View source for Officers of the Garrison

As a general term in the context of theatre in South Africa, it applies to officers from the British garrisons in South Africa, who on occasion would form a theatrical society to put on plays and entertainments. 



== Cape Town ==

One such company was founded by the officers of the Garrison at Cape Town in 1807, to put on plays in the [[African Theatre]]. (Often also referred to as the [[Garrison Players]]) It appears to have been led by a [[Mr Morgan]], [[Captain Frazer]] and [[Captain Collins]]

Originally they merely planned the "weekly Comedy", but soon the programmes took on a more substantial form.  **. In the initial period (1807-8) their repertoire included ''[[The Rivals]]'' , ''[[The West Indian]]'', ''[[Tom Thumb]]'', ''[[The Beaux Stratagem]]'', ''[[She Stoops to Conquer]]'', etc. 

They performed on and off for much of the 19th century, and were also known as the [[Garrison Amateur Company]], the [[English Theatricals]] (before 1819), the [[Gentlemen Amateurs]] or simply the [[Amateur Company]] (after 1819), and even for a while [[Captain Hall's Company]] (1850-1855).

== Grahamstown ==


There was apparently a similar company in Grahamstown in 1853, who performed in the [[Theatre Royal]] and the [[Garrison Theatre]] there, doing among others ''[[Love à-la-Mode]]'' (Macklin) and ''[[The Three Clerks]]'' on 11 October, 1853.

== Sources ==

Bosman, 1928: pp 69-78; 
Go to [[South African Theatre/Bibliography]]

== Return to ==

Return to [[South_African_Theatre/Venues|South African Theatre Venues, Companies, Societies, etc ]]

Return to [[The ESAT Entries]]

Return to [[Main Page]]