Xanti the Elf

18 Oct 2025

Earlier this month, I found myself on the set of a TV commercial, completely by accident, but not entirely by chance. My long-lost years of drama school and the relationships I built during my theater days brought a good dose of fun and an unexpected economic opportunity.

By coincidence, I ran into an old university friend and co-performer who was desperately in need of an extra for a new commercial he was working on. He knew I now spend my days writing boring politics and economics briefs, but there was an opportunity to redeem myself as an Elf in his commercial. I leapt at the chance, and redeeming it was — fun, fruitful, and economically rewarding.

Yet, my economic habits kept creeping into conversations with my fellow cast members. Instinctively, I knew that the economics of professional theater-making is filled with suspense and drama. How was it then that my co-performers radiated such joy, enthusiasm, and a strong sense of purpose? The penny dropped for them, theater and performing weren’t just ways to earn a living — they were ways of being.

One of my co-performers, Xanti, was a thirty-year-old theater maker from Strand in Cape Town. He was a natural in front of the camera, and the director couldn’t help but give him additional lines and “moments.” I asked Xanti how he came to theater-making. His story was all too familiar. Like me, Xanti came from a township, and his acting talents were first spotted during a school production, where he played a “drunk uncle.” Also like me, Xanti got his start through amateur theater organized by an NGO staging productions around Cape Town. Unlike me, Xanti became a professional actor and took over the baton from the NGO to create theater productions for children in his community.

This virtuous cycle — producing young theater makers who grow up to nurture the next generation — is one Xanti is deeply embedded in, and one I felt I had fallen out of. It’s a remarkable cycle that brings dignity, opportunity, and unleashes the creativity of township children like me and Xanti.

This cycle is being nurtured by ASSITEJ South Africa, an organization committed to creating more “Xanties” and offering those of us who fell out an opportunity to buy back in through volunteering and financial support. As a board member of ASSITEJ South Africa, I see firsthand how difficult it is to keep this cycle alive — but also how resourceful the management and board are in enabling children to remain part of this virtuous cycle.

– Ryan Johnson, Secretary of the Board, ASSITEJ South Africa