A bright new voice in theatre, Campbell Meas, has been announced as the winner of the 2025 National Playwright Competition with her play Vakavigwa (Burials/They were buried). The competition, facilitated by the National Arts Festival with the support of HEINEKEN Beverages, sees a countrywide call for new plays in any language. Meas joins an alumnus that includes Sibongakonke Mama, Amy Louise Wilson and Koleka Putuma who have previously won the competition.
Meas, who lives in Johannesburg, was thrilled to hear that her script had been selected as the winning play, “This has been an unexpected gift! I wasn’t planning on entering at all, doubting that this was something I’d be right for. Throughout this period I’ve learnt to trust my instincts in how I choose to tell stories.”
The play was originally submitted as The Mechanics of Play but the title evolved during her process. Vakavigwa (Burials/They were buried) will now be produced by the National Arts Festival to premiere at this year’s Festival taking place in Makhanda, 26 June – 6 July 2025.
Says the National Arts Festival’s Artistic Director, Rucera Seethal, “The National Playwright Competition supports playwrights to develop scripts beyond an idea. Congratulations to Campell on her win, her play is likely to be a window into future directions of theatre, it’s going to be thrilling seeing this work come to life. There were four finalists this year and they were all mentored through a process of creating a full script, so in addition to the winning script, there are three more promising scripts for the stage which also deserve attention.”
The other finalists in this year’s competition were Thozama Busakwe, Naledi Malotana and Lwanda Sindaphi. Each of the finalists received R5 000 and mentorship to complete their play. The winner, Campbell Meas, receives a further R 20 000 for her script and the opportunity to see it come to life at the festival.
In summarising their selection, the judges said, “Vakavigwa is a gripping and ambitious work that exemplifies the evolution of contemporary theatre. With its innovative use of multimedia integration and multi-plane storytelling, the play refuses to be confined to a conventional stage. Instead, it immerses the audience in an intricate theatrical experience that blends live performance with digital projections, layered soundscapes and dynamic staging.” The Chair of the competition’s adjudication panel, Monageng ‘Vice’ Motshabi is a former Standard Bank Young Artist for Theatre (2017), who has previously staged works at the National Arts Festival, including Red on the Rainbow in 2024.
The announcement took place at the HEINEKEN Beverages head office in Johannesburg. The company’s Corporate Affairs Director, Millicent Maroga elaborated on their support saying, “At HEINEKEN Beverages, we’re inspired by moments that bring people together – where creativity, courage and community meet. The National Playwright Competition is one of those moments. It’s a celebration of storytelling and the joy of true togetherness, and we’re honoured to walk this journey with the National Arts Festival and the amazing playwrights shaping South Africa’s creative future.”
The National Arts Festival takes place from 26 June-6 July in Makhanda in the Eastern Cape. The dates of the premiere performance of Vakavigwa (Burials/They were buried) will be announced when the final programme is shared early in May.
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