Artscape Theatre CEO Marlene Le Roux. Join us in celebrating the 55th anniversary of the Artscape Theatre Centre in Cape Town, a historic venue that embodies artistic excellence and inclusivity. This year's theme, 'A Place for All,' reflects our commitment to social cohesion and transformation through the arts.
The Artscape Theatre Centre turns 55 on Tuesday May 19, an exceptional occasion for a historic government building in Cape Town with a rich legacy and layered heritage where creative excellence, continuous transformation, social cohesion and collective thinking are celebrated this year under the theme: A Place for All. Theatregoers and the public are cordially invited to join us in celebrating 55 years of artistry and reimagining of a government building, specifically on 19 May but also throughout the year.
During the commemoration programme on May 19, we will unveil a commemorative wall – a photo exhibition – titled The Journey to Artscape – A Place Reborn, at 11am, depicting the journey from exclusivity to ongoing inclusivity at every level. Several speakers will attend the event, including ministers from the national, provincial and local governments. We invite the public to be part of this historic moment, dressed in traditional attire, or in their best regalia that will also represent the Artscape 55 theme, A Place for All. A photograph of everyone present will be taken at 12pm on the iconic steps of the building, which will later be mounted in the building as a symbol for the future of how we have redefined history. The day’s programme also includes a special free lunchtime concert, as well as performances of setworks for matriculants, ending with the opening of Georges Bizet’s popular opera Carmen in the evening, presented by Cape Town Opera, acrobats from Zip Zap Circus welcoming opera lovers on the piazza beforehand – a fitting way to acknowledge a dignified building that has stood the test of time.
