Durban Amateur Operatic Society

Durban Amateur Operatic Society was an amateur society in Durban.

History

Established by J. Ferguson Brown in 1886.

Their first production was Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Mikado, staged in the Theatre Royal.

The society expanded its repertoire, producing Ruddigore, Olivette, Les cloches de Corneville and Dorothy in the following decade.

By 1897, the society changed its name to the Diamond Jubilee Opera Company.

By 1919, local opera production was revived by Ferguson Brown’s son, Gus Brown. The society was renamed the Durban Opera Society and continued the tradition of staging Gilbert and Sullivan operettas.

Sources

Hilde Roos. 2012. 'Indigenisation and history: how opera in South Africa became South African opera'. Acta Academica Supplementum. 2012(1).

Go to ESAT Bibliography

Return to

Return to South African Theatre Venues, Companies, Societies, etc

Return to The ESAT Entries

Return to Main Page