(Left: Nolwazi Khanyile. Photo credit: Amaciko Kwazulu Art Project)
Amaciko KwaZulu Art Project, will be presenting a powerful
one-woman theatrical experience titled The
Quiet at the National Arts Festival.
Written by Simamkele Sodladla, rewritten and directed by Thamsanqa Simphiwe Khumalo, the production features award-winning performer Nolwazi Khanyile, with stage management by Nothando Cebekhulu. Special thanks to mentor Bongani Mbatha.
Thamsanqa Simphiwe Khumalo shared:
“The Quiet is a
haunting psychological journey into the silent battles many women face with
trauma and depression. The story follows Asante, a lonely woman who moves into
an old, isolated house hoping that silence will bring her peace. Instead, she
discovers a mysterious book with her name written inside. As she reads aloud,
the stories begin to speak back, forcing her to confront the versions of
herself she has tried so hard to bury: the girl who smiles too loud, the child
who waited too long, and the woman who swallowed her rage.
“What starts as curiosity slowly turns into terror as the house begins to feed on her suppressed pain. This is not a traditional ghost story. It is about the haunting that happens inside when we choose silence for too long. The audience will witness Asante’s inner thoughts and fractured psyche come alive as physical characters on stage. The Quiet is raw, poetic, and deeply unsettling. It explores how trauma and depression can turn the mind and body into a house that consumes you from within. Through powerful storytelling, physical theatre, and sound design, the piece reminds us that unhealed pain has a voice and if we don’t speak it, something else will speak for us.
“This is more than theatre. It is a mirror. When you sit with The Quiet, you may find yourself reflecting on your own silenced stories, the smiles you forced, and the things you never allowed yourself to feel. It is both beautiful and terrifying.”
Performances will take place during the National Arts
Festival at Dick's in Makhanda on:
02 July 2026 at 10h00
03 July 2026 at 16h00
04 July 2026 at 12h00
04 July 2026 at 18h30
Tickets: R80
Don’t miss this intense and unforgettable one-woman
experience.
Bookings through https://tickets.nationalartsfestival.co.za/en/events/1147/the-quiet