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 1837. However, besides the individuals listed as A. de Kock and K. de Kock, 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 strong 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 named as the secretary of the amateur company Vlyt en Kunst in the period 1834 till 1838 (sometimes credited as J.J. de Kock, sometimes as J. de Kock or as "J.J. de Kock Cz"). By 1837/8 he seemd to be in control of the company, or a segment of it. On occasion he also sold the tickets at his offices for performances, e.g. for a presentation of A Fantasmagorie (M. Decanis).
As an performer
He played many roles under the various names, including:
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 Fantasmagorie by M. Decanis of the "theatre Royal, Paris", on 7 March, 1837 in Cape Town.
As director:
He also directed the occasional play for Vlyt en Kunst, including Montoni, of Het kasteel van Udolpho (Duval/Radcliffe, tr Bruggemans) on 9 September, 1838.
Sources
F.C.L. Bosman, 1928: pp. 231, 282, 322. 328, 330, 335-342, 372-3, 383-7, 495.
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