The Market Theatre, based in the downtown bohemian suburb of Newtown in Johannesburg, South Africa, was opened in 1976, operating as an independent, anti-racist theatre during the country's apartheid regime.
The Market Theatre was founded by
Barney Simon (Artistic Director), Mannie Manim (Administrative Director), Aletta Bezuidenhout, Vanessa Cooke, Judith Cornell, David Eppel, Leoni Hofmeyer, Janice Honeyman, Danny
Keogh, Sue Kiel, Lindsay Reardon, and John Oakley Smith.
Two of the theatres are named after the two founders Barney Simon and Mannie Mannim. Main Theatre at the Market Theatre was renamed as The John Kani Theatre in 2014 after the renowned South African stage actor John Kani.
History
Structure
In 1974, a group of theatre people formed . The founders included Mannie Manim and the late Barney Simon. They began fundraising to restore the neglected complex that housed the old produce market in downtown Johannesburg.
The original steel structure had been shipped from Britain and constructed on site. The steel arches and cathedral-like dome built in 1913 that housed the Indian Fruit Market were considered one of the most important pieces of organic architecture in South Africa. On Sundays, the main hall of the complex was used for symphony concerts.
Renovation began, with much of the work being done by the artists themselves. Today most of the original Edwardian architecture remains, as do a number of the original signs. It houses both Museum Africa and The Market Theatre complex.
Importance during apartheid
By the 1970s, there was heavy international pressure for South Africa to reform its apartheid laws. It was during this turbulent time, on 21 June 1976, that the Market Theatre opened its doors, with Barney Simon as its artistic director. The first production, under his direction, was The Seagull by Anton Chekhov with Sandra Prinsloo in the cast. In time the non-racial Market Theatre became known internationally as the "Theatre of the Struggle." It was one of the few places in the 1980s that blacks and whites could mix on equal terms.
"The strength and truth of that conviction was acknowledged (...) In providing a voice to the voiceless, The Market Theatre did not forego artistic excellence, but, rather, made a point of it."
A multitude of anti-apartheid plays were staged, including Reza de Wet's multi award-winning, Diepe Grond, and Woza Albert, Asinamali, Bopha, Sophiatown, You Strike The Woman, You Strike A Rock, Born in the RSA and Black Dog – Inj’emnyama. The Market Theatre's cultural contribution to South Africa's emergence as a democracy in 1994 is significant.
In 1981, the theatre staged the first Afrikaans translation of a play by Athol Fugard. The play, Hello and Goodbye, attracted a predominantly Afrikaner audience and some Afrikaans-speaking Coloureds.
Awards
In 1995, the Market Theatre was the recipient of the American Jujamcyn Award
Facilities
The Market Theatre complex houses three theatres: the Barney Simon Theatre (opened on 21 June 1976), the Main Theatre (opened in October 1976) and the Laager Theatre (named in 1979). In addition to hosting productions, the theatres are also used for conferences, seminars, presentations and product launches.
Barney Simon Theatre
Named after one of the co-founders of the Market Theatre, and a stalwart of the South African theatre industry, the Barney Simon Theatre was the first to open in the Market Theatre complex, while restorations to the historical building were still in progress. It has seating for 120 people.
Main Theatre
Four months after the Market Theatre opened with the staging of The Seagull,
In October 1987 Janet Suzman directed a multi-racial production of Othello at The Market Theatre. Suzman also directed Bertolt Brecht's Good Woman of Setzuan (renamed The Good Woman of Sharpeville).
Theatre Makers who have been linked to the Market Theatre include:
Vanessa Cooke
Janice Honeyman
Paul Slabolepszy
Pieter Dirk Uys
Lara Foot
Maishe Maponya
Malcolm Purkey
Robert Whitehead
Yael Farber
Sue Pam-Grant
Clare Stopford
Fatima Dike
Fiona Ramsay
Dorothy Ann Gould
Maralin Vanrenen
Thoko Ntshinga
John Ledwaba
Neil McCarthy
Ramoloah Makhene
Robert Colman
Toni Morkel
Bruce Koch
Lucille Gillwald
Mnsedisi Shabangu
James Whyle
Aletta Bezuidenhout
Jacqui Singer
Nomsa Nene
Nadya Cohen
Bill Flynn
Megan Wilson
Martin Le Maitre
Irene Stephanou
Sarah Roberts
Wesley France
Craig Higginson
Timmy Kwebulana
Nandi Nyembe
Bobby Heaney
Zane Meas
Gcina Mhlope
Handspring Puppet Company
And many others...
See also
- "The Suit", a short story by Can Themba, first adapted into a play by Barney Simon and Mothobi Mutloatsi and performed at the Market Theatre in 1994.
References
External links
- The Market Theatre
- The Theatre That Reflects the Soul of Johannesburg
- South Africa Info