The Playhouse Company is a Cultural Institution promulgated under the Cultural Institutions Act 119 of 1998. Its primary mandate is to develop and promote performing arts works that are representative of the diverse South African artistic and cultural heritage.
In pursuit of a highly representative and balanced artistic calendar, The Playhouse Company has an artistic programme that focuses primarily, but not exclusively on the following:
- Promoting arts education and arts development initiatives
- Presenting artistic works at the highest level of excellence in dance, drama and music
- Collaborating with external productions/events, individual companies and institutions in promoting the performing arts
- Facilitating the access and optimal usage of all our theatres as venues for hire
- Accessibility of our mobile stage
Objectives:
- To promote South Africa’s Arts and Culture to local and international tourists,
- To offer underprivileged communities an opportunity to visit the theatre as we will invite charity organisations, children homes and old age homes.
- To create job opportunities for participating artists,
- To promote theatre as a place of wonder that also educates and provokes critical thinking,
- To promote a sense of inter-cultural awareness, tolerance and unity through the arts.
Various festivals are hosted throughout the year in line with the above objectives:
The Community Arts Festival is geared to offer a platform for artists and arts practitioners to stage their performance works in a professional environment. The Playhouse Company continues to showcase initiatives aimed at fulfilling a vital part of its mandate, which includes fostering developmental work within the arts community. To this end a team of professional mentors and specialists in the fields of stage craft, script writing, music, dance and choreography, are engaged to teach and guide the community artists participating, thus helping them to take their productions to the next level.
The New Stages Festival presents new South African productions that, as entertainment, are creative, original and thought-provoking. Each of the productions staged during The Playhouse Company’s New Stages Festival, representing music, dance and drama respectively, has an inherent message. The festival also provides a platform for emerging artists to perform on a professional stage, thus offering opportunities for development and growth while also contributing to the sustainability of the Arts as an industry.
The South African Women’s Arts Festival, which takes place during Women’s Month and features various productions that highlight the impact women make on the lives of South Africans, and enjoys a high profile on the national arts calendar. The festival comprises cutting edge productions of poetry, drama, dance, comedy and visual art, featuring the talent of many women in their fields of performing art.
In pursuit of broadening its involvement in the local and international community The Playhouse Company has developed a number of partnerships with various international bodies. The partnership with the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee involved staging the opening ceremony of the 123rd International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Session.
Another partnership with the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, saw The Playhouse Company commissioned to produce a series of productions during the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
The Playhouse Company also regularly collaborates and partners with various theatre producers throughout the year, some of which have also received nominations and awards and some have also toured to other national theatres and festivals.
In addition to meeting its artistic mandate, The Playhouse Company has also achieved a record six consecutive unqualified audit results.
Contact details:
The Playhouse Company:
29 Acutt Street, Durban
031 369 9555
f: ThePlayhouseCompany
t: @DurbanPlayhouse
