| Theatre Arts, Cape Town What: Theatre for hire, rehearsal space for hire, Theatre Arts platforms and programmes Where: Theatre Arts, Methodist Church Hall, corner Milton Road and Wesley Street, Observatory, Cape Town, 7925 Info: caroline@theatrearts.co.za or call 082 752 1376 Website: https://theatrearts.co.za/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheatreArtsObs/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theatrearts.obs/ Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/theatreartsct Telegram Channel: https://t.me/theatreartsupcomingshows TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theatrearts.obs |
Theatre Arts in Observatory, Cape Town has a flash sale on the go – valid September 11-15, 2023 – with rehearsal space available at a discounted rate: R300 per day and R30 per hour (max the hours for the hourly rate). When I put this out recently on social media, I received direct messages from people in the arts industry- thanking me for the info. Many of them said that they did not know that rehearsal space is offered in Cape Town – at reasonable rates. Yes, rehearsal space is very much on offer at Theatre Arts, which is operated by the magnificent Caroline Calburn – a wonder womxn creative. It is costly to hire rehearsal space in Cape Town and it is with good reason that TA has become known as “the rehearsal space of choice in Cape Town.” It is not only the rates which are attractive but it is also the wonderful support and warmth at TA. There is a sense of community at this hub for the arts in Observatory, Cape Town.
“What is Theatre Arts?” I am often asked this question. Theatre Arts is a theatre and rehearsal space and it is much more than that. It is a space for connection and the intersection of multiple genres of the arts – performance and live. TA is a popular venue for play readings, workshops and events.
Theatre Arts is a space which lends itself to being configured in-the-round, transverse and other permutations. “Sets” are often rendered as installations, rather than “sets”. Creatives play with the interior and take advantage of the voluminous space with a high ceiling. The seats are church pews – so take a cushion if you need some padding. During lockdown, plastic chairs were placed in a circle, in the round, with the audience, seated on the fringe of the performance. See photo on this page of Nwabisa Plaatjie’s musical drama, Ziyana, presented at Theatre Arts in March 2023 and get a sense of beautifully the space is used.
Theatre Arts is a space of alchemy. Work is presented by many creatives, working on a shoe-string and they make magic, using very little. In addition to being a theatre space for hire (at reasonable rates), TA also facilitates programmes and platforms, such as The Emerging Theatre Directors Bursary., The 2022 cohort of recipients was announced recently. Read more here: https://thecaperobyn.co.za/theatre-announcement-winners-of-emerging-theatre-directors-bursary-2023/
✳ Images © TheCapeRobyn/Robyn Cohen. Featured image: Dintshitile Mashile directed The Bells of Amersfoort by Zakes Mda, at Theatre Arts, November 2022. She was a 2022 winner of The Emerging Directors Bursary at Theatre Arts and this production was made possible by the funding and support that she received. Review here: https://thecaperobyn.co.za/review-the-loneliness-of-freedom-rings-out-loudly-in-2022-in-the-bells/
