Maynardville Open-Air Festival 2025 has a GREAT lineup and Shakespeare’s Tempest will be stirring up the storm! Bookings are now OPEN. Besides The Tempest, there’s a fabulous series of unmissable once-off concerts under the stars.
The Tempest by William Shakespeare
The deftly woven blend of romance, illusion and revenge plays out in Shakespeare’s final masterpiece, The Tempest, this year’s Shakespeare play at Maynardville running from 31 January till 8 March 2025. Placed into the capable hands of formidably talented director, Sylvaine Strike, the cast is led by the indomitable Antoinette Kellermann playing the powerful sorcereress Prospera (a female twist on the traditionally male character), with Albert Pretorius as the mischievous and complex Caliban, who is enslaved by Prospera and plots his revenge.
Prospera conjures a storm to shipwreck her 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 Prospera’s plan to restore her daughter Miranda’s (played by Jane de Wet) honour and reclaim her dukedom. Unbeknownst to her, and with the help of the ethereal Ariel (Daniel Lasker), Prospera’s loyal spirit servant (who creates much of the island’s magic), Prospera 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.
Niall Griffin designs costumes and set, Oliver Hauser will design lighting, and Wessel Odendaal composes an original score and soundtrack with a sound design by David Classen
Unmissable Once-off Concerts Under the Stars
Tour de Tchaikovsky: An Exquisite Evening of Chamber Music opens the 2025 season with two evenings on 22 and 23 January 2025. Gerhard Joubert will be performing Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor, and Ethan Lawson presents Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations for cello, both accompanied by the talented Elna van der Merwe on piano. There are limited tickets for this event.
Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra presents Stormy Weather – A Symphonic Weather Report, in keeping with the tempestuous theme, a two performance (24 & 25 January 2025) CPO special at Maynardville this year. Under the direction of conductor Brandon Phillips, audiences can expect ‘thunder, lightning, and everything in between’ as the orchestra explores composers’ expressions of nature’s elements. The show will be narrated by John Woodland with a programme that includes Mendelssohn’s Overture to The Hebrides, Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony and Tchaikovsky’s The Tempest, Rossini’s dramatic William Tell Overture, the magical The Sorcerer’s Apprentice by Dukas, and Debussy’s enchanting Clair de Lune will charge the mood and musical weather report, while skies above remain calm and clear.
During the run of The Tempest, Sunday evening music concerts are planned with Cape Town Opera taking the 9th February 2025 to present a programme of extracts from Shakespeare-themed operas. 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 16 and 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
The Sublime Maynardville Setting
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.
“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 green initiatives expand yearly. In 2025, we are proud to introduce a first-of-its-kind programme for outdoor theatres in Africa, a deaf accessibility programme, underscoring our commitment to community, inclusivity, and sustainability.” – VR Theatrical’s Head of Innovation and Strategic Partnerships, Rauen Venter,
“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. 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.” – VR Theatrical’s Executive Producer, Jaco van Rensburg,
LOTS to look forward to at the Maynardville Open-Air Festival 2025!
WHAT: Maynardville Open-Air Festival 2025
WHERE: Maynardville Park, Church St cnr Woolf St, Wynberg, Cape Town 7700
WHEN: Opening concerts 22 – 25 January 2025 | The Tempest 31 January – 8 March 2025 | See concert details above
TICKETS: VISIT | or directly from Quicket | The Tempest R220- R380 All Other Concerts R220-R335 Pensioners & Students: 15% off on Premium and Tier 2 tickets. For school block bookings, or ticket enquiries E Boxoffice@maynardville.co.za
INFO: Maynardville’s contact number: 069 792 6020 (10h00-16h00 daily) or leave a WhatsApp to get a response | Instagram: Maynardville | Facebook: Maynardville Open Air Theatre Festival |
LEAD PHOTO: Antoinette Kellermann Credits – Imag : Claude Bernardo,
