On the Couch - #237 - MEX in conversation with Amanda Bothma

In Conversation with Amanda Bothma founder of Wela Kapela Productions.Founded in 2018,  this East London-based company has become one of the major cabaret producers in South Africa.Vincent has sold out multiple seasons in all the major centres in South Africa. In 2024, it won three Naledi Theatre Awards – Best Lead Actor, Best Breakthrough Performance, and Best Small-scale Musical Theatre Production. Daniel Anderson was nominated for a Fleur du Cap Theatre Award, while Vincent received a Bronze Standard Bank Ovation Award at the National Arts Festival and played to 4- and 5-star reviews at the Edinburgh Fringe 2023.  In August 2025, Vincent made its West End Debut with a sold-out performance at the Phoenix Arts Club. Mad About The Boys received a BroadwayWorld South Africa Award for Best Solo Performance (2023), further cementing Wela Kapela Productions’ reputation for creating acclaimed and innovative theatre. The company’s latest Afrikaans cabaret, Die Siel van Eugène Marais, has continued this success, earning a Fiesta Award nomination.  Their most recent mainstream cabaret production, The Tramp, received three Naledi Theatre Award nominations and won the award for Best Lead Actor in a Cabaret/Small-scale Musical.