William Kentridge is known for his visual art, but also for his films and theatrical productions. He often combines drawing, writing, music and theatre in works that reinterpret classics and explore politics, literature, and history. 

The award-winning works of Handspring Puppet Company, one of the world’s leading puppetry companies, have toured more than 30 countries over the last 40 years.  

In 1995, William Kentridge, Adrian Kohler, and Basil Jones (Handspring Puppet Company) premiered and toured an adaptation of Goethe’s Faust, set in Africa. Faustus in Africa! includes additional text by South African poet Lesego Rampolokeng and is an invigorating blend of theatre, puppetry and projection, with music by Warrick Sony and the late James Phillips. 

The protagonist goes on safari after making his deal with the devil, to enjoy everything the continent has to offer. In a powerful metaphor for colonialism, this ageless tale presents universal themes of compromise that are pressingly relevant in each successive generation. The betrayal of one’s better judgement for short-term gain tempts us all and is the burning question behind our climate emergency and the trade-offs and expediency that underlie the dire problems the world is facing today. 

This new version, with digitally remastered video, brings a stunning sharpness to Kentridge’s animation and features new puppets for the production. The whole world has changed in thirty years, and now audiences will have the opportunity to revisit this exciting masterpiece from a new angle.

William Kentridge is an artist born in Johannesburg in 1955. He is internationally acclaimed for his drawings, films, theatre and opera productions.  

Handspring Puppet Company, founded in South Africa in 1981 by Adrian Kohler and Basil Jones, has established its hallmark artistic excellence through the use of finely crafted puppets within a live theatre context.  The marriage of the disciplines of fine art and theatre is at the heart of the discipline of puppetry in general and Handspring’s work in particular. The runaway hit play War Horse, produced by the National Theatre in London, has established Handspring as one of the most influential puppet companies in the world. 

William Kentridge and Handspring Puppet Company’s Faustus in Africa! celebrates 30 years of collaboration.

Quaternaire Producers: Sarah Ford, Roxani Kamperou, Emmanuelle Taccard
Co-Producers: The 2025 version is produced by Quaternaire/Paris and restaged with co-production support from co-commissioner Théâtre de la Ville/Festival d’Automne (Paris).

Co-producers: The Baxter Theatre Centre at the University of Cape Town (Cape Town), Centre d’art Battat (Montreal), Cité européenne du théâtre - Domaine d’O - Montpellier / PCM2025 (Montpellier), Fondazione Campania des Festival - Campania Teatro Festival (Naples), Grec Festival (Barcelona), Kunstenfestivaldesarts (Brussels), Thalia Theater (Hamburg). 

The 1995 version was produced by Handspring Puppet Company in association with The Market Theatre, Art Bureau (Munich), Kunstfest (Weimar), Standard Bank National Arts Festival, The Foundation for the Creative Arts, Sharp Electronics and Mannie Manim Productions.

Performance include gunshots and quick lighting.

For audiences aged 12 years old and over

In memory of James Phillips (1959-1995)

James Phillips was a composer, musician and the voice and conscience of a generation. He died as a result of injuries sustained in a car accident. The Shifty Records Artists Fund was set up to help artists in crisis. Please contact lloyd@shifty.co.za for more information and donations.

Special thanks to The team at The Baxter Theatre Centre, William Kentridge Studio, Stefanie Carp, Patrick Curtis, Carlo Daniels, Susan Ford, Paul Golub, Joël Gunzburger, Konstantinos Liopyris, Grace Lorenzo, Michael Morris, Herman Sorgeloos, Frie Leysen.