SANDTON, JOHANNESBURG: Tammany Barton is proud to announce the upcoming South African premiere production of Ladies of Lavare, a coming-of-old-age comedy-drama written and produced by award-winning South African playwright and producer Tammany Barton, and directed by Juliette Jenner.
The production stars award-winning actress Shaeleen Tobin as Maureen, and award-winning screen and stage veteran Camilla Waldman as Vera.
The production opens on 1 October 2026, International Day of Older Persons, and runs through 17 October 2026 at Theatre on the Square, Nelson Mandela Square, Sandton.
The timing is deliberate.
When Maureen’s birthday plans go disastrously wrong, she and her older sister Vera find themselves trapped together in a bathtub in their retirement village. As a birthday cake burns in the oven, the tub magically transports them through memories of their past, present and imagined futures, where they discover how much they need each other and how little time they have left.
Ladies of Lavare opens at the heart of South Africa’s national Older Persons Week, from 30 September to 6 October, in an act of creative alignment that reflects the show’s central conviction: growing older does not make you a supporting character in your own story.
Maureen and Vera are proof of that, and their story is still being written.
Yes, Ladies of Lavare is a play about ageing. More than that, it is a play about coming of age, again and again, for as long as we are fortunate enough to keep living.
It is a play about the inner lives of women, and that does not have an age limit.
About the Production
When Maureen’s birthday plans go disastrously wrong, she and her older sister Vera find themselves trapped together in a bathtub in their retirement village.
As a birthday cake burns in the oven, the tub magically transports them through memories of their past, present and imagined futures, where they discover how much they need each other and how little time they have left.
Filled with humour, heart and adventure, Ladies of Lavare is a celebration of sisterhood, resilience and the magic that can still be found in life’s later chapters.
Recognition
Ladies of Lavare arrives on the Johannesburg stage with impressive international pedigree.
The play is a winner of the Fugitive Sisters Cannes Festival Award in 2024 and the Playwright Laboratory London Script Development Programme in 2023. It was also a finalist for the South African Muse Awards in 2025.
Audiences who have experienced earlier readings and workshops have called it:
“Enthralling and full of heart.”
“An emotional rollercoaster.”
“A smashing piece.”
Cast and Creative Team
Written and produced by: Tammany Barton
Director: Juliette Jenner
Maureen: Shaeleen Tobin
Vera: Camilla Waldman
Lighting design: Oliver Hauser
Set designer: Lauren Wilensky
Sound and music: Nathan Ro
Show assistant: Evanca Moolman
Partners
Tammany Barton, in partnership with Theatre on the Square and Senior Village at Steyn City.
Production Details
Venue: Theatre on the Square, Nelson Mandela Square, Sandton
Season: 1 to 17 October 2026
Tickets Available via Webtickets
About the Author
