Johannes Jakobus de Kock
(18**-18**) Songwriter, amateur dancer and actor, administrator and businessman.
Contents
Biography
Born in Cape Town, he is one of a number of persons named De Kock active in theatre between 1825 and 183*. However, it is unclear whether the individuals referred to variously as Johannes Jakobus de Kock, J.J. de Kock, J. de Kock or J. de Kock C. zoon by F.C.L. Bosman (1928: p. 231) are all the same person, as Bosman suggests, or are possibly only relations.
Contribution to SA theatre, film, media and/or performance
As a manager he was a supporter of C.E. Boniface in the 1830s, was most probably a member of the amateur society Honi Soit qui Mal y Pense in Cape Town, and definitely became the secretary of the amateur company Vlyt en Kunst in about 1833/34. He sold the tickets at his offices for performances, e.g. for a presentation of A Fatasmagorie (M. Decanis).
As an performer his roles under the various names include:
As J. de Kock: Performed for the Dutch amateur company Honi Soit qui Mal y Pense, listed as one of the "snydersjongens" and a "Dansende Turk" in De Burger Edelman (1825), C.E. Boniface's translation of Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme (Molière).
As J. de Kock, C. zoon: Played "Leonora" in Clasius, of Het Proces om een Komedielootjie , performed by Vlyt en Kunst in the African Theatre on 19 July 1834;
As J.J. de Kock: Performed "certain amusements" undertaken as part of an evening's entertainment, following on a presentation of A Fatasmagorie by M. Decanis of the "theatre Royal, Paris", on 7 March, 1837 in Cape Town.
Sources
Go to ESAT Bibliography
Return to
Return to ESAT Personalities D
Return to South African Theatre Personalities
Return to The ESAT Entries
Return to Main Page
