The City is the main partner of the Platform for Special Talent, which is part of the Baxter Theatre Centre's successful Zabalaza Theatre Festival. The latter is an outreach and development programme.

Last year one of the productions on this platform, which was made possible through the City's financial support, was staged at the Baxter Flipside, where it qualified to be eligible for the 2018 Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards.

​​​​​​Kudu, a dynamic and fresh production, tackles some of South Africa’s most vital issues such as land, culture and identity.

Writer and director Lwanda Sindaphi walked away the winner of the Fleur du Cap awards for Best New South African Script and Best New Director.

The production also won the Fleur du Cap for Best Performance by an Ensemble.

'The awards are not just a feather in the cap for this young company, but also gives credence to the City's support of arts and culture programmes to make it more accessible and reach a much wider audience,' said the City's Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services and Health, Councillor Zahid Badroodien

Following its resounding success when it premiered at Magnet Theatre in 2016, Kudu was invited to become part of the Baxter’s Platform for Special Talent. This essential and vibrant initiative emerged from a need to bridge the gap between opportunities for young, new theatre producers and for well-known established ones.
 
‘There is no doubt that the arts strengthen the economy and spark creativity and innovation. The arts have a social impact, exposing communities to a variety of genres and skills. This helps to preserve our culture and heritage and is an investment that the City is honoured to make.