The Big Issue

High quality, varied and entertaining content for readers across age, culture, religion, gender and other demographics. Stories include reporting on local and international happenings with a ‘bigger issue’ about an individual, and unusual news or events that impact us all. The Big Issue shares in-depth interviews with local and international celebrities, artists, change-makers and thought leaders. It also focuses on local people or organisations committed to making positive changes in society – intent on finding innovative ways to effect change.

The Big Issue SA

STAR QUALITY

SUPPORT A VENDOR THIS WINTER • July in Cape Town signals extreme cold and wet, wintry weather. The Big Issue – a social enterprise creating opportunities to end poverty and exclusion – is South Africa’s one and only street magazine. To keep sustainable, please support our vendors who face adverse weather conditions and traffic every day to generate an income.

Open dialogue • We recently hosted a special Mother’s Day event to honour the sacrifices our female family – women vendors at The Big Issue – make on a daily basis for their loved ones.

ENTERTAINERS’ BESTSELLERS 2022 • Some entertainers are more than a triple threat; they write novels too. Some of these top picks have made the New York Times bestseller book list.

Guess who’s back, back again • Megan Choritz, Editor of Weekend Special, reflects on her deeply personal ‘near-death’ experiences of theatre during the pandemic, and theatre’s faint, but determined resurrection. At last, the communion of theatre has returned.

SHOW OF LOVE • Social media oversharing and pushing personal PR to document new relationships – is it really a thing? What exactly is a ‘soft’ or ‘hard’ relationship launch? Lisa Portolan explains the celebrity-led trend.

Peter Pan flies again! • Watch everyone’s favourite flying boy as he wings his way to Canal Walk Theatre this winter.

little issue • young minds matter

Hitting high notes • Opera has informed generations of music lovers. Think Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo, Maria Callas, and Montserrat aballe... who never fail to evoke goosebumps and whose cover versions (think X Factor) win standing ovations from Gen Zs to boomers. The Big Issue chats to operatic tenor and international star, Stefan Louw, who charts his career in the performing arts through the changing and challenging decades in South Africa.

STAR QUALITY • Reading about Jonathan Roxmouth’s theatrical accolades is jaw-dropping. Watching him perform live on stage, electrifying. More than a quadruple threat, he possesses elusive star quality, playing to sellout audiences around the world. The Big Issue chats to him.

5 minutes with Jonathan Roxmouth • We caught up with Jonathan Roxmouth aboard the Seabourn Odyssey, touring Alaska and Canada with three of his shows from South Africa: a Billy Joel tribute, Piano State of Mind, the Elton John-themed Your Song, and the musical Stage by Stage. On his return to South Africa in July, Jonathan will star in Back In Lights at Pieter Toerien’s Teatro at Montecasino.

Awê Ma Se Kinnes! • ‘Uncle Marc’ and his ‘new jokes’.

A CATCH-UP POST FROM MARC’S BLOG (JAN 2022) • Awê Ma Se Kinnes!

Theatre … goes there? • What does the closure of South African theatres signify? Is it because Gen Z is on Tik-Tok, millennials are preparing for greener pastures and Gen X obsessed with Facebook? Difficulty getting bums on seats (public interest) has always been a strong argument for the demise of theatre. Or could it be that theatre, in particular The Fugard, has been helped down the chute by a set of South African circumstances? Actress Fiona Ramsay asked Ismail Mahomed*, a playwright and seasoned theatre and arts festival manager, about what forces aligned to see The Fugard Theatre close...