Shakespeare in the Park: What to Expect at Maynardville’s Tempest

In a whirl of magical summer evenings, the Maynardville Open-Air Festival is in full swing, wowing audiences with exceptional performances produced by VR Theatrical under the playful theme, Waves of Wonder.

The deftly woven blend of romance, illusion and revenge plays out in Shakespeare’s final masterpiece, The Tempest, this year’s play at Maynardville running from 31 January till 8 March 2025.

Here’s what to expect from this year’s rendition of The Tempest.

Shakespeare’s Tempest stirs up the storm

Placed into the capable hands of talented director, Sylvaine Strike, the cast is led by Antoinette Kellermann playing the powerful sorcerer Prospera (a female twist on the central character Prospero), with Albert Pretorius as the mischievous and complex Caliban, who is enslaved by Prospero and plots his revenge.

Prospero conjures a storm to shipwreck his treacherous brother, Antonio (played by David Viviers) and the complicit King Alonso of Naples (Brent Palmer) who had him banished from their kingdom. Stranded on the island, they become pawns in Prospero’s plan to restore his daughter Miranda’s (played by Jane de Wet) honour and reclaim his dukedom. Unbeknownst to her and with the help of the ethereal Ariel (Daniel Lasker), Prospero’s loyal spirit servant, who creates much of the island’s magic, Prospero manipulates events in Miranda’s favour, even as she falls in love with Alonso’s son Ferdinand (Jefferson Lan).

The cast is completed by Tankiso Mamabolo playing both Sebastian and Trinculo, Siya Mayola as Gonzalo and Len-Barry Simons, Naoline Quinzin and Lungile Lallie as the Spirits.

An intriguing, clever and spellbinding play, The Tempest will undoubtedly be an early highlight on the 2025 theatre calendar.

Exciting additions to watch out for

During the run of The Tempest, Sunday evening music concerts are planned with Cape Town Opera. These arias and ensembles will be performed by Cape Town Opera House Soloists, Young Artists, and both the Chorus and Childrens’ Chorus, also featuring international opera star Clint van der Linde, accompanied by Jan Hugo.

On 23 February, the highly popular ‘Sunday in the Park with Sondheim’ will celebrate the prolific composer’s 95th birthday. Jonathan Roxmouth, who has rocketed to international stardom as the youngest leading man to portray the mysterious Phantom in Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera, has been confirmed to headline these concerts during a break from his international Phantom of the Opera tour in the title role.

Expect iconic Broadway classics like Sunday in the Park with George, Into the Woods, Sweeney Todd and Company featuring a stellar line-up of musicians. Ensemble singers from Vivox Voices, accompanied by the Winelands Philharmonic Orchestra will join Jonathan Roxmouth in a resounding blend of voices. These once-off concerts sold out quickly in 2024 so audiences are advised to book their tickets soon.

“A creative storm is brewing for Maynardville this year, and we’re thrilled about the programme and stellar cast we’ve been able to assemble for our 2025 season,” says VR Theatrical’s Executive Producer, Jaco van Rensburg. ” We look forward to enchanting audiences new and old – and, of course, our school tradition continues as we introduce many young minds to the classics. It’s a weight of responsibility we don’t take lightly and we hope to inspire the next Shakespeare or Tchaikovsky along the way! Our thanks to The City of Cape Town and the team who work around the clock in preparation for this exciting line-up of unforgettable productions.”

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Dinner and a show

The sublime setting for the Maynardville Open-Air Festival is a simple stage surrounded by trees within the Maynardville Park in Wynberg, Cape Town. The experience has been extended to include a food truck feast, full bar and hot drinks offering. Patrons can enjoy their dinner sitting at long tables beneath twinkling strings of lights, enjoying the evening ahead of the show, or following a half-century of tradition by sitting on the park lawns overlooking the lake for a convivial picnic.

Social innovation in the spotlight

Says Head of Innovation and Strategic Partnerships, Rauen Venter, “Maynardville’s team is making a conscious effort to use the Festival as a platform for social innovation in a way that has come to inspire other festivals. Our technical training programme has secured employment for all our graduates locally and internationally, while our sustainability initiatives continue to expand. In 2025, we are proud to introduce a ground-breaking programme for outdoor theatres in Africa, a deaf accessibility programme, underscoring our commitment to community, inclusivity, and sustainability.”