Oddfellows Hall

The Oddfellows Hall was the Cape Town lodge constructed for the South African branch of the British fraternity the Independent Order of Oddfellows [1]. Also found written in the American fashion: Odd Fellows Hall, while F.C.L. Bosman (1980) even has the very strange spelling of Odd Fellow's Hall.

It was often used for performances in the 19th century by groups such as Door Yver Bloeit de Kunst, Kunst en Vlyt, De Eendracht, Aurora and

It was briefly renamed a few times, e.g. as the Royal Lyceum Theatre or the New Lyceum Theatre (1870-1872), the Bijou Theatre in 1875 (by Disney Roebuck who had revamped and renamed it for his productions) and in 1876-1878 was at times known as the Athenaeum Hall.

Today the lodge building is part of the South African Parliament Buildings.

Sources

P.W. Laidler. 1926. The Annals of the Cape Stage. Edinburgh: William Bryce: pp. 81,87,

Miemie Neethling, 2002, Cape curtains: a study of selected Cape Town theatres, 1843-1916. Unpublished MA thesis: University of Stellenbosch.

F.C.L. Bosman, 1980. Drama en Toneel in Suid-Afrika, Deel II, 1856-1916. Pretoria: J.L. van Schaik: pp. 252, 276ff., 306ff., 321, 337ff., 371.

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