“FEDA is more than a theatre festival. It is a testimony that drama teachers, their students and their schools with the support of their principals are embracing and exercising two of the most valuable Rights enshrined in our constitution which pertain to the way we make Theatre—- Freedom of Expression and Freedom of Creativity.
In embracing these freedoms, theatre gives us the power to reflect on our past, critically engage with the present and envision the kind of society we aspire towards.
The festival is largely original work, which is fed by passion, innovation and a determination to give a voice to one’s own story.
In watching young people create and voice their own stories they take the power that theatre gives them to provoke, to challenge, to heal, to inspire and to imagine. Sometimes in the telling of their stories they take us to a place of memory which evokes discomfort but theatre does not leave us there; it grants us the opportunity to find new narratives and to rediscover our humanity.” Ismail Mohamed
The FEDA festival is now in its 16th year and the 9th at the beautiful Lesedi Theate at the Joburg Theatre complex. This year we have over 40 productions from High Schools all over South Africa showcasing their work. Our adjudicators are Nat Ramabulana, and Janet Baylis. Ismail Mohamed and Gina Schmukler will be the judges on the final evening. The evenings start at 6 pm and each play is a max of 35 minutes long. There are four plays per evening. The festival runs from May 16 – 2 June with the finals on Sunday June 4 at 15:00.
