Laurence Sidney Hall

Laurence Sidney Hall (Laurie Hall, 1930-2016) was a theatre practitioner in Johannesburg.

Biography

Laurence (Laurie) was born in Pretoria on 25 February 1930. After completing his high school education at Pretoria Boys High School in 1945, at the tender age of 15, he attended the University of Pretoria to study architecture, which he completed, and then decided he didn’t want to be an architect, he would rather be in the theatre, initially as dancers, actor, set designer, stage manager and theatre manager in South Africa and then for a number of years (1957-1968) in the then Rhodesia.

He returned to Joahnesburg in 1969, but now began building a career in Human Resources, eventually taking over Garry Whyte Associates, retiring there at the age of 79.

He married in 1960 and had two daughters.

He died in Johannesburg on 3rd September 2015 of lung complications

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

Besides his interest in theatre, Hall was a keen ballet supporter and dancer and took part in a few productions by the Johannesburg Ballet Theatre and the SA Ballet Company.

Between 1952 and 1955 he took part in several productions either as walk-on parts or in set designing and Stage Management, the year in which he and Clifford Williams started the Arena Theatre Company in Johannesburg.

Acting roles

Productions: Production Producer / Company Employed as: Pygmalion Eve Shapiro / Pretoria Amateurs Set Designer Importance of being Ernest Eve Shapiro / Pretoria Amateurs Set Designer Dial M for Murder Eve Shapiro Set Designer Dream Girl Joan Brink for Wingate Park Club Set Designer Season of Ballet Johannesburg Ballet Theatre Guest artist Male Polotzvian Dances under Ame de Nitre lead

Tea & Sympathy Taubie Kushlick Stage Director / One-liner part

Taming of the Shrew Children’s Theatre Grumio

The Rose Without a Thorn Anthony Farmer/Johannesburg Reps 3 character parts

Pinocchio (In the Round) Clifford William/Children’s Theatre Stage Director/ 3 character parts incl. Harlequin

Marching Song Clifford Williams/ Johannesburg Arena Theatre Set Designer/ Assistant Producer / Stage Manager

(The Arena Theatre Company was started jointly at this time by Laurie Hall and Clifford Willams and remainder of the company’s productions were continued under Laurie Hall)

Noah Leon Gluckman Actor

The Lark Will Jamieson/ Johannesburg Arena Theatre Set Designer/ Actor The Promoter

The Lady’s not for Burning Will Jamieson/ Johannesburg Arena Theatre Set Designer / Actor Nicholas

Antigone Will Jamieson/ Johannesburg Arena Theatre Set Designer / Actor The Messenger

(The company was dissolved after this production due to lack of funds)

Season of Ballet Frank Staff / SA Ballet Company Stage Manager

The Merchant of Venice Cecil William / Open Air Theatre Actor: Lancelot Gobbo

(The above were all listed by my father on his “theatrical CV” which was submitted to the Broken Hill Arts Society (Kabwe Zambia) when he applied for the position as Producer at the Venus Theatre).

In 1957 Laurence Hall moved to Broken Hill, Northern Rhodesia where he continued as the Producer for the Broken Hill Arts Society (became Kabwe Arts Society) until 1969. He married in 1960 and had two daughters. He wrote his own play which was produced in Kabwe for the 1962 Northern Rhodesian Theatre Festival called “Behind any Door” and also drew up the plans and oversaw the building, refurbishment and conversion of the existing hall to a complete 170 seater theatre.

He was very involved in the Arena Theatre Company in Johannesburg in the 1950’s, where he worked with people such as Taubie Kushlick, Siegfried Mynhardt and Robert Lang. Among the plays he was involved with were ...

Sources

E-mail correspondence from Lesley Gilbert, daughter of L.S. Hall (5 May, 2020)

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