Johannesburg Civic Theatre
| Joburg Theatre Complex Johannesburg Civic Theatre |
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Joburg Civic Theatre
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| Address | 163 Civic Boulevard Braamfontein, Johannesburg South Africa |
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| Coordinates | 26°11′S 28°02′E / 26.19°S 28.04°E |
| Owner | City of Johannesburg CEO Xoliswa Nduneni Ngema |
| Capacity | 1,069 |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1962 |
| Rebuilt | 1987–1992 |
| Years active | 1962 – present |
| Architect | Manfred Hermer |
| Website | |
| http://www.joburgtheatre.com/ | |
Joburg Theatre Complex, previously known as the Johannesburg Civic Theatre, is a group of four theatres situated in Braamfontein, Johannesburg, South Africa. Built in 1962 it was refurnished in the late 1980s and reopened in the early 1990s before being re-branded in 2009. Its a venue to stage both Broadway musicals and home grown productions. It is one of a few theatres open in Johannesburg for independent productions.
The idea for a theatre has its origins in 1959 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Union of South Africa called the Union Festival, when an initial fund of R100,000 was set aside by the Johannesburg City Council for an event and when the city was excluded from arranging a cultural event by the South African government, the idea of using the money for a civic theatre was introduced. Initially the idea was for a 750-seat theatre but this was soon scrapped in favour of a 1120-seat facility. Johannesburg City Council Mayor, Alex Gorshel, would break the ground at a ceremony at the construction site on 16 September 1960. Johannesburg Civic Theatre was completed in 1962, at a cost of R720,000 and was opened with a gala event on 27 August 1962, attended by the Mayor of Johannesburg and other civic dignitaries. The first production was Offenbach's Tales of Hoffmann with the next 31 weeks devoted to operas, ballet, dramas' light music and recitals with 145,000 guests attending in the first year and by the end of 1963, the figure had risen to 216,000. The theatre, owned by council, would be managed by the non-profit Johannesburg Civic Theatre Association which up until 1992 was made up of all white governors and management committee consisting of city council members and civic leaders. Johannesburg councillor Pieter M. Roos was its first chairman.
From its opening in 1962, the theatre was open to white people only due to the Reservation of Separate Amenities Act, 1953, which made mixed audiences at live theatre a criminal act. By April 1978, theatres could apply to open their seating to integrated audiences. The late 1970s saw the beginnings of an international cultural boycott of South Africa by international performers, playwrights and of new works and this affected what was available for production at the Civic Theatre and this boycott would continue until the early 1990s. A more local effect on the size of audiences attending the theatre was caused by the introduction of television in South Africa in January 1976.
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