Difference between revisions of "Baxter Theatre"

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Today the venue as a whole is known as the '''[[Baxter Theatre Centre]]''' while the main theatre is often referred to as the [[Baxter Theatre]].  
 
Today the venue as a whole is known as the '''[[Baxter Theatre Centre]]''' while the main theatre is often referred to as the [[Baxter Theatre]].  
  
 +
=Overview=
  
−
='''TO BE EDITED'''=
+
The Baxter Theatre Centre is a vibrant, multicultural entertainment hub in the Southern Suburbs of Cape Town. Nestled under the striking Devil’s Peak mountain and at the foot of the [[University of Cape Town]], the Baxter boasts a world-class theatre and concert hall, as well as a studio stage, rehearsal rooms, offices, a restaurant and bars and an impressive spacious foyer.
  
 +
Built in 1976, the Baxter was a pillar of hope during the apartheid era. By leveraging its strong relationship with [[UCT]], the theatre was able to present multiracial, progressive work at a time when all other non-racial interactivity was banned or censored. The first interracial kiss ever on a South African stage took place during the Baxter’s first production of ''[[Miss Julie]]'' in 1985.
  
−
Designed by [[Jack Barnett]], opened on 1 August 1977, it came into being as the result of a bequest from the late Dr W. Duncan Baxter who, in his will, bequeathed an amount of money to the University of Cape Town for the purpose of establishing a theatre which would, in the words of Dr Baxter, "develop and cultivate the arts in Cape Town and the adjacent districts". Renamed the [[Baxter Theatre Centre]] in 19**. It was initially run by [[John Slemon]] (1977-199*), followed by  [[Rodney Philips]] (199*-199*,  [[Mannie Manim]] (200* -2008) and [[Lara Foot]] (2009-). **
+
The Centre is within walking distance of the vibrant student shopping centre of Rondebosch. Coffee shops, gyms, restaurants are easily accessible and the railway station is only minutes away.
 +
 
 +
==History==
 +
 
 +
Designed by [[Jack Barnett]], opened on 1 August 1977, it came into being as the result of a bequest from the late Dr W. Duncan Baxter who, in his will, bequeathed an amount of money to the University of Cape Town for the purpose of establishing a theatre which would, in the words of Dr Baxter, "develop and cultivate the arts in Cape Town and the adjacent districts". Renamed the [[Baxter Theatre Centre]] in 19**.  
  
 
Since its opening in 1977 the complex has continued to provide a stage for all types of professional entertainment - music, drama, ballet, opera and intimate theatre. Even through the difficult years of racial segregation its doors remained open to everyone and it thrived, drawing on indigenous talent and creating a uniquely South African theatre tradition.  
 
Since its opening in 1977 the complex has continued to provide a stage for all types of professional entertainment - music, drama, ballet, opera and intimate theatre. Even through the difficult years of racial segregation its doors remained open to everyone and it thrived, drawing on indigenous talent and creating a uniquely South African theatre tradition.  
  
 +
== Staff and management ==
 +
 +
The founding director was [[John Slemon]] (1977-1995), followed by  [[Rodney Phillips]] (1996-1999) and [[Mannie Manim]] (2000-2009) and [[Lara Foot]] (2010-).
 +
 +
===Staff===
 +
2009:
 +
 +
Administrative Director [[Stephen Jaffe]]
 +
Associate Producer & Planning Manager [[Nicolette Moses]]
 +
Marketing Manager [[Fahiem Stellenboom]]
 +
Production Manager [[Patrick Curtis]]
 +
Administrator and Webmaster [[Linda Louw]]
 +
Fundraising and Sponsorship Manager [[Johann Davis]]
 +
Front of House Managers [[Maeve Slemon]], [[Lizette Nyathi]] 
 +
Sales and Block Bookings [[Sharon Alexander]], [[Carmen Kearns]]
 +
 +
2025:
 +
 +
CEO & Artistic Director [[Lara Foot]]
 +
Finance & Operations Manager [[Jeremy Blackburn]]
 +
Planning (Renting the Baxter venues for events) [[Libie Nel]]
 +
Planning (Producers & Productions) [[Beth Jeffery]]
 +
Marketing Manager [[Fahiem Stellenboom]]
 +
Production Manager [[Marisa Steenkamp]]
 +
Sales & Digital Marketing Manager [[Mark Antony Dobson]]
 +
Zabalaza Theatre Festival [[Mdu Kweyama]]
 +
Sales & Block Bookings [[Carmen Kearns]]
  
 
== Facilities ==
 
== Facilities ==
  
−
The [[Baxter Theatre Centre]] consists of:  
+
The [[Baxter Theatre Centre]] consists of five performance venues:  
  
 
=== The Theatre ===
 
=== The Theatre ===
  
−
The largest venue in the complex, with 666 seats.
+
The largest venue in the complex, with 684 seats.
  
−
In 2022 the theatre was refurbished and renamed [[The Pam Golding Theatre]], after the founder and life president of Pam Golding Properties, as part of the company's five-year sponsorship of the [[Baxter Theatre]].
+
In 2022 the theatre was refurbished and renamed [[The Pam Golding Theatre]], after the founder and life president of Pam Golding Properties, as part of the company's five-year sponsorship of the [[Baxter Theatre]].  
  
 
=== The Concert Hall ===
 
=== The Concert Hall ===
−
with a fine Von Beckerath organ and seating for 638
+
 
 +
The Concert Hall is a state of the art venue designed to appreciate the acoustics of more musical productions. With a seating capacity of 638, the venue allows audiences to experience top-quality melodious sounds.
  
 
=== The Studio ===
 
=== The Studio ===
  
−
The intimate '''[[Studio Theatre]]''' with 172 seats. (Later renamed ther '''[[Golden Arrow Studio]]''' Theatre after its sponsor, and after that the '''[[Sanlam Studio Theatre]]''' or simply '''[[Sanlam Studio]]''')
+
The Studio is designed as an innovative, adaptable space that can be modified to different layouts to fit the requirements of each production of event. The intimate '''[[Studio Theatre]]''' has maximum capacity of 172 seats. (Later renamed ther '''[[Golden Arrow Studio]]''' Theatre after its sponsor, and after that the '''[[Sanlam Studio Theatre]]''' or simply '''[[Sanlam Studio]]''')
  
−
=== Restaurant and Bar ===
+
===[[The Flipside]]===
  
−
=== The Bookstall ===
+
Uses the stage of the Theatre, with the audience sitting in the rear stage area, 224 seats.
  
−
The [[Baxter Theatre Centre]] has a bookstall, situated in the main foyer, which specialises in play scripts and texts that have a theatrical connection, but also stocks novels, poetry, short stories and children's books, amongst other genres. Also on sale are CDs and DVDs, as well as branded Baxter merchandise such as T-shirts, sweatshirts, peaked caps and lanyards.
+
===[[Masambe Theatre]]===
  
−
There are well over 100 different titles on sale, including the scripts of several plays by Athol Fugard, and a number of other South African plays such as John Kani's Nothing But the Truth and Lara Foot Newton's Hear and Now. There are also classics such as Waiting for Godot and various Shakespeare plays, as well as other books such as Primo Time, Antony Sher's account of how Primo came to be written.  
+
The Masambe is a space designed for more intimate audiences, often used for the purposes of giving new theatre-makers a platform to showcase their work. The venue entrance for audiences is situated at the parking of the Baxter Theatre Centre. Entrance to the theatre is through a foyer area that leads to an auditorium with a seating capacity of 60.  
  
−
DVDs on sale include District Six, Karoo Kitaar Blues, Joe Barber and Marc Lottering's Big Stakes and Slap Chips and Hallelujah, and there is the CD of Ghoema, amongst others.
+
===Additional spaces===
 +
 
 +
'''Restaurant and Bar'''
 +
 
 +
'''The Bookstall'''
 +
 
 +
At one stage, the [[Baxter Theatre Centre]] had a bookstall, situated in the main foyer, which specialised in play scripts and texts that have a theatrical connection. Also on sale were CDs and DVDs, as well as branded Baxter merchandise such as T-shirts, sweatshirts, peaked caps and lanyards.
 +
 
 +
'''Baxter Garden'''
 +
 
 +
The [[Baxter Theatre]]’s excavated garden is a beautiful offering for a perfect wedding or event. Right in the middle of Rondebosch with beautiful lawns and trees as well as terraces and plenty of space for dancing! It can facilitate up to 1000 guests.
  
 
== Companies ==
 
== Companies ==
  
 +
=== [[Baxter Theatre Company]] ===
 +
 +
=== [[Baxter Theatre Children's Company]] ===
 +
 +
= Productions staged in the Baxter Theatre Centre=
 +
 +
==First decade (1977-1987)==
 +
 +
===Baxter Theatre===
 +
 +
===Baxter Concert Hall===
 +
 +
===Baxter Studio===
 +
 +
1977: It opened with a production of  Leonard Bernstein’s Candide, directed by Mavis Taylor and starring Mark Baker and Roxanne Folley. Pieter Toerien staged The Deep Blue Sea, directed by [[Joan Kemp-Welch]] and starring [[Helen Cherry]] and [[James Faulkner]] in 1977.
 +
 +
1979: Barney Simon directed Cincinatti – Scenes from City Life starring Vanessa Cooke, Marcel van Heerden, Danny Keogh, Lesley Nott, Barrie Shah, Thoko Ntshinga, Bo Petersen, Sam Williams and Robin Smith for The Company here in1979. Alan Ayckbourn’s trilogy, The Norman Conquests, separately titled Table Manners, Living Together and Round and Round the Garden, was staged here in 1979.
 +
 +
1980: Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, directed by Donald Howarth and starring John Kani, Winston Ntshona and Pieter-Dirk Uys was staged here in 1980. Ronald Harwood’s The Dresser starring Michael Atkinson, Michael McCabe, Shelagh Holliday, Paddy Canavan, Lynne Maree and Simon Swindell and directed by Leonard Schach was staged here in November 1980.
 +
 +
1981: In collaboration with the Market Theatre they staged Stephen Gray’s Cold Stone Jug, based on the book by H.C.Bosman, and directed by Barney Simon in 1981. The Academy  hosted the Baxter production of Seer in the Suburbs, the English translation of P.G. du Plessis’ Siener in die Suburbs starring Dale Cutts, Trudie Taljaard, Bo Petersen and Marcel van Heerden in 1981.
 +
 +
1982: Pieter Toerien and Shirley Firth staged their last joint production at the Intimate in September 1982 namely the Baxter Theatre production of Robert Kirby’s It’s a Boy starring Dale Cutts, Bo Petersen and James Irwin with direction by Keith Grenville.
  
−
=== [[Baxter Theatre Company]] ===
+
1983: A.R.Gurney Jr’s The Dining Room starring Gordon Mullholand, Amanda Strydom, Ralph Lawson and Patricia Sanders with direction by Bobby Heaney was staged here circa 1983. Pieter Toerien presented Agnes of God starring Fiona Ramsay, Pauline Bailey and Lena Ferugia and directed by Nikolas Simmonds here in 1983 before moving to the Alhambra. Julian Mitchell’s Another Country starring Sean Taylor, Neil McCarthy, Jeremy Crutchley and John Carson, directed by Nikolas Simmonds with lighting design by Pip Marshall opened here on 17 June 1983 before this Baxter production moved to the Market with minor cast changes in July. Keith Grenville directed Anyone for Denis? starring John Lesley and Erica Rogers at the Academy in 1983.
 +
 
 +
1984: They presented The Importance of Being Oscar starring Michael Atkinson, and Aleksei Arbuzov’s Old-World starring Zoe Randall and John Carson and directed by Rosalie van der Gucht, at the Leonard Rayne in 1984. Graham Wright brought the Baxter’s production of Steven Berkoff’s Decadence starring Bo Petersen and John Maytham (replacing Fiona Ramsay and Henry Goodman who had played the roles in Cape Town) with direction by Ron Smerczak to the Wits Theatre in 1984 after it ran at the Durban Alhambra.
 +
 
 +
1985: Bobby Heaney’s production of Strindberg’s Miss Julie starring Sandra Prinsloo and John Kani originated here and went to the Market in February 1985. Robin Levetan’s Skyf starring Sean Taylor originated here before playing at Upstairs at the Market in May 1985.
 +
 
 +
1986: Steven Berkoff’s Greek, directed by Mavis Taylor and Keith Grenville’s Not About Heroes, for Volute Productions was staged here in 1986.
 +
 
 +
1987: Esther van Ryswyk’s production of Hallo en Koebaai originated here circa 1987. David Kramer and Taliep Petersen’s musical District Six – The Musical ran here for six months in 1987.
 +
 
 +
==Second decade (1988-1998)==
 +
 
 +
1988: They staged Every Good Boy Deserves Favour starring Ralph Lawson, Roger Dwyer and the Cape Town Symphony Orchestra in 1988. Max Collie performed here circa1988.
 +
 
 +
1989: Fred Abrahamse’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream was staged at the Market through a Market-Baxter-Handspring Puppet Company collaboration in 1989.
 +
 
 +
1990: They presented Guys and Dolls over the festive season in 1990. Pieter-Dirk Uys starred in his satire An Evening with Evita Bezuidenhout during the same time. 
 +
 
 +
1993: Leonard Schach’s Baxter production of Beecham was staged at the Civic’s Youth Theatre in 1993.
 +
 
 +
1994: Paul Slabolepszy’s Pale Natives was staged here in circa 1994.
 +
 
 +
==Productions produced by the Baxter Theatre==
 +
 
 +
===Touring productions (2009-)===
 +
 
 +
The following Baxter productions toured nationally and internationally:
 +
 
 +
2009: ''[[The Tempest]]'' (UK tour), ''[[Sister Breyani]]'' ([[KKNK]]), ''[[Karoo Moose]]'' (London), ''[[I Am My Own Wife]]'' ([[National Arts Festival]])
 +
 
 +
2010: ''[[Afrikaaps]]'' ([[KKNK]]), ''[[Karoo Moose]]'' ([[National Arts Festival]])
 +
 
 +
2011: ''[[Purgatorio]]'' ([[National Arts Festival]]), ''[[Lovaffair]]'' ([[National Arts Festival]])
 +
 
 +
2012: ''[[Doodsnikke]]'' ([[KKNK]]), ''[[Mies Julie]]'' ([[National Arts Festival]]; Edinburgh Festival, Scotland; [[State Theatre]]; St. Ann’s Warehouse, New York), ''[[Vocal is Lekka]]'' (Edinburgh Festival, Scotland)
 +
 
 +
2013: ''[[Mies Julie]]'' ([[Market Theatre]]; Riverside Studios, London; Galway Arts Festival, Ireland; Tampere Festival, Finland; Oxford Playhouse, UK; Shakespeare Company, Washington, USA; Boston, USA), ''[[Solomon and Marion]]'' ([[Theatre on the Square]]; Edinburgh Festival, UK; [[Hilton Arts Festival]]), ''[[The List]]'' ([[Hilton Arts Festival]])
 +
 
 +
2014: ''[[Mies Julie]]'' (Perth International Arts Festival, Australia; Hong Kong Arts Festival, China; The Cultch, Vancouver, Canada; Place des Arts, Montreal, Canada; Harbourfront Theatre, Toronto, Canada; The Singapore Repertory Theatre, Singapore), ''[[Solomon and Marion]]'' (Kennedy Centre, Washington, USA; Birmingham Repertory Theatre, UK; The Print Room, London, UK), ''[[Fishers of Hope]]'' ([[National Arts Festival]]), [[John Kani]]’s ''[[Missing...]]'' ([[Market Theatre]], [[Macufe Festival]], [[PE Opera House]]), ''[[The Champion]]'' ([[Galloway Theatre]], [[Waterfront Theatre School]], [[Cape Town Fringe]]), ''[[Secret Flames]]'' ([[Galloway Theatre]], [[Waterfront Theatre School]], [[Cape Town Fringe]]), ''[[Worst of Both Worlds]]'' ([[Cape Town City Hall]], [[Cape Town Fringe]])
  
 +
2015: ''[[Mies Julie]]'' (The Bergen International Festival, Norway; Hellenic Festival SA, Athens, Greece), ''[[Fishers of Hope]]'' ([[State Theatre]], Pretoria; Wiener Festwochen, Vienna, Austria; 18th Internationale Schillertage, Mannheim, Germany; [[Playhouse Theatre]], Durban), [[John Kani]]’s ''[[Missing...]]'' ([[Playhouse Theatre]], Durban; [[State Theatre]], Pretoria), ''[[Born in the RSA]]'' ([[National Arts Festival]], [[Hilton Arts Festival]]), ''[[Blue Orange]]'' ([[Hilton Arts Festival]]).
  
 +
2016: ''[[Mies Julie]]'' (Bouffes du Nord, France), ''[[Missing...]]'' (Iberoamerican Festival, Bogota, Colombia; [[Artscape]], Cape Town), [[Reza de Wet]]’s ''[[Missing]]'' ([[Woordfees]], Stellenbosch), ''[[The Inconvenience of Wings]]'' ([[National Arts Festival]]), ''[[Karoo Moose]]'' ([[National Arts Festival]]), ''[[Tshepang]]'' ([[National Arts Festival]])
  
 +
2017: ''[[The Fall]]'' ([[Woordfees]], Stellenbosch; Assembly Festival, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Scotland; Royal Court Theatre, London, UK), ''[[Mies Julie]]'' (Toronto, Canada; Assembly Festival, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Scotland), ''[[Karoo Moose]]'' ([[Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees]], Oudtshoorn; Cradle of Creativity, [[Artscape]], Cape Town; Assembly Festival, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Scotland; [[Hilton Arts Festival]], Durban; [[National Arts Festival]]), ''[[The Inconvenience of Wings]]'' ([[Market Theatre]], Johannesburg; Assembly Festival, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Scotland; [[Hilton Arts Festival]], Durban), ''[[Tshepang - The Third Testament]]'' (Assembly Festival, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Scotland), ''[[Tobacco]]'' (Assembly Festival, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Scotland).
  
−
=== [[Baxter Theatre Children's Company]] ===
+
2018: ''[[The Inconvenience of Wings]]'' ([[Market Theatre]], Edinburgh Festival Fringe, [[Hilton Arts Festival]]), ''[[Karoo Moose]]'' (Pittsburgh, USA), ''[[Tshepang]]'' ([[Jo'burg Theatre]]), ''[[The Fall]]'' (New York, USA; [[State Theatre]], Galway Festival, Ireland; Melbourne, Australia; Carre-Colonnes Festival, Bordeaux, France; Washington DC, USA)
  
−
== Staff and management ==
+
2019: ''[[Endgame]]'' ([[Woordfees]]), ''[[Kamphoer: Die verhaal van Susan Nell]]'' ([[Vrystaat Kunstefees]], [[Artscape Women’s Humanity Arts Festival]], [[Aardklop]])
  
−
The founding director was [[John Slemon]] (1977-1995), followed by  [[Rodney Phillips]] (1996-1999) and [[Mannie Manim]] (2000-2009) and Lara Foot (2010-).
+
2021: ''[[Life and Times of Michael K]]'' (Germany)
  
 +
2022: [[Best of Zabalaza]]: ''[[Hostel Lights]]'' & ''[[Back to Ashes]]'' ([[George Arts Theatre]]), ''[[Kiss of the Spider Woman]]'' ([[KKNK]]), ''[[Life and Times of Michael K]]'' (Germany and Luxembourg)
  
−
In 2009 the staff was as follows:
+
2024: ''[[Life and Times of Michael K]]'' (China), ''[[Othello]]'' ([[Woordfees]])
  
−
Administrative Director [[Stephen Jaffe]]
+
= Projects =
−
Associate Producer & Planning Manager [[Nicolette Moses]]
 
−
Marketing Manager [[Fahiem Stellenboom]]
 
−
Production Manager [[Patrick Curtis]]
 
−
Administrator and Webmaster [[Linda Louw]]
 
−
Fundraising and Sponsorship Manager [[Johann Davis]]
 
−
Front of House Managers [[Maeve Slemon]], [[Lizette Nyathi]] 
 
−
Sales and Block Bookings Sharon Alexander, Carmen Kearns
 
  
−
== Productions ==
+
==[[Baxter Theatre New Writing Programme]] (1997-2000)==
  
 +
The [[Baxter Theatre Centre]] has a proud history of commissioning new South African plays. In 1997, however, the first formalised steps were taken to create what became the Baxter Theatre's New Writing Programme, run by [[Roy Sargeant]]. Works that bear testimony to the success of the New Writing Programme include: ''[[Coloured Son X]]'', ''[[As the Koekie Crumbles]]'', ''[[Suip!]]'' and ''[[Glassroots]]''. These four plays were published as ''2 + 2 Plays: Plays from the Baxter Theatre Centre's New Writing Programm''e in 2000 by Compress.
  
−
It opened with a production of  Leonard Bernstein’s Candide, directed by Mavis Taylor and starring Mark Baker and Roxanne Folley. Pieter Toerien staged The Deep Blue Sea, directed by [[Joan Kemp-Welch]] and starring [[Helen Cherry]] and [[James Faulkner]] in 1977. Barney Simon directed Cincinatti – Scenes from City Life starring Vanessa Cooke, Marcel van Heerden, Danny Keogh, Lesley Nott, Barrie Shah, Thoko Ntshinga, Bo Petersen, Sam Williams and Robin Smith for The Company here in1979. Alan Ayckbourn’s trilogy, The Norman Conquests, separately titled Table Manners, Living Together and Round and Round the Garden, was staged here in 1979. Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, directed by Donald Howarth and starring John Kani, Winston Ntshona and Pieter-Dirk Uys was staged here in 1980. Ronald Harwood’s The Dresser starring Michael Atkinson, Michael McCabe, Shelagh Holliday, Paddy Canavan, Lynne Maree and Simon Swindell and directed by Leonard Schach was staged here in November 1980. In collaboration with the Market Theatre they staged Stephen Gray’s Cold Stone Jug, based on the book by H.C.Bosman, and directed by Barney Simon in 1981. The Academy  hosted the Baxter production of Seer in the Suburbs, the English translation of P.G. du Plessis’ Siener in die Suburbs starring Dale Cutts, Trudie Taljaard, Bo Petersen and Marcel van Heerden in 1981. Pieter Toerien and Shirley Firth staged their last joint production at the Intimate in September 1982 namely the Baxter Theatre production of Robert Kirby’s It’s a Boy starring Dale Cutts, Bo Petersen and James Irwin with direction by Keith Grenville. A.R.Gurney Jr’s The Dining Room starring Gordon Mullholand, Amanda Strydom, Ralph Lawson and Patricia Sanders with direction by Bobby Heaney was staged here circa 1983. Pieter Toerien presented Agnes of God starring Fiona Ramsay, Pauline Bailey and Lena Ferugia and directed by Nikolas Simmonds here in 1983 before moving to the Alhambra. Julian Mitchell’s Another Country starring Sean Taylor, Neil McCarthy, Jeremy Crutchley and John Carson, directed by Nikolas Simmonds with lighting design by Pip Marshall opened here on 17 June 1983 before this Baxter production moved to the Market with minor cast changes in July. Keith Grenville directed Anyone for Denis? starring John Lesley and Erica Rogers at the Academy in 1983. They presented The Importance of Being Oscar starring Michael Atkinson, and Aleksei Arbuzov’s Old-World starring Zoe Randall and John Carson and directed by Rosalie van der Gucht, at the Leonard Rayne in 1984. Graham Wright brought the Baxter’s production of Steven Berkoff’s Decadence starring Bo Petersen and John Maytham (replacing Fiona Ramsay and Henry Goodman who had played the roles in Cape Town) with direction by Ron Smerczak to the Wits Theatre in 1984 after it ran at the Durban Alhambra. Bobby Heaney’s production of Strindberg’s Miss Julie starring Sandra Prinsloo and John Kani originated here and went to the Market in February 1985. Robin Levetan’s Skyf starring Sean Taylor originated here before playing at Upstairs at the Market in May 1985. Steven Berkoff’s Greek, directed by Mavis Taylor and Keith Grenville’s Not About Heroes, for Volute Productions was staged here in 1986. Esther van Ryswyk’s production of Hallo en Koebaai originated here circa 1987. David Kramer and Taliep Petersen’s musical District Six – The Musical ran here for six months in 1987. They staged Every Good Boy Deserves Favour starring Ralph Lawson, Roger Dwyer and the Cape Town Symphony Orchestra in 1988. Max Collie performed here circa1988. Fred Abrahamse’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream was staged at the Market through a Market-Baxter-Handspring Puppet Company collaboration in 1989. They presented Guys and Dolls over the festive season in 1990. Pieter-Dirk Uys starred in his satire An Evening with Evita Bezuidenhout during the same time.  Leonard Schach’s Baxter production of Beecham was staged at the Civic’s Youth Theatre in 1993. Paul Slabolepszy’s Pale Natives was staged here in circa 1994. *** (Tucker, 1997)
+
The programme moved to [[Artscape]] in 2001.
  
−
== Projects ==
+
== '''Ikhwezi''' (1998-2010) ==
  
−
===[[New Writing Programme]] (1997-2000)===
+
In an effort to encourage skills development, the [[Baxter Theatre Centre]] began the [[Ikhwezi Outreach Programme]] in 1998, an empowerment project which culminates in the [[Ikhwezi Theatre Festival]] each year. The programme was redeveloped and rebranded as the [[Zabalaza Theatre Festival]] in 2011.
  
−
Run by [[Roy Sargeant]]. The programme moved to [[Artscape]] in 2001.
+
'''For more information, see [[Ikhwezi Outreach Programme]] and [[Ikhwezi Theatre Festival]].'''
  
−
=== [[Ikhwezi]] (1998-2010) ===
+
== [[Baxter Theatre|Play>Ground Performed Readings]] ==
  
−
See [[Ikhwezi Outreach Programme]] and [[Ikhwezi Theatre Festival]]
+
'''Play>Ground''' is a series of rehearsed play readings which provides a space for actors, directors and audiences to experience the very best of both local and international scripts performed by the cream of Cape Town's actors. Discussions about all the works after the performances are welcomed, stimulating cultural debate and encouraging audiences to develop their critical theatre awareness.
  
−
=== [[Baxter Theatre|Play>Ground Performed Readings]] ===
+
2006: ''[[Conversations after a Burial]]'' (performed by [[Stephen Jennings]], [[Lara Bye]] and [[Warrick Grier]]), ''[[Hay Fever]]'' (directed by [[Geoffrey Hyland]]), ''[[Blue Orange]]'' (directed by [[Royston Stoffels]]) and ''[[Four Women - End of the Floetics]]'' (by [[Soubize Smith]], [[Muna Hussen]] and [[Leeanne Stoddart]]).
  
−
===[[Zabalaza Theatre Festival]] (2011-)===
+
==[[Zabalaza Theatre Festival]] (2011-)==
  
−
See [[Zabalaza Theatre Festival]]
+
This is a community theatre festival which showcases community productions from all over the Western Cape, in an effort to develop local artistry.
  
−
== Sources ==
+
'''For more information, see [[Zabalaza Theatre Festival]].'''
  
−
[[Baxter Theatre Centre]] website at http://www.baxter.co.za/
+
= Sources =
  
 
https://www.thebaxter.xyz/
 
https://www.thebaxter.xyz/
 +
 +
https://baxter.uct.ac.za
  
 
[[Brian Barrow]] and  [[Yvonne Williams-Short]] (eds.). 1988. ''Theatre Alive! The Baxter Story 1977-1987''. Cape Town: The [[Baxter Theatre]].  
 
[[Brian Barrow]] and  [[Yvonne Williams-Short]] (eds.). 1988. ''Theatre Alive! The Baxter Story 1977-1987''. Cape Town: The [[Baxter Theatre]].  
Line 98: Line 203:
 
[[Vera de Hen]] 1998. ''Baxter 21''. Cape Town: Primavera Publications.  
 
[[Vera de Hen]] 1998. ''Baxter 21''. Cape Town: Primavera Publications.  
  
−
[[Percy Tucker]], 1997;
+
[[Percy Tucker]], 1997
 +
 
 +
https://www.news.uct.ac.za/article/embed/feed/-2006-10-09-baxter-playground-series-kick-starts-new-season?notitle=1
  
 
Go to [[South African Theatre/Bibliography]]
 
Go to [[South African Theatre/Bibliography]]
Line 107: Line 214:
  
 
== Return to ==
 
== Return to ==
−
 
  
 
Return to [[South_African_Theatre/Venues|South African Theatre Venues, Companies, Societies, etc ]]
 
Return to [[South_African_Theatre/Venues|South African Theatre Venues, Companies, Societies, etc ]]

Latest revision as of 22:19, 2 April 2025

The Baxter Theatre is a theatre venue situated on the University of Cape Town campus, on Main Road Rondebosch.

Today the venue as a whole is known as the Baxter Theatre Centre while the main theatre is often referred to as the Baxter Theatre.

Overview

The Baxter Theatre Centre is a vibrant, multicultural entertainment hub in the Southern Suburbs of Cape Town. Nestled under the striking Devil’s Peak mountain and at the foot of the University of Cape Town, the Baxter boasts a world-class theatre and concert hall, as well as a studio stage, rehearsal rooms, offices, a restaurant and bars and an impressive spacious foyer.

Built in 1976, the Baxter was a pillar of hope during the apartheid era. By leveraging its strong relationship with UCT, the theatre was able to present multiracial, progressive work at a time when all other non-racial interactivity was banned or censored. The first interracial kiss ever on a South African stage took place during the Baxter’s first production of Miss Julie in 1985.

The Centre is within walking distance of the vibrant student shopping centre of Rondebosch. Coffee shops, gyms, restaurants are easily accessible and the railway station is only minutes away.

History

Designed by Jack Barnett, opened on 1 August 1977, it came into being as the result of a bequest from the late Dr W. Duncan Baxter who, in his will, bequeathed an amount of money to the University of Cape Town for the purpose of establishing a theatre which would, in the words of Dr Baxter, "develop and cultivate the arts in Cape Town and the adjacent districts". Renamed the Baxter Theatre Centre in 19**.

Since its opening in 1977 the complex has continued to provide a stage for all types of professional entertainment - music, drama, ballet, opera and intimate theatre. Even through the difficult years of racial segregation its doors remained open to everyone and it thrived, drawing on indigenous talent and creating a uniquely South African theatre tradition.

Staff and management

The founding director was John Slemon (1977-1995), followed by Rodney Phillips (1996-1999) and Mannie Manim (2000-2009) and Lara Foot (2010-).

Staff

2009:

Administrative Director Stephen Jaffe Associate Producer & Planning Manager Nicolette Moses Marketing Manager Fahiem Stellenboom Production Manager Patrick Curtis Administrator and Webmaster Linda Louw Fundraising and Sponsorship Manager Johann Davis Front of House Managers Maeve Slemon, Lizette Nyathi Sales and Block Bookings Sharon Alexander, Carmen Kearns

2025:

CEO & Artistic Director Lara Foot Finance & Operations Manager Jeremy Blackburn Planning (Renting the Baxter venues for events) Libie Nel Planning (Producers & Productions) Beth Jeffery Marketing Manager Fahiem Stellenboom Production Manager Marisa Steenkamp Sales & Digital Marketing Manager Mark Antony Dobson Zabalaza Theatre Festival Mdu Kweyama Sales & Block Bookings Carmen Kearns

Facilities

The Baxter Theatre Centre consists of five performance venues:

The Theatre

The largest venue in the complex, with 684 seats.

In 2022 the theatre was refurbished and renamed The Pam Golding Theatre, after the founder and life president of Pam Golding Properties, as part of the company's five-year sponsorship of the Baxter Theatre.

The Concert Hall

The Concert Hall is a state of the art venue designed to appreciate the acoustics of more musical productions. With a seating capacity of 638, the venue allows audiences to experience top-quality melodious sounds.

The Studio

The Studio is designed as an innovative, adaptable space that can be modified to different layouts to fit the requirements of each production of event. The intimate Studio Theatre has maximum capacity of 172 seats. (Later renamed ther Golden Arrow Studio Theatre after its sponsor, and after that the Sanlam Studio Theatre or simply Sanlam Studio)

The Flipside

Uses the stage of the Theatre, with the audience sitting in the rear stage area, 224 seats.

Masambe Theatre

The Masambe is a space designed for more intimate audiences, often used for the purposes of giving new theatre-makers a platform to showcase their work. The venue entrance for audiences is situated at the parking of the Baxter Theatre Centre. Entrance to the theatre is through a foyer area that leads to an auditorium with a seating capacity of 60.

Additional spaces

Restaurant and Bar

The Bookstall

At one stage, the Baxter Theatre Centre had a bookstall, situated in the main foyer, which specialised in play scripts and texts that have a theatrical connection. Also on sale were CDs and DVDs, as well as branded Baxter merchandise such as T-shirts, sweatshirts, peaked caps and lanyards.

Baxter Garden

The Baxter Theatre’s excavated garden is a beautiful offering for a perfect wedding or event. Right in the middle of Rondebosch with beautiful lawns and trees as well as terraces and plenty of space for dancing! It can facilitate up to 1000 guests.

Companies

Baxter Theatre Company

Baxter Theatre Children's Company

Productions staged in the Baxter Theatre Centre

First decade (1977-1987)

Baxter Theatre

Baxter Concert Hall

Baxter Studio

1977: It opened with a production of Leonard Bernstein’s Candide, directed by Mavis Taylor and starring Mark Baker and Roxanne Folley. Pieter Toerien staged The Deep Blue Sea, directed by Joan Kemp-Welch and starring Helen Cherry and James Faulkner in 1977.

1979: Barney Simon directed Cincinatti – Scenes from City Life starring Vanessa Cooke, Marcel van Heerden, Danny Keogh, Lesley Nott, Barrie Shah, Thoko Ntshinga, Bo Petersen, Sam Williams and Robin Smith for The Company here in1979. Alan Ayckbourn’s trilogy, The Norman Conquests, separately titled Table Manners, Living Together and Round and Round the Garden, was staged here in 1979.

1980: Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, directed by Donald Howarth and starring John Kani, Winston Ntshona and Pieter-Dirk Uys was staged here in 1980. Ronald Harwood’s The Dresser starring Michael Atkinson, Michael McCabe, Shelagh Holliday, Paddy Canavan, Lynne Maree and Simon Swindell and directed by Leonard Schach was staged here in November 1980.

1981: In collaboration with the Market Theatre they staged Stephen Gray’s Cold Stone Jug, based on the book by H.C.Bosman, and directed by Barney Simon in 1981. The Academy hosted the Baxter production of Seer in the Suburbs, the English translation of P.G. du Plessis’ Siener in die Suburbs starring Dale Cutts, Trudie Taljaard, Bo Petersen and Marcel van Heerden in 1981.

1982: Pieter Toerien and Shirley Firth staged their last joint production at the Intimate in September 1982 namely the Baxter Theatre production of Robert Kirby’s It’s a Boy starring Dale Cutts, Bo Petersen and James Irwin with direction by Keith Grenville.

1983: A.R.Gurney Jr’s The Dining Room starring Gordon Mullholand, Amanda Strydom, Ralph Lawson and Patricia Sanders with direction by Bobby Heaney was staged here circa 1983. Pieter Toerien presented Agnes of God starring Fiona Ramsay, Pauline Bailey and Lena Ferugia and directed by Nikolas Simmonds here in 1983 before moving to the Alhambra. Julian Mitchell’s Another Country starring Sean Taylor, Neil McCarthy, Jeremy Crutchley and John Carson, directed by Nikolas Simmonds with lighting design by Pip Marshall opened here on 17 June 1983 before this Baxter production moved to the Market with minor cast changes in July. Keith Grenville directed Anyone for Denis? starring John Lesley and Erica Rogers at the Academy in 1983.

1984: They presented The Importance of Being Oscar starring Michael Atkinson, and Aleksei Arbuzov’s Old-World starring Zoe Randall and John Carson and directed by Rosalie van der Gucht, at the Leonard Rayne in 1984. Graham Wright brought the Baxter’s production of Steven Berkoff’s Decadence starring Bo Petersen and John Maytham (replacing Fiona Ramsay and Henry Goodman who had played the roles in Cape Town) with direction by Ron Smerczak to the Wits Theatre in 1984 after it ran at the Durban Alhambra.

1985: Bobby Heaney’s production of Strindberg’s Miss Julie starring Sandra Prinsloo and John Kani originated here and went to the Market in February 1985. Robin Levetan’s Skyf starring Sean Taylor originated here before playing at Upstairs at the Market in May 1985.

1986: Steven Berkoff’s Greek, directed by Mavis Taylor and Keith Grenville’s Not About Heroes, for Volute Productions was staged here in 1986.

1987: Esther van Ryswyk’s production of Hallo en Koebaai originated here circa 1987. David Kramer and Taliep Petersen’s musical District Six – The Musical ran here for six months in 1987.

Second decade (1988-1998)

1988: They staged Every Good Boy Deserves Favour starring Ralph Lawson, Roger Dwyer and the Cape Town Symphony Orchestra in 1988. Max Collie performed here circa1988.

1989: Fred Abrahamse’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream was staged at the Market through a Market-Baxter-Handspring Puppet Company collaboration in 1989.

1990: They presented Guys and Dolls over the festive season in 1990. Pieter-Dirk Uys starred in his satire An Evening with Evita Bezuidenhout during the same time.

1993: Leonard Schach’s Baxter production of Beecham was staged at the Civic’s Youth Theatre in 1993.

1994: Paul Slabolepszy’s Pale Natives was staged here in circa 1994.

Productions produced by the Baxter Theatre

Touring productions (2009-)

The following Baxter productions toured nationally and internationally:

2009: The Tempest (UK tour), Sister Breyani (KKNK), Karoo Moose (London), I Am My Own Wife (National Arts Festival)

2010: Afrikaaps (KKNK), Karoo Moose (National Arts Festival)

2011: Purgatorio (National Arts Festival), Lovaffair (National Arts Festival)

2012: Doodsnikke (KKNK), Mies Julie (National Arts Festival; Edinburgh Festival, Scotland; State Theatre; St. Ann’s Warehouse, New York), Vocal is Lekka (Edinburgh Festival, Scotland)

2013: Mies Julie (Market Theatre; Riverside Studios, London; Galway Arts Festival, Ireland; Tampere Festival, Finland; Oxford Playhouse, UK; Shakespeare Company, Washington, USA; Boston, USA), Solomon and Marion (Theatre on the Square; Edinburgh Festival, UK; Hilton Arts Festival), The List (Hilton Arts Festival)

2014: Mies Julie (Perth International Arts Festival, Australia; Hong Kong Arts Festival, China; The Cultch, Vancouver, Canada; Place des Arts, Montreal, Canada; Harbourfront Theatre, Toronto, Canada; The Singapore Repertory Theatre, Singapore), Solomon and Marion (Kennedy Centre, Washington, USA; Birmingham Repertory Theatre, UK; The Print Room, London, UK), Fishers of Hope (National Arts Festival), John Kani’s Missing... (Market Theatre, Macufe Festival, PE Opera House), The Champion (Galloway Theatre, Waterfront Theatre School, Cape Town Fringe), Secret Flames (Galloway Theatre, Waterfront Theatre School, Cape Town Fringe), Worst of Both Worlds (Cape Town City Hall, Cape Town Fringe)

2015: Mies Julie (The Bergen International Festival, Norway; Hellenic Festival SA, Athens, Greece), Fishers of Hope (State Theatre, Pretoria; Wiener Festwochen, Vienna, Austria; 18th Internationale Schillertage, Mannheim, Germany; Playhouse Theatre, Durban), John Kani’s Missing... (Playhouse Theatre, Durban; State Theatre, Pretoria), Born in the RSA (National Arts Festival, Hilton Arts Festival), Blue Orange (Hilton Arts Festival).

2016: Mies Julie (Bouffes du Nord, France), Missing... (Iberoamerican Festival, Bogota, Colombia; Artscape, Cape Town), Reza de Wet’s Missing (Woordfees, Stellenbosch), The Inconvenience of Wings (National Arts Festival), Karoo Moose (National Arts Festival), Tshepang (National Arts Festival)

2017: The Fall (Woordfees, Stellenbosch; Assembly Festival, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Scotland; Royal Court Theatre, London, UK), Mies Julie (Toronto, Canada; Assembly Festival, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Scotland), Karoo Moose (Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees, Oudtshoorn; Cradle of Creativity, Artscape, Cape Town; Assembly Festival, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Scotland; Hilton Arts Festival, Durban; National Arts Festival), The Inconvenience of Wings (Market Theatre, Johannesburg; Assembly Festival, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Scotland; Hilton Arts Festival, Durban), Tshepang - The Third Testament (Assembly Festival, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Scotland), Tobacco (Assembly Festival, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Scotland).

2018: The Inconvenience of Wings (Market Theatre, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Hilton Arts Festival), Karoo Moose (Pittsburgh, USA), Tshepang (Jo'burg Theatre), The Fall (New York, USA; State Theatre, Galway Festival, Ireland; Melbourne, Australia; Carre-Colonnes Festival, Bordeaux, France; Washington DC, USA)

2019: Endgame (Woordfees), Kamphoer: Die verhaal van Susan Nell (Vrystaat Kunstefees, Artscape Women’s Humanity Arts Festival, Aardklop)

2021: Life and Times of Michael K (Germany)

2022: Best of Zabalaza: Hostel Lights & Back to Ashes (George Arts Theatre), Kiss of the Spider Woman (KKNK), Life and Times of Michael K (Germany and Luxembourg)

2024: Life and Times of Michael K (China), Othello (Woordfees)

Projects

Baxter Theatre New Writing Programme (1997-2000)

The Baxter Theatre Centre has a proud history of commissioning new South African plays. In 1997, however, the first formalised steps were taken to create what became the Baxter Theatre's New Writing Programme, run by Roy Sargeant. Works that bear testimony to the success of the New Writing Programme include: Coloured Son X, As the Koekie Crumbles, Suip! and Glassroots. These four plays were published as 2 + 2 Plays: Plays from the Baxter Theatre Centre's New Writing Programme in 2000 by Compress.

The programme moved to Artscape in 2001.

Ikhwezi (1998-2010)

In an effort to encourage skills development, the Baxter Theatre Centre began the Ikhwezi Outreach Programme in 1998, an empowerment project which culminates in the Ikhwezi Theatre Festival each year. The programme was redeveloped and rebranded as the Zabalaza Theatre Festival in 2011.

For more information, see Ikhwezi Outreach Programme and Ikhwezi Theatre Festival.

Play>Ground Performed Readings

Play>Ground is a series of rehearsed play readings which provides a space for actors, directors and audiences to experience the very best of both local and international scripts performed by the cream of Cape Town's actors. Discussions about all the works after the performances are welcomed, stimulating cultural debate and encouraging audiences to develop their critical theatre awareness.

2006: Conversations after a Burial (performed by Stephen Jennings, Lara Bye and Warrick Grier), Hay Fever (directed by Geoffrey Hyland), Blue Orange (directed by Royston Stoffels) and Four Women - End of the Floetics (by Soubize Smith, Muna Hussen and Leeanne Stoddart).

Zabalaza Theatre Festival (2011-)

This is a community theatre festival which showcases community productions from all over the Western Cape, in an effort to develop local artistry.

For more information, see Zabalaza Theatre Festival.

Sources

https://www.thebaxter.xyz/

https://baxter.uct.ac.za

Brian Barrow and Yvonne Williams-Short (eds.). 1988. Theatre Alive! The Baxter Story 1977-1987. Cape Town: The Baxter Theatre.

http://www.news24.com/Entertainment/SouthAfrica/Foot-Newton-new-Baxter-boss-20090720

Vera de Hen 1998. Baxter 21. Cape Town: Primavera Publications.

Percy Tucker, 1997

https://www.news.uct.ac.za/article/embed/feed/-2006-10-09-baxter-playground-series-kick-starts-new-season?notitle=1

Go to South African Theatre/Bibliography

For more information

Go to the Baxter Theatre Centre website at http://www.baxter.co.za/

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