Highlights: Tracing the Line is a celebration of choreographic excellence drawn from some of the most compelling voices in contemporary and classical ballet. Following the success of Juxtapose earlier this season, Highlights offers something both familiar and fresh: a curated collection of audience favourites and new discoveries, brought to life by WGRUV’s artists with the precision and passion the company is known for.

The programme brings together works by internationally acclaimed choreographer Jessica Lang, whose craftsmanship has defined a generation of neo-classical ballet; Jesse Obremski, whose visceral movement language cuts to the heart of human connection; Michael Trusnovec, a master of quiet power and sculptural clarity; and WGRUV’s own Holly Gruver and Lex Gruver, whose collaborative choreographic voice continues to mature into something distinctly their own.

Together, the works explore the fundamental language of the body – line, colour, weight, and meaning – in a programme designed not merely to be watched, but to be felt.

“We wanted to offer our audiences an experience at the theatre that fills them,” says WGRUV Artistic Director Holly Gruver. “Each work traces something – a gesture, a story, an emotion – and together they form a line from the stage to the heart. This is dance with purpose. Dance that leaves you more alive than when you arrived.”

From the architecture of a perfectly held line to the explosion of movement in full colour, Highlights is a performance that reminds audiences why they come to the theatre: to be seen, to be moved, and to be reminded that beauty is never incidental — it is always intentional.

On the Thursday afternoons just before the show opening in all three cities, WGRUV is hosting a dress rehearsal at 16h00 for students and school groups, followed by a Q&A session with the WGRUV dancers.  Tickets cost R99 per student. To book, contact tanya@wgruvdance.com

WGRUV Dance Company (NPC 2022/508213/08), founded by Holly Gruver, is Johannesburg’s contemporary ballet company, dedicated to communicating hope through world-class artistic storytelling. Based in Bryanston, the company works with South African and international choreographers to produce work of depth, beauty, and cultural significance across South Africa and beyond.

Book now for Highlights and make sure to diarise WGRUV’s remaining three runs for the year: Angels In Africa from 12 to 15 November at the UJ Arts Centre and 15 to 20 December at the Roodepoort Theatre, with performances at the Mandela Bay Theatre Complex provisionally planned for 2 to 7 November.

“In these three new works that we have created – ‘JUXTAPOSE’, ‘Highlights’ and ‘Angels In Africa’ – we have a beautiful programme for 2026 that can be defined by saying. ‘One Line. Three Visions. Infinite Humanity,” says Holly Gruver.

See Highlights, 9 to 12 July, Roodepoort Theatre (Johannesburg); 20 to 23 August, UJ Arts Centre (Johannesburg) and 26 to 29 August at the Homecoming Centre in Cape Town. Tickets from R220 to R300 with special group discounts of 10% on five-plus tickets and 20% on ten-plus tickets, valid only on the first two prices. Book now at Webtickets.co.za and more information at wgruvdance.com

HIGHLIGHTS 2026

JOHANNESBURG, GAUTENG:

• Venue: Roodepoort Theatre (@roodepoorttheater)

Dates & Show Times:

• Thursday, 9 July at 15h00  Dress rehearsal
• Friday, 10 July at 19h00
• Saturday, 11 July at 15h00
• Sunday, 12 July at 15h00

Ticket prices

• All performances:  R220, R250, R280, R300
• Groups: 5-plus tickets – 10% discount. Ten-plus tickets – 20% discount. Valid only on first two prices.
• Bookings: webtickets.co.za
• Venue: UJ Arts Centre (@uj-arts-centre)

Dates & Show Times

• Thursday, 20 August at 15h00  Dress rehearsal
• Friday, 21 August at 19h00
• Saturday, 22 August at 15h00
• Sunday, 23 August at 15h00

Ticket prices

All performances:  R220, R250, R280, R300

• Groups: 5-plus tickets – 10% discount. Ten-plus tickets – 20% discount. Valid only on first two prices.
• Bookings: webtickets.co.za

CAPE TOWN, WESTERN CAPE:

• Venue: Homecoming Centre (@homecomingcentre)

Dates & Show Times

• Thursday, 27 August at 15h00  Dress rehearsal
• Friday, 28 August at 19h00
• Saturday, 29 August at 15h00

Ticket Prices:

All performances:  R220, R250, R280, R300

• Groups: 5-plus tickets – 10% discount. Ten-plus tickets – 20% discount. Valid only on first two prices.
• Bookings: webtickets.co.za

SOCIAL MEDIA

WGRUV Dance Company

• Website: wgruvdance.com
• Facebook: WGRUV Dance Company
• Instagram: @WGRUVdancecompany
• Tiktok: @wgruvdancecompany
• Twitter: @wgruvdance

Dancers

@ruangaldino, @marlon.ssales, @sailimarie_ @dance.chloe09, @javiermonierjr, @nicolatolmay, @chelsea_wewege, @p.vrrrr, @jenn2106, @jenna._levin, @lex_gruver_, @vvasconcelos99,

Choreographers

Instagram: Instagram: @hollygruver,@lex_gruver, @truzdncr, @jesse_obremski, @jessicalangchoreographer

The post WGRUV Dance Company To Warm Fans With Highlights This Winter appeared first on Stage and Screen.

Written by Suzie Miller, Prima Facie arrives on South African soil this August with significant global credibility behind it, having dominated both the Olivier Awards and the Tony Awards. Yet the real question is not about its accolades, it’s about its relevance in a country grappling with its own deeply entrenched legal and social challenges.

At the centre of the narrative is Tessa, portrayed by Danica De La Rey Jones, a sharp, ambitious barrister who has built her career defending the accused. She understands the system, speaks its language, and thrives within its rigid framework until she is forced into a position that exposes its limitations. When she becomes the victim of a violent assault, the rules she once relied on begin to unravel.

Directed by Neil Coppen, the production does not shy away from uncomfortable truths. Instead, it leans into them, dissecting the mechanics of a legal process that often prioritises procedure over people. The notion of “evidence” is placed under scrutiny, raising a critical tension: does the system deliver justice, or simply process cases?

Positioned within South Africa’s ongoing crisis around gender-based violence, Prima Facie becomes more than a performance; it becomes a case study in systemic failure and institutional inertia. Coppen’s assertion that there is no more urgent context for this story is difficult to dispute. The play challenges audiences to move beyond passive consumption and engage with the underlying questions it raises.

Presented by How Now Brown Cow in association with The Market Theatre, the production signals a strategic alignment between storytelling and social commentary. It’s not just about raising awareness, it’s about reframing the conversation around justice itself.

Catch the Season

• Cape Town: The Baxter Theatre Centre | 4 – 29 August
• Johannesburg: The Market Theatre | 17 September – 4 October

Bookings via Webtickets (Age advisory: 14)

In an environment where legal frameworks are often viewed as definitive, Prima Facie introduces a degree of scepticism that feels both necessary and overdue. The production doesn’t offer easy resolutions, nor does it pretend to. Instead, it leaves audiences with a lingering question—when the system itself is under scrutiny, where does accountability truly begin, and who gets left behind in the process?

The post Seeking Justice in a Broken System: Prima Facie Makes Its South African Debut appeared first on Stage and Screen.

Arriving at The Baxter Theatre Centre this June before transitioning to Theatre on the Square, the production positions itself as more than a cerebral exercise. Under the direction of Jay Pather, it leans into the emotional volatility of human connection, framing quantum theory not as an abstract concept, but as a mirror reflecting the fragility of choice.

At its core, the narrative tracks Marianne, a physicist, and Roland, a beekeeper—an unlikely pairing that becomes a vehicle for exploring how relationships fracture, reform, and evolve across parallel possibilities. Played by Mwenya Kabwe and Mark Elderkin, these characters exist in multiple states: together and apart, fulfilled and fractured. The structure is deliberately fragmented, forcing audiences to confront an uncomfortable question: are outcomes ever truly within our control, or are we simply navigating pre-existing pathways?

Pather’s framing cuts through the science, grounding the production in a universally recognisable tension: the ‘what if’. It’s a concept often romanticised, yet here it’s interrogated with precision. What if a different word were chosen, a different silence maintained? Would the trajectory shift, or was it always heading toward the same conclusion?

From a performance standpoint, the success of Constellations hinges on nuance. There’s no spectacle to hide behind, just dialogue, timing, and the psychological elasticity of two actors tasked with embodying multiple realities. That alone positions this as a high-risk, high-reward production in a theatre landscape often driven by safer commercial bets.

Catch the Season

• Cape Town: The Baxter Theatre Centre | 2 – 20 June
• Johannesburg: Theatre on the Square | 23 June – 11 July

Bookings via Webtickets (Age advisory: 14)

In a cultural environment increasingly saturated with predictable storytelling, Constellations appears to take a different strategic route; one that prioritises introspection over spectacle. The question is whether audiences are willing to engage with a narrative that doesn’t offer clean answers. And perhaps more importantly, if every version of your life exists somewhere, which one are you currently living, and why?

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The Fugard Theatre’s new digital platform, The Fugard At Home, launched on 1 June, presenting a unique opportunity to access a range of theatrical content on The Fugard Theatre’s website.

Following the spread of the COVID-19 virus, the subsequent lockdown, and the current uncertainty about when theatres will be able to safely operate again, The Fugard Theatre has launched The Fugard At Home , in response to having to cancel their 2020 Season. The Fugard At Home will be accessible from the Theatre’s website at thefugard.com.

From 1 June, theatre lovers will be able to stream some of The Fugard Theatre’s acclaimed past productions, visit the Information Hub to find out what is streaming both locally and globally, and even take a 360-degree tour of the Theatre’s foyer. Visitors can also learn more about Athol Fugard and his extensive body of work, as well as read up on the history of the building the Fugard is located in.

A highlight on the platform will be the opening of the Fugard Theatre’s production archive, where visitors can stream recorded live titles of a curated selection of The Fugard’s past productions. Available from 1 June will be Athol Fugard’s The Road to Mecca, starring South African legends Sandra Prinsloo and Marius Weyers and the award-winning Emily Child, which ran at the Fugard in 2018. The production received three Fleur du Cap Theatre Award nominations for Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Set Design for the late Saul Radomsky.

In addition, the compelling production of Fugard’s “Master Harold”…And The Boys, which was staged in celebration of the Fugards tenth birthday, will also be available to stream due to popular demand, starring Desmond Dube, Kai Luke Brummer, and Siya Mayola.

The Fugard At Home will also feature, The Performer Series, which will go in to production soon. The Performer Series will provide a sterilised environment for multi-medium, single performer, performance pieces, including theatre, dance, music and more, to take place on The Fugard’s main stage, filmed and edited and then broadcast on The Fugard At Home platform. Once launched, an episode will be released per week.

The Fugard At Home will be an ever-evolving virtual platform and arts portal, including Fugard Theatre merchandise, which will be released for sale on the platform soon. For access to offers and exclusive events on The Fugard At Home, sign up as a Friend of The Fugard on our website, thefugard.com

The Fugard Theatre NPC is a not for profit company which works towards the advancement, promotion and preservation of arts and culture in South Africa, in honour of Athol Fugard. Should you wish to donate towards The Fugard Theatre’s work, you can do so by going to thefugard.com

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