Isithatha Theatre

The Isithatha Theatre is located at 12, 9th Avenue, Walmer, Port Elizabeth and is run by the Isithatha Trust. "Isithatha" is a Xhosa word meaning "lightbeam emerging from darkness". The Trust was initially sponsored by the National Lottery Commission but it is now sponsored by backabuddy.co.za and other private donors. The Trust was the brainchild of Sharon Rother, Gift Buqa and Phambili Ngcayisa. The theatre is suited for intimate audience groups and is situated in a large, old, heritage house, set in spacious grounds, which has been renovated and converted into a theatre. It has a large foyer complete with a kitchenette and bar, the Gift Buqa Auditorium, (named after Gift Buqa, who passed away in 2014, before the project was completed), change rooms and toilets. There are also rooms suited for teaching purposes and off-stage storage.

Aims

The aim is to bring people together from different backgrounds who share a commitment to the arts.

Training

The Isithatha Trust runs a programme for playwrights, dancers, actors, administrative personnel, maintenance workers and publicists. Isithatha Youth Theatre has been performing since 2005.

Contribution to South African Theatre

2013: Back of Beyond was co-authored with Gift Buqa, Phambili Ngcayisa and Linda-Louise Swain. This is a drama about the relationship between a gardener and his madam.

2013: I Believe, a play written in 1975, was staged. It is about the anxiety experienced by parents when their children are out in the streets. The drama challenges one’s fear and encourages the youth to stand up for themselves.