In 1970 Brian Astbury, a Professional Photographer, was hired to take rehearsal photos of Athol Fugard, Yvonne Bryceland, Val Donal and Wilson Dunster who were working on a production called ‘Orestes’.[i] Astbury ended up spending more time with the group and followed them as they performed in various venues.[ii] He was inspired by the work they did and felt the desire to open up a theatre space where similar plays such as Orestes could be performed.[iii]

After partnering up with the Architect, Maciek Miszewski, Astbury’s idea grew bigger and soon they were looking for Buildings and working on Theatre design plans.[iv] Finances were a struggle, but Astbury was fortunate enough to have had contacts in the right places and funding for the Theatre was collected under a Charity Foundation called the Foundation for Art and Theatre.[v] After a long search, they finally found a venue - the Sebba and Co building on Bloem Street in Cape Town.[vi] An abandoned building which was previously used for chrome and electroplating work [vii] and owned by Raymond Sebba, a Theatre enthusiast, met with Astbury and Miszewski who then offered them a deal for the top two floors.[viii]

On the 1 January 1971 they moved into the Building and three months later opened their first Production ‘Statements after an Arrest under the Immorality Act’ on the 28 May 1972.[ix] In 1973 they added an Art Gallery in the Building and in 1974 they opened a second venue on the ground floor. In 1976 The Space moved to the YMCA building in Long Street and became known as the first non-racial Commercial Arts venue to operate during the plight of Apartheid.[x]

In order for The Space to play to Non-Racial Audiences it used the guise of being a ‘Club’ where people could sign up and become Members, making it legal.[xi] The Space hosted regular Visitors such as  Pioneers in the Arts like Athol Fugard, Pieter-Dirk Uys, Barney Simon, John Kani and Blaise Koch, to name a few, and whom also performed and showcased their works at the Theatre.

The Argo Film Circle lent a helping hand in this endeavour and enabled The Space to successfully operate as it desired too.[xii] The Space was also one of the very first stages that hosted the collaborative productions by John Kani, Athol Fugard and Winston Ntshona, ‘Sizwe Bansi is Dead and The Island.’

It was recognized as the first Pioneer Fringe Theatre. It  was taken over by Moyra Fine and Rob Amato and became known as The People’s Space. In 1979, due to long-term financial challenges and ever dwindling audiences, The Space was Shut down. There had been more than three hundred productions staged.[xiii]

In late 2008, it Re-opened its doors with the support and encouragement of its’ Founding Members and supported by the Cape Town City Council, Inner City Development Programme.

Currently, The Space Theatre has released a Documentary depicting the stories of the People and Artists who fought to keep the Theatre running during the Apartheid Regime. The Space strove to Present and Host performances that challenged and defied the Socio-Political Conditions, in South Africa. The Documentary looks at the dangers of apathy, ignorance and the allowing of Governmental powers to strip away the rights of any individual. It also looks at the dangers of censorship and highlights the importance of all forms of arts as a means to educate, encourage and foster a community of open debate and discussion.

End Notes

[i] Brian Astbury, “The Story of The Space”, Theatre of Survival, Accessed 17 April 2017, https://theatreofsurvival.wordpress.com/2015/02/04/genesis//a> ↵

[ii] Ibid ↵

[iii] Ibid ↵

[iv] Brian Astbury, “The Story of The Space”, Theatre of Survival, Accessed 17 April 2017, https://theatreofsurvival.wordpress.com/2015/02/15/a-bigger-photographic-studio/ ↵

[v] Ibid ↵

[vi] Ibid ↵

[vii] Ibid ↵

[viii] Ibid ↵

[ix] Temple Hauptfleisch and Miriam Terblanche, “ESAT Bibliography”, The Encyclopaedia of South African Theatre, Film, Media and Performance, 25 January 2017, http://esat.sun.ac.za/index.php?title=South_African_Theatre/Bibliography. ↵

[x] Ibid ↵

[xi] Brian Astbury, “The Story of The Space”, Theatre of Survival, Accessed 17 April 2017, https://theatreofsurvival.wordpress.com/2015/02/16/this-couldnt-have-cost-much-2/ ↵

[xii] Ibid ↵

[xiii] Brian Astbury, “The Story of The Space”, Theatre of Survival, Accessed 17 April 2017, https://theatreofsurvival.wordpress.com/2015/02/05/prequel/ ↵

When the Dutch first settled in the Cape in 1652, Governor van Riebeeck's brief included the construction of a fort and the setting out of gardens where vegetables and fruit trees could be grown. The site for these gardens was chosen close to the so-called Sweet River, a little south-west of the present Parade. By 1660, its area occupied some 18 hectares of land and it extended from Tuyn Street, now Church Street, towards Table Mountain, and coincided more or less with the lower part of the present gardens. A trip to the Mother City would perhaps not be complete without a visit to the Company's Garden in Cape Town city centre. Home to historic buildings, museums, places of worship and an art gallery, it is also simply known as the Cape Town Gardens.

The whole area was enclosed by a thick hedge of ash trees and brambles. As the new village began to take form, a number of incursions began to be made upon the area of the gardens, with spaces being carved out for the slave lodge and a new church and graveyard. In 1679 the arrival of Governor Simon van der Stel brought about a number of changes in the nature of the garden. Other properties in the vicinity of the town were now growing so much produce that its function as an orchard and vegetable garden was no longer essential to the Company, and it was slowly converted into a botanical and ornamental garden. According to accounts of that time, it was divided into rectangular blocks by hedges, which also served as windbreaks. Some of these blocks were retained for the planting of vegetables, while others were dedicated to herbs, fruit trees, indigenous plants and exotic trees. The plan was divided by equally spaced avenues and at the top of the Gardens there was a water mill fed by a mountain stream. The northern side was enclosed by a high wall with a fine entrance gateway and important visitors to the Cape were accommodated in a small summer house erected by Simon van der Stel. During the 18th century the garden was gradually extended in the direction of Table Mountain including the establishment of a zoo at its top end, and it probably reached its present boundaries in about 1790. Apart from this expansion, a fine ornamental gateway designed by Thibault was added and the summer house, with its own private garden, and had been given over to the Governor as his residence. Following the British annexation of the Cape in 1806, the talents of Thibault, Schutte and Anreith were again combined to build the southern entrance and the so-called "Lion Gateway" to the zoo. During the 19th century added areas of the gardens were excised, when Government House was enlarged, and a portion of land was granted to the Anglican Church for the erection of St George's Cathedral. In 1832 Thibault's entrance from the city was demolished, and in the 1880s, large areas were taken over by Parliament House and the Public Library. More recently, the Museum, Art Gallery, the South African College and a number of monuments and other structures further reduced its space. Government Avenue was declared a National Monument under old NMC legislation on13 August 1937, while the entrance, walls and gateways on the southern side of Government Avenue, in Orange Street, were proclaimed on 6 January 1961.