Gabo Legwala’: An Autobiographical Interrogation of Masculinities

The Market Theatre’s artistic focus on parental relationships continues as it eagerly welcomes freshly baked work, ‘Gabo Legwala’, which generally translates into a coward’s home. 

The exceptionally crafted poetic theatre piece with music will run on the Mannie Manim stage from 17 September – 12 October 2025, following its explosive debut at the National Arts Festival.

‘Gabo Legwala’ is written and performed by Modise Sekgothe, who is only the second artist to be honoured with the Standard Bank Young Artist Award for Poetry, after Koleka Putuma. It is directed by Theatre Duo’s Mahlatsi Mokgonyana, who is also a recipient of the 2022 Standard Bank Young Artist Award for Theatre. Multi-instrumentalist, Yogin Sullaphen, is behind the live musical scoring alongside vocalist, Phumla Siyobi.

 ‘Gabo Legwala’ takes us into the psychology of children growing up without present fathers. Set in the township of Soweto, the script further refutes the burden of performative heroism placed on boys, asserting that bullies invite sorrow to their loved ones, while peace reigns in the home of the coward.

“At its core, this is a meditation on what it means to be a man when manhood is inherited in fragments—from soccer fields, kung fu movies, playground fights, bullying and boyish bravado. As we watch the speaker wrestle with bullying, belonging, and the ghosts of the men who failed him, the play dares to ask: What wounds do men carry when they’re raised without their fathers? What does healing look like when you’ve never seen it modelled? When is walking away an act of mere cowardice? When is it wisdom?” Modise shares.

‘Gabo Legwala’ is a call to hope: to have faith in men’s potential to avoid violent conflict in a nation with alarming abuse and intimate partner murder rates; to assure the boy-child that avoidance, too, is conflict resolution.

Tickets are available on Webtickets from R140, with special discounts for the preview performances and all Wednesdays at half-price.

For more information visit www.markettheatre.co.za