iXesha is a powerful new South African musical theatre production that explores time as the ultimate currency. On a train with no destination, twelve passengers awaken to find themselves trapped in a world where time is running out. As fear, manipulation, and fragile hope collide, the passengers discover they are not strangers at all, but fragments of one being — the Artist — guided and tested by the enigmatic Conductor.
Through original writing, choreography, and live music, iXesha journeys inward, asking: what is the true value of time, and how much of it do we waste chasing shadows instead of living truthfully? With a South African ensemble of emerging trainees, the work fuses fantasy, drama, and mystery into a reflection of our own fractured world — ultimately reminding us that art is not an escape, but the deepest way of seeing ourselves.
iXesha was devised in 2025 by the 1st year trainees and teaching staff of The Rainbow Academy: School of Performing Arts & Business, Cape Town. Each year, the Academy presents an original musical theatre work as part of its collaboration with Trinity College London’s Plays in Production exam, giving trainees hands-on experience in creating new theatre from concept to performance.
This year, “time” was chosen as the central theme. Over months of workshops in acting, music, and dance, trainees collectively built the narrative: a train caught between life and afterlife, its passengers forced to confront what they value most. Under the mentorship of Academy staff, the ensemble developed original writing, choreography, and soundscapes, blending their diverse perspectives into a unified work.
The production is directed and produced by Godfrey Johnson & Keegan Mitchell, with performances created and performed entirely by the 2025 Trainee Ensemble. iXesha reflects the Academy’s mission: nurturing creativity, discipline, and excellence while producing original South African theatre with global relevance.
https://rainbowacademy.co.za