Graaff-Reinetse Letterkundige en Toneel Vereniging

Related to the earlier Graaff-Reinetse Dramatische Vereniging, it was founded as a separate Afrikaans society in 1915 when the Graaff-Reinet Amateur Dramatic and Musical Society split because of internal politicial struggles. They used the Murraysaal as their venue. The founder-chairman was Pieter Pohl, with B.B. Keet as Vice-Chairman and Hendrik Momberg as secretary. Other notable members were S.F.N Gie, Danie Olivier, and P.K. Albertyn. Their first production was Susanna Reyniers by *** and was performed triumphantly on 30 and 31 August 1917 under the direction of Pohl and Gie. They then began to perform regularly, taking many of the plays to nearby towns and even to Port Elizabeth. These included Faro (**, 1918), Die Silwere Rand (***, 1918), Die Bad-gaste (***, 1919-20), Die Erf Tante (**, 1921 - played in various combinations with C.J. Langenhoven's Die Trouwbelofte and Lenie (H.A. Fagan, 1925). By 1926 the activities died down, trouble arose with the church and the society ceased to exist, though Hendrik Momberg still used the name once in 1927 (when he did Lugkastele).

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