Some experiences change you in ways you never see coming. For me, that was being part of the Power of Play campaign—a whirlwind of creativity, connection and pure, unfiltered joy that reminded me why storytelling matters.
An unexpected invitation to Play
It began with a question from Delia Meyer, the brilliant mind behind Play—a performance piece designed to spark conversations about the value of play in childhood development across South Africa. She needed an actor to play a 6-year-old and asked if I knew anyone.
I almost said yes and passed the opportunity along. But then something stopped me—a quiet, stubborn voice (the same one that used to beg for "five more minutes" of playtime as a kid). What if I tried?
So I asked to audition. And just like that, I stepped into a role that would reshape how I saw performance, connection and the transformative power of play.
Where the magic happened
The rehearsal room became sacred ground. A space where grown professionals—actors, dancers, storytellers—shed their adult selves and rediscovered the raw, unfiltered freedom of play. We laughed until our sides hurt. We improvised, we stumbled, we let ourselves be messy. We even cried—not because the work was hard, but because play has a way of unlocking emotions we’ve long tucked away.
The most surprising part? How quickly strangers became family. The kind of family that doesn’t just perform together but breathes together. We weren’t just telling a story about play—we were living it.
Why this felt different
Most performances are about precision. About hitting marks and delivering lines just right. But Play was different. It asked us to be, not just act. To surrender to spontaneity, to listen with our whole bodies, to respond like children—impulsively, honestly and without filters.
And when we took that energy to the stage, something magical happened. Audiences didn’t just watch—they remembered. Grandparents leaned forward, parents nodded in recognition, caregivers wiped away tears. In those moments, we weren’t just performers. We were mirrors, reflecting back the universal language of play that so many adults have forgotten.
The real Power of Play
This experience taught me that play isn’t just for kids. It’s a radical act of presence. A way to reconnect with the parts of ourselves that still wonder, still create, still dare to try things just to see what happens.
As performers, we often chase applause. But this? This was deeper. It was about witnessing—the spark in a parent’s eyes as they recalled playing with their child, the way a teacher sat up straighter as they reimagined their classroom, the silent "oh" of someone realising, maybe for the first time in years, that play isn’t frivolous.
It’s essential.
Carrying it forward
Now, even offstage, I find myself approaching life differently. Less rigidity. More curiosity. More willingness to try just for the sake of seeing what happens. That’s the real gift of this campaign—it doesn’t end when the lights go down.
To the cast and every audience member who let themselves remember: thank you. You reminded me that performance isn’t just about pretending.
It’s about reconnecting—with ourselves, with each other, and with the pure, messy, glorious act of play.
