George Arts Theatre

George Arts Theatre is a theatre venue in the town of George.

History

The George Society of Arts (a Non-Profit Public Benefits organisation) was founded in 1948 and, for many years, staged its productions in the local Town Hall. In 1962 the group obtained its first premises in a converted building in Davidson Road. The first play staged in December of that year was The Reluctant Debutante, followed by Dial M for Murder, South Sea Bubble, The Moon is Blue, Arsenic and Old Lace (all 1963) and Blithe Spirit (1964).

In 1969 they moved to new premises. Situated in York Street, the building itself was built in 1905 as a girls' hostel before it was turned into a cinema. The organisation purchased the building for an amount of R12 000 and spent another R14 000 on renovations, to convert it into a theatre. Further alterations have been made from time to time. It was later renamed the Oakhurst George Arts Theatre after its sponsor.

The venue has from the beginning been run by the George Society of Arts.

The first production in the venue in 1969 was a performance of The Sleeping Prince by Terence Rattigan. In 2019, as a celebration of their first 50 years, they performed the same play once more, now directed by Ilze Tulleken, with Alicia van Zyl as Mary Morgan and Aidan Hyland as Charles, Prince Regent of Carpathia.

Other productions during its early years have included: Miranda, Cure for Love, My Three Angels, Book of the Month, Down Came a Blackbird, Castles in the Air, Tell-Tale Murder and Sailor Beware.