Shakespeare’s Macbeth lands at the Maynardville Open-Air Theatre from 5 February to 13 March 2027 in all its fury, power and deceit.

Award-winning director Lesedi Job reimagines the tragedy in a post-apocalyptic world where survival, loyalty and ambition collide. The 71st edition of the annual festival returns to honour and reimagine the classics across theatre, music and dance.

Nat Ramabulana, a Naledi and SAFTA winner known for Blood Diamond, The Bang Bang Club and Netflix’s Fatal Seduction, plays Macbeth. Opposite him, Silwerskerm Award-winning actress Lizelle Pike takes on Lady Macbeth.

A director’s vision

Job is one of South Africa’s most acclaimed theatre directors. She won a Naledi Award for Best Director for her debut, When Swallows Cry, and holds the Sophie Mgcina Emerging Voice Award and the Mbokodo Award for Theatre.

Known for an emotionally intelligent lens, Job says Macbeth requires intense emotional commitment. That guided her casting.

“I will be staying true to Shakespeare’s text, because it holds the story so well, while reimagining its world,” Job said. “Our Macbeth is set in Southland, a post-apocalyptic society rebuilt after a great collapse. Together with the cast, we’ll shape its conventions, values and ways of being, discovering how Shakespeare’s story can speak to audiences in 2027.”

A formidable cast

Job leads a company of well-known stage and screen performers. Alongside Ramabulana and Pike, the cast includes André Lötter, familiar as Rickus Welman on 7de Laan. Francis Chouler from The Crown and Fleur du Cap Best Actor winner Brent Palmer also join the production.

Several members return to the Maynardville stage. Jock Kleynhans plays Malcolm after appearing as Demetrius in 2023’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Tybalt in 2024’s Romeo and Juliet and Orsino in 2026’s Twelfth Night. Thulani Nzonzo, who appeared in the 2024 Romeo and Juliet, returns too.

Furthermore, Mateo Komlosy makes his Maynardville debut as Donalbain. The ensemble also features Anna Olivier, who won the Naledi for Best Choreography, and Natalie Robbie, who won a Naledi for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical. Both awards were for Spring Awakening.

Rounding out the company are Katlego Chale, Kensiwe Tshabalala, Tamzin Daniels, Katlego Lebogang and Jake Maisel.

Behind the scenes

Job’s creative team includes set designer Nadine Minnaar, costume designer Ntokozo Fuzunina Kunene and lighting designer Oliver Hauser. Sound designer David Classen and composer Wessel Odendaal complete the team.

“Thrilling and unsettling”

Maynardville Open-Air Festival executive producer Jaco van Rensburg says the play suits the open-air setting perfectly.

“Macbeth is taut and relentless, with no pause in which to look away,” Van Rensburg said. “Under the Maynardville night sky, with the dark closing in around the stage, the atmosphere of the theatre becomes a key part of the experience.”

He added: “Lesedi Job’s direction is very exciting. She brings a deep understanding of human nature and of the forces that shape it, which is what this play demands. With this company, I believe audiences will find Macbeth at Maynardville both thrilling and unsettling.”

Ticketing and information

The full Maynardville Open-Air Festival runs from 13 January to 14 March 2027. Booking is open. Tickets are available at maynardville.co.za and quicket.co.za.

For school group bookings and accessibility enquiries, email schools@maynardville.co.za. Deaf and hard-of-hearing patrons can contact boxoffice@maynardville.co.za or visit maynardville.co.za/deaf-hearing-impaired-audiences.

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