Das Kleine Theater am Kap

Das Kleine Theater am Kap ("The Little Theatre in the Cape") was a Cape Town based German theatre group active in the late 20th century.

Also found as Kleines Theater am Kap in some sources, acronym: KTK.

The company

In mid-1994, Ingrid Harmsen and her husband were posted to the German Consulate General in Cape Town. Ms. Harmsen, who had been engaged in theatre activities for 12 years, saw this as an opportunity to contribute to the cultural life of the Cape. Her goal was to promote the German language and foster interaction between German-speaking South Africans, regardless of race. Her idea was to bring together a small group of German amateur actors to present German plays to the Cape Town public.

Founded as Das Kleine Theater am Kap in January 1995, the company consisted of a group of amateur enthusiasts that included Cape based diplomats, housewives, doctors, teachers, lecturers and business people. The theatre group performed plays in German, usually in the University of Cape Town's Little Theatre.

By 2000 the troupe consisted of 40 to 50 people, of whom about 20 formed the core acting group. They performed approximately two productions a year: a play and an evening of poetry. All of the directors (except for Ingrid Harmsen) came from Germany and would spend about three months in Cape Town preparing the production.

Productions

The plays they did during the initial six years or so were:

Giftgrün (lit. "Poison Green"), a German translation of the English play by Leslie Sands (1995).

So eine Liebe by Pavel Kohout (1995)

Ein Egoist by Franzoise Dorin (1996)

Endspurt by Peter Ustinov (1997)

Brecht-Kontraste (1998)

Frohe Feste by Alan Ayckbourn (1998)

Bunbury oder Wie wichtig es ist enrns zu sein by Oscar Wilde (1999)

Fisch zu Viert - Wolfgang Kohlhaase and Rita Zimmer (2000)

THE WHOLE TEXT STILL TO BE EDITED

GERMAN SOURCES ROUGHLY TRANSLATED

The "Kleine Theater am Kap" (Little Theater at the Cape) is a German amateur theater in Cape Town, South Africa. By 2000 the troupe consisted of 40 to 50 people, of whom about 20 form the core acting group. The KTK performs approximately two productions a year: a play and an evening of poetry. All of the directors to date (except for Ingrid Harmsen) came from Germany and spend about three months in Cape Town preparing the production.

In mid-1994, Ingrid Harmsen and her husband were posted to the German Consulate General in Cape Town. Ms. Harmsen, who had been working in the theater field for 12 years, saw this as an opportunity to contribute to the cultural life of the Cape. Her goal was to promote the German language and foster interaction between German-speaking South Africans, regardless of race. Her idea was to bring together a small group of German amateur actors and present them to the public.

Formally established in 1995, the endeavor proved to be a success and by 2000 the troupe consisted of 40 to 50 people, of whom about 20 form the core acting group. The KTK performs approximately two productions a year: a play and an evening of poetry. All of the directors to date (except for Ingrid Harmsen herself) came from Germany and spend about three months in Cape Town preparing the production.

In the initial six years or so they staged seven productions:

Giftgrün - Leslie Sands (1995) So eine Liebe - Pavel Kohout (1995) Ein Egoist - Franzoise Dorin (1996) Endspurt - Peter Ustinov (1997) Brecht-Kontraste (1998) Frohe Feste - Sir Alan Ayckbourn (1998) Bunbury oder WIE WICHTIG ES IST ERNST ZU SEIN - Oskar Wilde (1999) Fisch zu Viert - Wolfgang Kohlhaase & Rita Zimmer (2000)

. They began with the play "Poison Green." This was followed by "Such a Love," "An Egoist," "Final Sprint," "Brecht - Contrasts," "Happy Holidays," and "Bunbury, or How Important It Is to Be Serious." "Fish for Four" was performed from April 5th to 8th, 2000.

Plays produced include:

Poison Green - Leslie Sands (1995) Such a Love - Pavel Kohout (1995) An Egoist - Franzoise Dorin (1996) Final Sprint - Peter Ustinov (1997) Brecht Contrasts (1998) Happy Holidays - Sir Alan Ayckbourn (1998) The Importance of Being Earnest - Oscar Wilde (1999) Fish for Four - Wolfgang Kohlhaase & Rita Zimmer (2000)

Das "Kleine Theater am Kap" ist ein deutsches Amateurtheater in Kapstadt, Süd Afrika. Die künstlerische Truppe besteht heute aus 40 bis 50 Personen, wovon etwa 20 den schauspielerischen Kern bilden. Das KTK führt im Jahr etwa 2 Stücke vor: ein Schauspiel und ein Lyrikabend. All bisherigen Regisseure (bis auf Ingrid Harmsen) kommen aus Deutschland und verbringen etwa 3 monate am Kap, um das Stück zusammen zustellen.

Mitte 1994 wurden Ingrid Harmsen und ihr Mann an das Deutsche General Konsulat in Kapstadt versetzt. Frau Harmsen, die seit 12 Jahren auf dem Theater gebiet tätig ist, sah hier ihre Chance einiges für das kulturelle Leben am Kap zu unternehmen. Ihr Ziel: Förderung der deutschen Sprache und die Begegnung mit deutsch-sprechenden Südafrikanern, ohne Unterschied der Hautfarbe. Ihre Idee war, eine kleine Gruppe von deutschen Laienschauspielern zusammenzubringen und in der Öffentlichkeit zu präsentieren. Der Versuch gelang. Das "Kleine Theater am Kap" ist heute etabliert und besteht aus etwa 40 bis 50 Personen, wovon etwa 20 den schauspielerischen Kern bilden. In rund 6 Jahren wurden 7 Produktionen aufgeführt. Begonnen wurde mit dem Stück "Giftgrün". Es folgten "So eine Liebe", "Ein Egoist", "Endspurt", "Brecht - Kontraste", "Frohe Feste", "Bunbury oder WIE WICHTIG ES IST ERNST ZU SEIN". "Fisch zu Viert" wurde am 5. - 8. April 2000 aufgeführt. .

Sources

The KTK website (last updated in 2000, now defunct) http://www.ktk.co.za/default.htm

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Importance_of_Being_Earnest

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