Theatre is one of the oldest art forms in the world, with a rich history beginning with the ancient Greeks around the 6th century BCE. Theatre is an art form that is inspired by society and, in return, serves as a voice and symbol of society. In the late 1500s, as part of the play ‘As You Like It’, William Shakespeare wrote, “All the world is a stage”. However, being a traditional art form in a digital era, theatres across South Africa require additional support to be maintained.
The Market Community Theatre was established in June 2023 in George, Western Cape. The theatre has a rich history, starting as an Anglican Church for George’s Coloured community in 1855. The church was then converted to a theatre by the Redereukers Afrikaans Dramatic Society in 1969 and rented out as a venue by the George Municipality in 2004. The theatre was established to use theatre as a tool to build a greater sense of inclusion, justice and dignity in the local communities of George.
The Market Community Theatre plays a pivotal role in enriching the community’s cultural landscape and providing a platform for self-expression. One of the members of the organisation, Heather Stead, wrote, “We believe that the arts have the power to unite, inspire, and empower individuals, creating a ripple effect that positively impacts our entire community.”
The theatre aims to impact learners, young men and women and the rural communities of George. To offer a unique experience of the arts and offer artists and youth a sense of belonging by creating inclusive arts clubs that stimulate creativity and imagination. The theatre implements various projects such as a production tour that is performed in local schools, including schools for persons living with disabilities, and their emerging ‘Artist Alive!’ project, which aims to create opportunities for self-employed arts practitioners to produce their shows.
Heather writes, “we want to reach beyond traditional Theatre and explore new forms of performance, blurring genres and disregarding conventions to encourage a new brave exciting vision of what theatre can be”.
With the financial assistance of the National Arts Council, the Market Community Theatre has implemented four outreach projects: production tours in local schools, sponsored school-outings at the theatre, an Arts Entrepreneur programme, and a Young Artist training programme.
980 foundation phase learners from 9 schools visited the Market Community Theatre to watch their show, ‘The Book Tree’, aimed at encouraging reading and discouraging bullying. The theatre also reached 10 rural/urban schools in George and performed for 6690 learners in 3 languages.
Through the implementation of these project initiatives, the Market Community Theatre was able to provide employment opportunities for 17 people. The theatre was also able to permanently employ an additional member to assist with the theatre’s operations and was able to upgrade the theatre’s safety, security and facilities.
The National Arts Council is pleased to provide the necessary support for organisations such as the Market Community Theatre that make valuable contributions to the preservation and growth of traditional art forms.
