Observatory’s Theatre Arts has supported artists with programmes, mentoring, and often subsidised rehearsal space, but it now faces a financial struggle to stay open.
The theatre will hold a market day on Saturday December 14 as part of its Christmas fund-raising festival in support of its Keep the Blue Doors Open initiative.
Theatre Arts was founded in 2008 by Caroline Calburn as founder member of Project Phakama, an international arts exchange programme; Paula Kingwill as director of Bonfire Theatre, a playback theatre company; and Lara Foot as director of Karoo Moose, a production that had travelled extensively nationally and internationally and which had turned into a small company – Masambe.
Theatre Arts was meant to be rehearsal space for each of the three companies, but, in 2009, Ms Kingwill moved to the Eastern Cape and Ms Foot became the CEO of the Baxter Theatre, which left Ms Calburn with a large church hall and 100 old school chairs.
In order to pay the rent she started to devise a series of programmes to attract theatre makers and audiences. The most long lasting of these was The Emerging Theatre Directors Bursary, which in 15 years has supported and mentored 28 directors in the creation of new work.
“I worked with an open-door policy which allowed any theatre maker to approach me to use the space for performance. For many established fringe theatre makers and dancers, Theatre Arts became a home. For emerging artists, it was the perfect place to try out new work and grow an audience. The theatre developed over time into a fully equipped theatre with seating for 60 and a lighting rig that runs purely on the old-fashioned tungsten theatre lights, creating a real and wonderful training ground for wannabe lighting designers,” she said.
Other flagship Theatre Arts programmes are OY!Theatre, a youth theatre; MusicDance, which brings local and international musicians and dancers together to explore the interplay of real-time composition and choreography; and The Reading Room Playreading Series, which began in 2023 and is a space for theatre makers, directors and playwrights to hear texts on the floor and in the context of other texts.
Ms Calburn said 75 productions had performed at Theatre Arts this year, and the rehearsal space had been used for dance classes, workshops, rehearsals, talks and events by over 500 artists.
The theatre made R25 000 a month, but its monthly running costs were double that, she said.
The theatre has started a membership programme where donors can give R50 or R100 a month or R2500 year.
“We would really like to encourage all those who see the benefit of having a thriving cultural scene to join us in this membership programme as it will enable us to grow and create so many opportunities for developing artists and creating a skilled independent theatre industry who will contribute so much to our economy,” said Ms Calburn.
Artist Natalie Fraser debuted her first first play, Earworm, at Theatre Arts in 2021. She also started Soapboxing, a space for performers of any kind to share their works in progress with an audience – which she still runs today.
Her first memory of Theatre Arts is from high school.
“My drama teacher took a few of us to see what I think was my first ever avant-garde piece of theatre. This seemed like a fitting introduction to the space, which is one of experimentation and one that welcomes in young, old, new and seasoned theatre lovers and practitioners,” she said.
The market day on Saturday takes place at Theatre Arts in Observatory from 9am till 3pm with food, arts and craft and Christmas goodies on sale. For more information email natalie.fraser2308@gmail.com or caroline@theatrearts.co.za
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