Isango Ensemble: Township Voices Reimagining the Classics

Formed in 2000 by director Mark Dornford-May with music directors Pauline Malefane and Mandisi Dyantyis, Isango Ensemble draws most of its company from the townships surrounding Cape Town, offering performers who often arrive without formal training a route into professional theatre and music. The company's signature approach relocates Western theatre classics, from Mozart's The Magic Flute to Bizet's Carmen, into South African and township settings, sung and played on marimbas by the cast themselves. Its production Impempe Yomlingo (The Magic Flute) won the 2008 Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival at London's Young Vic, and the ensemble has since toured to 16 countries including the UK, USA, Australia, Japan and across Europe. Alongside touring productions, Isango runs training and educational work with its home community in Cape Town's townships, functioning as both a professional company and a pathway into the arts for young, disadvantaged performers.