Helen of Troyeville and Pet-Friendly are two solo shows from the pen of multiple award-winning playwright, Mike van Graan (My Fellow South Africans, When Swallows Cry, Green Man Flashing). These two shows will be performed as a double-bill on Tuesday 21 April and Wednesday 22 April 2026 in the rear room of the 6 Spin Street Art Gallery.

Helen of Troyeville is a poetic drama featuring the character Helen Jennings locked up in her guest bathroom by two young men who opportunistically raid the rest of her house. A former Black Sash member who protested against apartheid, Helen – now in her seventies – finds herself a victim of crime when all she had wanted was to do good. She spends her time in confinement to reflect on her life. This is the first time that this piece will have a life in Cape Town after having premiered at the National Arts Festival in 2018. The role is performed by Zolie Markey.

Pet-Friendly features Marty Kintu, a Ugandan born, UCT-trained actor, performing his second piece of ‘stand-up commentary’ (he performed Mike’s The New Abnormal after the COVID pandemic in 2022). This show is a combination of stand-up and sketch comedy that both exploits pet-related humour and uses people’s love for animals to make broader social commentary. This is a new work that will begin its premiere run in May.

Each work is a stand-alone piece that will run separately from May (and from time to time as a double-bill); this week’s double-bill is part of the development of these works.