Phoenix Players
Phoenix Players.
History
Founded in 1965 at Dorkay House as an offshoot of Union Artists by Ian Bernhardt of Union Artists and director Barney Simon to produce Athol Fugard’s Hello and Goodbye.
Initially, Phoenix Players had confined performances of their plays to private showings to invited audiences and performances in black areas.
Despite the personal commitment of the white members of Phoenix Players to furthering the work of black performers, directors and producers and some excellent work produced, there was much criticism from BCM members because of the perceived preferment given to white members of the company.
From 1967, Corney Mabaso was artistic director. Percy Tucker was a trustee of the Players circa 1974.
Productions
1965: Athol Fugard’s Hello and Goodbye.
1968: They went on to sponsor black cast shows such as Soweto Ensemble’s Shaka (directed by Corney Mabaso).
1969: Phoenix Players arranged performances for non-European audiences by Sarah Churchill, Gÿorgy Pauk and David Kossoff.
1969/1970: Together with CAPAB and PACT, they staged Athol Fugard’s Boesman and Lena and People are Living There, both directed by Fugard and starring Yvonne Bryceland and Glynn Day.
1972: Phiri (a celebrated local version of Jonson’s Volpone, adapted and directed by Barney Simon).
1972: Barney Simon directed Athol Fugard, John Kani and Winston Ntshona’s workshopped play, Sizwe Banzi is Dead, starring Kani and Ntshona. It was brought to Johannesburg by Ian Bernhardt for the Players and was staged at the Men’s Common Room at Wits University in November.
In 197* they collaborated with Corney Mabaso to produce the variety show Isintu, which went on to tour Japan (as Meropa) and England (as KwaZulu). Brickhill-Burke reworked this play and reopened His Majesty's Theatre with it on the 3 December 1974.
Sources
PACT/CAPAB's, in association with Phoenix Players, productions of People are Living There and Boesman and Lena programme notes in 1969/70.
(Tucker, 1997; Kruger, 1999)
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