Artscape Theatre Centre (formerly Nico Malan Theatre Centre) is the main performing arts centre in

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...

. It was opened in 1971 and is located on reclaimed land in the

Foreshore The intertidal zone, also known as the foreshore, is the area above water level at low tide and underwater at high tide (in other words, the area within the tidal range). This area can include several types of habitats with various specie ...

area. The inaugural performance was scheduled to be

Giuseppe Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto to a provincial family of moderate means, receiving a musical education with the h ...

's ''

Aida ''Aida'' (or ''Aïda'', ) is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni. Set in the Old Kingdom of Egypt, it was commissioned by Cairo's Khedivial Opera House and had its première there on 24 Decemb ...

'' but illness struck the title-role singer Emma Renzi and the production was replaced by CAPAB Ballet's '' Sylvia''. Other productions in the opening season were

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition r ...

's ''

Die Zauberflöte ''The Magic Flute'' (German: , ), K. 620, is an opera in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. The work is in the form of a ''Singspiel'', a popular form during the time it was written that includ ...

'' in

Afrikaans Afrikaans (, ) is a West Germanic language that evolved in the Dutch Cape Colony from the Dutch vernacular of Holland proper (i.e., the Hollandic dialect) used by Dutch, French, and German settlers and their enslaved people. Afrikaans gr ...

and

Giacomo Puccini Giacomo Puccini ( Lucca, 22 December 1858Bruxelles, 29 November 1924) was an Italian composer known primarily for his operas. Regarded as the greatest and most successful proponent of Italian opera after Verdi, he was descended from a long ...

's ''

Madama Butterfly ''Madama Butterfly'' (; ''Madame Butterfly'') is an opera in three acts (originally two) by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It is based on the short story " Madame Butterfly" (1898) by John Lu ...

''. The complex includes: *Opera House, seating 1,487 with provision for two wheelchairs. *Theatre, seating 540 but more or less depending upon whether the pit is used. *Arena Theatre, seating 140. The Artscape Theatre Centre was originally commissioned by the Provincial Administration of the

Cape Province The Province of the Cape of Good Hope ( af, Provinsie Kaap die Goeie Hoop), commonly referred to as the Cape Province ( af, Kaapprovinsie) and colloquially as The Cape ( af, Die Kaap), was a province in the Union of South Africa and subsequen ...

and run by

CAPAB The Cape Performing Arts Board (CAPAB) was a South African theatre organisation based in Cape Town, serving the former Cape Province. It was one of the four state-funded performing arts councils in the four former provinces of South Africa inst ...

(Cape Performing Arts Board). It was formerly known as the Nico Malan Theatre Complex, after the former National Party administrator of the

, Dr. Johannes Nicholas Malan (commonly known as

Nico Malan Johannes Nicholas Malan, better known as Nico Malan, was an attorney, politician and Administrator of the Province of the Cape of Good Hope (South Africa), 1960-1970. He was born on 8 August 1903 in Fort Beaufort, Cape Colony, and died there in ...

), who initiated the project. The development and design was contracted to Murray and Roberts Construction now called

Concor Concor Holdings (Proprietary) Limited. is a South African construction and mining services company. It is active throughout Southern Africa, involved in mining, civil engineering, building and road projects. Concor returned as an independent br ...

. The centre was privatized and renamed in March 2001, when the Cape Performing Arts Board (

) was dissolved. , the CEO is Marlene le Roux. The Artscape Theatre Centre is also the home of

Fine Music Radio Fine Music Radio is a radio station that is based within the Artscape Theatre Centre in Cape Town, South Africa. Founded in 1995, Fine Music Radio focuses mainly on classical music and jazz, and broadcasts on frequencies 101.3 in the greater Cap ...

and oversees the

Maynardville Open-Air Theatre The Maynardville Open-Air Theater is an outdoor theatre in Maynardville Park, Wynberg, Cape Town, South Africa. It seats 720 people and is known for its annual Shakespeare in the Park plays. History Park grounds Before it was named Maynard ...

in Wynberg, Cape Town. It also houses the

Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra The Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra (CPO) is an orchestra based in Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa. History Founded by the Cape Town City Council, the Cape Town Municipal Orchestra held its inaugural concert on 28 February 1914 in t ...

and the Cape Town Opera. The

Cape Town City Ballet The Cape Town City Ballet Company, formerly known as the CAPAB Ballet Company, is a dance company based in Cape Town, South Africa. History The Cape Town City Ballet originated from the UCT Ballet Company, which was established by Dulcie How ...

also performs there.

References

External links

* {{Cape Town, culture Cape Town culture Theatres in South Africa Concert halls in South Africa Theatres completed in 1971 Buildings and structures in Cape Town Tourist attractions in Cape Town Music venues completed in 1971 Opera houses in South Africa Ballet venues

See also

References

External links