Magic on stage at the opening of Season 11 of The Centre for Less Good Idea Festival

Season 11 arrives at The Centre for the Less Good Idea: Five days of performance, collaboration and city activations, 26 – 30 November 2025 at Arts on Main & Fox Street, Maboneng.

By Edward Tsumele, CITYLIFE/ARTS Editor

If you are around Johannesburg between today, November 27 and Sunday November 30, 2025, and you are interested in a festival that is different and unique, you need to consider attending Season 11 of The Centre for Less Good Idea festival in Maboneng. It is indeed a festival for a discerning art patron.

I went there on Wednesday, 26, November 2026, and I got more than I had bargained for regarding my expectations. Just as we arrived, shortly before 7pm, after collecting our tickets, we were led to Home of Bean, the coffee shop attached to the Arts on Main building. It is where were given a taste of what to expect the rest of the evening.

Here with Jill Richards on piano, and a very talented vocalist whose blues song left us mesmerised, even wondering at some point as to whether what we were listening to was an Angelic voice instead of one of us, we the mortal ones. She performed against the backdrop of also drums, whose rhythm instead of invading the space for the piano and the beautiful vocals, actually accentuated both instruments. It was a really beautiful experience.

After what appeared like 30 minutes of listening to good music, we were led into the studio of William Kendridge, that is also attached to the Arts on Main Complex. It is here that we saw magic on stage, and this is no exaggeration.

We all know that when artists venture beyond the usual and experiment this is when sometimes good art is attained, but it can also be a disaster, and hence many an artist is afraid of experimenting, rather choosing the normal route of their art practice.

However the artists featured on that evening, including Kentridge, Vincent Mantsoe, and Penny Siopis, created magic as they took the idea of artistic experimentation to another level. They actually pushed the boundaries of performance art in a way that is rare on the South African contemporary art scene. It was really a beautiful thing to witness the magic that came out of this collaboration between, visual artists, musicians and dancers.  This particular production is powerful and demonstrates experimentation at its best.

Then it was back to the atrium of the  Arts on Main building where were witnessed a performance that made one to think carefully about water, how important it is  to our lives, and the idea of not having clean drinking water in constant supply could drive prices of water over the roof. It was a powerful performance that dealt with this natural resource in a discernible way, though scary. Some of us wanted the show to end, and not because it is a bad show, but the idea that one day we might be forced to buy water for R15 000, is a scary idea, but the way things are, it is not a far-fetched idea or possibility.

But the show was not over yet. We were thereafter usheredinto the courtyard where there was an activation, an installation that you need not miss if you will be attending this festival before it ends on Sunday, 30 November, 2025. This part of the festival is curated by by Marcus Neustetter.

Welcome to The Centre for the Less Good Idea Season 11, a five-day festival of visual art, dance, theatre, site-specific installation, sound, film, pop-up performances, and conversation. Running from Wednesday 26 to Sunday 30 November 2025, the Season is curated by impresario Neo Muyanga, supported by The Centre’s core creative team, and shaped in collaboration with Johannesburg’s artists, theatre makers, musicians, writers, filmmakers and invited international guests.

Season 11 foregrounds collective making, one of The Centre’s core methodologies. Works across the week explore shared authorship, interdisciplinary exchange, and the ways artists and audiences navigate Johannesburg together.

PROGRAMME HIGHLIGHTS

Nightly Activations: SITE, LIGHT, ACTION

26–29 November: 19:00 daily (18:30 Thursday)
A dynamic series of site-specific performances and light-based installations across different locations on Fox Street and Arts on Main, curated by Marcus Neustetter. Free with any Season 11 ticket.

Moving the Mark (Evening 1 & 2)

Wed 26 November: 19:00 – William Kentridge Studio
Thu 27 Nov: 18:30: Events Space
A new programme pairing leading visual artists and choreographers in responsive experiments with mark-making, movement and collaboration. Featuring William Kentridge, Vincent Mantsoe, Penny Siopis, Mary Sibande, Kitty Phetla, Nandipha Mntambo, Shanell Winlock-Pailman and others.

Sounding Pictures

Thu 27 November: 20:15 – Centre Space
Live, improvised scores to silent films by William Kentridge, Frank Scheffer, Hallie Haller, Penny Siopis, and Noah Cohen.

Visual Radio Plays

Fri 28 November: 19:00 – Centre Space & 2nd Space
Short-form radio plays performed with live foley, performance and a dramaturgy of sound. Featured radio plays written by Andrew Buckland, Qondiswa James, Matthew Wilhelm-Solomon, and William Harding.

Guest Performance: Mallika Taneja – Be Careful (18+)

Fri 28 November: 20:45 – Events Space
A biting feminist satire confronting narratives of safety and control.

In Conversation: Mallika Taneja & Nomsa Mazwai

Sat 29 November: 15:00 – Events Space
A dialogue on patriarchy, public space, and women’s freedom of movement.

Double Bill: Vincent Mantsoe & Shanell Winlock-Pailman

Sat 29 November: 17:00 – Events Space
Two major new works: Desert Poems (Mantsoe) and Oh, death! Where is your sting? (Winlock-Pailman).

SO: From Script to Stage

Sat 29 November: 20:00 – Events Space

Three newly incubated works developed through The Centre’s SO Academy mentorship programmes. 

In Conversation: Money Miss Road

Sun 30 November: 14:00 – Centre Space
A sonic call-and-response between Dele Olojede and Nombuso Mathibela on value, waste, and cultural meaning.

The Unexpected City

Sun 30 November:16:00 – Events Space
New short-form theatre rooted in Johannesburg’s stories and lived experiences. Playwrights include Jefferson Tshabalala, Momo Matsunyane, Melusi Mnqobi Molefe, and Mbe Mbhele. 

NarowBi Party + Market

Sat 29 November: 16:00–22:00
Sun 30 November: 15:00–20:00

A courtyard activation of music, makers, artists and style curated by cultural collective NarowBi.

FULL PROGRAMME (AT A GLANCE)

WEDNESDAY 26 NOVEMBER

• 19:00 — Moving the Mark | Evening 1
• + Nightly Fox Street Activations (19:00)

THURSDAY 27 NOVEMBER

• 18:30 — Moving the Mark | Evening 2
• 20:15 — Sounding Pictures
• + Fox Street Activations (18:30)

FRIDAY 28 NOVEMBER

• 19:00 — Visual Radio Plays
• 20:45 — Guest Performance: Be Careful (18+)
• + Fox Street Activations (19:00)

SATURDAY 29 NOVEMBER

• 15:00 — In Conversation: Taneja & Mazwai
• 17:00 — Double Bill: Mantsoe & Winlock-Pailman
• 20:00 — SO | From Script to Stage
• 16:00–22:00 — NarowBi Party + Market (Courtyard)
• + Fox Street Activations (19:00)

SUNDAY 30 NOVEMBER

• 14:00 — In Conversation: Money Miss Road
• 16:00 — The Unexpected City
• 15:00–20:00 — NarowBi Party + Market (Courtyard)

The full programme can be found at: https://lessgoodidea.com