South African Theatre/Overview - Revision history

Darryl: /* Puppet Theatre */

2025-12-28T19:08:23Z

Puppet Theatre

Darryl at 09:56, 31 August 2024

2024-08-31T09:56:23Z

Darryl at 09:53, 31 August 2024

2024-08-31T09:53:11Z

Darryl: /* Amateur Theatre */

2024-08-31T09:51:39Z

Amateur Theatre

Ivor: /* Background and Context */

2023-07-30T07:57:39Z

Background and Context

Ivor at 08:27, 19 January 2022

2022-01-19T08:27:27Z

Ivor: /* An Introductory Overview of South African Theatre and Performance */

2022-01-19T06:16:36Z

An Introductory Overview of South African Theatre and Performance

Ivor: /* Background and context */

2022-01-19T06:08:12Z

Background and context

Ivor: /* From the beginnings to 1945 */

2021-07-03T08:04:02Z

From the beginnings to 1945

Ivor: /* From the beginnings to 1945 */

2021-07-03T08:00:05Z

From the beginnings to 1945

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 South Africa long retained its links with the international community through affiliate membership of the Union Internationale de la Marionette (UNIMA) of Britain, but in 1977 broke its affiliation and, under the leadership of Lily Hertsberg (*) in Cape Town and Alida van Deventer (*) in Johannesburg, UNIMA of South Africa came into being, as an independent member of the international body.
+See [[Puppet Theatre in South Africa]]
 == Dance and Physical Theatre ==

← Older revision		Revision as of 09:56, 31 August 2024
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	== Musical Theatre and Cabaret ==		== Musical Theatre and Cabaret ==

−	[[[~~TO BE ADDED]~~]]	+	See [[Musical Theatre in South Africa]]
		+
		+	See [[Cabaret in South Africa]]
		+

← Older revision		Revision as of 09:53, 31 August 2024
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		+	==Opera==
		+
		+	See [[Opera]]

	== Alternative Forms ==		== Alternative Forms ==

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 == Amateur Theatre ==
-by [[P.J. du Toit]]
+See [[Amateur Theatre in South Africa]]
 == Theatre for Young Audiences ==

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-The Republic of South Africa lies at the southern tip of the continent, bordered by Namibia, Botswana, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Swaziland and Mozambique to the north. Encompassing the tiny Kingdom of Lesotho, the country is 1,2 million square kilometers in size and spans the continent, from the Atlantic ocean on the west coast to the Indian ocean on the east.
+The Republic of South Africa lies at the southern tip of the continent, bordered by Namibia, Botswana, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Swaziland and Mozambique to the north. Encompassing the tiny Kingdom of Lesotho, the country is 1,2 million square kilometres in size and spans the continent, from the Atlantic Ocean on the west coast to the Indian Ocean on the east.
-Formerly divided into four provinces (the Cape of Good Hope, the Orange Free State, the Transvaal, and Natal) and a number of ethnically based "homelands", the country was re-divided into nine provinces in 1993. They are the Western Cape, the Northern Cape, the Eastern Cape, the Free State, Kwazulu/Natal, Gauteng, the Northern Province, Northwest and Mpumalanga. The capital cities are Cape Town (legislative) and Pretoria (administrative).
+Formerly divided into four provinces (the Cape of Good Hope, the Orange Free State, the Transvaal, and Natal) and several ethnically based "homelands", the country was re-divided into nine provinces in 1993. They are the Western Cape, the Northern Cape, the Eastern Cape, the Free State, KwaZulu/Natal, Gauteng, the Northern Province, Northwest and Mpumalanga. The capital cities are Cape Town (legislative) and Pretoria (administrative).
-The seat of some of the earliest human development in Africa, the region was settled by African peoples over the course of many centuries. The inhabitants included hunter-gatherer communities (e.g. the San or Xan) and herders and farmers (e.g. the Khoi, Sotho, Tswana, Zulu and Xhosa). These constituted tribal states, each with its own distinctive and rich visual and oral culture, including a vibrant performance heritage, despite the fact that none of the tribes had an orthography and therefore have left no written literature or history.
+The seat of some of the earliest human development in Africa, the region was settled by African peoples over the course of many centuries. The inhabitants included hunter-gatherer communities (e.g. the San or Xan) and herders and farmers (e.g. the Khoi, Sotho, Tswana, Zulu and Xhosa). These constituted tribal states, each with its own distinctive and rich visual and oral culture, including a vibrant performance heritage, even though none of the tribes had an orthography and left no written literature or history.
-The Portuguese discovery of the sea route around the Cape of Storms (later the Cape of Good Hope) in the fifteenth century led to the first Dutch settlement in 1652 and a century and a half later the British annexation of the Cape (1814) and Natal (1843). The subsequent colonial expansion into the interior by farmers, missionaries, civil servants and troops extended British control over the outreaches of the Cape Province and Natal, while rebellious Dutch farmers trekked inland to escape the British influence founded the independent republics of the Transvaal and the Orange Free State. In a century punctuated by military clashes between the European settlers and the African farmers, the latter gradually had to retreat to border areas to retain their autonomy, or else had to adapt to the encroaching capitalist life by becoming paid workers, often on their ancestral lands.
+The Portuguese discovery of the sea route around the Cape of Storms (later the Cape of Good Hope) in the fifteenth century led to the first Dutch settlement in 1652 and a century and a half later the British annexation of the Cape (1814) and Natal (1843). The subsequent colonial expansion into the interior by farmers, missionaries, civil servants and troops extended British control over the outreaches of the Cape Province and Natal, while rebellious Dutch farmers trekked inland to escape the British influence and founded the independent republics of the Transvaal and the Orange Free State. In a century punctuated by military clashes between the European settlers and the African farmers, the latter gradually had to retreat to border areas to retain their autonomy, or else had to adapt to the encroaching capitalist life by becoming paid workers, often on their ancestral lands.
 The discovery of diamonds in Hopetown (1867) and gold on the Witwatersrand (1886) accelerated the process of assimilation. The interior was immediately overrun by speculators, diggers, businessmen and - inevitably - politicians and imperialists from across the globe. Rapid urbanization, mechanization and more aggressive exploitation of labour followed, as did a myriad of secondary industries and Organisations. The evolving capitalist society also brought the touring theatre companies and entertainers from Britain and the Continent in its wake, a factor of crucial importance for the way theatre and the theatrical system were to evolve over the next century.
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 In 1910 the country was granted home rule as the Union of South Africa, with a Westminster-style democratic parliament. In 1961 it became the Republic of South Africa and seceded from the British Commonwealth - to which it only returned in 1995.
-The compromise reached created a parliament which was predominantly for Europeans (Whites) in much of the country with the so-called "Coloureds" and some blacks being excepted in regions such as the Cape Province. Thus individuals of African and Asian descent were treated as second class citizens, as they were in all British colonies. As the new century dawned, there also came a growing sense of injustice and a clear drive towards resistance among the non-European population. Symptomatic of this was the founding, in 1912, of the South African Native National Congress (SANNC, later simply to become the African National Congress or ANC), which was to go on to become one of the more prominent voices of opposition, in conjunction with a number of similar Organisations founded during the course of the century.
+The compromise reached created a parliament which was predominantly for Europeans (Whites) in much of the country with the so-called "Coloureds" and some blacks being excepted in regions such as the Cape Province. Thus individuals of African and Asian descent were treated as second-class citizens, as they were in all British colonies. As the new century dawned, there also came a growing sense of injustice and a clear drive towards resistance among the non-European population. Symptomatic of this was the founding, in 1912, of the South African Native National Congress (SANNC, later simply to become the African National Congress or ANC), which was to go on to become one of the more prominent voices of opposition, in conjunction with several similar organisations founded during the century.
-Meanwhile Afrikaner cultural nationalism, a fully fledged drive to political, social and economic empowerment, stimulated the fight for the autonomy for Afrikaners (i.e. speakers of Afrikaans). This culminated in the 1948 victory by the National Party, a party which was to rule the country for the next 42 years and was to devise and implement the notorious laws and policies which have become known as "apartheid" (i.e. "separateness"). Apartheid thinking was to dominate all aspects of life, including the arts and culture of the sub-continent for decades.
+Meanwhile, Afrikaner cultural nationalism, a fully-fledged drive to political, social and economic empowerment, stimulated the fight for the autonomy of Afrikaners (i.e. speakers of Afrikaans). This culminated in the 1948 victory by the National Party, a party which was to rule the country for the next 42 years and was to devise and implement the notorious laws and policies which became known as "apartheid" (i.e. "separateness"). Apartheid thinking was to dominate all aspects of life, including the arts and culture of the sub-continent for decades.
-The initial resistance to racism and discrimination tended to be predominantly peaceful, but between 1960 and 1976 a series of bloody confrontations between the protesters and the police (e.g. at Cato Manor, Sharpeville, Langa and Soweto), changed everything irrevocably. Affected by the post-war winds of change blowing over the rest of Africa, the struggle for liberation - backed up by international boycotts and pressure - became militant, while white resistance to change hardened into ever increasing political and social oppression. Between 1960 and 1990 this struggle was to inform every social, cultural and economic act, and give direction to the arts and artists of the country.
+The initial resistance to racism and discrimination tended to be predominantly peaceful, but between 1960 and 1976 a series of bloody confrontations between the protesters and the police (e.g. at Cato Manor, Sharpeville, Langa and Soweto), changed everything irrevocably. Affected by the post-war winds of change blowing over the rest of Africa, the liberation struggle - backed up by international boycotts and pressure - became militant, while white resistance to change hardened into ever-increasing political and social oppression. Between 1960 and 1990 this struggle was to inform every social, cultural and economic act, and give direction to the arts and artists of the country.
 In 1990 the situation changed radically when President F.W. de Klerk committed the National Party to negotiations by unbanning all political parties and eventually releasing all political detainees. This paved the way for discussions between all parties, the formation of the interim Government of National Unity and, in 1994, the first democratic elections and the inauguration of Nelson Mandela as the new republic's first State President.
-Today South Africa is perhaps the most highly industrialized country in Africa as well as one of the most productive agricultural centres on the continent.  Sociologically it is a mixture of underdevelopment (particularly in certain rural areas) and highly developed urbanization, with the major cities constantly growing, western-style metropoles characterized by high-rise buildings, high-density living and technological sophistication.  The recent removal of the apartheid laws restricting free movement, has led to an unchecked increase in the urbanization process, leading to a major housing crisis and the development of vast squatter communities on the outskirts of all cities. The latter communities are reputed to contain almost seven million people.
+Today South Africa is perhaps the most highly industrialized country in Africa as well as one of the most productive agricultural centres on the continent.  Sociologically it is a mixture of underdevelopment (particularly in certain rural areas) and highly developed urbanization, with the major cities constantly growing, western-style metropoles characterized by high-rise buildings, high-density living and technological sophistication.  The recent removal of the apartheid laws restricting free movement has led to an unchecked increase in the urbanization process, leading to a major housing crisis and the development of vast squatter communities on the outskirts of all cities. The latter communities are reputed to contain almost seven million people.
-As a legacy of the colonial and apartheid eras, every city and virtually every major town can boast well-equipped cultural amenities: e.g. theatres, galleries, museums, libraries. The country has twenty-one major  universities - a number with excellent international reputations,  eight influential scientific research councils, fifteen technikons and a hundred and twenty three technical colleges. The education, health and social welfare systems too are based on British models and worked excellently within the limits set for them under the previous government. However, for most of the century the amenities were provided for and built in areas reserved exclusively for the white population, with a fraction of the state funds being allocated for the black population. The effect has been catastrophic in most cases and rectifying these imbalances is a major priority of - and a major headache for - the new government.
+As a legacy of the colonial and apartheid eras, every city and virtually every major town can boast well-equipped cultural amenities: e.g. theatres, galleries, museums and libraries. The country has twenty-one major  universities - a number with excellent international reputations,  eight influential scientific research councils, fifteen technikons and a hundred and twenty-three technical colleges. The education, health and social welfare systems too are based on British models and worked excellently within the limits set for them under the previous government. However, for most of the century, the amenities were provided for and built in areas reserved exclusively for the white population, with a fraction of the state funds being allocated to the black population. The effect has been catastrophic in most cases and rectifying these imbalances is a major priority of - and a major headache for - the new government.
-The current population numbers over 40 million, speaking eleven languages (Afrikaans, English, isiNdebele, isiXhosa, isiZulu, siSwati, Sesotho, Sesotho sa Leboa, Setswana, siSwati, Tshvenda and Xitsonga). In the 1910 Union constitution English and Dutch (from 1925 Afrikaans, the locally developed version of Dutch) were declared the official languages of the country, with all other languages seen as regional languages, but the new (post-1990) interim constitution recognizes all eleven as official languages, though English tends to serve as the lingua franca. This poses unique problems for the public broadcaster (the [[South African Broadcasting Corporation]] - [[SABC]]) and other such institutions.
+The current population numbers over 40 million, speaking eleven languages (Afrikaans, English, isiNdebele, isiXhosa, isiZulu, siSwati, Sesotho, Sesotho sa Leboa, Setswana, siSwati, Tshvenda and Xitsonga). In the 1910 Union constitution, English and Dutch (from 1925 Afrikaans, the locally developed version of Dutch) were declared the official languages of the country, with all other languages seen as regional languages, but the new (post-1990) interim constitution recognizes all eleven as official languages, though English tends to serve as the lingua franca. This poses unique problems for the public broadcaster (the [[South African Broadcasting Corporation]] - [[SABC]]) and other such institutions.
-This rich cultural mix has impacted heavily on the range of cultural expression in the country, particularly since 1970. In this period the restrictions of apartheid slowly lifted, African art forms have begun to receive academic and artistic recognition, and African artists have gained confidence and exposure. As a result, crossover art forms and styles have become more and more prominent, and multicultural and multilingual expression, eschewing the old European forms and conventions, has become the norm rather than the exception, leading to the creation of uniquely South African forms and styles.
+This rich cultural mix has impacted heavily on the range of cultural expression in the country, particularly since 1970. During this period the restrictions of apartheid were slowly lifted, African art forms began to receive academic and artistic recognition, and African artists gained confidence and exposure. As a result, crossover art forms and styles have become more and more prominent, and multicultural and multilingual expression, eschewing the old European forms and conventions, have become the norm rather than the exception, leading to the creation of uniquely South African forms and styles.

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 See also the entries on the terms [[South African]], [[South African Film]] and [[South African Theatre]].
-== Theatre and performance ==
+== Theatre and Performance ==
 by [[Temple Hauptfleisch]]
-=== From the beginnings to 1945 ===
+=== From the Beginnings to 1945 ===
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-== Alternative forms ==
+== Alternative Forms ==
 =Media=

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-== Background and context ==
+== Background and Context ==
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 See also the entries on the terms [[South African]], [[South African Film]] and [[South African Theatre]].
 == Theatre and performance ==

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 By about 1880 this imported theatre was becoming "naturalized" and adapted itself to the regional circumstances. This occurred under the influence of such contradictory impulses as British imperialism, Afrikaner nationalism and African nationalism, as well as the  socio-political and economic events of the time: the Anglo-Boer war, establishment of the Union of South Africa in 1910, the First World War, the enormous growth of the country as a commercial force and the devastating effect of the Great Depression in the thirties.
-Local authors, including the farceurs Stephen Black (1880?-1931), Melt Brink (1842-1925) and C.J. Langenhoven (1873-1932) as well as the more seriously minded Louis Leipoldt (1880-1947) now began to write, publish and produce original South African texts for schools and the expanding amateur theatre movement.. In the case of Afrikaans writers there was a specific  cultural imperative as well, the books being required use in schools to support the promotion of Afrikaans as a fully fledged literary language. These white writers would gradually also serve and be served by the emerging professional theatre system, led by producers such as Leonard Rayne (1869-1925), Hendrik Hanekom (1896-1952) and Andre Huguenet (1906-1961). Shrewd investors, including the powerful African Consolidated Theatres of I.W. Schlesinger (1871-1949) and Harry Stodel (1869-1951), seized the opportunity and constructed a network of impressive theatres throughout the country.
+Local authors, including the farceurs [[Stephen Black]] (1880?-1931), [[Melt Brink]] (1842-1925) and [[C.J. Langenhoven]] (1873-1932) as well as the more seriously minded [[Louis Leipoldt]] (1880-1947) now began to write, publish and produce original South African texts for schools and the expanding amateur theatre movement.. In the case of Afrikaans writers there was a specific  cultural imperative as well, the books being required use in schools to support the promotion of Afrikaans as a fully fledged literary language. These white writers would gradually also serve and be served by the emerging professional theatre system, led by producers such as [[Leonard Rayne]] (1869-1925), [[Hendrik Hanekom]] (1896-1952) and [[Andre Huguenet]] (1906-1961). Shrewd investors, including the powerful African Consolidated Theatres of [[I.W. Schlesinger]] (1871-1949) and [[Harry Stodel]] (1869-1951), seized the opportunity and constructed a network of impressive theatres throughout the country.
-Thus by mid 1930s there were numerous professional companies operating in the cities, while more than thirty touring companies were servicing the rural towns, travelling by road and rail. The network of amateur groups was strong and prominent, leading to the formation of the Federation of Amateur Theatrical Societies of South Africa (FATSSA, 1934-1960), under the directorship of P.P.B. Breytenbach (1904-1984).  Another important factor was the wide-spread publishing industry and the influential press, which supported the arts.
+Thus by mid 1930s there were numerous professional companies operating in the cities, while more than thirty touring companies were servicing the rural towns, travelling by road and rail. The network of amateur groups was strong and prominent, leading to the formation of the [[Federation of Amateur Theatrical Societies of South Africa]] (FATSSA, 1934-1960), under the directorship of [[P.P.B. Breytenbach]] (1904-1984).  Another important factor was the wide-spread publishing industry and the influential press, which supported the arts.
-In the black community one now  also sees the  rise of  amateur, church and schools theatre companies working in what one might term the “Western format”  and the gradual appearance of European style plays (both in English and in local African languages such as Sotho Setswana, Xhosa and Zulu). The case of the remarkably prescient and influential  [[H.I.E. Dhlomo]] (1903-1956) and the Bantu Dramatic Society (1932/33) is particularly well documented in this regard. The first translations of classic works  in the various indigenous African languages began to appear now as well, the prominent example being translations of two Shakespeare plays in the 1930’s by [[Sol T. Plaatje]] (1876-1932). A few writers were also beginning to write plays in their mother tongues , usually for publication -  specifically for the prescribed market in language courses at schools and unversities. Gradually, as the SABC intrioduced its series of dedicated African language radio stations, they also wriote radion plays. Even though such plays appear to have been seldom performed  on stage,  these two markets would develop into quite a substantial and profitable industry by the 1950s and later (enhanced by the demand for television scripts in the 1980s and later).
+In the black community one now  also sees the  rise of  amateur, church and schools theatre companies working in what one might term the “Western format”  and the gradual appearance of European style plays (both in English and in local African languages such as Sotho Setswana, Xhosa and Zulu). The case of the remarkably prescient and influential  [[H.I.E. Dhlomo]] (1903-1956) and the [[Bantu Dramatic Society]] (1932/33) is particularly well documented in this regard. The first translations of classic works  in the various indigenous African languages began to appear now as well, the prominent example being translations of two Shakespeare plays in the 1930’s by [[Sol T. Plaatje]] (1876-1932). A few writers were also beginning to write plays in their mother tongues , usually for publication -  specifically for the prescribed market in language courses at schools and unversities. Gradually, as the SABC intrioduced its series of dedicated African language radio stations, they also wriote radion plays. Even though such plays appear to have been seldom performed  on stage,  these two markets would develop into quite a substantial and profitable industry by the 1950s and later (enhanced by the demand for television scripts in the 1980s and later).
 However, in the 1930’s we also see the beginnings of a much more important performance trend in the urban ghettos.  Under such diverse and intercultural urban influences as African traditional dance and music, the evolution of urban jazz and contemporary dance competitions, and the advent of radio and film, a number of distinctive black performance forms began evolving slowly but surely, largely undocumented and for the most part unnoticed by the outside world. It would take another few decades for this to mature and blossom and have a revolutionary and radical impact on South African performance culture from the late 1960s onwards.