Mannie Manim

Mannie Manim (1941-) is a highly regarded and influential lighting designer and theatre administrator.

Biography

Born Manuel Manim in Cape Town, he began in theatre as an usher in the Brian Brooke Theatre at 15, went into stage management with Leonard Schach at the Hofmeyr in Cape Town, then managed the Playhouse for Leonard Rayne and returned to the Brooke Theatre as stage director.

He was a co-founder and board member of the South African Institute of Theatre Technology (SAITT) in 1969 and the South African Association of Theatre Managements (SAATM) (he was also Executive Committee member). He was on the Committee for the National Arts Festival (Chairman in 2003); founder member of the Executive committee of Committed Artists and a Governor of the Fuba Academy of Arts.

Theatre Management

PACT

After working for a few other companies in Johannesburg, including Theatre International (he was production and company manager for Stephen Sondheim’s musical A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum at the Johannesburg Civic in 1964), he joined PACT at the age of 26, as the technical organizer for drama at of the state funded Performing Arts Council of the Transvaal (PACT), went on to become production manager and ultimately manager of drama, with Francois Swart as Artistic Director. Did a brilliant job in a period still considered the golden era of Afrikaans theatre and one of the best periods in the history of the Performing Arts Councils.

The Company/Market Theatre

A dynamic yet meticulous planner, with a visionary view of South African theatre, he in 1973 joined with Barney Simon to found The Company and in 1976 they opened the Market Theatre. He was also one of the Trustees of the Market Theatre Foundation. Manim effectively ran the Market Theatre from then till he left in 1991. With John Hussey he co-directed The Company’s production of Alan Ayckbourn’s Absurd Person Singular (the Market Theatre, November 1977). He produced several productions for The Company, including Sly Fox at the Market Theatre (1979).

University of the Witwatersrand

In 1991 he founded his own company (Mannie Manim Productions) (1991-) and took up the post of Director (Performing Arts Administration) at the University of the Witwatersrand, effectively running the Wits Theatre Complex (1991-2000). He developed Wits Amphitheatre venue there in 1992.

Baxter Theatre

In 2000 he became CEO and Director of the Baxter Theatre in Cape Town and also the Chairman of the Standard Bank National Arts Festival Board. He retired from this position in 2009, to be replaced by Lara Foot-Newton.

Fugard Theatre

Then appointed Executive Director of the new Fugard Theatre in Harrington Street (2010-2012).

Lighting design

Marie Manim has worked extensively as a lighting designer, particularly of the first South African productions of Athol Fugard's plays, including

• Statements After an Arrest Under the Immorality Act (the first production staged at The Space in 1972)
• A Lesson from Aloes (Market Theatre, 1979)
• The Road to Mecca (Market Theatre, 1984)
• A Place with the Pigs (National Arts Festival, 1987)
• My Children! My Africa! (Market Theatre, 1989)
• Playland in 1992
• Valley Song (Market Theatre, 1995)
• Sorrows and Rejoicings (Baxter Theatre, 2001)
• Exits and Entrances (Baxter Theatre, 2005)
• The Train Driver (Fugard Theatre, 2010)
• The Blue Iris (National Arts Festival, Fugard Theatre, 2012)
• Die Laaste Karretjiegraf (Fugard Theatre, 2013)
• The Shadow of the Hummingbird (Fugard Theatre, 2014).

Manim remained a prolific and higly regarded lighting designer in South Africa and elsewhere, working all over South Africa and in places like Los Angeles, New York, Toronto, London and Stockholm over the years. Lighting design for other productions include:

• Andorra (PACT, 1973)
• Plaston: DNS-Kind (PACT, 1974)
• The Crucible (PACT, 1975)
• Vroue van Troje (Market Theatre, 1976)
• Mother Courage and her Children (Market Theatre, 1977)
• Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead (Market Theatre, 1978)
• Long Day's Journey into Night (Market Theatre, 1978)
• Equus (1978)
• An Arabian Night (Market Theatre, 1980)
• The Primary English Class (Market Theatre, 1980)
• Woza Albert! (Market Theatre, 1981)
• Virginia (Market Theatre, 1983)
• This is for Keeps (Market Theatre, 1983)
• Torch Song Trilogy (Market Theatre, 1984)
• Born in the RSA (Market Theatre, 1985)
• One for the Road (Market Theatre, 1985)
• Die Spinner (Market Theatre, 1985)
• Pack of Lies (Market Theatre, 1985)
• Outers (Market Theatre, 1985)
• The Dybbuk (Market Theatre, 1986)
• Diepe Grond (Market Theatre, 1986)
• A Walk in the Woods (Market Theatre, 1989)
• Shadowlands (Market Theatre, 1991)
• Night Sky (Market Theatre, 1992)
• Daughters of Nebo: An African Opera (Market Theatre, 1993)
• Sheila's Day (1993)
• The Rain Queen and the Baobab Tree (Market Theatre, 1994)
• Pale Natives (Market Theatre, 1994)
• Titus Andronicus (Market Theatre, 1995)
• The Twilight of the Golds (Johannesburg Civic Theatre, 1996)
• The Good Woman of Sharkville (National Arts Festival, 1996)
• Goodbye Kiss and Guests (Orange Tree Theatre, London, 2000)
• Death of a Salesman, (2001)
• Madiba Magic (Baxter Theatre, 2003)
• Nothing but the Truth (2003)
• Saturday Night at the Palace (Baxter Theatre, 2004)
• Uncle Vanya (Baxter Theatre, 2004)
• Show Boat (Cape Town Opera, 2005)
• Twaalfde Nag (KKNK, Baxter Theatre, 2005)
• Hamlet (Baxter Theatre, 2005)
• Betrayal (Baxter Theatre, 2006)
• Doubt (Baxter Theatre, 2007)
• Mother to Mother (Baxter Theatre, 2009)
• I Am My Own Wife (Baxter Theatre, 2009)
• The Tempest (Baxter Theatre, 2009)
• The Magic Flute – Impempe Yomlingo (Fugard Theatre, 2010)
• Waiting for Godot (Fugard Theatre, 2010)
• Die Kaptein se Tier (Fugard Theatre, 2011)
• Ouroboros (Baxter Theatre, 2011)
• Solomon and Marion (Baxter Theatre, 2011)
• Race (Mamet, Grahamstown Festival, 2012 & 2013)
• The List (Baxter Theatre, 2013)
• Scrooge (Baxter Theatre, 2013)
• Missing... (Baxter Theatre, 2014)
• Sizwe Bansi is Dead (Market Theatre, 2014)
• The Merry Widow of Malagawi (Cape Town Opera, 2015)
• Die Vuurvoël ("The Firebird", 2016)
• Curse of the Starving Class (Woordfees, 2018)
• Kunene and the King (Fugard Theatre, RSC, 2019)

As performer

He appeared in Platonic Nymph (Brian Brooke Company, 1960)

As director

He directed:

1974: Cop-Out

1977: Absurd Person Singular (with John Hussey)

As production/company manager

1964: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (Theatre International)

Awards

Manim has won numerous national and international awards over the years for his lighting designs and his management skills. The South African awards include:

• the Shirley Moss Award for the Greatest Practical and Technical Contribution to Theatre in South Africa (1980)
• the South African Institute of Theatre Technology Award for Outstanding Achievement as a Theatre Technician, Administrator and Lighting designer (1981)
• 10 Vita Awards for lighting, for contribution to the success of The War at Home, a Vita Award for the most Enterprising Producer (1985)
• numerous Fleur du Cap Awards
• Gold medal for Theatre Development from the South African Academy of Arts and Science (1996)
• the Naledi Award of the Theatre Managements of South Africa (2004)

International awards include:

• In 1990, the French Government conferred the Chevalier des Artes et Lettres on him.
• In 2002, he received Best Lighting Design for The Island in Toronto

Legacy

The Laager, opened at the Market Theatre in September 1978, was renamed The Mannie Manim Theatre on 20 June 2016.

Sources

Programme, Die Laaste Karretjiegraf (2013)

Playland programme notes, 1992.

http://www.sahistory.org.za/people/mannie-manim

http://www.theatrearchive.co.za/interviews_theatre_lighting_archive.php

(NELM:[Collection: MANIM, Mannie]: 2010. 38. 13. 4. 1. 2.).

Tucker, 1997.

National Arts Festival Souvenir Programme, 2003

Go to South African Theatre/Bibliography

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