Le Roy and Duret Company
The Le Roy and Duret Company is name of a British theatrical company constituted and active in Cape Town between 1866 and 1868.
Also known simply as Leroy and Duret or more colloquially as Le Roy's Company.
The company
The company was named after and led by J.H. le Roy and Madame Duret (possibly his wife, and the leading actress for the company), and formed in Cape Town from local performers when the two arrived (probably from Port Elizabeth) in 1866. They presented a number of performances over the course of four "seasons" till May 1876, when Le Roy left for England to engage new performers. In the intervening season Madame Duret is the sole lessee of the theatre and the works are fewer.
On Le Roy's return in September 1867, the company was reconstituted and strengthened by the addition of the new players, and went on to perform a few more seasons until 1869, when they finally depart from the Cape.
The players and other people involved with the company over the course of the approximately four years they worked in the Cape included
South African Performances
First season
Sources
F.C.L. Bosman. 1980. Drama en Toneel in Suid-Afrika, Deel II, 1856-1916. Pretoria: J.L. van Schaik: pp. 201-242. (Cites William Groom, 1899-1901 to a large extent.)
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