The Space Theatre (also called the Space, ''Die Ruimte'' 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 gra ...

, The Peoples' Space and reincarnated as the New Space Theatre in 2008) was a

fringe theatre Fringe theatre is theatre that is produced outside of the main theatre institutions, and that is often small-scale and non-traditional in style or subject matter. The term comes from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.Kemp, Robert, ''More that is Fre ...

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 countri ...

which was active in the 1970s. It re-opened in late 2008.

History

The original Space was founded in Cape Town in May 1972 by theatre photographer Brian Astbury and his actress wife

Yvonne Bryceland Yvonne Bryceland (18 November 1925 – 13 January 1992) was a South African stage actress. Some of her best-known work was in the plays of Athol Fugard. Early life She was born Yvonne Heilbuth in Cape Town, South Africa, the daughter of Adolphu ...

and relocated in 1976 to the

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...

building 44 Long Street. The Space established itself as a defiantly non-racial venue in a racially divided country. Taken over by Moyra Fine and Rob Amato after Astbury and Bryceland left, it survived as The People's Space for some two years before succumbing to overwhelming financial pressures.

Productions

The first pioneering

in the country (before

Market Market is a term used to describe concepts such as: *Market (economics), system in which parties engage in transactions according to supply and demand *Market economy *Marketplace, a physical marketplace or public market Geography *Märket, an ...

and Baxter Theatres), it mounted almost 300 productions, starting with the premier of

Athol Fugard Athol Fugard, Hon. , (born 11 June 1932), is a South African playwright, novelist, actor, and director widely regarded as South Africa's greatest playwright. He is best known for his political and penetrating plays opposing the system of apart ...

's ''Statements After an Arrest under the Immorality Act''. It hosted the first productions of the Kani/Ntshona/Fugard collaborations ''The Island'' and ''

Sizwe Bansi is Dead ''Sizwe Banzi Is Dead'' (originally produced and published as: ''Sizwe Bansi is Dead'') is a play by Athol Fugard, written collaboratively with two South African actors, John Kani and Winston Ntshona, both of whom appeared in the original produ ...

'', and gave a voice to

Donald Howarth Donald Howarth (5 November 1931 – 24 March 2020) was a playwright and theatre director. After training at Esme Church's Northern Theatre School in Bradford, he worked in various repertory theatres around England before writing his first play, ' ...

's ''Othello Slegs Blankes'', Fatima Dike and

Pieter Dirk Uys Pieter-Dirk Uys (; born 28 September 1945) is a South African performer, author, satirist, and social activist. One of his best known roles is as Evita Bezuidenhout, an Afrikaner socialite. Background and early life Uys was born in Cape Town o ...

' early plays, and many others. It became the home of

, David Kramer,

Barney Simon Barney Simon (13 April 1932 – 30 June 1995, Johannesburg) was a South African writer, playwright and director. Early life The son of working-class Lithuanian Jewish immigrants, Simon discovered a love of theatre while working under director ...

Winston Ntshona Winston Ntshona (6 October 1941 – 2 August 2018) was a South African playwright and actor. He won a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play in 1975. Biography Born in Port Elizabeth, Zola Winston Ntshona worked alongside fellow South African Ath ...

John Kani Bonisile John Kani (born 30 August 1943) is a South African actor, author, director and playwright. He is known for portraying T'Chaka in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films '' Captain America: Civil War'' (2016) and ''Black Panther'' (2018), Ra ...

Bill Flynn William Flynn (13 December 1948 – 11 July 2007) was a South African actor and comedian, perhaps best known for playing Tjokkie. Early life Flynn was born William Frederick Flynn in Cape Town and matriculated from Plumstead High School. He ...

Richard E Grant Richard E. Grant (born Richard Grant Esterhuysen; 5 May 1957) is a Swazi-English actor and presenter. He made his film debut as Withnail in the comedy ''Withnail and I'' (1987). Grant received critical acclaim for his role as Jack Hock in Marie ...

, Paul Slabolepsy,

Marius Weyers Marius Weyers (born 3 February 1945, in Johannesburg) is a South African actor. He lives with his wife Yvette, an artist in her own right, in Rooi-Els in the Western Cape. He received international attention playing Andrew Steyn, a bumbling s ...

, , Fiona Ramsay, Percy Sieff, Fatima Dike, Blaise Koch, Ian Roberts,

Leslee Udwin Leslee may refer to * Leslee Feldman, studio head of casting * Leslee Silverman, Canadian theater director * Leslee Smith, British Virgin Islands basketball player * Leslee Udwin, British filmmaker * Leslee Unruh, Activist * Leslee Milam Post, Amer ...

Henry Goodman Henry Goodman (born 23 April 1950) is a RADA trained British actor. He has appeared on television and radio, in film and in the theatre. Early life He attended the Central Foundation Boys' School and joined the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, L ...

Ben Dekker Ben Dekker is a South African forester, surveyor, botanical expert, environmentalist, actor, politician, explorer, human rights activist, painter, sculptor, writer, poet and maverick. Biography Benito Adolfo Dekker born 21 October 1940

, Trix Pienaar, Grethe Fox, Bill Curry, Neil McCarthy, Denise Newman, Christine Basson, Mavis Taylor, Maralin van Reenen, Thoko Ntshinga, Timmy Kwebalana, Joko Scott, Lynne Maree, Dawie Malan, Kieth Grenville, Jacqui Singer, Roger Dwyer, Ron Fenton and a host of many more young actors, directors and writers who would become stars and stalwarts of the South African stage.

New Space Theatre

In 2008, 36 years after the Space was initially founded, with the encouragement of its founding members and in line with

Cape Town City Council The City of Cape Town ( af, Stad Kaapstad; xh, IsiXeko saseKapa) is the metropolitan municipality which governs the city of Cape Town, South Africa and its suburbs and exurbs. As of the 2011 census, it had a population of 3,740,026. The remot ...

's Inner City Development programme, the theatre re-opened its doors to theatre goers. There were many individuals who contributed to the success of the theatre. One of these, newcomer Leon Adams, a 21-year-old Ruth Prowse art student,Ruth Prowse School of Fine Art
/ref> introduced to the Space Theatre by Fatima Dike, was appointed resident Set Builder and Designer by Brian Astbury and worked on several productions including ''Miss South Africa (6)'', ''

Sizwe Banzi Is Dead ''Sizwe Banzi Is Dead'' (originally produced and published as: ''Sizwe Bansi is Dead'') is a play by Athol Fugard, written collaboratively with two South African actors, John Kani and Winston Ntshona, both of whom appeared in the original produ ...

'' and ''

The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui ''The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui'' (german: Der aufhaltsame Aufstieg des Arturo Ui, links=no), subtitled "A parable play", is a 1941 play by the German playwright Bertolt Brecht. It chronicles the rise of Arturo Ui, a fictional 1930s Chicago m ...

''.

Notes

External links

*
The Space — Theatre of Survival
' documentary {{Cape Town, culture Theatres in South Africa Buildings and structures in Cape Town Cape Town culture