played by King) and his journey to find peace after a car accident has left him crippled, helped by his carer, Will (Tafara Nyatsanza).

“It is a rare treat for Durban to have the opportunity to enjoy not one but eight pieces of spoken word theatre in one month. The importance of supporting these productions is reflected in their ability to mirror the human condition and reflect our own experiences,” said Darren King.

You can find out more here.