Paul de Groot - Revision history

Satj: /* The South Africa period: 1924-1935 */

2026-09-24T14:58:36Z

The South Africa period: 1924-1935

Satj: /* The South Africa period: 1924-1935 */

2026-09-24T14:57:32Z

The South Africa period: 1924-1935

Satj: /* The South Africa period: 1924-1935 */

2026-09-24T14:56:32Z

The South Africa period: 1924-1935

Ivor at 10:38, 21 July 2023

2023-07-21T10:38:48Z

Satj: /* His impact in South African theatre */

2022-10-02T04:17:12Z

His impact in South African theatre

Satj: /* His impact in South African theatre */

2022-10-02T04:16:04Z

His impact in South African theatre

Satj: /* After the South African sojourn */

2022-10-02T04:11:47Z

After the South African sojourn

Satj: /* Sources */

2022-09-30T11:30:26Z

Sources

Satj: /* Sources */

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Sources

Satj: /* After the South African sojourn */

2022-09-30T11:23:56Z

After the South African sojourn

@@ Line 27: / Line 27: @@
 De Groot  claims that he then negotiated with [[African Theatres]], and came to Cape Town in November 1924. His first recital was in the [[Afrikaanse Koffiehuis]], and his first produced plays ''[[Zaken zijn Zaken]]'' ("Business is Business" - Mirbeau) in December 1924 and ''[[Overschotje]]'' (''[[Scampolo]]'' by Niccodemi) in January 1925, both at the [[Railway Institute]], Cape Town.
-After touring a few towns, he devised and publicised a plan for the first [[Afrikaans]] professional theatre company. His first recital in Pretoria was on 2 April, 1925, in the [[Nationale Klubsaal]] ("National Club Hall") of the [[Nederlandse Vereniging]],   followed again by two plays in [[Dutch]] - ''[[De Gentleman Inbreker]]'' ("The Gentleman Housebreaker", probably an adaptation of an Arsene Lupin adventure) and ''[[Claire Bellerosa]]'' on 23 April in the same venue. More significantly, two original [[Afrikaans]] plays - ''[[Lenie]]'' ([[J.H.H. de Waal]]) and ''[[Die Heks]]'' ("The Witch", [[C. Louis Leipoldt]]) - were presented in the [[Opera House]], Pretoria, on 2 May 1925, in association with [[Stephanie Faure]] and utilizing the cream of local amateur performers including [[Iris Martin]], [[Wena Naudé]], [[Jessie Breedt]] and De Groot himself (*??). On 9th July 1925 he opened with a successful production of ''[[Huis Toe]]'' (''[[Heimat]]'' by Südermann, tr [[A.E Carinus-Holzhausen]]) and appraently did a production of ''[[As die Tuig Skawe]]'' the new play by [[J.F.W. Grosskopf]] in the same year.
+After touring a few towns, he devised and publicised a plan for the first [[Afrikaans]] professional theatre company. His first recital in Pretoria was on 2 April, 1925, in the [[Nationale Klubsaal]] ("National Club Hall") of the [[Nederlandse Vereniging]],   followed again by two plays in [[Dutch]] - ''[[De Gentleman Inbreker]]'' ("The Gentleman Housebreaker", probably an adaptation of an Arsene Lupin adventure) and ''[[Claire Bellerosa]]'' on 23 April in the same venue. More significantly, two original [[Afrikaans]] plays - ''[[Lenie]]'' ([[J.H.H. de Waal]]) and ''[[Die Heks]]'' ("The Witch", [[C. Louis Leipoldt]]) - were presented in the [[Opera House]], Pretoria, on 2 May 1925, in association with [[Stephanie Faure]] and utilizing the cream of local amateur performers including [[Iris Martin]], [[Wena Naudé]], [[Jessie Breedt]] and De Groot himself (*??). On 9th July 1925 he opened with a successful production of ''[[Huis Toe]]'' (''[[Heimat]]'' by Südermann, tr [[A.E Carinus-Holzhausen]]) and appraently did the first production of ''[[As die Tuig Skawe]]'', the celebrated social-realist play by [[J.F.W. Grosskopf]] in the same year.
 In June 1926 he joined forces with [[Hendrik Hanekom]], to found the [[Paul de Groot Toneelgeselskap]]. The company initially consisted of [[Hendrik Hanekom]] (Business manager), [[Mathilde Hanekom]], [[Simon Malherbe]], and [[Anna Marais]] from the [[Hanekom Geselskap|Hanekom Company]], [[Paul de Groot]] (Artistic director) and [[Wena Naudé]] from the former De Groot group and two novices, [[Gert Borstlap]] and [[Maxie Botha]].

@@ Line 27: / Line 27: @@
 De Groot  claims that he then negotiated with [[African Theatres]], and came to Cape Town in November 1924. His first recital was in the [[Afrikaanse Koffiehuis]], and his first produced plays ''[[Zaken zijn Zaken]]'' ("Business is Business" - Mirbeau) in December 1924 and ''[[Overschotje]]'' (''[[Scampolo]]'' by Niccodemi) in January 1925, both at the [[Railway Institute]], Cape Town.
-After touring a few towns, he devised and publicised a plan for the first [[Afrikaans]] professional theatre company. His first recital in Pretoria was on 2 April, 1925, in the [[Nationale Klubsaal]] ("National Club Hall") of the [[Nederlandse Vereniging]],   followed again by two plays in [[Dutch]] - ''[[De Gentleman Inbreker]]'' ("The Gentleman Housebreaker", probably an adaptation of an Arsene Lupin adventure) and ''[[Claire Bellerosa]]'' on 23 April in the same venue. More significantly, two original [[Afrikaans]] plays - ''[[Lenie]]'' ([[J.H.H. de Waal]]) and ''[[Die Heks]]'' ("The Witch", [[C. Louis Leipoldt]]) - were presented in the [[Opera House]], Pretoria, on 2 May 1925, in association with [[Stephanie Faure]] and utilizing the cream of local amateur performers including [[Iris Martin]], [[Wena Naudé]], [[Jessie Breedt]] and De Groot himself (*??). On 9th July 1925 he opened with a successful production of ''[[Huis Toe]]'' (''[[Heimat]]'' by Südermann, tr [[A.E Carinus-Holzhausen]]) and did a production of ''[[As die Tuig Skawe]]'' the new play by Grosskopf in the same year.
+After touring a few towns, he devised and publicised a plan for the first [[Afrikaans]] professional theatre company. His first recital in Pretoria was on 2 April, 1925, in the [[Nationale Klubsaal]] ("National Club Hall") of the [[Nederlandse Vereniging]],   followed again by two plays in [[Dutch]] - ''[[De Gentleman Inbreker]]'' ("The Gentleman Housebreaker", probably an adaptation of an Arsene Lupin adventure) and ''[[Claire Bellerosa]]'' on 23 April in the same venue. More significantly, two original [[Afrikaans]] plays - ''[[Lenie]]'' ([[J.H.H. de Waal]]) and ''[[Die Heks]]'' ("The Witch", [[C. Louis Leipoldt]]) - were presented in the [[Opera House]], Pretoria, on 2 May 1925, in association with [[Stephanie Faure]] and utilizing the cream of local amateur performers including [[Iris Martin]], [[Wena Naudé]], [[Jessie Breedt]] and De Groot himself (*??). On 9th July 1925 he opened with a successful production of ''[[Huis Toe]]'' (''[[Heimat]]'' by Südermann, tr [[A.E Carinus-Holzhausen]]) and appraently did a production of ''[[As die Tuig Skawe]]'' the new play by [[J.F.W. Grosskopf]] in the same year.
 In June 1926 he joined forces with [[Hendrik Hanekom]], to found the [[Paul de Groot Toneelgeselskap]]. The company initially consisted of [[Hendrik Hanekom]] (Business manager), [[Mathilde Hanekom]], [[Simon Malherbe]], and [[Anna Marais]] from the [[Hanekom Geselskap|Hanekom Company]], [[Paul de Groot]] (Artistic director) and [[Wena Naudé]] from the former De Groot group and two novices, [[Gert Borstlap]] and [[Maxie Botha]].

@@ Line 27: / Line 27: @@
 De Groot  claims that he then negotiated with [[African Theatres]], and came to Cape Town in November 1924. His first recital was in the [[Afrikaanse Koffiehuis]], and his first produced plays ''[[Zaken zijn Zaken]]'' ("Business is Business" - Mirbeau) in December 1924 and ''[[Overschotje]]'' (''[[Scampolo]]'' by Niccodemi) in January 1925, both at the [[Railway Institute]], Cape Town.
-After touring a few towns, he devised and publicised a plan for the first [[Afrikaans]] professional theatre company. His first recital in Pretoria was on 2 April, 1925, in the [[Nationale Klubsaal]] ("National Club Hall") of the [[Nederlandse Vereniging]],   followed again by two plays in [[Dutch]] - ''[[De Gentleman Inbreker]]'' ("The Gentleman Housebreaker", probably an adaptation of an Arsene Lupin adventure) and ''[[Claire Bellerosa]]'' on 23 April in the same venue. More significantly, two original [[Afrikaans]] plays - ''[[Lenie]]'' ([[J.H.H. de Waal]]) and ''[[Die Heks]]'' ("The Witch", [[C. Louis Leipoldt]]) - were presented in the [[Opera House]], Pretoria, on 2 May 1925, in association with [[Stephanie Faure]] and utilizing the cream of local amateur performers including [[Iris Martin]], [[Wena Naudé]], [[Jessie Breedt]] and De Groot himself (*??). On 9th July 1925 he opened with a successful production of ''[[Huis Toe]]'' (''[[Heimat]]'' by Südermann, tr [[A.E Carinus-Holzhausen]]) and in June 1926 he joined forces with [[Hendrik Hanekom]], to found the [[Paul de Groot Toneelgeselskap]]. The company initially consisted of [[Hendrik Hanekom]] (Business manager), [[Mathilde Hanekom]], [[Simon Malherbe]], and [[Anna Marais]] from the [[Hanekom Geselskap|Hanekom Company]], [[Paul de Groot]] (Artistic director) and [[Wena Naudé]] from the former De Groot group and two novices, [[Gert Borstlap]] and [[Maxie Botha]].
+After touring a few towns, he devised and publicised a plan for the first [[Afrikaans]] professional theatre company. His first recital in Pretoria was on 2 April, 1925, in the [[Nationale Klubsaal]] ("National Club Hall") of the [[Nederlandse Vereniging]],   followed again by two plays in [[Dutch]] - ''[[De Gentleman Inbreker]]'' ("The Gentleman Housebreaker", probably an adaptation of an Arsene Lupin adventure) and ''[[Claire Bellerosa]]'' on 23 April in the same venue. More significantly, two original [[Afrikaans]] plays - ''[[Lenie]]'' ([[J.H.H. de Waal]]) and ''[[Die Heks]]'' ("The Witch", [[C. Louis Leipoldt]]) - were presented in the [[Opera House]], Pretoria, on 2 May 1925, in association with [[Stephanie Faure]] and utilizing the cream of local amateur performers including [[Iris Martin]], [[Wena Naudé]], [[Jessie Breedt]] and De Groot himself (*??). On 9th July 1925 he opened with a successful production of ''[[Huis Toe]]'' (''[[Heimat]]'' by Südermann, tr [[A.E Carinus-Holzhausen]]) and did a production of ''[[As die Tuig Skawe]]'' the new play by Grosskopf in the same year.
 Their first production was ''[[Huis Toe]]'' (Südermann - 1926), then ''[[As Mans Huishou]]'' (Jan van Ees - 1927), ''[[Gerieflike Huwelik]]'' (A. Dumas snr - 1927), ''[[Die Inbreker]]'' (Van Ees, 1927, toured by a second company led by [[Wena Naudé]]) and  ''[[Besigheid is Besigheid]]'' (Octave Mirbeau, 1928). In March 1928 (Binge has 15 March 1929) [[Hendrik Hanekom|Hanekom]] and De Groot split company, apparently because of De Groot's avarice. De Groot continued on his own, touring i.a. with ''[[Rosekrans]]'' (Barclay/Bisson) with [[Lydia Lindeque]], ''[[Haar Tweede Man|Haar Twede Man]]'' (Géraldy) with [[André Huguenet]] ([[Gert Borstlap]] renamed), [[Henry van Wyk]] and [[Rena la Roche]] and ''[[Geleende Geld]]'' (Ibsen) with [[Hélène Botha]], [[André Huguenet|Huguenet]], Van Wyk, [[Peter Coetzee]]. Both very successful. By the end of 1929 he had already (by Binge's calculations) produced and toured with 8 Afrikaans plays (a total of 891 performances) and briefly returned to Europe for a while, then continued with Rosekrans till October 1930.
@@ Line 35: / Line 37: @@
 He was then invited to work under the auspices of [[African Theatres]] and did ''[[Verborge Sonde]]'' (''[[La Monaco]]'' by Pierre Frondaie) with [[Henriëtte de Waal]] (August-October 1933), ''[[Misdade van die Vaders]]'' ("Misdeed of the Fathers" by Albert du Biel), ''[[Kain]]'' (also by Du Biel - 1934). This cast consisted of [[Henriëtte de Waal]], [[Bettie Reitz]], [[Nell van Nieuwenhuizen]], [[Rosa du Plessis]], [[John Brill]], [[Johannes Coetzee]], [[Dewald van der Merwe]], [[Tommie Beckley]] and [[Frits de Lange]].  The next play was ''[[Eerloos]]'' ("Without Honour" by **,  translated by [[A.J.A. Roux]] - 1935) and opened in the [[Eendragsaal]] in Johannesburg with [[Tommie Beckley]], [[Hetta Beckley]], [[Queenie Vorster]], [[Jacobus Swanepoel]] and [[Jan Swiegers]].
 In April 1935 De Groot was asked to substitute for Walter Huston (in the role of [[Cecil John Rhodes]]) in certain scenes being shot in Rhodesia for the Gaumont-British film on ''Rhodes of Africa''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhodes_of_Africa] and as a result the De Groot company broke up.
 === After the South African sojourn===

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 == Biography ==
-Born Paul Christiaan de Groot 11 January 1887 in Soerabaja, Dutch East India, to a father in the Military, trained at the Teaterskool ("Theatre School"), Amsterdam (1904-1907).
+Born Paul Christiaan de Groot on 11 January, 1887, in Soerabaja, Dutch East India, to a Dutch father in the Military and a French mother.
 In 1935 he married the widow Mabel Roylance (born Katherine May Harris, married George Roylance in Cape Town on 28 Dec 1924). He at one time also proposed to the juvenile actress [[Lydia Lindeque]], but this marriage was prevented by her parents.
@@ Line 49: / Line 54: @@
 == Sources ==
 [[Ludwig Wilhelm Berthold Binge]] 1969. ''Ontwikkeling van die Afrikaanse toneel (1832-1950)''. Pretoria: J.L. van Schaik.

@@ Line 46: / Line 46: @@
 De Groot had an enormous artistic influence on the growth of [[Afrikaans]] theatre, both in terms of technique and quality (an autocratic director of the Meiningen school, he insisted on effective texts and quality staging), and of theatre administration. If nothing else he discovered and trained numerous prominent theatre personalities, among the most notable of them being [[André Huguenet]], [[Lydia Lindeque]], [[Siegfried Mynhardt]] and [[Wena Naudé]], who all would go on to have a significant impact on the development of indigenous professional theatre, particularly in [[Afrikaans]]. According to the ''[[TheaterEncyclopedie]]'' he also gave lectures "aan de universiteiten van Johannesburg [sic] en Stellenbosch", an inaccurate and possibly somewhat dubious claim.
-However, what is undeniable is that, whatever they thought of him as person,  he was revered for his inspirational role in the period by friends, colleagues and enemies alike, as attested by virtually all the biographies and theatre histories that appeared in the second half of the 20th century.
+However, what is undeniable is that, whatever they may have thought of him as person,  he was revered for his inspirational role in the period by friends, colleagues and enemies alike, as attested by virtually all the biographies and theatre histories that appeared in the second half of the 20th century.
 == Sources ==

@@ Line 44: / Line 44: @@
 == His impact in South African theatre==
-De Groot had an enormous artistic influence on the growth of [[Afrikaans]] theatre, both in terms of technique and quality (an autocratic director of the Meiningen school, he insisted on effective texts and quality staging), and of theatre administration. If nothing else he discovered and trained numerous prominent theatre personalities, among the most notable of them being [[André Huguenet]], [[Lydia Lindeque]], [[Siegfried Mynhardt]] and [[Wena Naudé]], who all had an enormous impact on the development of indigenous professional theatre, particularly in [[Afrikaans]]. According to the ''[[TheaterEncyclopedie]]'' he also gave lectures "aan de universiteiten van Johannesburg [sic] en Stellenbosch", an inaccurate and possibly somewhat dubious claim.
+De Groot had an enormous artistic influence on the growth of [[Afrikaans]] theatre, both in terms of technique and quality (an autocratic director of the Meiningen school, he insisted on effective texts and quality staging), and of theatre administration. If nothing else he discovered and trained numerous prominent theatre personalities, among the most notable of them being [[André Huguenet]], [[Lydia Lindeque]], [[Siegfried Mynhardt]] and [[Wena Naudé]], who all would go on to have a significant impact on the development of indigenous professional theatre, particularly in [[Afrikaans]]. According to the ''[[TheaterEncyclopedie]]'' he also gave lectures "aan de universiteiten van Johannesburg [sic] en Stellenbosch", an inaccurate and possibly somewhat dubious claim.
 However, what is undeniable is that, whatever they thought of him as person,  he was revered for his inspirational role in the period by friends, colleagues and enemies alike, as attested by virtually all the biographies and theatre histories that appeared in the second half of the 20th century.

@@ Line 38: / Line 38: @@
 For example, according to [[Siegfried Mynhardt]] (cited by [[Danie Botha]], 2006: p.96), by 1937 De Groot's spirit was broken and he was basically destitute and living in a boarding house in Johannesburg. It seems that  he then returned to Holland to live in Wassenaar and work in film for a while. [[Danie Botha]] (2006, p. 97) cites an undated newspaper report from the [[F.C.L. Bosman]] archives, saying that De Groot had travelled to Durban by fast train, to take a boat back to Holland, and adds that the actor Anton Verheyen , Verkade . However, [[Ludwig Binge]] (1978, p. 181) suggests that he first went to England,  before settling in Wassenaar, a suburb of Den Haag.
-In contrast to this, the [[Dutch]] ''[[Theaterencyclopedie]]''[https://theaterencyclopedie.nl/wiki/Paul_de_Groot], states that he was once more performing in [[Dutch]] East India from 1930 onwards and that  he was back with the Verkade company (presumably in the Netherlands) by 1935, before leaving again for "his fatherland" in April 1939, where he either became an hotel (this according to the [[Dutch]] actor Anton Verheyen, as cited by [[Danie Botha]], 2006, p. 97) and/or acted for the the '''Nederlandsch-Indische Tooneelgroep''' of Leo de Hartogh[https://theaterencyclopedie.nl/wiki/Leo_de_Hartogh] for a brief period. The entry on De Hartogh in the ''[[Theaterencyclopedie]]'' states that he had founded the particular company when he had to flee to Dutch-East India at the start of the war, and that the company included the performers [[Pam Henning]], [[Paul de Groot]], [[Herman van Eelen]] and [[Kitty Posthumus]]),
+In contrast to this, the [[Dutch]] ''[[Theaterencyclopedie]]''[https://theaterencyclopedie.nl/wiki/Paul_de_Groot], states that he was once more performing in [[Dutch]] East India from 1930 onwards and that  he was back with the Verkade company (presumably in the Netherlands) by 1935, before leaving again for "his fatherland" in April 1939, where he either became an hotel proprietor (this according to the [[Dutch]] actor Anton Verheyen, as cited by [[Danie Botha]], 2006, p. 97) and/or acted for the the '''Nederlandsch-Indische Tooneelgroep''' of Leo de Hartogh[https://theaterencyclopedie.nl/wiki/Leo_de_Hartogh] for a brief period. The entry on De Hartogh in the ''[[Theaterencyclopedie]]'' does in fact state that he had founded the particular company when he had to flee to Dutch-East India at the start of the war, and that the company included the performers [[Pam Henning]], [[Paul de Groot]], [[Herman van Eelen]] and [[Kitty Posthumus]]),
-The only formal record of performances by De Groot listed in the ''Productiedatabase'' of the ''[[Theaterencyclopedie]]'' for the period '''after''' 1922  refer to work done in the Netherlands and are ''[[De twee vrouwen van mr. Carroll]]'' (a [[Dutch]] version of ''[[The Two Mrs. Carrolls]]'' by Martin Vale), seemingly done by De Groot's own company (February, 1936) and ''[[Weenen in 3 dagen]]'' ("Vienna in 3 days") by the Vereenigde Schouwburgspelers in the Leidscheplein Theater, Amsterdam (January, 1937). He also appeared in Léo Joannon's  1937 film ''De man zonder hart'' ("Man without a heart")[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0288615/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_1]
+The only formal record of performances by De Groot listed in the ''Productiedatabase'' of the ''[[Theaterencyclopedie]]'' for the period '''after''' 1922  refer to work done in the Netherlands and are ''[[De twee vrouwen van mr. Carroll]]'' (a [[Dutch]] version of ''[[The Two Mrs. Carrolls]]'' by Martin Vale), seemingly done by De Groot's own company (February, 1936) and a samll role in ''[[Weenen in 3 dagen]]'' ("Vienna in 3 days") by the Vereenigde Schouwburgspelers in the Leidscheplein Theater, Amsterdam (January, 1937). He also appeared in Léo Joannon's  1937 film ''De man zonder hart'' ("Man without a heart")[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0288615/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_1]
 == His impact in South African theatre==

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		+	https://theatercollectie.uva.nl/Details/collect/93548

	https://theaterencyclopedie.nl/wiki/Weenen_in_3_dagen_-_Vereenigde_Schouwburgspelers_-_1937-01-01		https://theaterencyclopedie.nl/wiki/Weenen_in_3_dagen_-_Vereenigde_Schouwburgspelers_-_1937-01-01

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:24, 30 September 2022
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		+	https://theaterencyclopedie.nl/wiki/Weenen_in_3_dagen_-_Vereenigde_Schouwburgspelers_-_1937-01-01

	https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhodes_of_Africa		https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhodes_of_Africa