Fugard Theatre

The Fugard Theatre, also known as The Fugard, was opened in the District Six area of Cape Town, South Africa, in February 2010. The Fugard Theatre, as an artistic producing and receiving house, closed permanently in March 2021. After commissioning and underwriting the construction of the theatre in 2009 and 10 years of philanthropic support and producing involvement, the founding producer of the Fugard, Eric Abraham, returned the building that housed the Fugard Theatre complex to its freehold owner, the District Six Museum. The building was handed back with two fully equipped auditoria – the Main Theatre and The Sigrid Rausing Studio – in the hope that it will be able to be used for the financial benefit of the Museum and the memory of District Six and its community. The theatre reopened in 2022 as the District Six Homecoming Centre, a cultural venue for events and theatre productions.[1]

Fugard Theatre
LocationCorner Caledon & Buitenkant Street
Zonnebloem, Cape Town
8000
Coordinates33°55′38″S 18°25′28″E
OwnerEric Abraham (2010–2021)
TypeTheatre
Capacity320 Main Theatre & 120 The Sigrid Rausing Studio
Opened2010
Closed2021
Website
www.thefugard.com

History

Following the Laurence Olivier Award-winning revival of The Magic Flute, starring South African performers of Mark Dornford-May's Isango Portobello, Eric Abraham wanted to create a space in Cape Town to house South African talent.[2] Abraham underwrote the construction of the theatre, naming it after Athol Fugard. Developed with Dornford-May and Mannie Manim, Rennie Scurr Adendorff began renovating the National Heritage listed neo-Gothic Congregational Church Hall and two former warehouses, including the Sacks Futeran building, in September 2009.[3][4]

Politicians such as Kgalema Motlanthe and Trevor Manuel as well as actors such as Alan Rickman and Janet Suzman attended the grand opening in February 2010.[5] Fugard himself premiered his play The Train Driver at the Fugard in March 2010.[6] The Fugard became a venue that hosted plays, musicals, operas, and cinema and book events such as film premieres and the Open Book Festival.

Abraham, with Daniel Galloway as the Managing Director & Producer (December 2010 to January 2020), ran the Fugard as a philanthropic endeavour. After announcing a temporary closure, owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, in March 2020, the theatre offered online streaming performances overseen by then newly appointed General Manager Lamees Albertus and Artistic Director Greg Karvellas.[7] However, the financial losses became too great, and there was little confidence it would be safe enough to reopen soon. Abraham announced in March 2021 that the theatre would be closing and the building would be handed back to the District Six Museum Board, whom Abraham hoped would find use out of the space.[8]

Since its physical closure, the Fugard Theatre website has been changed into an online archive which lays out the full history of the Fugard Theatre including a full listing of all past productions as well as a video series detailing the journey of the theatre. The archive intends to secure the memory of the space and offer the public a free-to-access, accurate historical archive of the theatre.

"Another icon has fallen", John Kani wrote of the closure, and Lebo Mashile called it a "painful death". Many in the artistic community, the press, and the EFF called on Minister of Arts and Culture Nathi Mthethwa to do more to support the sector.[8] Board Chair Siraj Desai stated a search for new tenants was underway.[9]

References
  1. District Six Homecoming Centre being brought back to life CapeTalk. 6 June 2022
  2. "Creating a theatrical home". IOL. 8 September 2009. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  3. "The Fugard Theatre". Creative Feel. March 2019. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  4. "A consummate fusion of old and new: The Fugard Theatre counts on grandMA2". Live Production. 18 May 2010. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  5. Taylor, Paul (22 February 2010). "A dramatic rebirth: Theatre in Cape Town". The Independent. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  6. Dugger, Celia W. (13 March 2010). "His Next Act: Driving Out Apartheid's Ghost". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 24 March 2010. Retrieved 25 April 2010.
  7. "You can now watch the Fugard's most loved plays at home". Cape Town Magazine. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  8. Wagner, Leonie (21 March 2021). "From Apartheid Museum to Fugard Theatre: How Covid-19 is closing cultural landmarks". Times Live. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  9. "Legendary Fugard Theatre closes its doors". ENCA. 20 March 2020. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
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