DUMISANI MASILELA THEATRE SCOOPS A NALEDI AWARD FOR BEST FRINGE PRODUCTION

The City of Ekurhuleni scooped the Best Fringe Production award for the well put together Taxi Wars theatre production at the Naledi Theatre Awards ceremony held at the State Theatre in Pretoria on Monday, 16 June 2025.

Naledi Awards are annual South African national theatre awards to recognise and honour productions, performers and creatives.

The city’s Dumisani Masilela Theatre, in partnership with Joburg Theatre, won the Naledi Theatre Award for Best Production: Fringe Theatre for the Taxi Wars theatre production. The play was also nominated in a second category for Best Performance in a Fringe Theatre Production, for an outstanding performance by Refilwe Setati, one of the leading cast members of the show.

The Taxi Wars theatre production is the culmination of a five-year artist development programme offered by the city to budding artists. It began as a mini drama festival involving 16 community groups, narrowed down to four through an adjudicated selection. These groups were then mentored and trained in acting, voice, dance, and storytelling, as well as theatre production disciplines such as lighting, sound, and stage management.

The training and development sessions were hosted at various arts centres across the city, facilitated by creative industry mentors such as Dr. Tu Nokwe, Baby Cele, Masoja Msiza, and Ihhashi Elimhlophe, among others.

This prestigious win is a proud milestone for the city in the development and work-readiness programme for local talent.