Victory Theatre
Grove Kinema
Originally known as the Grove Kinema, one of the city's oldest cinemas, dating back to the 1920s.
Shortly after closing as a cinema in the early 1990s, it opened again as a theatre, presenting Ipi Thombi and the Rocky Horror Show, but by the end of the 1990s it was closed down again, before being purchased by music producer and magazine publisher Joe Theron in 2004.
The old building was then demolished and a new state-of-the-art venue built as a cost of R28-million, with a view to setting up a home for the dance group Umoja, which Theron has taken under his wing. He opened the new-look 470-seater Victory Theatre in June 2007 with Africa Umoja, a show that traces the history of South African dance. To better cater for patrons, the venue includes a jazz bar and a 250-seater restaurant. Theron bought the four small stores alongside the old Victory Theatre, demolished them and incorporated that space into his new theatre. He has kept the old cinema seats, with a decorative "K" running down each outer chair, a reminder of the days when it was called the Grove Kinema. * Victory Theatre: The old Victory cinema which Anthony Farmer transformed into a cinema and designed sets for. Bertha Egnos’ Ipi-Tombi II, the NOW Generation was launched here in 1989. Rex Garner directed Grin and Bare It here in 1990. Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show was staged here in 1992. Willy Russell’s Shirley Valentine was staged here in 1992. ****
Sources
Tucker, 1997
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