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CURTAIN RISES ON MARKET THEATRE REVAMP
Photo by Lungelo Mbulwana
On September 16 the Market Theatre’s
Main Theatre was officially reopened
after extensive refurbishment. The
building that houses the Market
Theatre is exactly one hundred years
old and was originally the Indian Fruit
Market.
The renovations to the Main Theatre have
been underway since February and will ensure
a better theatre experience for audiences
and performers. There are plush new seats
that offer more leg-room, and the capacity
has increased from 380 to 450. Toilets have
been upgraded and the box-office has been
enlarged. The building is a protected Heritage
Site and the architectural designs have kept
the integrity of the building, including putting
the original signboards, used by the market
traders, back on show.
To mark the event Artistic Director, James
Ngcobo, put on a star-studded celebration,
which included excerpts from famous Market
Theatre productions: Hello and Goodbye by
Athol Fugard; Saturday Night at the Palace
by Paul Slabolepszy; Nothing but the Truth by
Dr John Kani; Have you seen Zandile by Gcina
Mhlophe and Somewhere on the Border by
Anthony Akerman. And on the music front
veteran jazz saxophonist Khaya Mahlangu
played alongside cellist Kutloane Masote.
The renovation was made possible by capital
funding from the Department of Arts and
Culture. The overhaul was sparked by renewal
projects in Newtown and in particular the
Newtown Junction, currently a massive
construction site on the doorstep of the
Market Theatre complex. Newtown Junction
will be a mixed-use development of offices,
retail outlets and restaurants.
The refurbishment is part of a larger overhaul
plan that will be completed at the end of 2014.
The Laager Theatre will transfer to an adjacent
building, which will open up space to extend
the foyer and create a new dressing room
and new offices. Other exciting plans will see
the area previously occupied by the famous
Gramadoelas Restaurant reused as a jazz
venue.
The Market Theatre has also purchased the
COSAC building, in Bree Street, and will
centralise its various cultural activities by
moving the Laboratory Drama School, and the
Market Photo Workshop School and Gallery,
into this building.
The theatre was founded in 1976 by Mannie
Manim and Barney Simon and challenged
apartheid from the conviction that culture
can change society. Now the much-needed
overhaul will ensure it remains a leading light
in South Africa’s cultural scene.
In November the Market Theatre
became the proud owner of 4 Martin
MAC Vipers!
For more information please contact Market
Theatre Senior Publicist 011 832 1641 or
072 367 7867
E-mail: [email protected]
Mariann and Tom Crosswell
PROMAG
– fourth quarter 2013
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