Rhodes University Drama Department
Contents
Rhodes University Drama Department
Under the visionary leadership of Guy Butler, the Drama Department was founded at Rhodes University in 19** and is situated in the Rhodes University Theatre Complex consisting of the Rhodes University Theatre, the Box Theatre, and for many years has hosted the First Physical Theatre Company as in-house company.
Heads of Department
Prof. Roy Sargeant (from 1973 - 1982)
Prof. Francois Swart (1983 -1985?)
Prof. Beth Dickerson (acting Head, 1986)
Prof. Sydney James (from 1987 - 1991)
Prof. Beth Dickerson (acting Head, 1991 - 1992)
Prof. Gary Gordon (from 1992 - 2009?)
Prof. Andrew Buckland (2010 - June 2013)
Dr Heike Gehring (from ? to present)
Productions
1968: Doctor Faustus, directed by Guy Butler; Our Town
1969: Menaechmi, directed by Hansell Hewitt; Mak, the Sheep-Stealer, directed by Beth Dickerson; Epicœne, or The Silent Woman, directed by Roy Sargeant
1970: Peer Gynt
1971: The Playboy of the Western World, directed by Beth Dickerson
1972: Bagasie, directed by André P. Brink
1973: A Day in the Death of Joe Egg, directed by Roy Sargeant; Out at Sea, directed by Henry Goodman
1974: Butley, directed by Roy Sargeant; Six Characters in Search of an Author, directed by Gary Gordon; The Relapse, directed by Roy Sargeant
1975: Katherine Mansfield and the Writing Game, directed by Beth Dickerson; A Scent of Flowers, directed by Roy Sergeant; Oh What a Lovely War!, directed by Fred Hagemann
1976: Make Like Slaves, directed by Roy Sargeant; Riders to the Sea and In the Shadow of the Glen, directed by Beth Dickerson; The Owl and the Pussycat Went to See..., directed by Jane Osborne; The Hollow Crown, directed by Roy Sargeant; Waiting for Godot, directed by Graham Brown and Richard McKenzie
1977: Guernica, directed by Jamie Crawford; The Dumb Waiter, directed by Lyrr Addison; Orison, directed by Jon Maytham; Hay Fever, directed by Roy Sargeant; The Trojan Women, directed by Gary Gordon
1978: Forty Years On, directed by John Burch; Skyvers, directed by Christopher Weare; The Bear, directed by Claerwen Howie; Something Unspoken, directed by Noel Roos; The Diary of Anne Frank, directed by Roy Sargeant
1979: Absurd Person Singular, directed by Chris Weare; Macbeth, directed by Roy Sargeant
1980: The Sand Labyrinth, directed by Janet Buckland
1981: The Insect Play, directed by David Alcock; Spring Awakening, directed by Lindy Roberts; The Bacchae, directed by John Burch
1982: Richard Gush of Salem, directed by Rosalie van der Gucht; Neighbours directed by Denys Webb; The Importance of Being Earnest, directed by John Burch
1983: The Real Inspector Hound, directed by Andrew Martens
1984: Virtue in Danger, directed by Francois Swart; Môre is 'n Lang Dag, directed by Deon Opperman
1985: From Midnight to Morning, directed by Janice Bowen; Diepe Grond, directed by Denys Webb
1986: The Insect Play, directed by David Alcock; The Father, directed by Brian Pearce
1987: Agamemnon; Lysistrata, directed by Roy Sargeant
1988: Story Theatre, directed by Sydney James; The Zoo Story, directed by Simon Jones
1989: The Crucible, directed by Reza de Wet
1990: Ritual for Dolls, directed by Edwina Sheridan-Smith; The Crucible, directed by Reza de Wet
1991: Little Mary Sunshine, directed by Sydney James; The Ghost Sonata, directed by Reza de Wet; Bouncers, directed by Dion van Niekerk
1992: Hamlet, directed by Ilse van Hemert; The Lover, directed by Julia Boltt
1993: The Good Person of Szechwan, directed by Andrew Buckland; Edward II, directed by David Alcock; Leaving Out Profanity, directed by Neil Borland; Close to Home, directed by Janet Parker; Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, directed by Adrian Poulsen
1994: Curse of the Starving Class, directed by Adam Neill
1995: Ghost Dance, directed by Nan Hamilton; Vinegar Tom, directed by Reza de Wet; A Woman of No Importance, directed by David Alcock and Stacy Hardy
1998: The Love of the Nightingale, directed by Andrew Buckland and Dion van Niekerk
1999: The Fall of the House of Usher, directed by David Alcock and Gary Gordon
2002: The Government Inspector, directed by Andrew Buckland; Blood Wedding, directed by Dion van Niekerk
2004: Concealment, directed by Reza de Wet
2005: Hotel Paradiso, directed by Andrew Buckland
2006: The Birthday Party, directed by Lindsay Reardon and Aylwyn Walsh
2007: Heathcliff Goes Home, directed by Reza de Wet
2008: The Man Who, directed by Andrew Buckland
2009: Bent, directed by Robert Haxton; Die Bannelinge, directed by Heike Gehring
Rhodes University Drama Department and the National Arts Festival
From its inception the Drama Department has played a central role in the annual Grahamstown Festival (today known as the National Arts Festival of NAF)
For more information, see the National Arts Festival
Sources
Daily Dispatch, 15 May 1991
Daily Dispatch, 30 March 1993
Hamlet programme, 1992
