Loubser Hall

Loubser Hall is the original name of the Little Theatre, a 250-seater venue located in Gqeberha's city centre on the corner of Castle Hill and Athol Fugard Terrace.

The venue formed part of the Athenaeum Society building, today known simply as The Athenaeum.

Later known as the Ford Little Theatre.

Often referred to as PEMADS Little Theatre (PEMADS is the Port Elizabeth Musical and Dramatic Society which was based at the venue for many years.

The building is owned by the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality.

History

Loubser Hall (1901-1945)

Loubser Hall, was opened on April 17, 1901, and formed part of the Athenaeum Society's building. It was named after Matthew Michael Loubser, who was born in the Cape on July 25, 1846. He "fathered" the Athenaeum Club, which in its day was was a great centre of social life, sport and entertainment. He was actively involved with the Gymnastic Club, Eastern Province Cricket Union, Port Elizabeth Amateur Athletic and Cycling Club and the Crusaders Football Club. Loubser was also president of the Port Elizabeth Agricultural Society. He died in Oberhof, Germany, on June 29, 1914.

The Athenaeum became a social club in 1916.

Thanks to the incredible efforts by Harold Davidson, the Port Elizabeth Musical and Dramatic Society (PEMADS) was allowed to use the Loubser Hall for their rehearsals and eventually as a venue for staging their productions as well.

The Little Theatre (1946-1980)

Loubser Hall was converted into a theatre in 1946. Conditions were primitive. Back-stage storage space was non-existent, lighting was barely adequate, and if you had a large cast, conditions became chaotic.

After the facilities were improved the new dressing rooms were considered "no fun" as the team feeling of doing all that costume changing with just a sheet on a line separating the boys from the girls, was gone.

Ford Little Theatre (1980-?)

In November 1977, a car truck backed into the side of the theatre and badly damaged the wall. The wall started bulging outwards towards Castle Hill, leading to fears that the building might collapse and cause serious injury. The City Engineer's Department then condemned the building as unsafe. A spokesman for the department said that any increase in the bulge could lead to the roof collapsing. The wall was then shored up with wooden beams. All productions there were cancelled until the building was repaired. Pemads started an appeal for funds which they called "Save Our Theatre". Repairs were expected to cost R75 000, of which the Ford Motor Company donated R25 000 and the Port Elizabeth Municipality donated R16 000. The balance was raised by selling the theatre's 255 seats to the public for R100 a seat. Ford's managing director, Brian Pitt, said that in addition to providing a permanent home for Pemads, it also would create a venue for other theatrical societies such as PEAAT.

In gratitude to Ford, the hall was renamed the Ford Little Theatre and reopened on Thursday, October 16, 1980, with Deathtrap, directed by Noel Morgan.

PEMADS Little Theatre

In May 2010, the theatre's auditorium was named the Noel Morgan Auditorium, in memory of one of the society's leading members.

In 2012, a full scale renovation for this beloved Little Theatre was done and it now has a complete new look with much upgraded facilities.

Current status

For many years the venue was used by and PEMADS and PEAAT. However, in March 2024, PEMADS announced it was vacating the premises, following several acts of vandalism and high incidence of crime in the area.

Sources

https://www.pemads.co.za

'Pemads salutes theatre stalwart Noel Morgan'. 14 May 2010. Media Update.

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