Theatre Royal - Revision history

Ivor: /* Incidents and Improvements */

2026-08-21T11:21:20Z

Incidents and Improvements

Ivor: /* Theatre Royal, Kimberley */

2026-08-21T10:45:11Z

Theatre Royal, Kimberley

Ivor: /* The Buildings */

2026-08-21T10:44:08Z

The Buildings

Darryl: /* Searelle's Theatre Royal or Royal Theatre of Varieties */

2026-06-30T12:38:27Z

Searelle's Theatre Royal or Royal Theatre of Varieties

Darryl: /* Searelle's Theatre Royal or Royal Theatre of Varieties */

2026-01-28T17:09:27Z

Searelle's Theatre Royal or Royal Theatre of Varieties

Darryl: /* Searelle's Theatre Royal or Royal Theatre of Varieties */

2026-01-28T17:08:36Z

Searelle's Theatre Royal or Royal Theatre of Varieties

Darryl: /* Searelle's Theatre Royal or Royal Theatre of Varieties */

2026-01-28T17:07:10Z

Searelle's Theatre Royal or Royal Theatre of Varieties

Darryl: /* Searelle's Theatre Royal or Royal Theatre of Varieties */

2026-01-28T17:04:14Z

Searelle's Theatre Royal or Royal Theatre of Varieties

Darryl: /* Theatre Royal, Johannesburg */

2026-01-28T17:00:06Z

Theatre Royal, Johannesburg

Darryl: /* Sources */

2026-01-28T16:58:55Z

Sources

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 The theatre suffered several fire scares attributed to the use of oil lamps and footlights:
 * '''29 October 1881''': A footlight was knocked over during a roller-skating performance. The fire was extinguished with costumes.
-* '''30 December 1881''': Another footlight fell during a performance of ''Pirates of Penzance''. ''The Diamond Fields Advertiser'' noted the auditorium had to be soaked with water before performances could continue.
+* '''30 December 1881''': Another footlight fell during a performance of [[Pirates of Penzance]]. [[The Diamond Fields Advertiser]] noted the auditorium had to be soaked with water before performances could continue.
-* '''7 August 1884''': An oil lamp set fire to the painted canvas backdrop before a children's performance of ''H.M.S. Pinafore''. The children were evacuated by Sam Foote and the fire was put out.
+* '''7 August 1884''': An oil lamp set fire to the painted canvas backdrop before a children's performance of [[H.M.S. Pinafore]]. The children were evacuated by Sam Foote and the fire was put out.
-Electric lighting was installed in July 1883, one of the first such installations in South Africa. The improvement was noted by ''The Diamond Fields Advertiser''.
+Electric lighting was installed in July 1883, one of the first such installations in South Africa. The improvement was noted by [[The Diamond Fields Advertiser]].
 == Beaconsfield Theatre Royal, 1887-1888 ==

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:45, 21 August 2026
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	== '''Theatre Royal''', Kimberley ==		== '''Theatre Royal''', Kimberley ==
−
−	~~{{Infobox venue~~
−	~~\| name = Theatre Royal~~
−	~~\| image =~~
−	~~\| caption =~~
−	~~\| location = Dutoitspan Road, Kimberley, Cape Colony<br>Beaconsfield, Cape Colony~~
−	~~\| opened = 23 September 1871 (Dutoitspan)<br>13 March 1875 (Kimberley)<br>16 September 1887 (Beaconsfield)~~
−	~~\| closed = 25 June 1887 (Kimberley)<br>28 December 1888 (Beaconsfield)~~
−	~~\| demolished = Converted to hotel 1888<br>Destroyed by fire 1930~~
−	~~\| capacity = 450~~
−	~~\| architect = Robert Scott Day (Beaconsfield brick building)~~
−	}}

	The '''Theatre Royal''' was a 19th-century theatre in Kimberley, South Africa. It operated from 1871 to 1888, first in Dutoitspan and later in Kimberley and Beaconsfield. It was one of the earliest permanent entertainment venues on the Diamond Fields. The venue was also known as "Kimberley Hall" and nicknamed "the crazy old biscuit box" due to its plain construction.		The '''Theatre Royal''' was a 19th-century theatre in Kimberley, South Africa. It operated from 1871 to 1888, first in Dutoitspan and later in Kimberley and Beaconsfield. It was one of the earliest permanent entertainment venues on the Diamond Fields. The venue was also known as "Kimberley Hall" and nicknamed "the crazy old biscuit box" due to its plain construction.

@@ Line 111: / Line 111: @@
 == '''Theatre Royal''', Kimberley ==
-==The Buildings==
+{{Infobox venue
-There were three [[Theatre Royal]] buildings used by the same company in Kimberley.
+The '''Theatre Royal''' was a 19th-century theatre in Kimberley, South Africa. It operated from 1871 to 1888, first in Dutoitspan and later in Kimberley and Beaconsfield. It was one of the earliest permanent entertainment venues on the Diamond Fields. The venue was also known as "Kimberley Hall" and nicknamed "the crazy old biscuit box" due to its plain construction.
-The first one, a corrugated-iron building, opened on the 23th September, 1871, in Dutoitspan Road. A replica of a theatre was built as part of the Kimberley Mine Museum next to the Big Hole in 197*?.
+== The Buildings ==
-The second building, also in Dutoitspan Road (now written as Du Toitspan Road), opened on the 13th March, 1875. This theatre was described by [[Charles Du Val]] in his book, [[With a Show Through Southern Africa]] which was published in 1882. (He does not give a date for when he visited Kimberley but he does mention [[Odds and Ends]] which we know he took on tour between 1880-1882 during his visit to South Africa.)
+The first building, a timber-framed structure with corrugated iron roof and walls, opened on 23 September 1871 in Dutoitspan Road. A replica of a theatre was built as part of the Kimberley Mine Museum next to the Big Hole in 197*?.
-He left us with a lovely description of the theatre in Kimberly and the patrons, who were mostly fortune-seeking miners:
+The second building, also in Dutoitspan Road (now written as Du Toitspan Road), on the site of the present Woolworths, opened on 13 March 1875. It was also a wooden building with a corrugated iron roof, with a capacity of 450 people. There was initially no gallery or boxes, and seating consisted of wooden benches placed close together, replaced in 1885 by upright chairs with cane seats. The hall was noted for being draughty in winter and excessively hot in summer.
-“The [[Theatre Royal]], where I gave 20 performances, is nothing more than a long hall, composed chiefly of galvanised iron.
+An adjoining complex called the Café Royal was also part of the venue. On 12 November 1877, a roller-skating rink was opened behind the hall.
 “It’s roof being entirely of this material, when the summer rain descends the piece ends an unintermitting and relentless patter prevails, and vain is the attempt of singer or speaker to make the voice heard over the obnoxious din produced.
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 “I had scarcely hoped to find such an exhibition of cultivated taste so far away, and in what I had been led to believe was a mining-camp.”
-On November 12, 1877, a rollerskating rink was opened (as part of the complex?).
+== Key Dates ==
-In 1883 electric lights were installed in the theatre.
+== References ==
-In 1887 the iron structure was demolished and the third [[Theatre Royal]] re-opened in a beautiful brick building in Beaconsfield (which was then a separate town, adjacent to Kimberley) on June 25, 1887. It was a beautiful concrete and brick structure situated in  Dutoitspan Village and was designed by the architect Robert Scott Day, the architectural plans being dated 1887.
+== See also ==
-The theatre closed on 28th December, 1888 and was converted into a hotel. It was destroyed in 1930 when a huge fire swept through the town.
+[[Category:Theatres in South Africa]]
 == '''Theatre Royal''', Pietermaritzburg ==

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 He constructed his own theatre using the best quality burnt bricks. It had a frontage of 100 feet and was situated on plots 316, 317, 320 and 321, central Commissioner Street, Marshall's Town, Johannesburg. The building consisted of a theatre, shops, bar, tearooms, cafes and Searelle Chambers, as well as a barber, tobacconist and watchmaker's shops. There were also seven two-roomed offices with private toilets. Electric lights and water were supplied. Facing Fox Street were four semi-detached, double-storied houses, each containing five rooms, a kitchen, a pantry etc.
-This theatre was described as a music hall where lots of drinking and smoking took place. It regularly hosted international performers and could accommodate any entertainment except for ballet due to the small stage. By all accounts, it was a rough place due to the excessive drinking where fights frequently broke out. Visitors complained about the ‘low brow’ performances which were dominated by women for the mostly male audience. The music hall was then acquired by Hyman and Alexander and had a grand re-opening on Monday, 23 December 1895, one week before the failed Jameson raid. In 1896 it was listed as the [[Royal Theatre of Varieties]]. Another source suggests the theatre building was eventually put up for auction by Richard Currie's Sales on Tuesday, February 22, 1898, and Searelle left the country.
+This theatre was described as a music hall where lots of drinking and smoking took place. It regularly hosted international performers and could accommodate any entertainment except for ballet due to the small stage. By all accounts, it was a rough place due to the excessive drinking where fights frequently broke out. Visitors complained about the ‘low brow’ performances which were dominated by women for the mostly male audience. The music hall was then acquired by [[Edgar Hyman]] and [[George Alexander]] and had a grand re-opening on Monday, 23 December 1895, one week before the failed Jameson raid. In 1896 it was listed as the [[Royal Theatre of Varieties]]. Another source suggests the theatre building was eventually put up for auction by Richard Currie's Sales on Tuesday, February 22, 1898, and Searelle left the country.
 == Performances ==

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 ===Searelle's Theatre Royal or [[Royal Theatre of Varieties]]===
-In 1892, Searelle converted his Theatre Royal and re-opened it on 27 December 1892. It appears to have become known as [[Searelle's Theatre Royal]]. In 1896 it was listed as the [[Royal Theatre of Varieties]].
+In 1892, Searelle converted his Theatre Royal and re-opened it on 27 December 1892. It appears to have become known as [[Searelle's Theatre Royal]].
 He constructed his own theatre using the best quality burnt bricks. It had a frontage of 100 feet and was situated on plots 316, 317, 320 and 321, central Commissioner Street, Marshall's Town, Johannesburg. The building consisted of a theatre, shops, bar, tearooms, cafes and Searelle Chambers, as well as a barber, tobacconist and watchmaker's shops. There were also seven two-roomed offices with private toilets. Electric lights and water were supplied. Facing Fox Street were four semi-detached, double-storied houses, each containing five rooms, a kitchen, a pantry etc.
-This theatre was described as a music hall where lots of drinking and smoking took place. It regularly hosted international performers and could accommodate any entertainment except for ballet due to the small stage. By all accounts, it was a rough place due to the excessive drinking where fights frequently broke out. Visitors complained about the ‘low brow’ performances which were dominated by women for the mostly male audience. The music hall was then acquired by Hyman and Alexander and had a grand re-opening on Monday, 23 December 1895, one week before the failed Jameson raid. Another source suggests the theatre building was eventually put up for auction by Richard Currie's Sales on Tuesday, February 22, 1898, and Searelle left the country.
+This theatre was described as a music hall where lots of drinking and smoking took place. It regularly hosted international performers and could accommodate any entertainment except for ballet due to the small stage. By all accounts, it was a rough place due to the excessive drinking where fights frequently broke out. Visitors complained about the ‘low brow’ performances which were dominated by women for the mostly male audience. The music hall was then acquired by Hyman and Alexander and had a grand re-opening on Monday, 23 December 1895, one week before the failed Jameson raid. In 1896 it was listed as the [[Royal Theatre of Varieties]]. Another source suggests the theatre building was eventually put up for auction by Richard Currie's Sales on Tuesday, February 22, 1898, and Searelle left the country.
 == Performances ==

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:00, 28 January 2026
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	In 1889 the Lessee and Manager was [[A Bonamici]].		In 1889 the Lessee and Manager was [[A Bonamici]].

		+	===Searelle's Theatre Royal or [[Royal Theatre of Varieties]]===
	In 1892, Searelle converted his Theatre Royal and re-opened it. It appears to have become known as [[Searelle's Theatre Royal]]. In 1896 it was listed as the [[Royal Theatre of Varieties]] on 27 December 1892.		In 1892, Searelle converted his Theatre Royal and re-opened it. It appears to have become known as [[Searelle's Theatre Royal]]. In 1896 it was listed as the [[Royal Theatre of Varieties]] on 27 December 1892.

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:58, 28 January 2026
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	'Rent saga may mean curtains for Cape theatre'. ''[[IOL]]''. 18 December 2005.		'Rent saga may mean curtains for Cape theatre'. ''[[IOL]]''. 18 December 2005.
−
−	~~https://johannesburg1912.com/2013/07/29/theatres-in-early-johannesburg/~~

	https://johannesburg1912.com/2013/07/29/theatres-in-early-johannesburg/		https://johannesburg1912.com/2013/07/29/theatres-in-early-johannesburg/