Union of South African Artists
History
The Union of South African Artists, often referred to simply as Union Artists, was founded in 1952 (some sources have 1953) by John Bolon, Alf Herbert, Solomon Linda, Ian Bernhardt, and others when John Bolon called a meeting of black entertainers - 300 people came. Its aim was to develop African performance by fusing “African native talent with European discipline and technique” (Nkosi 1965: 19) and help African performers in South Africa obtain training, royalty contracts and fair payment. Initially it organized lectures, held members' evenings and gave free legal advice. It subsequently assisted African artists to get their own shows together for township audiences, and in arranging special performances by visiting artists like Emlyn Williams, and productions of local plays for black audiences. By 1958, the Union had become one of the most profitable promotional bodies in entertainment in the country.
They sponsored initiatives such as the production of King Kong (1959), the training of performers at the Rehearsal Room, a venue at Dorkay House, the founding of the Phoenix Players. Ian Bernhardt abandoned his position in the commercial world to run this Union as the first chairperson.
In 1965, the Phoenix Players was founded at Dorkay House by Ian Bernhardt of Union Artists and director Barney Simon as an offshoot of Union Artists to produce Athol Fugard’s Hello and Goodbye.
Among the enormous number of people who trained and worked there were Gibson Kente (whose two earliest works, Manana the Jazz Prophet and Sikalo, were first produced by Union Artists).
The demise of Union Artists
According to Kavanagh: "The Afrikaner Nationalist government introduced a series of laws which made the separation of the races more effective. These laws inhibited the ability of whites and blacks to associate or collaborate outside working hours and working relationships. New legislation banned black audiences from attending public performances in white areas and black performers from performing there. A series of proclamations and laws against mixed audiences and black performers culminated in the 1963 Publication and Entertainment Act, by which the specially constituted Publications Control Board was empowered to prohibit public entertainment for a number of flexible reasons. In 1958 a proclamation had prohibited the attendance of blacks at cinemas in white areas without the minister's permission. Another, in 1965, extended this to apply to ‘any place of entertainment’." Following these government-led changes and restrictions, it eventually became impossible for the Union to function effectively, and by 1965-66 it was losing its dominance of black theatre and entertainment to black entrepreneurs. Union Artists was dissolved by 1967.
Productions
1958: No-Good Friday, Athol Fugard’s first play, was staged at the Bantu Men's Social Centre in conjunction with the Union of Southern African Artists. Fugard himself appeared in the play, together with his black cast – Bloke Modisane, Dan Poho, Steve Moloi, Ken Gampu, Gladys Sibisa and Zakes Mokae.
1959: They staged King Kong, which was directed by Leon Gluckman at the Wits University Great Hall. Stanley Glasser was the musical director, Arthur Goldreich did the design and Arnold Dover did the choreography for this musical starring the trumpeter Hugh Masekela, Nathan Mdledle in the lead role, band vocalist Miriam Makeba, Joe Mogotsi and Peggy Phango.
1960: They staged Eugene O'Neill’s powerful tale, The Emperor Jones, directed by Leon Gluckman and starring Joe Mogotsi. It had an all-black supporting cast of thirty actors and was staged at the Wits Great Hall. Later they staged it in a tent in the Showgrounds in Pretoria after much hostile negotiation.
1961: They brought the Indian director Krishna Shah to South Africa to mount Rabindranath Tagore’s King of the Dark Chamber. It starred Indian stars Surya Kumari and Baskhar and opened in Durban before playing at the Wits University Great Hall.
1962: They staged Sponono (by Alan Paton and Krishna Shah, Harry Bloom's Mr Paljas and Ben Masinga's Back in Your Own Backyard.
1963: The presented Gibson Kente's Manana the Jazz Prophet.
1966: Gibson Kente's Sikalo toured the country and played in the Witwatersrand University’s Great Hall under the auspices of Union Artists.
Union Artists also produced plays performed by the students of the AMDA drama school, jazz concerts and talent contests.
Sources
Lewis Nkosi, 1965:19.
Tucker, 1997.
Robert Mshengu Kavanagh. "The Development of Theatre in South Africa up to 1976 - Anti-Apartheid Literature." Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism, edited by Thomas J. Schoenberg Lawrence J. Trudeau, Vol. 162. Gale Cengage, 2005.
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