Phyllis Klotz honoured with the Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres

On 10 September 2025, theatre practitioner Phyllis Klotz was awarded the insignia of Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres by Ambassador David Martinon at the French Residence in Pretoria. Conferred by the French Ministry of Culture, the distinction recognises individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the fields of art and literature.

For more than four decades, Klotz has been a leading figure in South African theatre as writer, director, actor and educator. She co-founded the Sibikwa Arts Centre in Benoni with Smal Ndaba in 1988, establishing one of the country’s most enduring hubs for community arts. Her earlier work in Cape Town with the Community Arts Project and the Young Peoples Theatre Education Trust reflected her commitment to theatre as a space for education, social dialogue and cultural access. Ambassador Martinon said: “Your story is not only the story of a theatre-maker. It is the story of someone who has, for more than four decades, believed deeply in the power of the arts to change lives, to challenge injustices, and to bring people together”.

Klotz’s plays, among them Wathint’ Abafazi, Wathint’ Imbokodo (1986), So Where To? (1989) and Chapter 2 Section 9 (2016), have addressed subjects ranging from women’s resistance to apartheid to questions of gender, identity and human rights. Most recently, she co-directed 1789 with Smal Ndaba for the Sibikwa Arts Centre in partnership with the French Institute of South Africa and Théâtre du Soleil. Inspired by Ariane Mnouchkine’s original work, the production re-examines the French Revolution through immersive performance, weaving together themes of liberty, equality, fraternity with contemporary concerns such as toxic leadership, greed and social inequality.

The Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres adds to the many distinctions Klotz has received nationally, including a Naledi Lifetime Achiever Award, recognition as one of The Star’s top ten cultural achievers, and selection as a finalist for Woman of the Year.