Theatre Roundabout
Theatre Roundabout was a touring Theatre-in-Education company founded in Durban and active in 1974-1976.
Also billed as Theatre Roundabout Roadshow Company.
(Not to be confused with the Cape Town/UCT-based street theatre company the Roundabout Theatre Company or The Roundabout Theatre Company, a leading non-profit theatre company based in New York City founded in 1965 [1].)
Contents
The company
The company Theatre Roundabout was founded in Durban by Brian Darnley in 1974.
The company performed nine original plays to over 100,000 children in over 500 schools throughout KwaZulu-Natal. It covered over 35,000 kilometres a year and also performed in parks, streets and other venues. The company was granted permission by the Natal Education Department to perform in white primary schools only. They were not allowed to approach secondary schools or schools of any other ethnic group. The core company was comprised of four actors, two male and two female, who performed three sets of curriculum based plays.
It also played a season of plays at the Box Theatre in Johannesburg in December 1975, at the Space Theatre in Cape Town in January 1976, and at the Durban Jewish Club. These performances were presented with a larger cast and were suitable for all ages.
Company members included: Brian Darnley, Roger Holt, Shelley Lamb, Lea Hodgekinson, Ann Larson, Julius Exter, Walter Tamsen, Christopher Voysey, Stephen Scott and David Chambers.
It disbanded in 1976 after failing to secure grant aid.
Productions
Productions staged by the company include:
1974: When the World Was Very Young, The Lost Laugh, The Baron Returns.
1975: The Music Makers, Grinappy, The Great Wopperloop and Zoomerang (presented by The Roundabout Roadshow Company at Box Theatre at Wits University); The Carton of Oon; The 1820 Settlers.
1976: The Music Makers, Grinappy, The Great Wopperloop and Zoomerang (presented by The Roundabout Roadshow Company at The Space); STOP!; Oodles; The Great Trek.
Sources
Tucker, 1997.
Greyvenstein, Walter 1988. The history and development of children's theatre in English in South Africa. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Johannesburg: Rand Afrikaans University.
https://www.silverbirchingtonplays.com/ourauthors
https://theatrelives.co.za/people/fiona-ramsay/#group-2
Correspondence with Brian Darnley, 10 July 2026.
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