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THE ERNEST OPPENHEIMER THEATRE REVIVED!
The Ernest Oppenheimer Theatre, located in Welkom, was opened
on 15 February 1968 and is named after the mining magnate, and
founder of Welkom, Sir Ernest Oppenheimer. The drive to build a
theatre in this Free State mining town came from a certain Mrs.
Martie du Plessis, the wife of the Administrator of the Free State.
She had the pleasure of presiding over the opening ceremony,
which was also graced by Gé Korsten, who starred in the opening
production, Bedelaarstudent.
The theatre was designed and built with an eye on the grandeur of European
architecture. The vision was to create something of lasting beauty and benefit,
a monument to art. The Yellowwood used throughout the theatre, and the
glass tubes in the foyer, were imported from Austria and hand-crafted on site;
as was the magnificent crystal chandelier that hangs in the auditorium. The
larger two of the four beautiful tapestries gracing the foyers were designed
by the famous South African artist Eleanor Esmonde-White; and the two
smaller tapestries by Cecil Skotnes, another famous South African artist. The
theme of these tapestries, which were hand-woven in France, is ‘Birth of the
arts through diamonds and gold’.
Renier Smit (Electrosonic SA) and Dulcie Harris ( Theatre Manager)
with the arrival of Robert Juliat Followspots
The Ernest Oppenheimer is the first theatre in the Southern Hemisphere
to cater for Paraplegics, with specially designed toilets, and space in the
auditorium aisles for wheel-chairs. The theatre was one of the first to offer
head-sets for the hard of hearing, and seat-lights to allow patrons to read
programmes.
It is a sad irony that this wonderful facility, so welcoming to people with
special needs, was off-limits to black South Africans. Thankfully the bad days
of Apartheid are over and since the late 80s the theatre has been a world class
community resource that enriches the lives of all Welkom residents. When, in
2011, a fire damaged the stage it was decided to use this as an opportunity to
refurbish the theatre; retaining the class – but adding a modern touch.
Electron premium 79 range of Dimmers
The Theatre Manager, Mrs Dulcie Harris, worked closely with the Matjhabeng
Municipality in ensuring that refurbishments to the facility did justice to its
reputation as South Africa’s finest theatre. When PROMAG contacted Dulcie
she made special mention of the instrumental role of the Municipality in
ensuring the project was a success. She also expressed heartfelt gratitude to
the Oppenheimer Memorial Trust; to Denis Hutchinson (theatre consultant);
and to all contractors for working so hard in meeting their deadlines and
maintaining a high standard of workmanship.
Team Electrosonic SA, with Omar Sharfoodeen as head technician, had
the massive task of redoing the dimming and cabling for the theatre. This
involved laying 1200m of new c abling, putting in new dimmers, rewiring 168
outlets, and rewiring the lighting bars and DMX ties. They only had a couple
of weeks to do it, but in true Electrosonic SA style they met their deadline
and completed the job with the care and excellence associated with the
company.
The theatre also obtained lighting kit from Electrosonic SA, including: two
Robert Juliat follow-spots, sixteen Martin Mac Aura wash lights, two Martin
Rush MH LED profiles, Martin DMX Splitters and a Martin M2GO Controller.
Renier Smit, Technical Sales and Support, headed the Electrosonic SA
team on the project and Jesse Dullabh, Technical and Controller Support,
is responsible for on-going training. Dulcie was extremely happy with
Electrosonic SA’s service and commended Renier and the team for ‘going
the extra mile’ to bring state-of-the-art lighting to her theatre. Dulcie, who
has been the Theatre Manger since 1996, anticipates a new golden era for
the Ernest Oppenheimer Theatre: “Words cannot express my excitement
in seeing this theatre operational again, and I welcome back all theatre
supporters with much enthusiasm.”
PROMAG
– fourth quarter 2013
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