1820 Settlers' Foundation

1820 SETTLERS’ MONUMENT

A building in Grahamstown which housed conference facilities and theatres. The opening of the Monument coincided with the Inaugural Festival in 1974. Fugard’s Hello and Goodbye, Roy Campbell, Man and Poet co-written and presented by Alan Paton and five other plays were staged amongst other events at this festival **** (Tucker, 1997)

1820 SETTLERS’ MONUMENT THEATRE

Founded 13 July 1974. This theatre is part of the 1820 Settlers Monument, Gunfire Hill. Designed by monument architect, Mr F. Lamond Sturrock who initially referred to it as the "Memorial Hall", the planners ultimately turned it into an auditorium seating 920 people with a 50 piece orchestra pit. The stage, with 15.5m revolve, included side and rear spaces with a loading bay. With a 25m high fly tower and a computerised lighting system, the theatre boasted facilities among the best in Southern Africa. There is a ballet rehearsal room and dressing rooms for 68 performers. Extensively refurbished since the fire gutted it in 1994, improvements to the auditorium include: state-of-the-art lighting and sound technology, significantly improved acoustics, a new 700 squre metre stage floor with loading access optimised, and 941 fireproof seats.Inaugurated on the day the Monument was opened with a CAPAB production of Shakepeare's King Lear, directed by Roy Sargeant, designed by Ken Robinson, with Michael Atkinson as Lear. The theatre is used for dramatic, musical, amateur and professional productions, for conventions, prize-givings and university graduations. It serves as the offices for the 1820 Settlers Foundation and the Grahamstown Festival Committee. It is also the hub of the annual festival. (NELM) (See: Boltt J. Fire damage to the 1820 Settlers' National Monument. Grahamstown Foundation Media Office, April, 1996. Butler G. 1820 Settlers Monument Neville, T. More lasting than bronze: a story of 1820 Settlers.)

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