Market Theatre
Encyclopedia
The Market Theatre, based in the vibrant inner-city suburb of Newtown
in Johannesburg
, South Africa
, was opened in 1976, operating as an independent, non-racial theatre during the country’s apartheid regime. It is named for the site on which it stands, which was originally a produce market, also known as the Old Indian Market or the Newtown Market, which closed after 60 years of trade and relocated to another part of the city.
. 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 iginal
signs. It houses both Museum Africa and The Market Theatre complex.
. In time the non-racial Market Theatre became known international as the “Theatre of the Struggle” and was one of the few places in the 1980s that blacks and whites could mix on equal terms.
A multitude of anti-apartheid plays were staged, including the multi award-winning 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.
which is in honour of a theatre organisation that has made an outstanding contribution to the development of creative talent for the theatre. During its history, the Market Theatre has received 21 international awards and over 300 South African awards, many of which are Fleur de Cap and Naledi Theatre awards.
, the Main Theatre opened to the public on 19 October 1976. The first production was Peter Weiss
’s complex and breathtakingly titled work: The Persecution And Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat as performed by the inmates of the asylum of Charenton under the direction of the Marquis de Sade.
The Main Theatre is the largest of the three theatres of the Market Theatre complex and seats up to 387 people.
the Laager by prominent theatre personality and social activist Pieter-Dirk Uys
in 1979.
A laager, also known as a wagon fort, is a fortification made of wagons joined together, usually in a circular shape, as an improvised military camp to safeguard those taking refuge inside. Pieter then found the name Laager appropriate for he too needed a safe place to perform under the apartheid regime.
the Market Photo Workshop. The Market Photo Workshop is a school of photography that has been in operation for over 20 years, with
a special focus on introducing the art of photography to previously disadvantaged students.
The Rockefeller Foundation provided the seed money to start the Market Theatre Laboratory, a drama school founded by Barney Simon and Dr John Kani
. The Lab opened in October 1989 in a small warehouse under the highway in Goch Street Newtown, and is dedicated to developing community theatre and skills training in the arts.
From 1994, the Lab and later the Market Theatre formed a long term partnership with the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA and Stockholm’s Stadsteater. The Lab’s two annual festivals are the Community Theatre Festival and the Zwakala Festival.
In 2010 the Market Theatre Laboratory moved to the Bus Factory, 3 President Street,Newtown where the Market Photo Workshop is also located.
including Athol Fugard
.
It has also introduced the works of many of South Africa’s leading playwrights and directors, including Welcome Msomi, Zakes Mda
, Pieter-Dirk Uys, Gibson Kente
, Paul Slabolepszy
, Mbongeni Ngema
, Adam Small
, PG du Plessis, Kessie Govender
, Bartho Smit, Maishe Maponya, Percy Mtwa, Deon Opperman, Reza de Wet and Matsemela Manaka.
Newtown
-Australia:*Newtown, New South Wales*Newtown, Queensland *Newtown, Queensland *Newtown, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong*Newtown, Victoria , a locality near Ballarat-Ireland:* Newtown, County Cork* Newtown, County Laois...
in Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, was opened in 1976, operating as an independent, non-racial theatre during the country’s apartheid regime. It is named for the site on which it stands, which was originally a produce market, also known as the Old Indian Market or the Newtown Market, which closed after 60 years of trade and relocated to another part of the city.
History
Structure
In 1974 a group of theatre people came together, called The Company, and included Mannie Manim and the late Barney SimonBarney Simon
Barney Simon was a South African writer, playwright and director.- Early life :The son of working-class Lithuanian Jewish immigrants, Simon discovered a love of theatre while working under director Joan Littlewood in London in the 1950s...
. 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 iginal
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 ChekhovAnton Chekhov
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov was a Russian physician, dramatist and author who is considered to be among the greatest writers of short stories in history. His career as a dramatist produced four classics and his best short stories are held in high esteem by writers and critics...
. In time the non-racial Market Theatre became known international as the “Theatre of the Struggle” and was one of the few places in the 1980s that blacks and whites could mix on equal terms.
A multitude of anti-apartheid plays were staged, including the multi award-winning 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.
Awards
In 1994 the Market Theatre was the recipient of the American Jujamcyn AwardJujamcyn Award
Created in 1984, The Jujamcyn Theaters Award has been given over 20+ years to honor a resident theater organization that has made an outstanding contribution to the development of creative talent for the theatre. The award has been sponsored by Jujamcyn Amusement Corporation, one of the three...
which is in honour of a theatre organisation that has made an outstanding contribution to the development of creative talent for the theatre. During its history, the Market Theatre has received 21 international awards and over 300 South African awards, many of which are Fleur de Cap and Naledi Theatre awards.
Facilities
The Market Theatre complex houses three theatres: the Barney Simon Theatre (opened in 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 SeagullThe Seagull
The Seagull is the first of what are generally considered to be the four major plays by the Russian dramatist Anton Chekhov. The Seagull was written in 1895 and first produced in 1896...
, the Main Theatre opened to the public on 19 October 1976. The first production was Peter Weiss
Peter Weiss
Peter Ulrich Weiss was a German writer, painter, and artist of adopted Swedish nationality. He is particularly known for his plays Marat/Sade and The Investigation and his novel The Aesthetics of Resistance....
’s complex and breathtakingly titled work: The Persecution And Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat as performed by the inmates of the asylum of Charenton under the direction of the Marquis de Sade.
The Main Theatre is the largest of the three theatres of the Market Theatre complex and seats up to 387 people.
Laager Theatre
The first show to be staged in what was once a photo gallery in the Market Theatre complex was called Die Van Aardes Van Grootoor in August 1978. The theatre was namedthe Laager by prominent theatre personality and social activist Pieter-Dirk Uys
Pieter-Dirk Uys
Pieter-Dirk Uys is a South African satirist, active as a performer, author, and social activist. He is the son of a Calvinist Afrikaner father and Berlin-born Jewish mother and had an NG Kerk upbringing. He began his dramatic career as a serious playwright, switching to one-man revues at the...
in 1979.
A laager, also known as a wagon fort, is a fortification made of wagons joined together, usually in a circular shape, as an improvised military camp to safeguard those taking refuge inside. Pieter then found the name Laager appropriate for he too needed a safe place to perform under the apartheid regime.
Other
The Market Theatre complex also houses two art galleries, a jazz club, a cabaret venue,a bookshop, two restaurants (the Market Bar & Bistro and the historical Gramadoelas), a coffee bar, a theatre bar, a shopping mall, and a flea-market every Saturday.Development
True to its roots, the modern-day Market Theatre remains dedicated to growing and cultivating the arts in South Africa through various initiatives such as the Lab andthe Market Photo Workshop. The Market Photo Workshop is a school of photography that has been in operation for over 20 years, with
a special focus on introducing the art of photography to previously disadvantaged students.
The Rockefeller Foundation provided the seed money to start the Market Theatre Laboratory, a drama school founded by Barney Simon and Dr John Kani
John Kani
Bonsile John Kani is a South African actor, director and playwright.He was born in New Brighton, South Africa.Kani joined The Serpent Players in Port Elizabeth in 1965 and helped to create many plays that went unpublished but were performed to a resounding reception.These...
. The Lab opened in October 1989 in a small warehouse under the highway in Goch Street Newtown, and is dedicated to developing community theatre and skills training in the arts.
From 1994, the Lab and later the Market Theatre formed a long term partnership with the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA and Stockholm’s Stadsteater. The Lab’s two annual festivals are the Community Theatre Festival and the Zwakala Festival.
In 2010 the Market Theatre Laboratory moved to the Bus Factory, 3 President Street,Newtown where the Market Photo Workshop is also located.
Selection of featured artists
Over the years the Market Theatre hosted a number of internationally acclaimed artistsincluding Athol Fugard
Athol Fugard
Athol Fugard is a South African playwright, novelist, actor, and director who writes in English, best known for his political plays opposing the South African system of apartheid and for the 2005 Academy-Award winning film of his novel Tsotsi, directed by Gavin Hood...
.
It has also introduced the works of many of South Africa’s leading playwrights and directors, including Welcome Msomi, Zakes Mda
Zakes Mda
Zakes Mda , legally Zanemvula Kizito Gatyeni Mda , is a South African novelist, poet and playwright. He has won major South African and British literary awards for his novels and plays.-Early life and education:...
, Pieter-Dirk Uys, Gibson Kente
Gibson Kente
Gibson Kente was a South African playwright based in Soweto. He was known as the Father of Black Theatre in South Africa, and was one of the first writers to deal with life in the South African black townships. He produced 23 plays and television dramas between 1963 and 1992. He is also...
, Paul Slabolepszy
Paul Slabolepszy
Paul Slabolepszy , or Paul "Slab", is a South African actor and playwright.-Overview:Slabolepszy was born in Bolton, England. His mother was English and his father was a Polish refugee. The family then emigrated to South Africa....
, Mbongeni Ngema
Mbongeni Ngema
Mbongeni Ngema a South African writer, lyricist, composer and director was born in Verulam, KwaZulu-Natal . He started his career as a theatre backing guitarist.He is married to actress Leleti Khumalo...
, Adam Small
Adam Small
Adam Small is an American composer, producer and instrumentalist. He attended Manhattan School of Music in New York City where he majored in jazz performance...
, PG du Plessis, Kessie Govender
Kessie Govender
Kessie Govender was a pioneering voice in South African protest theatre, a playwright, actor and theatre director, who founded the Stable Theatre, a Durban-based theatre company in 1970 and is most known for his play, Working Class Hero and The Shack...
, Bartho Smit, Maishe Maponya, Percy Mtwa, Deon Opperman, Reza de Wet and Matsemela Manaka.