TUT Performing Arts premieres brand new production at National Arts Festival

by Gerrit Bester

Over the next few weeks, the Department of Performing Arts, Faculty of Arts and Design, at the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) will be premiering a brand-new production at the National Arts Festival in Makhanda. This event will bring together some of the most innovative artistic voices in South Africa.

The production, All Protocol Observed, is a fast-paced, multidisciplinary boardroom comedy set entirely within a rigid corporate meeting.

The top executives of the Bureau for Bureaucratic Excellence (BBE) find themselves trapped in an 'emergency leadership succession meeting' after their supreme executive disappears under suspicious circumstances. They must select a new leader in accordance with the rulebook, which is full of contradictions.

Every manager is corrupt, ambitious and catastrophically incompetent, turning the meeting into a battlefield. Watch as rolling chairs are used like chariots and coffee is weaponised, turning every tiny agenda item into a high-stakes power struggle.

It is a postgraduate production performed as part of the Multi-Disciplinary Professional Practice subject.

The Postgraduate Diploma students are mentored by Dr Rostislava Pashkevitch-Ngobeni, Head of the Department of Performing Arts, and lecturer, Wandile Mgcodo, who guide them through both the Multi-Disciplinary Professional Practice module and their Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) placements.

Under their supervision, students conceptualise, design and realise a fully-fledged production within a collaborative, team-based company structure that mirrors professional industry practice. This process emphasises artistic excellence, disciplined project management, adherence to demanding production timelines and entrepreneurial thinking, equipping graduates with the practical skills, leadership abilities and industry readiness required to succeed in the contemporary performing arts sector.

In addition, Dr Pashkevitch-Ngobeni was invited to perform the stand-up comedy, The Piano Has Something to Say, in her private capacity.

It is a comedy piano show, where the pianist shares behind the score moments with the audience. The pianist transforms the music numbers into a story which is infused with light moments, memories and a dialogue with a mischievous grand piano that constantly 'talks back.'

Blending sharp stand-up humour with virtuoso playing the show brings the pianist’s fingers to life as characters with their own personalities. Musical parodies are mixed with unexpected improvisations and the audience is brought directly into the performance through playful interaction and spontaneous challenges.

Warm, witty and musically bold, this performance transforms the traditional piano concert into an unpredictable cabaret where music and comedy collide, with the pianist, the instrument and the audience engaging in a lively three-way conversation.

Dr Pashkevitch-Ngobeni is the writer and director, while Mgcodo is the lighting designer.

To find out more about the festival, click on Home 2026 - National Arts Festival