Mike van Graan’s Superfan, a solo comedy drama featuring CapeTalk’s John Maytham and inspired by the role that Springbok rugby plays in the country, will run in the new, intimate Antique Theatre and Bar 167 KLOOF ST GARDENS CAPE TOWN  from 19 August to 12 September 2026. 

After the critical and popular success of To Life, With Love in 2025, Superfan is the second collaboration between veteran broadcaster John Maytham (who commissioned both pieces) and award-winning playwright, Mike van Graan.

In Superfan, the character, Oliver Wilson seeks to build on the sense of national pride and unity that rugby under Rassie Erasmus engenders to deepen relationships across racial and class divides. 

The general experience of South Africans with regard to transformation over the last three decades is of superficial demographic changes in governance and leadership, while the lives of ordinary citizens remain characterised by poverty and social exclusion.  Long regarded as a sport that reflected the racial divisions of the country, rugby – particularly in the Rassie Erasmus era – has become a metaphor for how a transformed society can deliver excellence.

Chasing the Sun, the documentaries that chronicle the Springboks being crowned world champions twice and that provide insights into how rugby changed the fortunes of socially marginalised team members, is one of the inspirations behind this monodrama.

‘One doesn’t have to be a rugby fan to appreciate the piece,’ said Mike van Graan.  ‘Superfan appeals to a broad demographic and in a country with a myriad challenges, the aim of the piece is to inspire the audience by holding up a vision of what we could be with our collective resources and expertise under the right leadership.’

Superfan is directed by Adrian Collins who launched the Antique Theatre and Bar with Nicholas Pauling and Andrew Roux where the play will have its inaugural season.

Tickets are available through https://theantique.co.za

For further information, contact Mike van Graan at  or art27m@iafrica.com