The 8th Bag unfolds on an ordinary South African morning in the early 2000s, where seven men, strangers to one another, meet at a bus stop. They wait for a bus destined for NdoShisa. A mythical city of restoration, prosperity, and certainty.
 
Each man carries two bags: one filled with travel necessities, the other laden with emotional baggage, trauma, expectations, and the inherited weight of masculinity. When they are told that only one bag is allowed on the bus, they are forced to unpack, both literally and metaphorically. In this process, they confront the histories that shaped them, the pains they inherited, and the versions of manhood they were taught to uphold. Eventually, stripped down to what they truly need, they jubilantly board the bus only to find it loops back, returning them to the same stop.

The cycle repeats. And repeats. The loop becomes a metaphor for the toxic cycle of masculinity, which is repeated, inherited, normalized. The play does not chastise, but tenderly reveals the struggle: to unpack, to let go, to carry only what allows one to move forward. The 8th Bag is a tribute, a reflection of burdens carried by men, and the hope that someday they could break the loop.

Age Restriction: 16+

PARKING, ACCESSIBILITY, REFRESHMENTS, RULES
ARE REFRESHMENTS AVAILABLE AT VENUE? YES

PROHIBITED: NO CAMERAS OR RECORDING DEVICES ARE ALLOWED – ONLY AUTHORISED PERSONNEL

WHAT PARKING FACILITIES ARE PROVIDED AT THE VENUE:

• Safe parking available via the Station Street Entrance – off Jorissen Street after 17h00.
• For daytime shows, all visitors should park at the visitors parking on Yale Road at the Anglo – Dome.
• For visitors on foot, please use the Sutton Close Entrance, to scan your ID and make your way to the Wits Theatre
• For high schools coming to attend, all schools should report to Wits University an hour before the show, park buses at the visitors’ parking spaces by the Anglo - Dome and may make their way to the Wits Theatre.
• For Uber drop off, please use Sutton Close Entrance, to scan your ID and make your way to the Wits Theatre
• All visitors and guests PLEASE HAVE YOUR VALID DRIVER’S LICENSE OR I.D WHEN VISITING THE CAMPUS

WHAT DISABLED FACILITIES ARE AVAILABLE AT THE VENUE: WHEELCHIR RAMP & ELEVATOR