The New Africa Theatre: Transit

Theatre goers in Cape Town's southern suburbs have frequented the Baxter Theatre since its inception in Rondebosch in 1977. But there is now a new theatre, the New Africa Theatre, that has opened to offer theatre lovers a new venue at which to enjoy performances in Cape Town.

The New Africa Theatre Association (NATA) began in 1987 as a training centre for talented people who could not get into university. Started by Mavis Taylor, a former head of the University of Cape Town's drama school, it began as an academy to teach people the various trades that are needed to put on a theatre performances.

The new box theatre, known simply as the New Africa Theatre, was set up in an old grocery store in Sybrand Park, an area that straddles two areas, Rondebosch and Athlone, that were traditionally "white" or "coloured" areas respectively during the apartheid era. As such, it is fitting that the first major performance would be Transit, a play written by Ian Bruce and directed by Clare Stopford.

(Transit) tells the tale of an ill-fated flight from Cape Town to Stockholm. The plane is detoured by a storm and is forced to make an unscheduled stop in a North African country; which has been destabilised by rebels. An assortment of Europeans and Africans are forced to wait in the claustrophobic transit area of a military airport. The passengers engage with each other in opportunistic, manipulative, and even physical ways that has sweeping consequences.

Bruce says this about the new venue:

“We have great potential to reach audiences from both sides of the apartheid created dividing line. We need this in Cape Town as theatres closer to the central business district are still inaccessible to most Capetonians. Attracting new audiences to the city theatres, no matter what effort you make, is always restricted by distances, transport and the cost of tickets. We have to still find out how successful we will be, but we believe we are in a much better position to reach marginalised audiences."

Rondebosch Guest Cottages has had the honour of providing the Swedish Royal Dramatic Theatre with accommodation for their stay in Cape Town while working with the New Africa Theatre on Transit. Rondebosch Guest Cottages has also been honoured to host other respected performers as John Kani, Athol Fugard, Winston Ntshona, Anna-Mart van der Merwe, performers from the Handspring Puppet Company, dancers from the Cape Town City Ballet, and others.