Barney Simon

Barney Simon (1932-1995) [1] was an artistic director, writer, copywriter, teacher, and co-creator of the Market Theatre in Johannesburg.

One of the most influential figures in South Africa theatre from the 1970s to the 1990s.

Not to be confused with the well known disk jockey and radio personality, Barney Simon (197*-)[2]

Biography

Born in Johannesburg, he began studying architecture at University of the Witwatersrand and later University of Natal, but dropped out before graduating. He had begun writing stories by this time. Went to London in 1959 to study photography and film editing. Inspired by working as a stage hand for Joan Littlewood’s Theatre Workshop at the Theatre Royal, he returned in 1961 to join Union Artists, where he and Ian Bernhardt set up the Phoenix Players. Working as copywriter in the day, he helped at The Rehearsal Room at Dorkay House in the evenings.

Here he met Athol Fugard, helping him with The Blood Knot and directing Fugard in Krapp's Last Tape (Beckett) and the first production of Fugard’s Hello and Goodbye. He also did Phiri (19*) and Edward Albee's The Death of Bessie Smith.

In 1968-1970 he spent time in the USA, directing plays by Fugard. (e.g. Hello and Goodbye with Martin Sheen) and became associated editor of the New York Literary Review.

He returned to South Africa in 1970 on the death of his father, becoming involved with doing health education sketches in rural Transkei and KwaZulu (1973-4), while doing freelance writing and directing for the Space Theatre (e.g directing Medea, writing and directing Miss South Africa) and PACT, where he agreed to work on experimental projects in The Arena. (These included Büchner’s Woyzeck (1973). However, he did not enjoy working in the state funded system as his heart lay in non-racial theatre, therefore he and Mannie Manim set up The Company in 1974, The Market Theatre in 1976 (with Barney as Artistic Director) and the Market Theatre Laboratory.

Barney died in June 1995.

Contribution to SA theatre, film, media and/or performance

Besides his management and educational roles, Simon wrote, workshopped/facilitated and directed an enormous number of plays, among them some of the most iconic South African plays of the 20th century. At times, he also did freelance advertising work for extra income.

As manager/producer

The Company

In 1972, together with Mannie Manim as administrative director he formed The Company as artistic director within the Arena Theatre. It had a core company of actors – Aletta Bezuidenhout, Vanessa Cooke, Leonie Hofmeyr, David Eppel, Judith Cornell, Janice Honeyman, Sue Kiel, Danny Keogh, Lindsay Reardon and John Oakley-Smith.

The Market Theatre

The Company was awarded a tender for a premises in 1975, and in 1976 Simon and Mannie Manim opened The Market Theatre. The official opening of the Market Theatre was on 19 October 1976. Simon's production of Weiss’s Marat/Sade opened the main theatre. Simon became the Artistic Director and a trustee of the Market Theatre Foundation. At the same time, his continuing interest in community theatre and development programmes found expression in projects such as the Winterveld Project (1980) and the Market Theatre Laboratory, which he began in 1989. This was a training facility for young theatre practitioners which produced numerous new works and performers and with whom he worked until his untimely death.

As director

Simon directed a number of plays, including:

1972: Marat/Sade

1972: Sizwe Banzi is Dead (Phoenix Players)

1972: The Maids (PACT, The Space)

1973: Six Characters in Search of an Author(PACT)

1974: Hey Listen! (The Company)

1974: Lysistrata (The Company)

1975: The Crucible (PACT)

1975: Antigone (by Jean Anouilh) (The Company)

1976: Pleasure and Repentance (The Company)

1976: The Seagull (The Company)

1976: Marat/Sade (The Company)

1976: Vroue van Troje (The Company)

1977: Medea (The Space Theatre)

1977: People are Living There (The Company)

1977: Mother Courage (The Company)

1977: Luv (The Company and The Academy)

1979: Call Me Woman (Market Theatre)

1979: Cincinatti – Scenes from City Life (The Company)

1979: The Death of Bessie Smith (The Company)

1979: Statements After an Arrest Under the Immorality Act (The Company)

1980: Savage Love (People's Space)

1981: Woza Albert (the Earth Players in association with The Company)

1984: Black Dog-Inj'emnyama! (Market Theatre)

1985: Born in the RSA (Market Theatre)

1985: Outers (Market Theatre)

1986: The Island (Market Theatre)

1989: Eden and Other Places (Market Theatre)

1990: Starbrites (Market Theatre)

1992: Singing the Times (Market Theatre)

1994: East (Market Theatre)

1994: The Suit (Market Theatre)

1995: The Island (Market Theatre)

. He 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 at The Market in 1979.

He directed Stephen Gray’s Cold Stone Jug for a Market Theatre-Baxter Theatre collaboration in 1981. He directed Woza Albert! developed by Mbongeni Ngema and Percy Mtwa at the Laager in 1981. Together with Janice Honeyman he directed Marico Moonshine and Mampoer, inspired by certain Herman Charles Bosman stories, at the Market Theatre in 1981. His production of Marsha Norman’s 'night, Mother starring Janice Honeyman and Julie Follansbee was staged at the Laager in September 1983.

The Company presented his Black Dog-Inj'emnyama! at Upstairs at the Market in 1984 before going to the Edinburgh Festival.

He created and directed the documentary workshop production Outers at the Market Theatre, with Nicky Rebelo and the cast, which opened in March 1985. The cast consisted of Nicky Rebelo (Klerks), Marius Weyers (Hennie), Gys de Villiers (Bles), Marié Human (Charmaine), Lida Meiring (Auntie Gwen), Marcel van Heerden (Boytie), James Whyle (Richard). Designed by Anita Berman. Lighting design by Mannie Manim.

Together with his cast which included Fiona Ramsay, Vanessa Cooke, Timmy Kwebulana, Gcina Mhlophe, Terry Norton, Thoko Ntshinga and Neil McCarthy he wrote Born in the RSA which opened at Upstairs at the Market in August 1985 before moving to the main theatre.

The Company presented his production of The Dybbuk in 1986. He directed Athol Fugard’s The Blood Knot for PACT in 1988. He directed David Lan’s Flight at the Market Theatre in 1988. His fable, Starbrites, was staged at the Market Theatre in September 1990. He directed Dorfman’s Death and the Maiden at Upstairs at the Market in 1992. He directed Mothobi Mutloatse’s adaptation of The Suit in 1993.

He also directed Happy Days, Oedipus, The Trojan Women.

As stage manager

He acted as assistant stage manager, together with Percy Tucker on James Ambrose Brown’s Governor of the Black Rock which was directed by Leon Gluckman for the East Rand Theatre Club in 1953.

As Playwright

Original plays include:

• Phiri (a black musical version of Volpone, 1972)
• Hey, Listen... (1974)

Adaptations:

• Stephen Gray's Cold Stone Jug (1980)
• Can Themba's The Suit, adapted for the stage by Mothobi Mutloatse and dramatized and directed by Simon (1994).

Collaborations/Workshopped or devised works include:

• People (with the original cast, 1973)
• Storytime (1974)
• Vroue van Troje (The Company, 1976)
• Call Me Woman (with the original cast, 1979)
• Cincinatti – Scenes from City Life (with the original cast, 1979)
• Woza Albert! (with Percy Mtwa and Mbongeni Ngema, 1981)
• Black Dog-Inj'emnyama! (with the original cast, 1984))
• Born in the RSA (with the original cast, 1985)
• Outers (with Nicky Rebelo and the cast, 1985)
• Eden and Other Places (with the original cast, 1989)
• Starbrites (with Handspring Puppet Company, 1990)
• Singing the Times (with the original cast, 1992)
• The Lion and the Lamb (with John Kani, 1993)

His published works include a collection of short stories (Joburg Sis!, 1953), some of which were later dramatized as well, the widely anthologized Woza Albert! and Born in the RSA: Four Workshopped Plays (1997).

Awards, etc

He won best director at the DALRO Awards for Cincinatti – Scenes from City Life.

He was honoured with a Vita Award (National), award year 1994-1995. (Moyra Fine Award for Outstanding Contribution).

Barney Simon Exhibition, Barney! produced by NELM in 1996 in commemoration of Barney Simon [1932 - 1995].

Three-times winner of the Breytenbach Epathlon for best director.

Legacy

Upstairs at the Market was re-named The Barney Simon Theatre in his honour.

Sources

F.C.L. Bosman, 1928. Drama en Toneel in Suid-Afrika, Deel I: 1652-1855. Pretoria: J.H. de Bussy. [3]: pp.

Beeld, 10 January 1985.

Mona De Beer, 1995.

Mary Benson, 1997.

Tucker, 1997.

Stephanou & Henriques 2005.

Outers programme notes in 1985.

Barry Hough. 1985. "Simon kry groot name vir drama", Beeld (Kalender, p.1) 10 January, 1985.

Photographs of the cast held by NELM: [Collection: SIMON, Barney]: 1995. 11. 13. 4. 13.

Woza Albert! 1983. Methuen.

Numerous entries in the NELM catalogue.

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