South African Theatre History

Flashcards covering key periods and movements in South African theatre history

San Hunter-Gatherers

Earliest inhabitants of Southern Africa with an egalitarian lifestyle, renowned for hunting techniques and rock art. Their rituals involved trance dancing and storytelling of the hunt.

Egalitarian

A style of living where all members are equal.

Iron Age Communities of Bantu-Speaking people

Communities that demonstrated settled village life with metal tools, pottery, and crafts. Their performance forms included dramatic rituals, festivals, celebrations, and storytelling.

Performance forms of Bantu-Speaking People

Dramatic rituals, festivals and celebrations, all of which are associated with particular dances, songs, music and costumes

Dutch East Indian Company

Set up a refreshment station at the Cape and began colonization, with no public entertainment or printing press due to strong Calvinistic beliefs.

Early Afrikaans Theatre

Patriotic pieces about the Anglo-Boer War and one-act farces produced by debating societies. Later, touring companies visited the rural population after Afrikaans was recognized as an official language.

Apartheid Legislation

Acts that created the framework for separation and oppression in South Africa.

Black Consciousness

A philosophy which aimed to reaffirm black identity in response to oppression.

Theatre of the 1970s

Marked by experimental plays, workshopped plays, and plays exploring African Myth, legend, and culture.

Mandela and de Klerk Agreements (1994)

Led to the first democratic elections but caused political protests and resistance theatre to seem less relevant, leading to a short period of Theatre for Reconciliation and increased popularity of physical theatre.