Students from Reddam House Atlantic Seaboard, Constantia and Durbanville are joining forces to stage Kafka … and the Doll, an original musical theatre production at the Star Theatre in Cape Town’s Homecoming Centre from 15 to 17 October.
Written and directed by Esmé van Dyk, the production brings performers and live musicians from the three schools together on a theatre stage beyond their school campuses. It tells its story through music, drama, dance and visual storytelling, with newly written lyrics and an original script.
The musical draws on an account from the final years of writer Franz Kafka’s life. Kafka encounters a little girl in a Berlin park who is distressed after losing her doll. Instead of telling her that the doll is gone, he begins writing letters to her as though they have come from the doll, imagining a series of adventures that help her make sense of its loss.
Says Esmé van Dyk, Head of Culture, Reddam House Durbanville, and Writer and Director of Kafka … and the Doll, “Loss does not erase love; sometimes, love simply changes shape. A sentiment attributed to Franz Kafka — ‘Everything you love is very likely to be lost, but in the end, love will return in a different way’ — became the heartbeat of Kafka and the Doll. Inspired by the story of Kafka meeting a little girl in a park who had lost her doll, I wanted to explore loss, love and the unexpected ways love can return.
“The letters Kafka wrote to the girl have never been found, so I wanted audiences to experience them through my own creative interpretation. I imagined what the doll’s travels might have looked like and brought those journeys to life on stage, adding a sense of magic and wonder to the story. As an adult, I still believe deeply in the power of imagination and dreaming. Ultimately, I wrote and directed this piece to give people hope and to gently explore, and perhaps heal, the things we so seldom address.
Bringing together the extraordinary young talent from three Reddam House schools makes the production even more special. Our actors, musicians and dancers have come together to create something that could only exist through this collaboration. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to bring this story to life. It has been a dream for four years, and now that dream is finally a reality.”
The leads are played by Joseph Katz of Reddam House Atlantic Seaboard, who plays Kafka, with Mayuri Miseer of Reddam House Constantia as Dora Diamant. Zoey Kruger of Reddam House Durbanville plays Else, while Kieren Prince of Constantia portrays Older Else. Lara Smit of Durbanville plays the Doll, and Luke Trompeter of Constantia takes the role of Toymaker and Narrator.
“I could not be prouder of this cast, my Musical Director, Manina Pretorius, and my Assistant Director, Kelly Fouché. They have poured so much of themselves into this story, and I already know that when the final curtain closes, I am going to miss them terribly,” says Esmé.
Through the doll’s imagined travels, the cast explores childhood, identity, grief and love, as well as the ways stories can help people face difficult experiences. The wider company brings those imagined worlds to life through characters including a Moon Queen, pirates and circus performers.
Kafka … and the Doll runs from Thursday 15 to Saturday 17 October 2026 at the Star Theatre, Homecoming Centre, Cape Town. The production is family friendly. Tickets start at R200 and are available through Quicket.
Performance times:
Thursday, 15 October – 19:00-21:00
Friday, 16 October – 19:00-21:00
Saturday, 17 October – 14:00-16:30 and gala evening performance 19:30-22:00
