How Sam Nupen Is Keeping Theatre Alive and Making SA Fall in Love with it Again

Driven by a deep love for the performing arts, Sam Nupen has created a platform to celebrate theatre’s unique magic and inspire South Africans to fall in love with it all over again.

Johannesburg, South Africa (07 May 2026) – While we’re spoilt for choice when it comes to all things entertainment, for local performance art enthusiast Sam Nupen, the timeless art of theatre still has her heart – and she’s inviting South Africa to fall in love with it again.

Through social media, she’s created something quite special: SamSays, a platform where she shares her passion for stories that come alive on stage, while building a growing community that cherishes the art just as much as she does.

“I had been toying with the idea of writing for a while, a blog or a newsletter, but I wasn’t quite sure what form it should take. When I spoke to a web designer, they suggested using social media as a platform, as it would allow me to post easily in the moments in between life or while waiting to collect a child from school, ballet, or swimming,” Sam tells us.

Sam knew she wanted her passion project to be something positive. Something that celebrated the beauty and rich talent of South Africa.

“My younger daughter performs (dancing, singing, acting), and as she became more involved, we found ourselves attending more and more live shows. We’ve always loved theatre, and this felt like a natural extension of that love.”

Sam started writing short reviews and posting them on her personal Facebook page. It wasn’t long before she was inspired to create SamSays, a platform where she now shares show reviews, celebrates South African creativity and talent, and inspires more people to buy a ticket and support the arts.

“So, at age 50-something, SamSays was born and I am absolutely loving every minute. I only wish there were more hours in the day to write,” says the busy mom and physiotherapist.

Through this journey, Sam has met incredible people and experienced so many wonderful productions.

“There has been the occasional bit of trolling, but overwhelmingly, my posts are met with positivity which I truly value.”

From vibrant audiences and captivating performers to the diverse genres showcased on our stages and the shared experiences among entertained crowds, theatre holds a magic that simply can’t be beat for Sam.

“I love the incredible talent that we have in South Africa – dance, ballet, drama, musical theatre, comedy, cabaret, music. I love watching young artists grow as they become more experienced and I love watching the seasoned artists who are world-class at their craft,” she shares.

Across SamSays (on Facebook and Instagram) and TheatreZA (which she administers), Sam has built a community of around 8,000 followers online.

SamSays aims to make it easy. Easy to see what’s on stage. Easy to book a live show at the last minute. Easy to find what you are looking for. Easy to read the review and decide if it’s your cup of tea. Easy to fit a live show into your busy life.

“SamSays is ‘the view from the audience’ all in one place.”

For the performing arts industry, the platform aims to create awareness of all the incredible work that is happening on stage….and as Sam puts it:

“To get lots of bums on seats in theatres across the country, so that more of us experience the joy that comes with watching live theatre.”

Sources: Sam Nupen

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