After captivating audiences at its world premiere in Sri Lanka and earning rave reviews at the Hilton Arts Festival in KwaZulu-Natal last August, Jessica Haines’ extraordinary one-woman show Once Upon a Teacup makes its long-awaited Johannesburg debut at Theatre on the Square, Sandton, from 28 July to 1 August. Written and performed by Haines and directed by multi-award-winning theatre-maker James Cunningham, Once Upon a Teacup is a 70-minute work of physical, visual, and shadow theatre. It follows Violet – a young girl growing up in Africa – through the landscape of childhood imagination and into the pressures of the modern world. The script, written entirely in rhyming couplets, weaves together light, shadow, object puppetry, movement, and a sparse collection of props to conjure a world that is tender, darkly funny, and deeply moving.
“Once Upon a Teacup begins on a farm in KZN and I hope audiences will recognise the many character archetypes that I bring to life,” says Haines. “The play explores the notion and power of imagination and the toll it takes under pop culture constructs, social media, and the inevitable pressure of growing up. Violet’s mental health is compromised and she soon finds herself in a dark and unpredictable place, only to be rescued by the concept of home and the memories of her childhood. I’m hoping the story reawakens the child in everyone – the lost ability to play, create, and fully invest in the colourful and crazy world of our imagination, which is so often diluted by the fast pulse of adulthood.”
At the Hilton Arts Festival, South African theatre critics praised the mastery and intimacy of the performance. Writing in The Critter, reviewer Coralie Diack described it as “a magical serving of artistry,” noting Haines’ strength in characterisation, expressive physicality, and authentic intimacy. The review concluded that the show “leaves one weeping.” At its 2024 world premiere in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Daily FT theatre critic Savithri Rodrigo wrote that the audience “sat in awe as Haines worked through the life of Violet in all its multi-layered, multi-faceted ups, downs, ins and outs,” describing the performance as possessed of infectious energy and her use of light, shadow, and props as “ingenious.” The show grew out of Haines’ studies in shadow theatre under Norbert Gotz and the Theatre der Schatten in Bamberg, Germany, in 2024. To direct it, she brought in Le Coq-trained actor and director James Cunningham – a collaborator whose career spans more than 60 theatre, film, and television productions across 15 countries, with credits alongside Sir Idris Elba, Jonathan Bailey, and Sir Ian McKellen.
About Jessica Haines A UCT-trained actress, director, and artist, Jessica Haines has worked across film, television, and theatre for more than two decades. She is best known for her leading role opposite John Malkovich in the film Disgrace (based on the JM Coetzee novel) and her television work on Home Affairs, Isidingo, Gazlam, and Reyke. She studied shadow theatre under Norbert Gotz and the Theatre der Schatten in Bamberg, Germany, in 2024. She is also a visual artist, whose work was exhibited at the Lionel Wendt Gallery in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
About James Cuningham A Le Coq-trained actor and director, James Cuningham is a multi-award-winning theatre-maker who has worked across 15 countries and more than 60 theatre, film, and television productions, with credits alongside Idris Elba, Jonathan Bailey, and Sir Ian McKellen.
TICKETS: available at Webtickets: https://www.webtickets.co.za/v2/event.aspx?itemid=1596200530
VENUE: Theatre on the Square, Sandton
DATES: 29th July -2nd August 2026
INFO:www.theatreonthesquare.co.za
