The notion of anonymity

Many plays are written by authors and performed by performers who, for various reasons, are unknown or prefer to be anonymous or to hide their identity in certain instances.

Were the names of authors are unknown, they are mostly listed as "Anonymous", but if the authors simply want to hide their identities, they may make use of a number of techniques, e.g. the use of a pseudonym or nom de plume, the omission of a name altogether, or the use of a phrase to indicate something like local authorship. (Usually referred to as a skuilnaam in Afrikaans.)

Similarly of course, performers and other theatre and film practitioners have for centuries employed stage names to hide their identities or to make them sound more acceptable, mysterious, artistic, etc.

For a discussion of the issue of anonymity and its implications, see the Wikipedia entry on "Anonymity" at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anonymity

South African examples

Pseudonyms

Among the pseudonyms used by playwrights over the years are:

Ou Knolkool

Charon

Totius

Jaduto

Credo Exacto

Peter September

Niggie van Eitemal

Francis Hardy

Francis Jill Morwenna

Chris van Lille

Mshengu

Hendrik Brand

Louis Kraal

AV

Phyllis Cosser.

Wynand du Preez.

Martin de Porres,

Robert Krueger,

A.R. Krueger,

Perd Booysen

Sybrand Baard

Domkrag

Nemo.

Alcibiade Orange

Mikro).

Meyhendi Zhann,

Besembos

Grunius

Horatius

Leinad

Dahlsdif

Ludolf Parker

Ferdinand Bekker

Lettie Viljoen

Anton Haarhoff

Henry Temple

Phil Janse

Rip van Winkle

Marie Linde

Sita

Der. F. la Yar,

Mowbray-Kloof.

Gerrit Naudé

Paul Roubaix

Paul de Roubaix.

Eitemal

Marion Holmes

Klaas Waarzegger

Descriptive phrases as indications of local authorship

Besides omitting to mention an author altogether or using a pseudonym, a number general phrases have been used over time to identify as a local personality.

In Cape Town for example, one finds examples such as "A Gentleman of the Cape" (1858), "A Gentleman of Cape Town" (1862), "A Young Lady of Cape Town" (1870),