Theatre-Maker: Jason Jacobs

Production Manager:  Cleveland Hopp

Sound Designer: Sean Devonport

Digital Media Designer: Inka Kendzia

Filmed Material: Kwei Shun-yu

Lighting Designer: Luke Ellenbogen

Costume Designer: Nyakallo Sky Makhetha

Video Content Editor: Lex Owen

Stage Manager: Kathleen Stephens

Assistant Stage Manager: Manfred Adams

Researcher: Wade Van Zyl

Matjieshut Builder: Hendrik T Brandt

Produced by KRAAL 

Text Development by NATi

Jason Jacobs 

Jason Jacobs is the 2026 Standard Bank Young Artist Award winner for theatre. An indigenous artist from Kharkams, Namaqualand, he is a storyteller who integrates his cultural heritage into contemporary narratives, exploring universal themes of identity, history, and community. Jason’s contributions to theatre and film earned him widespread acclaim. His second feature film (co-directed with Devon Delmar), Variations on a Theme, premiered in competition and won the Tiger Award at the 2026 International Film Festival Rotterdam, and Best African Film at the 2026 Joburg Film Festival. Additionally, KRAAL, their collective, received the SAFTA for Outstanding Provincial Contributor Award in 2026. Jason’s first short film, Nama Swaan, debuted at the kykNet Silwerskermfees, while the multi-nominated feature Carissa (NAAAP Productions) debuted at the Venice International Film Festival. His theatre debut was equally highly successful, with Jason’s trilogy of works earning him the Klein Karoo National Arts Festival New Voices award. Jason wrote, directed, and starred in numerous theatre productions, including his award-winning Kraal at the Black2Normal Festival in Denmark. He pursued his master's as a scholar under the Mellon Foundation-funded Reimagining Tragedy in Africa and the Global South project. His ongoing practice stays rooted in the dreamwork of the performing arts, healing practices, and community development. 

Cleveland Hopp 

Cleveland Hopp is a South African artist and activist from Malmesbury whose work explores queer identity, memory, and rural community life. A University of Cape Town graduate with distinction in documentary studies, he is best known for directing the documentary Onthou vi Fredo?, which honours murdered drag artist Alfredo April and has screened internationally, including at the Venice Film Festival and won Best Documentary at the Fame Shorts Film Festival. Hopp has also contributed to acclaimed projects such as Carissa and Variations on a Theme.

Inka Kendzia 

Inka Kendzia is a director and visual artist, having worked internationally as a motion designer and animation director on movies and documentaries, among them Ron Howard’s Grammy winning ‘The Beatles – eight days a week’. In her visual art she explores the body as a site of memory and our interconnectedness to nature, creating immersive Projection artworks incorporating new media like VR and exhibiting these internationally.

Sean Devonport 

Sean Devonport is a software engineer and audio engineer specialising in game engines, immersive content, sound design and control system programming. He was awarded an MSc in Computer Science with Distinction in 2018 and has since continued to explore and expand his work with a strong focus on interactive media and tools that help creators and developers alike. As a freelancer, he has worked on a wide range of projects with different teams in both the virtual, physical installation spaces. His speciality lies in the cross section music, location and field recording, sound design and programming. Alongside his freelance work, he has also been a founding developer in the launch of two successful startups - immersiveDSP and Simulon. ImmersiveDSP is a company focused on scalable loudspeaker solutions for immersive audio applications such as theme parks, museums and audio installations. Simulon is a mixed reality application that uses mixed reality as a way to abstract away the complexities of high quality rendering and compositing allowing anyone with an iPhone to achieve Hollywood level VFX.

Kwei Shun-yu 

Kwei Shun-yu (b. 1999, Chongqing, China) is a photographer and filmmaker. In 2019, he moved to Budapest, Hungary, to pursue a B.A. in Sociology. He is currently a Master's student in documentary filmmaking at the University of Cape Town, South Africa.

Luke Ellenbogen

Luke Ellenbogen is a South African theatre-maker, director, actor, lighting designer, and producer whose career spans more than two decades across performance, production, and arts education. A graduate of the University of Cape Town’s Drama Department, where he graduated as class medalist, Luke has worked extensively with Theatre for Africa and some of Cape Town’s leading theatre institutions, including the UCT Little Theatre, The Rosebank Theatre, and The Fugard Theatre. Known for his collaborative and physically driven approach to storytelling, his work bridges theatre, environmental consciousness, and innovative performance-making, while his experience as a producer and creative leader continues to shape projects across both live and digital platforms.

Nyakallo Sky Makhetha

Nyakallo Sky Makhetha is a costume designer dedicated to telling authentic stories and enhancing visual narratives. With experience spanning film, television, commercial productions, and styling projects, she works closely with directors, producers, and creative teams to develop wardrobe elements that support both character development and the overall artistic vision. Drawing from a background in hair, makeup, and styling, she brings a comprehensive understanding of character presentation and visual continuity to every project. Nyakallo excels at researching, sourcing, designing, and coordinating costumes that reflect a character’s personality, background, and journey while remaining practical for production requirements. Whether working on period pieces, contemporary productions, or fashion-forward projects, Nyakallo is passionate about creating memorable designs that leave a lasting impression on and off screen.

Lex Owen

Lex Owen is a freelance editor in his final year in Screen Production at the University of Cape Town. His focus is primarily on documentary filmmaking and distribution, but he is passionate about the South African and Global South art scene as a whole.

Kathleen Stephens

Kathleen Stephens is a South African actor, writer, producer, stage manager and filmmaker based in Cape Town. She graduated with a BA in Theatre and Performance from the University of Cape Town and since then she has been working in the film and theatre industry building her name. Her love for storytelling led her to co-create the web series Till Next Time which was nominated for a South African Film and Television Award, which she co-produced and starred in. Her other noticeable accolades include her performance as Astha Patel in the film Death of a WhistleBlower, directed by Ian Gabriel and premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival 2023, as well as Lucky Fish and the live-action Manga series OnePiece. Kathleen is no stranger to the theatre scene in South Africa and this year she stepped into the role of stage manager on the production of Kraal directed and performed by this year’s Standard Bank Young Artist for theatre.

Manfred Adams

Manfred Romano Adams is a 2025 matriculant from Tweerivier who freelances as an emerging stage & locations manager at Kraal in Kharkams. He passionately helps bring untold stories to life both in film and theatre. His creative drive has already earned recognition for his involvement as an actor in the multi-award-winning Variations on a Theme, and as part of the Proscenium Drama Competition last year. His involvement in both film and the performing arts sharpens his voice as a storyteller aiming to make a positive impact. Manfred is deeply passionate about creative thinking, poetry, and acting, blending the written word with embodied expression to explore identity, culture, and human connection.