The Circus Adventure

The Circus Adventure is a play by James Ambrose Brown (1919-).

The original text

Written in for the Children's Theatre in Johannesburg, in 1955, when it was first produced by them. The text performance published by DALRO in 1978.

Translations and adaptations

Translated into several languages e.g. into German as Das Zirkusabenteuer, which was produced in Munich and Staatstheater Kassel, into Hebrew and produced in Tel Aviv by Cameri Theatre, and into Arabic (and played in Jerusalem).

The play was also reworked as a musical.

Die Sirkusavontuur, an Afrikaans translation, was done by Laurie van der Merwe (Playscript

Performance history in South Africa

1955(?): Presented by Children's Theatre, produced by Jimmy Mentis. The cast included: Peter Lynsky; June Hern; Estelle Kohler; Bryan Bales; Dale Swanepoel; Helen Braithwaite.

1969: Die Sirkusavontuur, title of the Afrikaans translation directed by Laurie van der Merwe for PACT, opening in the Little Theatre, Pretoria, on 28 March 1969. Décor by David Mackenzie; costumes and wigs by Bee Mackenzie. the cast: Christopher Hale, Lorraine Elberg, Lynette Marais, Jan Prinsloo, Price Coetzee, George Ballot.

1973: Presented by CAPAB English Drama in the Hofmeyr Theatre in December 1973, directed by John Burch starring Simon Swindell, Lois Butlin, Nicholas Ellenbogen, Roland Stafford, Willie Esterhuysen, David Crichton. Designer: Penny Simpson.

1984: Produced in Grahamstown in 1984.

1994: Presented by the Playhouse Company at the Playhouse Studio, Durban, opening 9 December 1994, directed by Murray McGibbon starring Stephen Gurney, Christopher Catherine, Garth Anderson, Greg King, Tammy Ballantyne, James Ngcobo, Trevor Draai. Design by Deon van Dorp.

Sources

Nico Malan Theatre Centre pamphlet

Greyvenstein, Walter 1988a. The history and development of children's theatre in English in South Africa. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Johannesburg: Rand Afrikaans University.

Teater SA, 1(4), 1969.

Playhouse Parade, Dec 1994-Jan 1995.

Theatre programme (Children's Theatre, undated).

Copy of the playscript NELM [Collection: Brown, James Ambrose]: 1982. 52. 90. 6).

Typescript of Die Sirkusavontuur (mimeographed) NELM (Collection: BROWN, James Ambrose): 1998. 146. 78. 2.)

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