Artscape Theatre Centre, which belongs to the provincial administration, was opened on 19 May 1971 as the Nico Malan Theatre Centre.
The Cape Performing Arts Board (CAPAB) that was instituted in the early 1960’s, programmed and managed the then Nico Malan Theatre Centre as a production house with four arts companies – orchestra, opera, ballet, and drama. These companies had full-time artists, technical, and administrative staff.
The aim was to promote the performing arts. CAPAB as one of several arts councils, received sufficient government subsidies to fund various art forms as well as the operational requirements of the theatre facilities.
Since 1994 government policy changed dramatically. All performing arts boards were transformed to playhouses and the various arts companies had to become independent. Thus in line with the new South African political dispensation and the concurrent changes, a concert was held to launch Artscape on 27 March 1999 to replace CAPAB, while the name change took official effect circa 2000. Today it manages the theatre venues and provides essential technical and specialised services on a semi-commercial basis. The emphasis is on sustainable theatre practice, education and development.
Between Table Mountain and Table Bay, the City of Cape Town boasts a cosmopolitan mix of historic and modern landmarks. One of these is the Artscape Theatre Centre on the Foreshore, home to the Artscape performing arts company.
Originally established 40 years ago as the official performing arts council for the Western Cape, Artscape has today developed into a vibrant, multifunctional creative arts centre, offering exceptional venue facilities and specialist theatrical services.
With its close proximity to Cape Town’s central business district, the new International Convention Centre and the V&A Waterfront, Artscape is ideally situated to serve the Cape’s performing arts, film, tourism, entertainment, conference, and exhibition industries.
Covering an area of some 14,000 square meters, the Artscape complex consists of a fully equipped Opera House, seating 1,487, a theatre seating 540, a smaller theatre seating 140, a piazza, gardens, rehearsal rooms and ample parking.
The Centre offers a full range of technical services, including a vast array of lighting and sound equipment and operators, stage and production managers to ensure a seamless support service to users of the venues.
Through the years, Artscape has developed a top notch team of wardrobe experts consisting of designers, seamstresses, milliner, wig maker and costume artist.
Artscape also has a décor studio located at a separate warehousing facility of some 12,000 square meters.
The mission of the Artscape Theatre Centre is to facilitate, produce, promote, and preserve multi-cultural performing arts that advance nation building through business sustainability founded on artistic excellence.
Artscape’s mandate is to advance, promote and preserve the performing arts in South Africa, but predominantly in the Western Cape Province, by:
- Promoting, presenting, co-presenting, co-producing, producing, investing in and sponsoring or entering into partnership for any performing arts initiative
- Making the performing arts accessible to the general public and ensuring that productions are a true reflection of the cultural diversity of South Africa
- Evaluating, maintaining and upgrading the Artscape Theatre Centre and its facilities so that the full range of performing arts productions can be presented in a world class environment
- Making the Artscape Theatre Centre accessible to the general public
- Promoting the appreciation, understanding and enjoyment of the performing arts among the general public
- Providing high quality arts education and development with due consideration of the needs of the general public
- Encouraging artists to adopt the stage and associated arts as their profession
- Encouraging and promoting the writing and producing of new performing art works for presentation on stage
- Encouraging indigenous art and creativity, including, but not limited to, script, writing, musical composition and choreography
- Encouraging tours of performing arts and art products
- Facilitating manufacturing services for decor and costumes to enable arts practitioners to stage their productions
- Concluding all such activities as may be considered ancillary to any of the aforesaid
Overseeing Department/Entity
Office Bearers/Management
Chairperson
- Mr Zakaria Gordon
Board Members
- Mr Clint Abrahams
- Mr Krishna Govender
- Ms Saba Zahara Honeybush
- Ms Khwezi Kunene
- Ms Jacqueline Lapoorta
- Ms Karen Meiring
- Mr Thabo Phillip Molefe
- Adv Jean Wilke
Chief Executive Officer
- Ms Marlene le Roux
- Ms Yonela Schaupp
Chief Financial Officer
- n/a
Contact Details
The contact details of Artscape Theatre Centre are listed in the table below.
| Physical Address: | DF Malan Street, Foreshore, Cape Town, Western Cape |
| Postal Address: | P.O. Box 4107, Cape Town, 8000 |
| Telephone: | 021 410 9800 |
| Email: | artscape@artscape.co.za |
| Website: | www.artscape.co.za |
READ MORE:
➜ List of Galleries, Museums, and Theatres in South Africa
➜ National Government of South Africa
| Galleries, Museums & Theatres under South Africa’s National Government |
|---|
| Amazwi South African Museum of Literature . Artscape Theatre Centre . Die Afrikaanse Taalmuseum en -monument . Ditsong: Museums of South Africa . Freedom Park . Iziko Museums of South Africa . KwaZulu-Natal Museum . Luthuli Museum . Mandela Bay Theatre Complex . Market Theatre Foundation . National Museum in Bloemfontein . Nelson Mandela Museum . Robben Island Museum . South African State Theatre . The Playhouse Company . uMsunduzi Museum . War Museum of the Boer Republics . William Humphreys Art Gallery |
