Federation of Amateur Theatrical Societies of South Africa

The Federation of Amateur Theatrical Societies of South Africa (1938-1969) was an enormously influential bilingual, national organization.

The Afrikaans name for the federation was the Federasie van Amateurtoneelvereniginge van Suid-Afrika.

Widely known by its acroynym of FATSSA in English (or FATSA in Afrikaans).

See also, Amateur Theatre in South Africa

Founding and aims

The association was founded by the representatives of twenty amateur dramatic societies at the instigation, and under the leadership, of P.P.B. Breytenbach of the Krugersdorp Municipal Dramatic and Operatic Society (KMDOS), on 14 December, 1938. The aims of FATSSA were to: promote co-operation between societies; establish scholarship funds to assist promising members in further studies; assist with library facilities, costumes and scenery; encourage what had become known internatgionally as the Little Theatre Movement [1] in South Africa; seek reciprocal membership facilities between societies; encourage playwriting competitions, as well as drama and music festivals; and collect royalties and performing rights fees on behalf of playwrights.

Organization and contribution

The first working committee consisted of P.P.B. Breytenbach, Elsie Solomon (Johannesburg), J. Hardie (Boksburg), J. Elwyn Davies (Pretoria), Lionel Bennet (Heidelberg) and Frank Drummond (Krugersdorp), with H. Cranko (Johannesburg) and Frank Rogaly (Port Elizabeth) co-opted later.

Although the first twenty members were all English language societies, many Afrikaans groups later became affiliated. Organised in terms of 30 districts, with district committees made up of representatives of affiliated bodies, and each district represented on the central executive committee. The executive committee would meet at least twice a year, before and after the annual conference, and the conference elected the president, the eight vice-presidents (one for each province, plus the Rhodesias and South West Africa - with Eastern and Western Cape counting as two regions) and the honorary treasurer. The secretary was appointed part-time.

In actual fact the federation was run by a smaller committee of management, led by P.P.B. Breytenbach (who had been was elected president from the start), with the long term support of Muriel Alexander of the Johannesburg Repertory Society.

Among their most important contributions to South African theatre were the annual FATSSA Play Festivals which they organised over the years, with productions eventually having to get through district and provincial rounds, to make the finals (held in a different centre each year). The competitions also promoted indigenous playwriting, especially of one-act plays. (Two collections of Afrikaans plays were published under the auspices of the society for example.)

By 1950, 150 companies were affiliated to FATSSA, the annual one-act play competition had attracted 107 entries and more than a thousand actors had participated in the eighteen regional competitions, six provincial and one national festivals. The combined membership totalled around 15000 in all. Added to this, a total of around 500 productions had been staged which had been attended by around 200 000 people. By 1955 however, its end was in sight as a decision was made to decentralise the federation. It disbanded in 1960.

First Annual Play Festival (1939)

The Federation of Amateur Theatrical Societies of Southern Africa held its First Annual Play Festival at the Port Elizabeth City Hall on December 11, 1939 when six plays were staged. The Adjudicator was David L Kahn. All proceeds were donated to the Ministering League for Consumptives.

They were:

I. Smoke-Screens by Harold Brighouse Presented by the Krugersdorp Municipal Dramatic and Operatic Society. CAST (in order of their appearance) Mrs P P Breytenbach as Susan Merridew, Mrs J Richmond as Primrose Aston, Mrs A G Gladwin as Lucy Aston, her mother, and Miss G B Palk as CLARICE, a friend of Primrose. The scene is Mrs Aston's sitting room in a Kensington flat.

2 Bly By Jou Lees, an original stage production in one act by P W S Schumann Presented by the Krugersdorp Municipal Dramatic and Operatic Society. Cast: Mnr. W. J. S. Coetzee as Albert Theron, Mr T C E Corbett as Lodewyk van Vuuren, Mr S Hendrikz as Bantjies.

3. In Port by Harold Simpson Presented by the Executive Committee of the Federation. CAST (in order of their appearance) Mr J Elwyn Davies as Fletcher, Mr F C Drummond as Mr Justice Hatton, and Mr J Hardie as Robert Adderly. The scene is the dining room of Mr Justice Hatton's bachelor chambers.

4 White Queen, Red Queen by T. B. Morris. Presented by Mrs. Taubie Kushlick's Studio, Port Elizabeth CAST Loremia Hayes as Elizabeth Hammond, Joan Wallace as Madge Skelton, Helen Lipschitz as Mary Wyatt, all Ladies-in-Waiting to Queen Katherine, Gwen Marriner as Jane Seymour, Attendant on Anne Boleyn, Madge Frost as Mary Tudor, Princess of Wales, Elizabeth Howe as Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury, Lilian Goldman as Anne Boleyn, Marchioness of Pembroke and Mollie Pittaway as Katherine of Arragon, Queen of England.

5 Twentieth Century Lullaby by Cedric Mount Presented by the Rhodes University College Dramatic Society. Produced by S Christie. CAST J Leith as MADONNA, P Sutherns as Mother, H S Winter as Schoolmaster, A B Hall as Politician, B Thompson as Businessman, R Douglas as Clergy, H Barradle as Bride, R Cunlisse as Announcer.

6. Joint Owners In Spain by Alice Brown Presented by Mrs. Gibson Lochhead, Port Elizabeth. CAST Miss Anne Lamb as MRS. FULLERTON, MrsD Coutts as Mrs MITCHELL, Mrs C English as MRS. BLAIR, Mrs G Lochhead as MISS DYER.

FATSSA and NTO

When the state came to the decision to found the National Theatre Organisation (NTO) in 1947, FATSSA was given the task to set it up, with P.P.B. Breytenbach as its part-time director. In 1952 he took the job on full-time and withdrew from FATSSA.