The University of Johannesburg (UJ) Arts & Culture, a division of the Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture (FADA) is thrilled to present The Picture of Dorian Gray, a fresh adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s timeless classic by Neil Bartlett. Directed by UJ’s Resident Director Jade Bowers, this captivating production will immerse audiences in a world where reality collides with morality. The performances will run from 4 to 15 March 2025 at the Keorapetse William Kgositsile Theatre at the UJ Arts Centre in Auckland Park, Johannesburg.
Emerging from FADA’s innovative Interdisciplinary Theatre Programme – conceived by Dean Professor Federico Freschi in 2017– the staging of this production represents a unique collaborative endeavour. Second-year students across FADA have collectively crafted the production’s visual landscape, designing sets, props, and costumes that will transform Wilde’s dark narrative.
The story follows a young man blessed with eternal youth, whose increasingly reckless pursuit of pleasure reveals the corrosive nature of unchecked desire. Neil Bartlett’s adaptation excavates the original text’s provocative core, lively dialogue and bold exploration of sexual and moral freedoms, reimagining Dorian Gray’s descent into moral dissolution through a contemporary lens.
“This adaptation of The Picture of Dorian Gray explores the boundaries of both the original text and our own perceptions of beauty, desire, and morality. By collaborating with FADA’s talented students, we’ve created a visually striking and thought-provoking experience that brings Wilde’s dark parable into a contemporary context,” says Resident Director of UJ Arts & Culture, Jade Bowers.
Featuring Jaques De Silva, Andreas Damm, Sanelisiwe Yekani, and Liezl De Kock, the ensemble will feature students from the UJ Arts Academy and members of UJ Arts & Culture’s collaborator, The Market Theatre Foundation Kwasha! Theatre Company.
The production is also making inclusivity a priority, as part of UJ’s efforts to provide meaningful societal changes within the art space, and as such two performances have been set aside to include a sign language interpreter for hearing impaired audiences. These performances will feature the integration of South African Sign Language (SASL) interpretation, ensuring accessibility and fostering agency for audiences that might otherwise be excluded from the experience. Trained South African Sign Language interpreters from Yellow Owl, will collaborate to deliver these performances.
Tickets are now available. Expect a visually compelling and emotionally charged experience that challenges perceptions of beauty, desire, and morality that lingers long after the final curtain comes down. The Picture of Dorian Gray will run at the Keorapetse William Kgositsile Theatre at the UJ Arts Centre from 4 to 16 March 2025. Tickets are R120 for general access and R80 for students.
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For media inquiries, please contact UJ Arts & Culture’s Marketing Manager, Lakin Morgan-Baatjies, at lakinmb@uj.ac.za.
For school and group bookings please contact Luna August at luna@bslmanagement.com
NOTES TO THE EDITOR
About UJ Arts & Culture
UJ Arts & Culture, a division of the Faculty of Art, Design & Architecture (FADA) produces and presents world-class student and professional arts programmes aligned to the UJ vision of an international university of choice, anchored in Africa, dynamically shaping the future. A robust range of arts platforms are offered on all four UJ campuses for students, staff, alumni, and the general public to experience and engage with emerging and established Pan-African and international artists drawn from the full spectrum of the arts.
In addition to UJ Arts & Culture, FADA (www.uj.ac.za/fada) offers programmes in eight creative disciplines, in Art, Design and Architecture, as well as playing home to the NRF SARChI Chair in South African Art & Visual Culture, and the Visual Identities in Art & Design Research Centre. The faculty has a strong focus on sustainability and relevance, and engages actively with the dynamism, creativity, and diversity of Johannesburg in imagining new approaches to art and design education.
About Kwasha Theatre Company
The Kwasha! Theatre Company is a collaborative project between the Market Theatre Laboratory and the Windybrow Arts Centre. The project aims to support the careers of recent performing arts graduates in South Africa.
Each year, emerging theatre makers are invited to an open audition process through which a small company of exciting young talents are identified. The company is supported by collaborating partners with a framework and resources to create an exciting programme of new and dynamic theatre pieces over the course of a year.
‘Kwasha’ is an isiZulu interjection which, loosely translated, means ‘It’s on fire!’
Kwasha! was launched in 2018 in partnership with Windybrow Arts Centre, and Market Theatre Laboratory as a theatre company project that seeks to develop theatre practitioners in South Africa.
Kwasha! is a theatre company that gives a year’s worth of professional experience to emerging actors, as well as a stipend and professional exposure to enable space and time for young practitioners to develop skills and capacities towards being professionals in the sector.
About Jaques de Silva
Jaques De Silva is an award-winning South African actor known for his compelling performances on both stage and screen. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from Rhodes University, specializing in Drama, Psychology, and Sociology. De Silva has appeared in popular television series such as 7de Laan and Scandal and has gained international recognition for his roles in John Barker’s films The Umbrella Men and Escape from Robin Island. Currently, he stars as Striker in the series Empini, showcasing his versatility and talent.
De Silva’s theatrical career is marked by significant accolades, including a Naledi Theatre Award nomination for his solo performance in Evil and a KykNET Fiesta nomination for Best Supporting Actor in Queenie Hulle. His ability to portray a wide range of characters has earned him critical acclaim, with The Cape Times describing him as “a force to be reckoned with on stage.” Collaborating with renowned director Jade Bowers, he has been involved in acclaimed award-winning productions Scorched, JungFrau and Goggas. With his infectious enthusiasm and dedication to his craft, De Silva continues to captivate audiences and solidify his place in the South African arts scene.
About Andreas Damm
Andreas Damm, born in South Africa, raised in Barcelona and Johannesburg, and trained in New York City. Andreas graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a BA in International Relations before moving to Manhattan to attend The New School for Drama, where he completed his MFA in acting. He returned to South Africa in 2022.
Film and TV highlights include: Don’t Let’s go to the Dogs Tonight (directed by Embeth Davitz); Death of a Whistleblower (directed by Ian Gabriel); Binnelanders (KykNet)Off the Rails (Lifetime); Legacies (The CW); Person of Interest (CBS), Elementary (CBS).
Theatre highlights include: Amadeus (Pieter Toerien Productions)Tartuffe (The Shakespeare of New Jersey); Love’s Labour’s Lost (The Shakespeare of New Jersey); Metamorphosis (InVersion Theatre); Much Ado About Nothing (Random Access Theatre).
About Sanelisiwe Yekani
Sanelisiwe Yekani is a versatile performer, writer, and lecturer based in Johannesburg, South Africa. A graduate of Wits University, she earned an Honours Degree in Performance and Television Studies in 2015 and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Theatre & Performance. As part of her research, she exchanged theatre performance skills with Zurich University of the Arts in Switzerland (2024).
In her role as a lecturer, Sanelisiwe has taught Theatre & Production and Performance Practice at Wits University from 2020 to 2024 and facilitated drama workshops at the University of Johannesburg through Dramatec Acting Consultancy.
Her diverse performance credits include roles in 1789 (2024), The Terrified Talabalushi (2023), and Zakes Mda’s Dead End (2020). She is also the co-creator of Burning Rebellion, a climate change protest poem that has toured South Africa from 2019 to 2024. Other notable works include Ndikho, a piece she wrote and performed in Margate and Johannesburg, and Inyani Isetywaleni, a play developed as part of The Market Theatre’s female playwright mentorship programme in 2023.
Beyond the stage, Sanelisiwe has also showcased her talent in film and television, with roles in Trading Places (2022), MA (2022), and the ETV series Splintered Pieces (2022). She has appeared in numerous advertisements and campaigns, including an FNB Stills Campaign and Tiger Wheel & Tyre Advert.
A dynamic storyteller, Sanelisiwe uses performance, poetry, and playwriting to document multifaceted narratives.
About Liezl De Kock
Liezl De Kock is an accomplished South African actress, director, and lecturer with a diverse career in theatre, film, and television. A graduate of AFDA with a BA Honours in Live Performance, she won the Best Actress award for her role in Hollywood in My Huis. She has performed extensively in South Africa and internationally, collaborating with renowned companies like FTH:K and The Conspiracy of Clowns, and starring in acclaimed productions such as GUMBO, Pictures of You, and WOMB TIDE.
Liezl holds a Master’s degree in Drama from Rhodes University, graduating with distinction for her one-woman show Piet se Optelgoed, which earned multiple awards and international recognition. Over the years, she has been nominated for prestigious awards such as the Fleur du Cap and Naledi Awards, winning the Broadway World SA Best Actress Award for her role in Statements After an Arrest Under the Immorality Act.
Beyond the stage, Liezl has made her mark in television with roles in Siende Blind, Die Boekklub, Die Byl, and currently stars as Tanya Visagie on the popular soap opera 7de Laan. She is also a full-time lecturer at AFDA Johannesburg, shaping the next generation of performers.