Felicia Naiwa Sithebe is a producer, creative director and cultural worker whose life sits at the crossroads of theatre, television and radical care for African actors. In this conversation, she opens up about surviving a lupus scare and ICU, the gratitude alarms that now instruct her to dance in the middle of the day, and how those near‑loss moments reshaped her relationship with work, family and rest.​​

We trace her journey from community theatre in Soweto and an Indian neighbourhood in the south of Johannesburg, through acting on Soul Buddyz and other shows, to co‑founding Actor Spaces and helping drive festivals and industry platforms that archive, celebrate and develop performers. Felicia shares how she and her husband built a life and a business together, why they give away most of their time to growing other artists, and how they fund that generosity through casting, partnerships and teaching.​

Along the way we talk about theatre as spiritual technology, the slow erosion of live performance in the age of streaming and convenience, and what it will take to bring younger audiences back into rooms where stories can transform them in real time. Felicia also unpacks her current obsession with building “accountable actors” through financial literacy, wellness and industry literacy, so that artists are not just visible but able to sustain themselves and their families.​

If you are an actor, filmmaker, writer or cultural worker wrestling with burnout, money and meaning, this episode offers both a mirror and a roadmap.​

In this episode, we explore:

• Growing up between Soweto, Orlando West and an Indian community, and how that shaped her eye for story and belonging

• Discovering acting as a teenager and why theatre still feels like home and church to her

• Working with her husband, building Actor Spaces and keeping love intact while running a business together

• Surviving lupus, setting gratitude and rest alarms, and redesigning her life around healing

• The economics of giving back, casting, partnerships and why most of their work is intentional service

• Why representation, archiving and financial literacy matter for African actors and storytellers right now

  
  

  Recorded at Vodcast TV