The Playmakers
The Playmakers can refer to several theatre groups in South Africa, as well as a statue.
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The Playmakers
This refers to several dramatic organisations that were active in Johannesburg and Pretoria between the 1930s and 1980s:
- Johannesburg Playmakers (1930s-?)
- The Playmakers (1973-?)
- The Young Playmakers (1973?-?)
The Playmakers or Johannesburg Playmakers (1930s-?)
Productions
Productions staged by them include:
1938: Counsellor-at-Law (at the Library Theatre)
1939: You Can't Take it With You
1974: Straight Up (at the Breytenbach Theatre and on tour)
The Playmakers (1973-?)
Productions
Productions staged by them include:
1973: The Bees
1974: Animal Cavalcade (at the Shell Auditorium, Braamfontein)
1975: Two Legs, Four Legs
1977: The Baobab Tree
1978: Just For Fun
1979: Life is a Web
1980: Ant, Bee and and Co., Storytime (at the Arena Bistro Theatre, Rosebank)
The Young Playmakers (1973?-?)
Productions
Productions staged by them include:
1974: Fun and Nonsense
1975: Playways
Gilyan Franceso’s Playmakers
Gilyan Francesco’s Playmakers (Pty) Ltd was a theatrical company, specialising in clowning and children's theatre.
For more information, see Gilyan Franceso’s Playmakers.
The Playmakers Statue (Joburg Theatre)
The Playmakers is a bronze cast sculpture of three women in a circle holding hands and leaning back. The sculpture stands in water with little fountains sprouting towards it at approximately 3m high and 2m diameter. The sculpture was commissioned in the context of the construction of the Johannesburg Civic Theatre (now known as the Joburg Theatre). It is located at 163 Civic Blvd, Braamfontein, Johannesburg. The German born sculptor, Ernest Ullman, moved to South Africa in 1935 and rapidly established himself as an artist of significance in Johannesburg.
For more information, see Joburg Theatre.
Sources
https://arts-culture-heritage.joburg/public-art-inventory/the-playmakers/
Greyvenstein, Walter 1988. The history and development of children's theatre in English in South Africa. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Johannesburg: Rand Afrikaans University.
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