Faustus in Africa!

• Theatre

Thirty years after its premiere and following on from its resounding success, William Kentridge and Handspring Puppet Company re-unite to present Faustus in Africa!.

This collaboration is a re-working of their multi-award-winning 1995 production of the same name, directed by Kentridge, with design and puppet-mastery by Handspring Puppet Company and Lara Foot as Associate Director.

The impressive cast comprises Atandwa Kani, Jennifer Steyn, Wessel Pretorius, Eben Genis, Mongi Mthombeni, Asanda Rilityana and Buhle Stefane. 

This gleefully irreverent encounter with the ‘Faustian Pact’ is an ageless tale and remains a powerful metaphor for our times. Its themes of compromise are universal. They make urgent sense to each successive generation. The betrayal of one’s better judgment for short term gain tempts us all and is the burning question behind our climate emergency and the trade-offs and expediency that underly the desperate problems the world is facing today.

Faustus in Africa! is a harmonious blend of theatre and puppetry, with music by Warrick Sony and the late and James Phillips, underscoring Kentridge’s animations. Faustus goes on a darkly comedic journey to enjoy all that Africa has to offer. His safari becomes a rampage of greed and passion.

The 2025 version is produced by Quaternaire/Paris and restaged with support from co-commissioner Théâtre de la Ville/Festival d'Automne (Paris) and co-producers The Baxter Theatre Centre at the University of Cape Town (Cape Town), Centre d'art Battat (Montreal), Cité européenne du théâtre - Domaine d’O - Montpellier / PCM2025 (Montpellier), Grec Festival (Barcelona), Kunstenfestivaldesarts (Brussels), Thalia Theater GmbH (Hamburg).