The Team

STAFF

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CAROLINE CALBURN
Artistic Director
Caroline initiated Theatre Arts (as it is now known) in 2009 after a long history in theatre in which she has been a performer, theatre director, educator and mentor in both universities and communities, working at a local, national and international level. Theatre Arts, its ethos and its programmes, is a culmination of this experience.

FRANS MANDILAKHE ZUNGUZE
Technical Manager and Lighting Designer
Frans began as a rigger of lights at Theatre Arts in 2015, and now runs all technical aspects of the venue. He has a growing love of lighting design and specialises in lighting designed in real time, a skill he acquired through his collaboration as an artist in MusicDance.

ARTISTIC COMMITTEE

An Artistic Committee member holds a position on the committee for 3 years.

Tiisetso Mashifane wa Noni is a South African playwright and theatre director with an interest in writing provocative play texts focused on social politics, history and violence in contemporary South Africa. She has received several awards for her work including a Standard Bank Ovation Award, a Canadian-South African Playwriting Award and a Fleur du Cap Theatre Award.

Darion Adams (they/them) is a versatile freelance artist, dancer, educator, and choreographer based in Manenberg, Cape Town. Darion uses dance to explore identity politics and their Queer indigenous experience. As the Founder of The AIM Society, Darion is dedicated to enhancing the cultural landscape through multidisciplinary arts initiatives.

Thembela Madliki is a theatre-maker and educator based in Makhanda, Eastern Cape. In 2019-2021, Thembela worked as a junior lecturer in the department of Live Performance at AFDA Cape Town where she taught stage acting, theatre making and voice work to undergraduate students. Currently, Thembela works temporarily in the Rhodes University Drama Department.

Natalie Fraser is a writer, theatre-maker and lighting tech from Cape Town. She debuted her first play, Earworm, at Theatre Arts in 2021 and now runs Soapboxing, a performance event that has found a home behind the blue doors since 2021

Jefferson Tshabalala is a multi-award winning creative who works as an Artist, Entrepreneur and Teacher. He is apublished author and recipient of the Standard Bank Young Artist Award for Theatre and the Arts and Culture ImpACT Award, both in 2020. He is the founder of Ub'Dope Shishini (Pty)Ltd, a business divided into Ub'dope Designs and Seen Pha fashion.

THE BOARD

Tracey Saunders is a lover of words and stories on pages and stages and a theatre cheerleader. A theatre critic, writer, scholar, and curator, she is committed to the development of young artists and connects people, places, and performances. She has been a Fleur du Cap Award panel member for more than a decade and served on the Cape Town Fringe, National Arts Festival, KKNK and Woordfees Awards panels.

Nwabisa Plaatjie is an independent theatre practitioner with an interest in directing and producing. Mentored through Magnet Theatre and with productions that are consistently travelling internationally, Nwabisa currently resides in the Eastern Cape and travels as a freelance artist between KZN, Johannesburg and Cape Town.

Frank Malaba is a multidisciplinary artist working in Africa and Scandinavia. His professional background includes work as an actor, playwright, storyteller, photographer, and published poet. His acting resume includes stage and television roles in Zimbabwe, South Africa and Norway. He is known for his works on queer identity, African masculinity, and mental health. His practice is ever-evolving, intertwining his skills to create new ways of bringing African storytelling to worldwide audiences.

Ashley Dowds is a Cape Town based actor, presenter and author. He is known for various TV roles on shows such as local Scandal!, Isidingo and Binnelanders and international works including Recipes For Love And Murder. His recent theatre work includes Paul Slabolepszy’s The Return of Elvis Du Pisanie, The Curious Incident Of The Boy In The Night, Constellations, Pale Natives and The Framework company's Hamlet. He is the author of Red Car Diaries, published by Struik.