Theatre, Dance, Comedy
Venue: Victoria Girls’ High School Gymnasium
Interview
By Sayuri Persotham
Spark In the Dark Productions hit Makhanda’s ground running, with an impressive 14-show lineup for the 2025 National Arts Festival (NAF). From power cuts to creative clashes, no obstacle is insurmountable for this dream team.
Co-founder Samantha Carlisle explains the sweet sentiment behind the ‘Spark in the Dark’ name—a mission to “bring light to the performing arts”. Over the years, longstanding coordinator Dara Beth says, “the company has evolved from a singular vision into a team effort”. Though a logistical nightmare for many, their Spark Hub organising team finds strength in numbers. The creative synergy among artists creates an overarching atmosphere of support and shared responsibility. Throw in communal living, and it’s a never-ending buzz of beautiful chaos.
Here at NAF, the team works tirelessly to elevate artistic voices and garner recognition for its nuanced shows. According to the team, this entails endless days, shower meltdowns and the occasional vodka lime — “made healthy,” they joke, “thanks to the water.”
Organisation is paramount in the delivery of Spark in the Dark’s 14-show theatrical bazaar. Carlisle stays on top of it all, overseeing team workshops to hone the behind-the-scenes skills of theatre-making. She stresses the importance of artists’ creative individuality, amongst skill-sharing and team collaboration. Dara says emphatically, “Having more hands actually makes the biggest difference to the show’s success.”
Spark in the Dark’s audaciousness does not come without its challenges. However, the core team members, including Sophie Joans, Kamogelo Mhlantla, and Cailyb Prinsloo, work strategically to mitigate production mishaps. Faced with a 24-hour blackout on Friday and Saturday, the team held true to the age-old theatre ethos: The show must go on. Thinking on her feet, Prinsloo took to the fields of Village Green, spinning the power outage into an opportunity to “spark in the dark”. Despite the growing pains and learning curves, the Spark Hub team has executed its mission “more theatre, more often” with astonishing ease!
The team remains ever humble, attributing their success to the generous support of funders and fellow artists. Theatre is a pay-it-forward field, and through these networks of fortification, the Spark Hub team has achieved what some would consider impossible. With 14 shows to choose from, there truly is something for everyone – watch the space for a Spark in the Dark production review and grab your ticket now!
What are the headliners watching?
- Ganga Nyoko! Inizima Nyoko! “A powerful Xhosa production that captures hurt, love, and all the emotion in between.” – Kamogelo Mhlantla
- Bad African. “It is genuinely one of the best pieces of musical stand-up I have seen ever, not just locally, just in general.” – Samantha Carlisle
- Netphlix. “The most unhinged 52 minutes of theatre I’ve ever seen” – Dara Beth
