UFS Drama Department Shines at National Festivals

The Department of Drama and Theatre Arts at the University continues to make its mark on the national arts scene with exceptional performances, accolades, and recognitions across multiple festivals and platforms.

Vrystaat Arts Festival Wins and Standout Productions

At the Vrystaat Arts Festival’s prestigious Vryskitters Award ceremony, several of our staff members, students, alumni, and affiliated artists earned top honours:

Chris Vorster won Best Performer and Best Set Design for Gebou soos Stefi Graff, a visually arresting and emotionally layered piece that also received a nomination for Best Production.

Norman Doubell was named Best Upcoming Artist (alongside Anke Meyer-Auld) for his compelling performance in Harte-Bliksems, a production also nominated for Best Production.

Paquot took home Best Technical, a testament to the department’s growing technical prowess.

Jane Mpholo won Best South African Short Film for Echoes of the Land, a poetic exploration of memory and identity.

In addition to the awards, several other notable nominations underscored the department's diverse talent:

Best Director: Gert Hay for Perspectives on Perspectives of Love, a production also nominated for Best Set Design and Best Costume Design.

Head of the department Professor Anthea van Jaarsveld highlighted the impressive creative output of our students and alumni, noting the powerful work showcased in productions such as Esemblance of Permanence, Bielie, Harte-bliksems, Verbode Gedagtes in Stereo, and Spookstories van CJ Langenhoven, including several theatre for young audience productions such as Willemien en Meraaitjie en Willie Wragtig die Troeteldrakie, Rooikappie en die Drie Varkies, Dimpho and the Catfish, Die Moedige Avonture van Prinses Petronella, and Die Verlore Ballerina.

Celebrating Original Voices and Community Impact

Adding to the department's growing national reputation, staff member Rondo Mpiti-Spies and former student and lecturer Oliver Sikhathuli Bonga were recognised as Sunday World’s Unsung Heroes in Sports, Arts and Culture, a significant acknowledgement of their contribution to the field.

Sunday World’s Unsung Heroes stand as a testament to the truism that the youth are tomorrow’s leaders. According to Don Makatile: "they are brimming with innovative ideas that only need the enabling environment the state should create for business to thrive".

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A further testament is the Standing Ovation Award Ms Mpiti-Spies received at the National Arts Festival, for her powerful one-(wo)man show So Over the Rainbow. Directed by Dion van Niekerk, her performance was profoundly moving, blending raw narrative with sharp social commentary, and stood out as a bold, unflinching voice in the festival’s solo performance category.

A Standing Ovation for Student-Led Excellence

A major highlight came from our second-year students, whose production Umnqophiso: The Covenant received a Silver Standing Ovation Award at the National Arts Festival. Professor Anthea praised the cohort for their initiative and leadership, independently driving the entire creative process from conception to execution.

The Standard Bank Ovation Awards, at the National Arts Festival, are designed to reward creative excellence and innovation on the Fringe. Each day, a new crop of winners is announced and serves as a guide to some must-see shows at the Festival!

A Landmark Moment in Artistic Exchange

The recent musical production of Carousel was a notable success and celebrated the international collaboration between The Meadows School of the Arts at Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas, Texas, the Odeion School of Music (OSM), and the Drama Department. With limited preparation time and the ambitious choice of material, director Thys Heydenrych was praised for the excellent quality of the production. The performance received positive feedback from the university rectorate, and both students and staff from the SMU praised the high standards of the theatres, the smooth technical operation, and the professionalism of the technical team, calling UFS "the most professional collaborators" they’ve worked with to date.

Looking Ahead

We celebrate these achievements, and the UFS Drama Department is proud to continue fostering a space where artistry, collaboration, and innovation thrive. Congratulations to all our performers, directors, designers, and technicians – your work continues to inspire and uplift.

Drama alumni, Sibahle Mabaso, Honoured as UFS Dream Scholar

In 2024, Sibahle Mabaso was named the UFS Dream Scholar and was selected as the second runner-up nationally. Her outstanding achievement earned her an invitation to the 2025 Siyaphumelela Conference, a national initiative to advance evidence-based strategies for student success in higher education across South Africa.

As part of the conference, Siyaphumelela collaborated with the Centre for Creative Arts to create a mentorship programme with acclaimed poet Dr Diana Ferrus, best known for her poem “I’ve Come to Take You Home”, which played a pivotal role in the return of Saartjie Baartman to South Africa in 2002 and was later enshrined in French law.

Under this mentorship, Me Mabaso and a group of emerging artists presented original poetry to over 400 delegates from 20 partner universities and participated in a dynamic panel discussion. In her contribution, Sibahle explored how theatre and storytelling can amplify student voices and drive institutional transformation, referencing her work on A Broken Sarafina and Varsity Life as examples of how lived experience can be translated into powerful performance.

2024

Alumni from the UFS Department of Drama and Theatre Arts shine at the ATKV Tienertoneel regional festival in Bloemfontein

As the curtain falls on this year’s ATKV Tienertoneel regional festival in Bloemfontein, the UFS Department of Drama and Theatre Arts alumni have once again proven that they are an integral part of the theatrical landscape in the region, leaving an indelible mark on the world of theatre and performance in schools. The festival not only showcased the exceptional young theatrical talents of high school learners, but also the creativity, dedication, and excellent skills of several alumni from the Drama Department. (Read more)

Drama alumni steal the show at the Fraserburg Logan Toneelfees

Fraserburg Logan Toneelfees is the country’s oldest and biggest school drama festival. It is hosted at Hoërskool Fraserburg by a community organisation. Forty-two productions from all over the country made their way this year to the stage in Fraserburg which took place from 1 - 5 August 2023. Several of our alumni, now drama teachers, took part in the festival and were nominated or won several prizes. (Read more)

MoA between UFS and PACOFS links the sciences with real-world practice

The University of the Free State (UFS) Department of Drama and Theatre Arts and the Odeion School of Music (OSM) recently (26 July 2023) signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with the Performing Arts Centre of the Free State (PACOFS), linking the sciences with real-world practice. The MoA includes the use of PACOFS facilities, joint art and culture development projects, joint community projects, and overall cross-pollination between academia and the industry in the sphere of the arts. It is merging the strengths of the two entities for the development of the Free State.
(read more)

Way to go UFS Drama!
Drama staff, students, and alumni took the Vrystaat Arts Festival by storm!

The Vrystaat Arts Festival annually hosts productions from staff, students, and alumni from the Department of Drama and Theatre Arts. This year was no exception with several productions from theatre for young audiences to serious dramas performed at the Main and Vrynge Festival. The festival ran from 11 – 15 July 2023 on the UFS Campus. Five professional productions featured on the Main Festival, with several productions by students and alumni at the Vrynge Festival.
(read more)

Jane Mpholo in "Fragmented" - photo by Estiaan Terblanché

CW Laten, Charl Henning, Stella Nortier, Marnique Terblanche, Nico Taljaard in "Woelige Willemien" - photo by Leopold Frechow

Wilhelm van der Walt in "Die fel omstrede kroon" - photo by Estiaan Terblanché

#AfricaMonth: Celebrating books and multilingualism

Dr Jerry Mofokeng wa Makhetha, award-winning actor, director and theatre practitioner, launches his book in celebration of #AfricaMonth.

The recipient of an honorary Doctor of Letters (DLitt) degree from the University of the Free State (UFS), Dr Jerry Mofokeng wa Makgetha, is an award-winning South African actor who has appeared in several critically acclaimed films, including Cry, the Beloved Country, Lord of War, Mandela and de Klerk, and the 2005 Academy Award-winning film Tsotsi. As part of celebrating Africa Month, the UFS Library and Information Services (LIS), in collaboration with the Office for International Affairs, launched his book, titled I Am A Man: A Memoir, on 18 May 2022. (read more)

The Department has a long standing relationship with Dr Jerry Mofokeng and would like to congratulate him on the achievement.

Chris Vorster’s PhD pays homage to the impact of Egoli creator, Franz Marx

Dr Chris Vorster, lecturer at the Drama and Theatre Arts Department, during the April 2022 graduation ceremony in the Callie Human Centre on the UFS Bloemfontein Campus.
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FACULTY CONTACT

T: +27 51 401 2240 or humanities@ufs.ac.za

Postgraduate:
Marizanne Cloete: +27 51 401 2592

Undergraduate:
Neliswa Emeni-Tientcheu: +27 51 401 2536
Phyllis Masilo: +27 51 401 9683

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