View source for Het Hoogduitsche Gezelschap van het Liefhebbery Theater

''[[Het Hoogduitsche Gezelschap van het Liefhebbery Theater]]'' ("The High-German Company for Amateur Theatre") was the [[Dutch]] name for the company of German amateurs who were briefly active in Cape Town , from about 1801 to 1803.  

Also advertised as [[Het Hoogduitsch Liefhebbery Toneel-Gezelschap]], with the motto "Consacré à la bien faisance Honi soit qui mal y pense". , which   

 Possibly made up of a remnants of the German soldiers who had been in the service of the [[VOC]] (i.e. the Dutch East India company) and civilian immigrants. They seemed to have a good relationship with the English garrison. 

In some adverts they are referred to as [[De Liefhebbers van het Toneel en het Muziekgeselschap]], signalling the German love of musical concerts, which would lead to theatrical activities gradually making way for musical events, including, from 1 April 1803 onwards,  weekly concerts (on Wednesday evenings). No further theatre presentations have been found for the company. 

== Impact on SA theatre, film, media and/or performance ==


Their theatre performances in the three years of their active life include:

1802: On 13 February  they performed ''[[Die Schachmaschine, oder Geniestreiche über Geniestreiche]]'' (Heinrich Beck, 1797) in the [[African Theatre]]. (According to [[F.C.L. Bosman|Bosman]], 1928, p. 79, this was the first theatre production in Cape Town for which an advert has been found.)

1802: On 17 July performed ''[[Der Wildfang]]'' (Von Kotzebue)and ''[[De Moetwillige Jongen]]'' (Ogier)  in the [[African Theatre]], Cape Town,  the latter play in [[Dutch]]. Advertised wrongly in the [[Kaapsche Courant]] as ''[[De Wildfang]]''. Both pieces repeated on 24 July 1802. 

1803: On 12 March performed ''[[Der Ueberrasschung]]'' and ''[[Die Friedensfeyer, oder Die unvermuthete Wiederkunft|Das Friedens-feyer]]'' in the [[African Theatre]], Cape Town, both in German.

== Sources ==

[[F.C.L. Bosman]], 1928: pp. 68, 79

Go to [[ESAT Bibliography]]

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