Tot Oefening en Smaak

Tot Oefening en Smaak ("For Practice and Taste") was a professional children’s company in Cape Town (1825 – 1826).

History

The ompany is claimed to have been under the leadership/direction of J.G. Tredoux "de Jonge" (Jnr) when he was only 9 years old, though it was clearly an initiative of Joseph Suasso de Lima and J.G. Tredoux (Snr).

From its start the company experienced strong feelings of antipathy, reasons given being that this type of theatre would have an undesirable influence on the youth and the involvement of children with the theatre was considered morally dubious. The Dutch citizens objected most strongly against the theatre at this time, for example through opinions voiced in the prominent and influential magazine, the Nederduitsch Zuid-Afrikaansch Tydschrift. So, by 1826 the society had to be disbanded.

Productions by the company 1825-1826

10 September, 1825: Het Dal van Almeria (Von Kotzebue), De Verjaring (Anon.) and De Nachtwacht (Körner)

8 April 1826: De Regter (De Genlis), Die Een Kuil Graft Voor Een Ander Valt Er Gemeenlyk Zelfs In (De Lima?) and De Moedwillige Jongen (Ogier).

[JH, TH]

Sources

F.C.L. Bosman, 1928. Drama en Toneel in Suid-Afrika, Deel I: 1652-1855. Pretoria: J.H. de Bussy. [1]: pp. 178, 256-7, 269-270, 366, 378.

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