Michael Taylor-Broderick (Writer/ Director) graduated from Natal Technikon with a diploma in Theatre Technology in 1993, obtaining the highest overall aggregate in the Faculty of Arts. Michael is a playwright, director and writer whose interest and involvement in such varying art forms , such as theatrical lighting, are what keep him inspired, passionate, and relevant. His own works include ‘Jimmy Time’, ‘The Spartan and The Lullaby’, and Jakob’, the latter receiving critical
acclaim wherever it has played. Michael is also the brains behind “One Man One Light”, a short performance piece based on the Italian “La Linea” television series. “One Man One Light” played to packed houses at the PLASA Industry Trade Show in the U.K. and at Prolight and Sound in Frankfurt, performing 33 shows in 3 days and went on to be invited onto the Main Festival program at the National Arts Festival in 2016. His most recent work, The King of Broken Things, won a Gold Ovation Award on the Virtual Fringe Platform at the National arts Festival in 2020. In 2022 it won the Best Script, Best Director and Best Female Actress Award at the 18th Golden Dolphin International Puppet Festival in Varna, Bulgaria. Michael is the founder of Theatresmiths, a collective of Theatre Makers dedicated to exploring the ‘magic’ of theatre through the art of storytelling. As a specialist lighting designer, he includes among his best work Fantastic Flying Fish Dance Company’s Grass Gardens, Off-Axis; The Suit; Opera Africa’s Rigoletto AND La Traviata, Very Very Big Production’s Nunsense and Joseph and His Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat.
Michael forged a career as a Freelance Lighting Designer in 1999 after a five-year stint as the Durban Branch Manager of Entertainment Specialists, Production projects. He has since become a multiple award-winning lighting designer who has experience in every theatrical medium. Michael has been the Technical Director for the prestigious annual Hilton Arts Festival for the past 25 years and lectures on the subject of Lighting Design in his current position as a Lighting Sales Consultant for DWR.

Cara Roberts (Performer) is an actress born in Johannesburg, currently residing in Durban. She has graced many a screen and stage since her first on-screen appearance in Durban Poison as the female lead in 2012. She played Renee in Fynbos and Mark Read in Black Sails (Season 4). Cara has made appearances in many local and international films and music videos.
She moved to Durban to further her theatre career. She was introduced to the city by Think Theatre, a company producing Shakespeare’s works which the matriculants are studying. She has played the role of Desdemona in Othello for six years; and the role of Ophelia in Hamlet for the last three. The King of Broken Things is her first solo piece, where she plays a young boy struggling with the absence of his father. The show has been performed at the Hilton Arts Festival and the Umtiza Festival, garnering many accolades. It was written and directed by lighting and theatre genius Michael Taylor-Broderick.
Cara has starred as Fern and Gussy the Goose in Kickstarts production of Charlotte’s Web. She has also performed in children’s theatre – A Froggie Fairytale and The Great Big Enormous Turnip; and extended her puppetry talents, creating The Place of Small Miracles, along with Bryan Hiles and Michael Taylor-Broderick, which spins a beautiful tale using direct contact and shadow puppetry, music, and visual effects.