The Festival Enterprise Catalyst (FEC) continues to bring bold, homegrown works to audiences across South Africa, with several new productions debuting or touring to Aardklop 2025.
This year’s Aardklop line-up includes a slate of FEC-supported productions that speak to the diversity, depth and daring of South African storytelling — including Boesman en Lena, Die Een Wat Bly, Stinkhout, Verwelkingslied and Wings of Light – Dance with an Angel.
Each of these works has been made possible through the Festival Enterprise Catalyst, a R20 million initiative co-funded by the Jobs Fund and leading South African festivals — including Aardklop, National Arts Festival, Woordfees, KKNK, Suidoosterfees, NATi, the Tribuo Fund, and Concerts SA — to create, tour and sustain new creative works across the country.
From classic South African theatre to evocative new writing and dance, these productions form part of a growing ecosystem that allows artists to collaborate, refine, and share their work across multiple festivals — creating consistent opportunities for income, exposure, and artistic development.
Highlights of the FEC-supported Aardklop line-up
- Boesman en Lena – A timeless South African masterpiece reimagined for a new generation, exploring love, memory, and displacement on the margins of society.
- Die Een Wat Bly – A haunting new Afrikaans drama that examines endurance, silence, and the unseen emotional toll of survival.
- Stinkhout – A taut, character-driven story about secrets buried in small-town soil, where truth and decay intertwine.
- Verwelkingslied – A moving meditation on ageing, regret, and resilience, told through lyrical performances and evocative imagery.
- Wings of Light – Dance with an Angel – A cross-disciplinary dance work that fuses movement, projection, and sound to explore transformation and spiritual release.
As the Festival Enterprise Catalyst continues to roll out across the country, projects like these are proving that collaboration between festivals is not only possible — it’s powerful.
For more information on the FEC and upcoming productions, follow the participating festivals’ social media platforms or visit their websites.