Aurora

Aurora as name

Name, deriving from the Latin term for "dawn" and referring to the goddess of the dawn in Roman mythology, was used by two or three amateur theatre organizations in the Cape in the 19th century. Probably intended to reflect the cultural aspirations of the emerging South African Dutch and Afrikaans culture at the time.

Theatrical companies named Aurora

There have been three such companies in South Africa, Dutch Rederijkerskamers (oratory-clubs), which also interested themselves in theatre. In later years writers (e.g. F.C.L. Bosman) distinguished between them by naming them Aurora I, Aurora II and Aurora III.

Aurora I, Paarl (1862-?)

A Dutch-language society called Aurora was apparently founded in Paarl by members of "Die Genootskap van Regte Afrikaners", though little of substance is known of it. Among its members were S.J. du Toit, D.F. du Toit ("Oom Lokomotief"), W.F. Stamrood, .

Intended to help establish and promote the Dutch language and culture in the face of the Anglicisation policies of the British government, it did occasional theatrical presentations, for cultural and other purposes. For instance it performed the Dutch plays Rocco by A. Wijnstok and Schijn Bedriegt ("appearances deceive") by "Neef Paul", along with recitals of lyric poetry, as its first production in August 1862 and during its existence also produced some of the earliest Afrikaans playtexts, notably the first translation of De Jonge Kunstschilder by ***, directed by "Oom Lokomotief" and performed in Paarl and Montagu. Bosman (1928:P. 463) also mentions a charity performance in 1865 for victims of floods in the Kuilsrivier area.

[**EXPAND**]

Aurora II, Cape Town (1866-1887)

History

The new Aurora was founded as formal and public Dutch Rederijkerskamer (oratory club) on 4 October 1866, the second such organization to be opened in the Cape Province (after Thespis). Its motto was "Onvermoeide vlijt komt alles te beoven" (The founders consisted of a number of new arrivals from Holland, including W.F. Stamrood, J. Stamrood, M. Stamrood, F. Koster, and M. Gÿselman.

Established in Cape Town as a closed society under the motto Onvermoeide vlijt komt alles te boven ("Untiring hard work overcomes everything"), the rest of its members consisted of leading Dutch and Cape-Dutch families. Among them were such Dutch performers as P. Koster, N.C. Koster, P.W. Keytel, J. Keytel, G. van Heerde, J.M. Belinfante, P. Faddegon, J. de Jongh, C. Kruze, H.P. de Krielen, J. Klerck and J. Kurtz. Especially notable were a number of Dutch-speaking Afrikaners, including J.H. Laubscher, Mr Wiehahn, W.G. Combrink, D.H du Toit, J. Brink, M.J. Brink and H.W. Teengs. A number of these people contributed plays for performance, such as J.M. Belinfante, P. Faddegon, N.C. Koster and especially H.W. Teengs. However, perhaps its best known writer and member was actor, director and playwright Melt J. Brink (1842-1925), who soon became its secretary and guiding light, remaining in this position till 1887, and wrote fourteen comedies for performance by the company (See Melt J. Brink).

Initially no women were allowed to be members and men played the female parts, but according to ** women became part of the association from 11 July 1876, when a woman finally appeared in a production (Het Ijzerin), at the Oddfellows Hall. (F.C.L. Bosman, 1980, however says this breakthrough for women only came in 1881, and the person in question was a miss Anna Koster.)

Although initially loyal to the British authorities, it steadily became a standard-bearer for the emergent Dutch-Afrikaans nationalism. However, its Dutch orientation gradually alienated it from the mainstream Afrikaans theatre.

Aurora was temporarily suspended during the first war of independence ("Eerste Vryheidsoorlog" or the First Anglo-Boer War) in 1880, and by 1887 had ceased to perform. It formally became defunct in 1890. Boer War

Aurora and Melt Brink were both honoured for their contribution to Dutch culture by the Dutch government in 1873.

Productions

Aurora followed the Dutch pattern of concentrating on poetry and plays under the guidance of professional teachers. Initially they tended to fragments from plays and poems by a range of Dutch poets and playwrights, but after Brink took over, they began to perform complete works as well, a number written specifically for the Rederijkers movement in Holland and Belgium (a notable example being a number of works by Arnold), and gradually also performing plays by local authors such as H.W. Teengs and Melt Brink himself.

Aurora never had its own premises, but performed in a variety of halls and theatres in and around Cape Town, including the Liedertafel Germania (or Germania Hall), cnr Hout and Loop streets, the Oddfellows Hall in Plein Street, and "de zaal van den Heer Hutchinson" (Hutchinson's Hall) in Nieuw Street. As a result productions were simply and portably done, and the authors had to bear this in mind.

Some performances:

(For a full list see F.C.L. Bosman, 1980: pp. 462-474.)

1866-67: Besides recitals of poems, they performed segments form a few plays in the hall of the Liedertafel Germania, Cape Town, including Montigny (Klijn), Tzaar Peter, Keizer van Rusland, Lodewijk XI (Delavigne/Schimmel), Hambroek, Gustaaf Vasa (Brooke/Van Heyst). A few shorter plays were also performed in there entirety, among them Tante Trui, Een Liefdesgeschiedenis (Arnold), Jan Sukkel (Arnold), Niet of Graag (Andersen), Een Hedendaagsch Duel (Guiseppe).

In 1868 the productions take on a more traditional character, full plays being performed alongside the popular recitals. Besides repeats from the previous period, new plays done this year included Het Vierde Huwelijk van Jacoba van Beijeren (Teengs), Uitgefloten (Arnold), De Arme Rykaard (Nieuwmeyer), Ferdinand de Speler (Nieuwmeyer), Bergen en Dalen (Schuitemaker), Willem Nel (Teengs), De Oudste Zoon (Van de Velde), Bertram de Cipier (Arnold), De Twee Huisknechts of De Bedrieger Bedrogen (Arnold), and Manke Koos (Arnold).

1867: Performed segments from the tragedy Lodewijk XI (Delavigne/Schimmel) on 3 October.

1869: Performed by Aurora II in the Wynberg Aided School, Wynberg, Cape Town in August, as an afterpiece to H.W Teengs's locally written Dutch play Willem Nel.

1868: Uitgefloten (Arnold) and De Arme Rykaard (Nieuwmeyer) performed in the hall of the Liedertafel Germania, Cape Town on 7 May.

1868: The locally written Dutch plays Willem Nel and the afterpiece Opstand 1815 ("Rebellion 1815") , both by H.W. Teengs, performed in July in Cape Town.

1868: Willem Nel performed in Paarl later in July, with the farce Niet of Graag (Anon) as afterpiece.

1869: Het Origineele Testament (Melt Brink) performed at the Germania Hall on 29 April

1869: Willem Nel performed under the auspices of President J.H. Brand on 8 July.

1869: Willem Nel performed in Wynberg in August , with Tante Trui - i.e. "Aunt Pullover", by Arnold) as afterpiece.

1876: Het Ijzeren Masker (Schokke), at the Oddfellows Hall on 11 July.

1877: De Offers der Vrijheid of De Slagers van Ghent in 1877

Aurora III, Cape Town (1909-1914)

A new Aurora was established as the theatre-division of the Algemeen Nederlandsch Verbond (A.N.V.),a cultural association in Cape Town, in 1909. This was probably done in association with members of the - by then defunct - former Rederijkerskamer (oratory-club) (Aurora II). It was led by Melt Brink as chair, with P. Koster as vice-chair, Gerrit van Heerde as secretary, and ordinary members Olga van Oordt and Cath. Doyer. The new company lasted till 1914.

Some performances:

(For a full list see F.C.L. Bosman, 1980: pp. 462-474.)

[***CHECK BOSMAN/NIENABER**] AURORA.

Sources

Ludwig Wilhelm Berthold Binge. 1969. Ontwikkeling van die Afrikaanse toneel (1832-1950). Pretoria: J.L. van Schaik: pp. 6-14

F.C.L. Bosman. 1980. Drama en Toneel in Suid-Afrika, Deel II, 1856-1912. Pretoria: J.L. van Schaik:pp.457-61.

P.J. du Toit. 1988. Amateurtoneel in Suid-Afrika. Pretoria: Academica

Jill Fletcher. 1994. The Story of Theatre in South Africa: A Guide to its History from 1780-1930. Cape Town: Vlaeberg: p.

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