Panurge Theatre Co. in association with The Art Cave and The Market Theatre presents a staging of celebrated author Samuel Beckett’s 'First Love' short story as part of the 2026 Kippies Fringe Programme.
The performance brings Samuel Beckett’s dark comedy to the heart of Joburg. Written in 1946, some years before Beckett would shake the foundations of world theatre with 'Waiting for Godot', 'First Love' tells the tale of a man who – following the death of his father – is kicked out of his family house. While living the life of a vagrant, he meets a woman one night on a park bench who he falls for and moves in with.
'First Love' is a story that thrives on how it is told, suffused with Samuel Beckett’s incomparable prose that finds humour in the darkest places, telling a story that is both hilarious and devastating. The work further examines themes of loneliness, loss and grief, love, fatherhood and retreat.
This staging of 'First Love', which is under the direction of Qondiswa James and features a performance by William Harding, first premiered at the POPArt Theatre in December 2025 to critical acclaim.
Qondiswa is an award-winning theatre-maker, performance artist, film and theatre performer, installation artist, writer, arts facilitator and activist. Over the last decade, William has established himself as one of South African theatre’s most versatile character actors.