Alexis Petersen is a rising Cape Town performer whose stage craft and Catholic faith have grown side by side, from parish lectern to award-nominated musical roles. She told Günther Simmermacher about her faith and her life as a performer.
Stage actress and singer Alexis Petersen is at home on stage and in the sanctuary of her church, where she has served as a proclaimer of the word since she was 15. “The Catholic faith has always been a big part of my life,” the 31-year-old Capetonian told The Southern Cross in an interview.
The Baxter Theatre Artist of the Year in 2019 received a Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards nomination in 2024 for “Best Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Musical” for her role as Lucy Moten in the critically-acclaimed David Kramer production Orpheus McAdoo.
Apart from her roles in musicals, Alexis has also appeared in opera productions such as La Traviata and The Marriage of Figaro. On the other end of the spectrum, she has featured in local and international TV commercials.
Both her parents, Terence and the late Angeline Petersen, have graced the stage as opera singers, so “music has been part of my life since the womb”, Alexis said. “I grew up at Artscape”, the main performing arts centre in Cape Town. “I was always in the dressing room when my mom was on stage.”
Her parents were also key in passing on the Catholic faith. Alexis’ earliest memory of being a Catholic is observing her mother at prayer: “Praying morning, evening. Praying before breakfast, before lunch. My mum and dad were also very active in our parish, St Mary of the Angels in Athlone, so my whole life was revolving around the church.”
Some of her strongest childhood memories are of friendships with priests, in particular Capuchin Fathers Sean Cahill and Didicus McGrath. “They were very dear to me and my family. I considered them as friends. When I was about nine, my mummy asked me whom I would like to invite for supper for my birthday. So I said, Fr Sean and Fr Didicus. They were like my best pals.”
A spiritual home
The church was also the setting of Alexis’ first public performance. “I was shy to sing in public. But one day at church, my mother asked whether I would sing at Mass. I said, ‘Okay, but I’ll sing a duet with you, not a solo.’ And we sang ‘Panis Angelicus’. That was my first time singing in front of an audience.”
St Mary of the Angels remains Alexis’ spiritual home, where she brings her professional experience to the parish’s vibrant music ministry.
Her daily faith routine begins with a moment of gratitude: “Every morning when I wake up, I pray, and I always thank God for opening my eyes and for the good night’s rest. I pray before every meal, because that’s how I was reared.”
Alexis has also found a renewed intimacy with Scripture. “A few months ago, I decided to read the Bible from the beginning, from Genesis. So that’s what I’m trying to do as part of my daily faith. I have found it so beautiful. It’s like a love letter from the Lord.” Even when she isn’t scheduled to proclaim at Mass, “I always read the readings for the week, and I find that I’m loving it in a different kind of way.”
Her favourite saint is St Cecilia, fittingly the patroness of musicians. The Bach afficionado’s favourite hymns are “Lord, You Are So Precious to Me”, a modern worship song, and the popular “I Watch The Sunrise”. The latter, Alexis explained, is special to her “because it speaks of God’s Creation… I have a great love for nature, so the hymn connects for me.”
Becoming a performer
Having attended Oakhurst Girls’ Primary School and Sans Souci High in Rondebosch, Alexis completed a performance diploma in music at the University of Cape Town. She studied under distinguished artists: the late George Stevens, an internationally renowned bass-baritone, and the opera legend Virginia Davids, who used to sing with her mother.
Alexis made her professional debut in the 2018 production of the South African musical Calling Us Home. “It was daunting at first, of course, but it was so beautiful. I knew that this is where I wanted to be. I’ve always known that. I’ve always wanted to be a singer, always wanted to perform.”
Two roles have marked her career in a special way. She remembers her lead role as Ariel in The Little Mermaid at Canal Walk Theatre with visible emotion. “I have a great love for children, and for children’s theatre. After the shows, we had meet-and-greets. The love that the children had in their eyes for what they had seen was remarkable. They feel things. They ask questions that adults don’t necessarily think about, because they’re speaking from the heart. So for me, that was really beautiful. Every show I was filled with tears, because the children were so enthralled.”
Playing a real person
The second was playing Lucy Moten in 2024 and last year in David Kramer’s musical Orpheus McAdoo, based on the real-life experiences of an African-American vocal troupe that toured South Africa in the 1890s, and staged at Artscape. Portraying Moten was a profound experience. “Lucy was a real human being, and I was stepping into that person’s shoes. I would always pray, and also asked Lucy Moten to breathe through me. And I felt her presence,” Alexis said.
The transformation required by the role was so complete that even family members were fooled. “Many people who know me, even some family members, didn’t recognise me at first. At the interval they’re like: ‘I wonder when Alexis is going to come on.’ And I was on the whole time!” With 30 minutes of daily make-up to age her and sharpen her expression, she disappeared fully into the character.
The role required Alexis, a mezzo-soprano, to hold her own alongside the two leads, noted opera singers Conroy Scott and Brittany Smith. The Fleur du Cap nomination confirmed that she succeeded in that task.
Alexis’ collaboration with David Kramer has become one of the most significant professional relationships in her life. “I’ve been blessed to work with him a few times and we have a great relationship. I really do look up to him and I just love watching him, listening to him. He’s one of those people I can go to and speak heart-to-heart.”
Though she used to play piano and trumpet, Alexis now focuses on singing. She also performs with her partner Theodore Lawrence and friend Tamay Peters in a vocal trio, Inside Voice, which she describes as performing various styles, “but always with a jazzy kind of take”.
True to herself
Alexis has a strong moral compass. “I choose what I want to do. I will decline work if I need to, if it doesn’t align with who I am and what I stand for, morals-wise.”
She is not driven by ambition for its own sake. “I just want to live out life the best way possible — giving the best of myself, always being true to myself… If ‘Broadway’ is on the cards, then so be it, but it’s not a goal for me.” Alexis’ love for her country and for original South African work keeps her grounded.
When she is not performing, Alexis watches TV series or films — sometimes to study acting techniques, other times for simple enjoyment. She goes to the theatre regularly. “Most weekends, or even in the week, we go to watch plays, musicals, operas, dance shows — anything in the arts. I love to support my colleagues and also see what they’re doing — and learning from them.”
Away from the bright theatre lights, Alexis is an outdoors person. “I love nature. I love hiking. Anything outdoorsy, adventurous.” She also lifts weights: “Health is very important to me.”
Alexis appreciates the value of solitude. “I love silence, because I’m surrounded by people and a lot of energy all the time. I’ve always been like that. I’m very happy to be quiet in solitude. I often go on ‘self-dates’, for a coffee or a movie on my own. I think it’s very important to spend that time with yourself, also to get to know yourself sometimes. And just disconnect from people, from the world, from the phone.”
And in these quiet moments, you may just find Alexis Petersen working her way through the Bible.
Published in the February 2026 issue of The Southern Cross Magazine
- Alexis Petersen: Between the Stage and the Sanctuary - June 24, 2026
- The Suffering of the Innocents Symphony - June 23, 2026
- Mass Readings: 28 June – 5 July, 2026 - June 23, 2026
