OPEN LENS Live Performance Series by PUPIL Productions Showcases Emerging Talent

PUPIL Productions is opening a new window of opportunity for emerging creatives with OPEN LENS, a live performance and networking series designed to bring fresh talent into the spotlight while building connections across Cape Town’s creative community. The inaugural event, OPEN LENS #001, takes place at Colorbox Studios in Paarden Eiland, on Thursday 5 November, starting at 6pm.
The new event concept introduces a platform where musicians and other creative professionals can share their work, connect with audiences and meet potential collaborators.
OPEN LENS also offers audiences an innovative new experience.

Founded by the young entertainment industry entrepreneur, Tara Talmarkes, PUPIL Productions aims to create accessible opportunities for artists to develop their craft, gain visibility and become part of a wider network that supports creative growth.

Creating Space for Emerging Talent

This innovative new platform is more than a live performance showcase. It forms part of PUPIL Productions’ broader vision of building meaningful creative communities through artist development, events, community initiatives and industry collaboration. By bringing performers, entrepreneurs, audiences and supporters together, the initiative aims to encourage relationships that can extend beyond a single evening. For emerging artists, opportunities to perform in front of an audience and connect with people working in different areas of the creative sector can be an important step towards building a sustainable career. OPEN LENS seeks to make those connections possible while celebrating the different voices and perspectives shaping South Africa’s creative landscape.

“OPEN LENS was created to provide a platform where creatives can showcase their talents, connect with others, and access new opportunities,” says Talmarkes, Founder and Director of PUPIL Productions. “We believe that strong creative communities are built through collaboration, visibility, and meaningful engagement.”

The inaugural edition on 5 November will feature a line-up of emerging musical talent spanning hip-hop, reggae, R&B, pop and Afro-inspired sounds. While each performer brings a different background and artistic identity to the stage, the shared emphasis is on self-expression, ambition and the power of music to communicate personal experiences.

The showcase also reflects the value of creating spaces where artists can introduce their work to new audiences, rather than relying solely on established industry channels for exposure. For attendees, it offers an opportunity to discover performers at different stages of their journeys.

Meet the OPEN LENS Line-Up

With the live band she is putting together for OPEN LENS, Tara Talmarkes promises a next-level experience for attendees. The artists on the lineup will for the most part be performing with the backing of the live band as opposed to only using back tracks.

Among the featured performers is GAWDFES_ZW, the stage name of Zimbabwean-born, Cape Town-based artist Blessing Chebundo. Blending reggae, hip-hop and contemporary Afro-inspired music, his sound is underpinned by themes of motivation, self-belief, personal growth and African identity.

His projects, including POWER, EVOLVE, HUMAMBO and GAWD SEASON, reflect different aspects of his artistic development. Fivio Future, also known as iBhere, brings a different combination of influences, drawing on his roots in Qumbu in the Eastern Cape and his experiences in Cape Town. His music fuses hip-hop and Afrobeat with Xhosa storytelling, bringing cultural identity and personal experience into a contemporary sound.

The line-up also includes RGB SWEK, a hip-hop artist whose creative identity extends beyond music into fashion, lifestyle and entertainment. SWEK presents creativity as an ongoing journey, emphasising the work behind the finished product and the determination to turn a vision into reality. His message, “Don’t just watch the result. Watch the journey,” captures that philosophy.

Dollar Mic, whose genre spans R&B and pop, brings a focus on authenticity, ambition and the idea that personal experiences can become part of an artist’s story. Dollar Mic promises an energetic performance with the lave band and his own dancers on stage.

Dollar Mic will be performing live at OPEN LENS – Image Suppled

More Voices, More Perspectives

The showcase further features DEVIL.MAN.GOD (D.M.G), a Cape Town artist and self-engineered creative from Bishop Lavis, as well as Young Wavey, whose journey in Cape Town is shaped by the pursuit of a dream that has become a personal mission. LilsunofGod also joins the line-up, representing ambition and personal growth through the pursuit of purpose on his own terms.

Together with GAWDFES_ZW, Fivio Future, RGB SWEK and Dollar Mic, these performers bring a range of stories and approaches to the inaugural event. Their participation reflects OPEN LENS’s intention to create space for emerging voices, allowing audiences to encounter different perspectives through live performance.

Through OPEN LENS and its wider programmes, PUPIL Productions hopes to contribute to a creative environment in which talent can develop, relationships can grow and new opportunities can emerge. The first edition marks the beginning of an ongoing initiative, with the series intended to encourage collaboration and engagement across the creative sector.

In that regard, PUPIL Productions is also inviting artists to apply to be part of future editions of their OPEN LENS series of events.

Novel Ticketing Concept

Imagine being able to buy a ticket to an event that guarantees that 100% of your ticket money goes into a pool that will be distributed among the artists.

OPEN LENS #001 taking place at Colorbox Studios in Paarden Eiland, Cape Town on Thursday 5 November running from 6pm till 9pm has a special Supporter ticket category.
Supporter Tier Tickets at R150 per person are always available and all proceeds go directly to the artists performing on the day.

Other Ticket Categories
The last of the Early Bird Tickets are still available at R80 per person.
Once Early Bird Tickets are sold out General Admission Tickets become available at R100 per person, after which Final Phase Tickets are R150 per person.
There are also VIP Tickets available at R200 per person with certain privileges, and Super VIP Group Tables at R1000 for 5 attendees, with even more privileges.

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