Messy
solo drama/comedy
Written and performed by Samantha CARLISLE | Directed by Dara BETH | Produced by SPARK IN THE DARK
18+, partial nudity, language, sexually explicit content, mentions of violence and GBV
After a hugely successful run at the National Arts Festival, Standard Bank Ovation Award-winning show Messy is back! Like Love Island without the cash prize, Messy is a bawdy solo show that gives audiences an all-too-revealing look into the modern warfare that is sex, dating, and men. Described as “equal parts hilarious and gut-punching”, Messy sees Sam, an online sex worker explore her chaotic relationship with sex, love, and intimacy. From the misogynistic ramblings of the ill-equipped sex-ed teacher at her Methodist school (who was actually an Afrikaans teacher with a free period and a basic understanding of how babies are made) to the unimpressive men she collected like Pokémon along the way, Messy is an ode to all the disappointing one-night stands, the short-lived shags, the tender moments we share with people who end up disappointing us, and the divas who found themselves saying “I should quit my job and sell feet pics instead”.
REVIEWS
“As your mom… NOOOO! But divorced from that… great”- Samantha’s mom
“An exciting new sex-positive play, invigorating a feminine gaze which rails against misogyny and male domination. I loved this play.”- The Cape Robyn
***** “An insightful, revealing, wonderfully crafted performance. Bold, moving, emotionally horrifying and laugh-out-loud funny”- Audience Member
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer & Performer - Samantha Carlisle
Samantha Carlisle wants to be a Love Island contestant but until that happens she is a full-time actress, writer, and producer. While she was born in the Makhanda, her work has travelled to places with far fewer potholes and maybe also fewer donkeys (she doesn’t currently have the research to back up that claim). Most notably she played the role of Renee in Some Mothers’ Sons, the film adaptation of Mike van Graan’s renowned play by the same name. Some Mothers’ Sons travelled to film festivals all over Africa, America, the UK, and Europe, and is currently available to watch on Showmax. She then went on to play Amelia in Joanna Evans’ hit play The Year of the Bicycle, a piece she produced alongside her co-star Kamogelo Mhlantla. Most recently, she had a role in an Afrikaans TV series called Wyfie, despite her inability to praat die taal. When she is not partaking in the anxiety-inducing, debilitating, Sisyphean task of writing and performing her solo show Messy, she can be found working on a myriad of projects that aim to rejuvenate the South African theatre scene and make it more accessible for women and gender-diverse theatre-makers. She works as a producer for Spark in the Dark and also oversees daily operations and communications for Kgokelo, a sustainable network for women and gender-diverse playwrights in South Africa.
Director - Dara Beth
Dara Beth is an angry Jewish queer feminist and award-winning director and writer. Their main focus is to provide an audience with a language and vocabulary to explore new worlds. Through tales that are raunchy, witty, tongue-in-cheek, high-energy, bubblegum pop, biting, quirky, honest, unflinching, and occasionally self-indulgent and overly romantic, Dara aims to evoke a sense of joy, inspire connections, and instigate pleasurable introspection.
Dara has written and staged multiple original works for various festivals and theatres such as Nasty Womxn, Just A Song And A Dance, Lolly and all my ex-lovers are dead to name a few. Dara has been nominated for Fleur du Cap, BroadwayWorld, and Kanna awards. When not producing their own work, Dara often works as a facilitator, director, designer, and producer.
In 2023, Dara was awarded a grant from South Africa’s National Arts Council with which they founded Kgokelo, the South African Women and Gender-Diverse Playwrights Network and Database. In 2024, Dara joined forces with Spark in the Dark–a South African production company dedicated to making space and opportunities for artists to share their voices.
In 2025, Dara is set to direct their first feature film and a host of new theatre productions.
Stage Manager - Cailyb Prinsloo
Cailyb Prinsloo is a writer, director, and producer grown on Eastern Cape soil and seeking fortune in Cape Town. She holds a Masters degree in writing for performance and is a proud recipient of a Silver Standard Bank Ovation award for the 2022 run of What Do You Think the Birds are Doing? Cailyb enjoys making works that meditate on themes of hope and fear, making people laugh, and a good cup of coffee.