What are the opening hours?

Monday 09:00 - 16:00 Tuesday 09:00 - 16:00 Wednesday 09:00 - 16:00 Thursday 09:00 - 16:00 Friday 09:00 - 16:00

Breytenbach Theatre, 137 Gerard Moerdyk Street, Pretoria (2024)

12/09/2023

An interesting twist on world-famous opera

In a first, the Tshwane University of Technology’s Department of Performing Arts (Opera) contemporised the setting of one of the world’s most popular operas to make it more accessible to a young modern audience and draw some attention to some historical facts in the City of Tshwane.

The Department has therefore renamed Gaetano Donizetti’s opera, L’elisir D’amore, which originally takes place in a village setting in rural Italy, to Bhekamina, which takes place in Marabastad on Heritage Day. However, the production, which will also be staged as part of TUT’s Arts Festival in September, will still be performed in Italian.
The production is staged in the hope of highlighting an area that suffered the same forced removals as District Six in Cape Town and other places in the country. These sites have become international tourist sites and have been upgraded and restored to their original glory. Why not upgrade the heart and pulse of our capital’s inner city?

Bhekamina is a romantic comedy. The young Nemorino is in love with Adina, who runs a fashion shop in Marabastad. Adina is not interested in the poor Nemorino. Dressed in traditional costume, the police sergeant, Belcore, arrives in Boom Street and proposes to Adina. Dulcamara, a false pastor and traditional healer, arrives and sells his muti to everyone. Nemorino buys umuti wothando (an elixir of love) from him to make Adina fall in love with him. It is, in fact, just wine.

Nemorino displays Dutch courage derived from alcohol and is unaware that his uncle has died and left him lots of money. Suddenly, all the girls are after him. With a couple more twists in the story, who knows, Will Nemorino get the girl or not?
Bhekamina will be performed at the Breytenbach Theatre, 137 Gerhard Moerdyk Street, Sunnyside, Pretoria, on 20, 22 and 30 September at 19:00, and 27 September at 13:00.

Tickets are R70 per person, R35 for students, and R50 per ticket for block bookings of 10 people or more.

Tickets are available from Webtickets: TUT Arts Festival (webtickets.co.za)

For more information, please contact the Breytenbach Theatre at [email protected]

Come, see, laugh and be entertained.

30/08/2023

24/08/2023

Showcase presents valuable learning opportunity for students

Postgraduate Diploma students from the Department of Performing Arts (Theatre Arts and Performance) will showcase their expertise in their elective disciplines during the Department’s Postgraduate Showcase from 30 August to 2 September.

This year, the showcase mix includes two directing pieces, and a double- bill comprising an acting one-man performance, and a physical theatre making performance. They are presented as three full shows which can all be experienced on a night out at the Breytenbach Theatre.

There are also matinee performances (starting from 11:00) on Saturday, 2 September 2023 to accommodate those audiences who are travelling from far, or who may need to unwind from the busy work week.

These shows offer an insight into the expertise the students have gained as well as being thought-provoking topics. Themes for this performance range from illegal mining, grief, to the facets a modern man may show to the world. The pieces include the following:

The Shoe Man by Samson Mlambo, directed by Othembele Nomngca

Zama Zama by Thabiso Mavovo, directed by Mkhize Thulasizwe Zincume

A double-bill – Physical Theatre and Acting including:

Ubunzima bendoda (a collection of monologues) performed by Unathi Mafuna

Bolwetsi Bo (a physical theatre performance) created by Tshepang Tshabadira

The undergraduate performers are drawn from the Department of Performing Arts, Theatre Arts and Performance section, and the staging includes the expertise from the Technical Theatre and Design students in the same department. This is a wonderful experiential learning opportunity for all students, where peer learning and insightful creative practice are encouraged.

Shows are free, but booking is essential. For bookings, please contact [email protected]. The evening shows can be booked as a package, or you can stipulate which of the productions you would like to attend. The theatre requests that you specifically book the individual shows you would like to attend in the afternoon on Saturday.

WEDNESDAY, 30 AUGUST

18:00 The Shoe Man

19:30 Ubunzima bendoda & Bolwetsi Bo

21:00 Zama Zama

THURSDAY, 31 AUGUST

18:00 The Shoe Man

19:30 Ubunzima bendoda & Bolwetsi Bo

21:00 Zama Zama

FRIDAY, 1 SEPTEMBER

18:00 Ubunzima bendoda & Bolwetsi Bo

19:30 Zama Zama

21:00 The Shoe Man

SATURDAY, 2 SEPTEMBER

11:00 The Shoe Man

12:30 Ubunzima bendoda & Bolwetsi Bo

14:00 Zama Zama

18:00 Zama Zama

19:30 The Shoe Man

20:30 Ubunzima bendoda & Bolwetsi Bo

07/08/2023

Performing Arts students showcase captivating coursework
The Department of Performing Arts is excited to invite the TUT community to the Breytenbach Theatre from 10 to 12 August, where its talented Advanced Diploma Performer students will be presenting their coursework projects during this year’s ACTions showcase.
The three-day showcase features an array of captivating performance pieces from the Advanced Diploma Acting, Directing, Musical Theatre, and Voice and Media elective modules.
Students from the performer, dance and music streams will be performing in multiple showcase performances. The crew responsible for shaping the magical atmosphere surrounding these showcases comprises none other than fellow students from the Department of Performing Arts.
Students have imaginatively collaborated to ensure that every aspect, from stage design to lighting and sound, complements the creativity of these performances.
We cannot wait to share the hard work, creativity, sparkling minds and passionate hearts of our Advanced Diploma students.
Admission to these showcases is free, but bookings are essential due to the limited seating capacity.
For more information, and to secure your seat, please email [email protected]

26/07/2023

Performing Arts students showcase captivating coursework

The Department of Performing Arts is excited to invite the TUT community to the Breytenbach Theatre from 3 to 5 August, where its talented Advanced Diploma Performer students will be presenting their coursework projects during this year’s ACTions showcase.

The three-day showcase features an array of captivating performance pieces from the Advanced Diploma Acting, Directing, Musical Theatre, and Voice and Media elective modules.

Students from the performer, dance and music streams will be performing in multiple showcase performances. The crew responsible for shaping the magical atmosphere surrounding these showcases comprises none other than fellow students from the Department of Performing Arts.

Students have imaginatively collaborated to ensure that every aspect, from stage design to lighting and sound, complements the creativity of these performances.

We cannot wait to share the hard work, creativity, sparkling minds and passionate hearts of our Advanced Diploma students.

Admission to these showcases is free, but bookings are essential due to the limited seating capacity.

For more information, and to secure your seat, please email [email protected]

12/06/2023

High five for TUT Arts Festival
In anticipation of the fifth TUT Arts Festival, the Faculty of Arts and Design is a hive of
activity, and the milestone is deserving of a high five. The Festival’s theme this year is
ARTIVISM, a portmanteau of the words “arts” and “activism”, and it will take place on the
Arts Campus from 26 – 28 September.
Art is a powerful currency to address societal challenges, and, therefore, this year’s theme is
based on creativity cultivating responsible citizenship and social awareness, particularly
when faced with innumerable challenges.
The TUT Arts Festival forms part of the Faculty of Arts and Design’s dynamic, cutting-edge
teaching and learning curricula and creates an ideal platform for students to put their
knowledge into practice through this experiential learning opportunity, shaping future-ready
graduates.
By combining resources and taking hands with industry stakeholders, the Faculty celebrates
and showcases the remarkable talent of its students, staff, alumni, and community. Patrons
will get a glimpse of how the Faculty makes knowledge work and the difference that
community engagement can make.
The Festival will encompass all facets of the arts, from the design and fine art disciplines to
all the performing arts. Exhibitions, demonstrations, performances, master classes, and open
classes will form part of the exciting line-up.
This year, the Faculty will be collaborating with the Sport and Recreation Management
section within the Department of Marketing, Supply Chain and Sport Management within the
Faculty of Management Sciences, to "activate" ARTIVISM through an exciting sport and
recreation journey.
This is the ideal opportunity for prospective students interested in the creative industries to
come and experience what is on offer and get first-hand information to assist them with their
future career choices.
Come and support new, up-and-coming young creatives, invest in original artwork, scout
new talent, or just take a break and come to enjoy, network, and get inspired.
Tickets will be available on Webtickets starting in August.
Visit www.tut.ac.za; www.tutfadshowcase.ac.za for updates, or email [email protected] for
more information or to make your school bookings.

06/06/2023

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jBM8kTHJvM

Tshwane University of TechnologyDepartment of Performing ArtsFilmed20 February 2022Breytenbach TheatreFilm crewArt Music TV ACT 1Introduction (06:41) Zu Hilf...

25/05/2023

Action-packed political thriller opens TUT’s theatrical season
by Gerrit Bester Known for breaking new ground, the Department of Performing Arts, Faculty of Arts and Design, will open its theatrical season at the Breytenbach Theatre with the action-packed political thriller ASKARI on 25 May (Africa Day). TUT is the first university in Africa to stage the play.
The multiple Naledi Theatre Award-nominated and winning play, which premiered in 2021, tells the story of freedom fighters who were double agents, informers, intelligence analysts and deadly assassins for the Vlakplaas counterinsurgency unit that specialised in executing and torturing anti-apartheid activists.
The playwrights are Sello Maseko and Mduduzi Nhlapo, who doubles as a choreographer. This creative duo has received several accolades for the play, the latest one being a Humanities and Social Sciences Award in the Public Performance category.
Directed by Maseko, ASKARI follows men and women who infiltrate organised civic movements and student organisations to recruit unsuspecting youth and influential leaders. It interrogates their choice to turn from insurgencies to counterinsurgencies, from community activists to mass killers.
ASKARI delves deep into the personal accounts of these individuals who administered pain, fear and death. These stories of betrayal, death, redemption and forgiveness are captured through music, dance and powerful storytelling.
"TUT always strives to be a university of the people and walk the journey from good to great," says Dr Rostislava Pashkevitch-Ngobeni, Head of the Department of Performing Arts and producer of the TUT production of ASKARI. "TUT is the first university in Africa to participate in the journey of this ground-breaking production," she adds.
With this production, Dr Pashkevitch-Ngobeni took the very brave step to delve into the history of South Africa and the many opportunities it presents for storytelling. It was also an opportunity to expose her students to the history of this country.

15/05/2023

Action-packed political thriller opens TUT’s theatrical season
by Gerrit Bester Known for breaking new ground, the Department of Performing Arts, Faculty of Arts and Design, will open its theatrical season at the Breytenbach Theatre with the action-packed political thriller ASKARI on 25 May (Africa Day). TUT is the first university in Africa to stage the play.
The multiple Naledi Theatre Award-nominated and winning play, which premiered in 2021, tells the story of freedom fighters who were double agents, informers, intelligence analysts and deadly assassins for the Vlakplaas counterinsurgency unit that specialised in executing and torturing anti-apartheid activists.
The playwrights are Sello Maseko and Mduduzi Nhlapo, who doubles as a choreographer. This creative duo has received several accolades for the play, the latest one being a Humanities and Social Sciences Award in the Public Performance category.
Directed by Maseko, ASKARI follows men and women who infiltrate organised civic movements and student organisations to recruit unsuspecting youth and influential leaders. It interrogates their choice to turn from insurgencies to counterinsurgencies, from community activists to mass killers.
ASKARI delves deep into the personal accounts of these individuals who administered pain, fear and death. These stories of betrayal, death, redemption and forgiveness are captured through music, dance and powerful storytelling.
"TUT always strives to be a university of the people and walk the journey from good to great," says Dr Rostislava Pashkevitch-Ngobeni, Head of the Department of Performing Arts and producer of the TUT production of ASKARI. "TUT is the first university in Africa to participate in the journey of this ground-breaking production," she adds.
With this production, Dr Pashkevitch-Ngobeni took the very brave step to delve into the history of South Africa and the many opportunities it presents for storytelling. It was also an opportunity to expose her students to the history of this country.

11/11/2022

NGAPHESHEYA

20/10/2022

Thursday, 20 October @ 18h30
Friday, 21 October 2022 @ 18h30
Saturday 22 October 2022

24/09/2022

THE LOST PUPPETS

24/09/2022

TWO TRAINS RUNNING

TODAY @ 15H00 AND 18H00 , Breytenbach Theatre

20/09/2022

28/07/2022

Memoryscapes: 28 till 30 July 2022 @ 18h30

28/07/2022

Production celebrates autobiographical memories and stories

The Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) has collaborated with the University of Pretoria (UP) to stage Memoryscapes, a deeply personal celebration of the performers’ autobiographical memories and stories.

In the production, students from the TUT Department of Performing Arts (Dance programme) will retell their memories at the Breytenbach Theatre in July to perform a powerful embodied landscape in moving memoir, titled Memoryscapes.

A co-collaboration between Performing Arts lecturer, Nicola Haskins, and the cast, Memoryscapes explores the stories of the body, past experiences, and verbal reflections of each participant’s lived experience, bringing the past into the present.

Memoryscapes was created in an eight-day intensive process as part of Nicola’s PhD research project through the University of Pretoria.

“This tapestry of stories, memories, and experiences is a nuanced scape of who each performer is becoming,” says Nicola.

Memoryscapes will be performed at the Breytenbach Theatre, 137 Gerard Moerdyk Street, Sunnyside, Pretoria, from 28 to 30 July at 18:30.

Tickets are R50 and available from www.webtickets.co.za. Bookings are essential. Please note that no tickets will be sold at the door.

For enquiries, please contact 012 382 2562.

PHOTO CAPTION:
Scenes from Memoryscapes that will be performed at the Breytenbach Theatre at the end of July.

19/07/2022

Memoryscapes

03/06/2022

20/02/2022

Department of Performing Arts presented Magic Flute , the Opera.

19 - 20 February 2022.

More information on www.tut.ac.za

Photo cred: Rostislava Pashkevitch

18/02/2022

The Magic Flute sets the stage for live performances After an absence of two years due to Covid-19, the Tshwane University of Technology’s Department of Performing Arts will return to the stage of the Breytenbach Theatre with their first public performance of 2022, Mozart’s The Magic Flute. The Magic Flute is one of those rare gems in opera that appeals to children and mature audiences alike. This lies within the simplicity with which the composer solves life’s complications. Essentially, a double love story, the high-minded Prince, Tamino, and the simple-minded Papageno, both triumph in love through music’s magical effect. Thus, the title of the opera. The lover’s triumph has the added benefit that the evil Queen of the Night is defeated by Sarastro, High Priest of Light. The audience is taken on an entertaining journey full of humour, fantasy, and the confrontation between good and evil. In this new production, sung in the original German, the University has endeavoured to invest in the future of young singers’ careers by presenting the full production, prepared by drawing on international experience of coach, Alistair Dawes, and showcasing young South African talent in a production of superb quality. Prepared and interrupted during Covid, the University has persisted in pursuing the completion of this project, especially given the fact that performing artists and live productions have been severely impacted by the pandemic. It is hoped that The Magic Flute production will spark a small revival in a time where live performance desperately needs audiences. The University has a vision to empower people. Through music, this production wants to empower young artists and ignite a new passion for theatre. For bookings, contact the Breytenbach Theatre, tel. 012 382 2639, or 082 884 8945 (office hours), or email [email protected] Limited seats available.