Workshop Series
These free workshops for members (R50 for the general public) were held at the Roosevelt Park Recreation Centre, all starting at 1pm.
21 June
- • Stage Management
- • Technical Theatre
28 June
- • Directing for Community Theatre
- • From Stage to Screen Acting
- • Clowning and Slapstick Comedy
5 July
- • Theatre for Young Audiences
- • Improv for Devising Theatre
- • Devising Socially Relevant Theatre
12 July
- • Commercial Acting & Auditioning
- • Exploring Movement through Text
- • Exploring the Voice: Singing Workshop
The Playground Fest
The Playground Fest was a curated experimental theatre festival presented by Franklin Players. Designed as a dynamic mid-year showcase scheduled between Youth Month (June) and Women's Month (August), the festival invited theatre societies, community groups, dance collectives, and independent practitioners to present bold, process-driven and performance-ready works within a shared thematic framework.
Rooted in the philosophy of "play" as a creative methodology, The Playground Fest celebrated experimentation, collaboration, and artistic risk. It provided a space where both existing works and newly devised pieces engaged new audiences through fresh perspectives, embodied storytelling, and innovative performance forms.
The Art of Togetherness
Examining unity and division in contemporary society. How do we navigate difference? How do we bridge gaps across class, culture, and ideology? Stories of neighbourhoods, chosen families, solidarity, conflict, belonging, and coexistence. What does it mean to stand together? What fractures us?
Intent & Impact
The Playground Fest aimed to:
- • Strengthen relationships between neighbouring theatre societies and independent practitioners
- • Provide visibility for emerging and community-based artists
- • Encourage experimentation within community theatre practices
- • Foster dialogue around social issues, community and diversity
Call for Visual Artists
We called visual artists of all kinds, from painters and photographers to sculptors and crafters, to exhibit their work at our first ever Playground Fest! Taking place on 31 July and 1 August 2026. This was an opportunity to showcase art in a creative hub of multidisciplinary art lovers. Celebrating visual and performance art under the theme: "The Art of Togetherness".
Submissions closed: Sunday, 28 June 2026