MAKING MUSIC WITH LASTING IMPACT

Finding the Light Foundation brings together stars of London’s West End & South African Musical Theatre in a celebration of the human spirit
and with a mission to change lives.

The Show

17th – 21 April 2024

Experience the transcendent power of some of musical theatre’s best loved shows as UK & South African Musical Theatre Stars perform with the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra on the iconic Artscape Opera House stage in Cape Town.

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The Dinner

March 2024

Uniting the passions of UHNW philanthropists, sports lovers and arts supporters at a gala dinner in London in March 2024. The evening will feature performances from West End stars and celebrity guests including current and former rugby stars & stars of the stage and screen. 

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The Impact

Ongoing

100% of net proceeds from both events & additional donations will go towards supporting three key charities focused on youth development in South Africa: Kolisi Foundation, Ubuntu Pathways & Empower’s South African beneficiaries.

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About Finding the Light Foundation

Our Youth have limitless potential. But their future is at risk. By 2030, 42% of the world’s youth will come from the African continent. High levels of poverty, violence and psychological trauma are undermining their potential for development. South African youth, on average, experience 8 ‘highly traumatic’ life events per year versus 4.8 in the entire lifetime of a Western child (USA/UK)*. The organizations we support address not only frontline challenges in health care and education, but the impact of violence, trauma, poor mental health, and a chronic degradation of self-esteem – something which undermines the success of primary frontline interventions. 

Finding the Light Foundation is a group of like-minded individuals working together to mobilise the International and Local African artistic communities in support of those addressing frontline challenges in Africa, and particularly South Africa.

100% of Ticket Sales from THE SHOW and funds raised from THE DINNER will go towards organizations meeting this critical challenge. 

At a time when the arts are critically underfunded globally, particularly in developing countries, THE SHOW also provides opportunity and employment for local artists and developing talent in South Africa. 

TOGETHER WE CAN FIND THE LIGHT 

 

* Source: Waves for Change, EMpower grantee partner  

How will we generate funding?

100% of ticket sales & additional donations from two star-studded events.

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The Charities We Support

The Show

For 5 nights only, experience the transcendent power of some of musical theatre’s best loved shows. Top talent from London’s West End and South African musical theatre come together on Cape Town’s iconic Artscape Opera House stage to perform songs from shows including “Phantom of the Opera”, “Les Miserables”, “West Side Story”, “Company” and many more.

Accompanied by the full Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra, the evening promises a visual and auditory kaleidoscope in celebration of our humanity and search for the light.

Original visual elements and scoring link a programme of exceptional vocal performances and bring the best of the world’s musical theatre stages to Cape Town.

100% of proceeds go to charities working to transform the lives of South Africa’s underprivileged youth, including addressing the immensely limiting impact of violence and trauma.

We want to keep going. We want to make this sustainable. Our hope is to build this initiative into a sustainable and ongoing property, happening annually and eventually extending beyond Cape Town to support communities across South Africa and beyond. We believe we can create a scalable model for making a significant return on sponsorship investment year-on-year to drive continuous and incremental social impact.

The Dinner

Join us for an evening of giving in the heart of London, featuring performances from cast members and guest artists, and the opportunity to bid for some unique experiences and African art.

Please contact us to make a donation









    Our People

    Production Team

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      Daniel Galloway

      Daniel spent 10 years leading a formidable team at the purpose built Fugard Theatre in Cape Town. In his career, he has produced over 150 Theatrical Productions both locally and internationally, which collectively have received over 220 Award Nominations. He now runs a theatre consultancy.

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      Jessica Ross

      Jessica is a co-founder of Finding the Light Foundation. She brings over two decades of investment and fundraising experience in financial services and the not-for-profit sector.

    Creative Team

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      Charl-Johan Lingenfelder

      Charl-Johan Lingenfelder is a world-renowned composer, musical director, arranger, conductor, writer and performer and has worked in Paris, San Francisco, New York, Hong Kong, Athens, New Zealand, China, Taiwan and Indonesia. He has composed soundtracks for more than 300 theatre, dance, film and documentary productions. Some of his many Musical Director credits include as Musical Director and Composer for the triumphant 2017 revival of Todd Matshikiza’s 1959 musical, King Kong, for which he won multiple awards; and as Musical Director for acclaimed South African productions of West Side Story, Rocky Horror Picture Show, Chess, & Sunset Boulevard. His most recent awards for composition include a 2022 New York Festivals Radio Awards Gold Award for Serialized Podcast, My Only Story, Best Original Score – Beurtkrag Silwerskermfees (SAFTAS), and Best Soundtrack- Angeliena (Netflix). 

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      David Habbin

      David is a co-founder of Finding the Light Foundation. With a career spanning Musical Theatre and Opera David achieved international acclaim as a tenor and founding member of the platinum selling pop opera band, Amici Forever. His many theatre credits include Marius/Combeferre in Les Miserables at the Palace Theatre in London’s West End and as the male lead, Tony, in Arthur Laurent’s revival of West Side Story for over 200 performances.