Windybrow Arts Centre
Windybrow Arts Centre is an arts centre in Johannesburg’s inner city Hillbrow area (161 Cnr Nugget & Pietersen Street) currently run by the Market Theatre Foundation since 2016. Today the Centre is a space of connection and curiosity for children, youth, the young at heart and families residing in the inner-city of Johannesburg and beyond.
For more information on the history of the venue prior to 2016, see Windybrow Theatre.
History
The Market Theatre Foundation was appointed as the administrator of the Windybrow Theatre in March 2014 and one of its main tasks is to oversee the assessment of all work done as part of the previous capital works programme, preservation of the Heritage House and the Theatre renovations. The Market Theatre Foundation’s history as an arts organisation key in the struggle against Apartheid and its ongoing work in arts for social justice since the advent of a democratic South Africa in 1994, makes it well-placed as a managing body to overturn the colonial legacy of the Windybrow and mobilise it as connector through the arts across social divides.
This work started with the physical restoration of the building by Urban Works Architecture and Urbanism in 2017 and a year-long participatory research programme run by community-engagement NPO, Sticky Situations. The Theatre has been gutted, what was once a 300 seater theatre has been transformed into 2 spaces, a small 90 seater black box theatre and a 200sqm dance studio.
In 2018, a youth theatre company, KwaSha, took up residency in the Windybrow Arts Centre and an after-school programme was initiated for young people in Hillbrow. In 2020, Johannesburg Awakening Minds and in 2022 the Johannesburg branch of ASSITEJ South Africa moved into the Windybrow Arts Centre. A literacy programme was established for children and youth in 2022.
Management
Gerard Bester was appointed head of the Windybrow Arts Centre in 2022.
The after-school programme
The goal is to provide quality performing arts programmes in a safe dynamic space to inner city school-going children and youth to enrich their lives by developing emotional resilience and inspiring life journeys. It will root its work thematically, addressing current and relevant social issues that impact our participants and their communities. The programme is committed to using the arts as a tool for positive social change engaging ethical and best practise methodologies.
Sources
https://marketartscentre.co.za/about-us/
Ufrieda Ho. 'New chief aims to breathe new life into Jozi's historic Windybrow Arts Centre'. Sunday Times. 10 April 2022 .
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