Theater icon street names

The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality recently (yeh ok, some months ago already) renamed three of the streets around the PE Opera House to celebrate three of Port Elizabeth's theatre legends.  John Kani, Athol Fugard and Winston Ntshona are truly three world icons and worked together on Sizwe Banzi is Dead in 1972 and The Island in 1973. Ntshona and Kani went on to win Tony awards for best actor for both plays while the names of all three have become synonymous with a phenomenal theatre legacy in South Africa.

Belmont Terrace was renamed as Athol Fugard Terrace, Whites Road to John Kani Road and Chapel Street was changed to Winston Ntshona Street.

The new Opera House stained glass feature

One of the new additions to the newly revamped Port Elizabeth Opera House is a stained glass window featuring the only three Africans on the continent to win the prestigious Tony Award – John Kani, Winston Ntshona and Athol Fugard.  And best of all, they're all from our city. 

Forty years ago, the trio were nominated for the best play Tony Award, for their co-written play The Island.  Kani and Ntshona both walked away with best actor awards for The Island and Sizwe Banzi is Dead while Fugard was later awarded a Lifetime Tony in 2011 for his contribution to theatre.  Now the three legends are honoured and immortalised for their contribution to the arts through this magnificent stained glass window by David Manning at the top of the grand staircase in the foyer of the complex.

Inside the Port Elizabeth Opera House

When last have you attended a performance at the Opera House?  Do you even know what it looks like in the main theatre?  I am ashamed to say that I haven't been there for many many years, but I got to see it while on a tour of the facility last week.  The curtain isn't the main stage curtain but the fire curtain, which they demonstrated to us.

The new Opera House extension and renovations

Yesterday's post was a Then and Now post featuring the Port Elizabeth Opera House.  As the photo was taken from the street corner, the latest addition to the building wasn't really that visible so I decided to post a second photo.  The wine coloured section is is the part that was built on to the original building in 1985 and was part of the extensive renovations that took place over the last year and was painted this was as part of the work.  The glass section right at the end is a new addition to the building and includes a lift that means the Opera House is now fully wheelchair friendly. 

Then and Now - The Port Elizabeth Opera House

The first meeting to discuss a new theatre for Port Elizabeth took place in 1890 after which a company was formed, shares sold and a site was agreed upon with the Town Council.  The building was designed by G.W. Smith and opened on 1 December 1892.  The first lessees of the building was B and F Wheeler who also presented the opening performance of JM Barrie's "Walker, London".  By 1916 the theatre was taken over by African Consolidated Theatres and they turned it into a cinema.  In 1961 the Opera House was offered to the Municipality to use as a civic theatre, but they refused.  Five years later, in 1966, the Cape Provincial Administration bought and renovated it.  

The Opera House was extended in 1985 and had extensive renovations and another extension added in 2015.  Today the Port Elizabeth Opera House is one of the oldest active Victorian Theatres in the world.  Said to be the oldest in the Southern Hemisphere.  

The historic information in this post was taken from Margaret Harradine's excellent book, Port Elizabeth, A social chronicle to the end of 1945.

Then and Now - The Athenaeum building

The Port Elizabeth Athenaeum Society of Port Elizabeth was founded in 1856 to promote the interests of science and literature among the members and general public.  In 1859 land was granted for the erection of the Town Hall and it stated that the building had to provide space for a library and athenaem as well.  In 1887 the athenaeum was dissolved and the Council took over it's assets, which included a museum, which was housed in the Town Hall

In 1894 the Athenaeum was revived and comprised of the PE Institute, School of Art, Naturalists' Society and the Camera Club.  Although they claimed their right to space in the Town Hall, the Council gave a new site and 3000 pounds for the construction of a new building for them to use.  The building was opened on 26 July 1896 which is about the date of the Then picture. 

In 1901 a new wing was opened and in 1919 the Athenaeum became a social club.  Since 1946 the Little Theatre has also been in operation from here and the building became a National Monument in 1980.  The whole building was renovated by the Municipality and MBDA a couple of years ago and still houses the theatre.  It also has a new coffee shop, exhibition and meeting space as well as a few other components.

The historic information in this post was taken from Margaret Harradine's excellent book, Port Elizabeth, A social chronicle to the end of 1945.

Open air theatre

St Georges Park has a stunning outdoor theatre venue called Mannville which (used to) host the annual Port Elizabeth Shakespearean Festival.  Unfortunately due to people who feel that they are entitled to other folks' property and those who purposefully go out and damage what is not theirs, the festival has been moved to indoor theatres the last two years.  The theatre was established in 1972 by Bruce and Helen Mann and if only these bad elements can be kept out of the park, the theatre could host so many different plays and events.

Rainbow seats

The upgrade of the Athenaeum Building in Central by the Mandela Bay Development Agency has just about been completed with the revamp of the old Little Theatre.  I got to get a peek inside the Little Theatre the other day and have to say that it looks very good right from the foyer right through to the theatre itself.  The one thing that really stands out is the theatre's seating, now covered in bright colours.

Athenaeum

The Athenaeum in Port Elizabeth was founded in the 1850′s to promote cultural activities but sadly died out in the 1880′s.  In 1893 the Young Men’s Institute, the School of Art, the Naturalists’ Society and the Camera Club came together and re-assert the right of the Athenaeum to occupy a part of the City Hall.  The then Town Council offered to bear most of the cost to erect the present building which was opened in 1896.  In the early years of the 1900′s it became mainly a social club and changed its name, but it has since again become a centre for cultural as well as social activities.  After the Second World War the Port Elizabeth Musical and Dramatic Society rented and enlarged the Loubser Hall extension which is now the Ford Little Theatre.  The building, declared a national monument in 1980, is one of only a few examples of the classical style of architecture in the city and was designed by George William Smith.  The Mandela Bay Development Agency as part of the rejuvenation of Central and the development of the Route 67 art route has restored the building and it was officially reopened in 2011.

St Georges Park's open air theatre

What does Much Ado About Nothing, The Taming of the Shrew, Romeo and Juliet, A Mid Summer Night's Dream, Macbeth, Hamlet, King Lear, Othello and Antony and Cleopatra have in common? Dumb question unless you have never hear of William Shakespeare.  The other thing they have in common is that all (or most of them as I can't find a list on the internet) have been staged on this particular stage at the Mannville Open Air Theatre in St Georges Park.  The theatre was established in 1972 by Bruce and Helen Mann and every year the Port Elizabeth Shakespearean Festival stages an open-air production of one of the Shakespeare works.

Mannville open air theatre

In 1971 the Port Elizabeth Shakespearean Festival requested that a open air theatre be developed in St Georges Park and this request was approved by the city's Parks and Recreation Committee. The driving force behind this was Bruce and Helen Mann, doyens of the theatre in PE. The theatre comprises a stage and grassed area with grassed tiers where seats are placed.
It is utilised by the Port Elizabeth Shakespearean Festival which stage their annual Shakespear play there, but is open to anybody wanting to hire the venue for an event.

Pantomimes at the Boardwalk

During the school holidays The Boardwalk normally hosts a kiddies pantomime at the Vodacom Amphitheatre. We try to take the Rugrats whenever we can as they love the shows.

Port Elizabeth Opera House

The Port Elizabeth Opera House was opened in 1892 and was proclaimed a national monument in 1980. It is the oldest functioning opera house in the country as well as the only remaining Victoria theatre in South Africa.

Opera House

The Port Elizabeth Opera House was opened in 1892. This makes it both the oldest functional Opera House in the country as well as the only Victorian theatre in South Africa. The building boasts two theatres, The Barn which stages smaller plays while the main theatre plays host to big shows like operas, ballet and musical shows.