A bold and timely new theatre production, Lemoene, lemoene, lemoene, will premiere at the 2026 KKNK, with an additional run at Suidoosterfees later this year.
Written by internationally acclaimed playwright Sam Steiner, and translated, adapted and directed by Kanya Viljoen, the production is brought to life by production company Unusual Bones in collaboration with KKNK and Nati.
Starring Mienke Ehlers and Dean John Smith, the play imagines a near-future South Africa where the government enforces a radical “hush law”: every citizen is limited to just 140 spoken words per day. No voice notes. No rambling. No late-night confessions. Every word counts — and silence becomes deafening.
Set against a backdrop of global politics, pandemics, fear and rising authoritarianism, Lemoene, lemoene, lemoene follows two young lovers as they attempt to navigate intimacy in a world where language itself has become dangerous. As restrictions tighten, their relationship is tested in unexpected ways. What do you say when you only have 140 words? What do you save — and what do you swallow?
At its heart, the production explores three urgent themes:
- LOVE: From butterflies and awkward first dates to family tensions and the quiet fear of permanence, the play examines romance under pressure. It is a love story — but one with sharp edges.
- FREEDOM OF SPEECH: Censorship. Control. Autonomy. Regulation. What sounds dystopian quickly becomes uncomfortably familiar. Who decides what gets said? And what happens when your voice has a daily limit?
- DIGITAL CULTURE: In an era of endless scrolling, information overload and performative online presence, the play asks whether less communication might make our interactions more meaningful — or more fragile.
Within the South African context, language carries profound political, social and emotional weight. It divides and unites. It heals and harms. In a time marked by misinformation, digital saturation and increasing global tensions, Lemoene, lemoene, lemoene poses a deceptively simple but urgent question: What does it truly mean to have a voice — and to be heard?
Using the intimacy of a young relationship as its lens, the production offers a poetic and piercing commentary on communication, access and power in contemporary society.
Synopsis
In a South Africa where citizens are permitted only 140 spoken words per day, two young lovers must learn to live with silence — and to fight with words. As communication becomes rationed and regulated, their relationship grows increasingly strained. On the brink of emotional collapse, they must confront one another with a final question: is there truly anything left to say? This moving and sharply intelligent work explores the limits of love, the fragility of freedom, and the enduring power of one’s own voice.
At the KKNK 2026
Venue: Gimsaal
- 28 March 2026, 11:00
- 29 March 2026, 13:30
- 2 April 2026, 18:00
- 3 April 2026, 14:00
- 4 April 2026, 13:00
(A full performance schedule for Suidoosterfees will be announced soon.)
Creative team
Cast
Mienke Ehlers, Dean John Smith
Director
Kanya Viljoen
Stage Manager
Natalie Fraser
Writer
Sam Steiner
Producer
Unusual Bones (Casey Diepeveen, Kanya Viljoen, Emilie Badenhorst)