Now approaching its 50th anniversary, The Market Theatre Foundation is a space that in the height of apartheid was a pain to the apartheid rulers. It created a defiant theatre experience that during times of state censorship, was the newspaper of the day, offering an opportunity for audiences to probe their socio-political conditions.
As South Africa marks 30 years of democracy, the Market Theatre Foundation continues to be a melting pot of all cultural and artistic expressions, as embodied by its four industry-leading business units, namely, the Market Photo Workshop, the Windybrow Arts Centre, the Market Theatre Laboratory and the Market Theatre.
The Foundation has grown from its independent roots as a ground-breaking theatre to being a cultural complex for theatre, music, dance and the allied arts. Its range of activities now encompass the possibility of touching an artist from their earliest encounter with live performance practices to training award-winning photographers, directors, actors and playwrights.
Greg Homann joined the Foundation just over 18 months ago as its Artistic Director, a role that sees him influence the artistic directions of the Foundation’s units. In a recent interview with him, he shared that his role includes supporting and strengthening the artistic synergy across the Market Photo Workshop, the Windybrow Arts Centre, the Market Theatre Laboratory and the Market Theatre.
“The Market Theatre Foundation continues to be a home of new South African plays that engage with issues affecting our society. This is the legacy of the Market Theatre that dates back to its start, just days after the Soweto Uprising on 16 June 1976. The critical engagement with societal issues also continues through the work we do across all aspects of the Foundation – it’s literally the foundation of what we do,” he said. Homann’s responsibility is immense, as he is tasked with navigating the institution’s layered history—a complexity that informs how the artistic programming connects with audiences and artists in a now free country. His role is broad, but at its centre is to enable artists to create wors that are in touch with contemporary South Africa, while being cognisant of the Foundation’s historical weight.
“Speaking specifically about programming productions across the three spaces in the historic building, there are a number of principles that guide me, one of which is the mandate to present work that speaks in an authentic way to the broad demographic of the country, specifically in respect of race and languages. So, you will find, for example, an Afrikaans play in one theatre at the same time as an isiZulu play in the other. Or a production in Sesotho with equal measure of English,” explained Homann.
But in order for him to have an insight into what people would love to see, he is guided by speaking to artists, theatre-makers and playwrights through an industry-wide consultative process. “Although this does not mean that every idea proposed will result in a production or project with us, these engagements guide me on themes and subject matter that the country’s artists are thinking about. It’s a process of listening, and weighing up the weight of what I hear,” Homann emphasised.
Homann further revealed some guiding principles that inform programming, which, among others, include aligning certain themes to highlight important moments in the country’s evolution as illustrated by the staging of The Cry of Winnie Mandela and The Brothers, Number One and a Weekend Special, two plays that spoke to 30 years of democracy.
“These two plays were out on stage to mark the 30 years of democracy and the fact that the two plays are a contrast, is to drive the point home that marking the 30 years of democracy is not only about celebration, but to critically reflect on our contemporary situation,” elaborated Homann, emphasising that it’s important for us as a democracy to make space for debate and difficult reflections, both in terms of how we got to where we are and where we are going.
Homann also stated that programming those two productions to run at the same time in two venues was intentional, so as to show two different eras of South Africa’s journey. “The Cry of Winnie Mandela of course portrays Winne Mandela as a complex hero of the struggle who was resilient, and The Brothers, Number One and A Weekend Special critically engages with current politics in post-apartheid South Africa. My role is to curate work side-by-side that promotes conversation and pushes productive buttons, leading to a more nuanced understanding of what a socially cohesive society looks like.”
Another crowd-pulling play that was showcased this year is the South African classic, Sophiatown, which was first presented in the mid-80s at the Market Theatre. The seminal piece depicts the forced removals of people from diverse backgrounds who were living in 1950s Sophiatown. That production, according to Homann, was highly successful.
The recent staging of Sophiatown was superbly directed by Aubrey Sekhabi, Artistic Director of the South African State Theatre. Homann described this kind of collaboration between theatres across the country as essential, saying, “All theatres and festivals across the country should work as a healthy ecosystem. Partnerships and collaboration are not only wise in terms of sharing the financial weight of producing work, but it means artists have spaces to move to, around and through to apply their skill and craft.”
One of the areas at the centre of Homann’s programming approach is his passionate commitment to the development of new work. At the core of that strategy is the invitation for scripts from writers at any stage of development. That call this year closed in July, and according to Homann, the response was massive. Those whose scripts met the call out criteria have been sent to a community of readers who can assess the plays in any official South African language. Scripts that receive a favourable report will be further developed, leading to an opportunity to work with Homann and veteran mentor playwrights. This process of fine-tuning the scripts is one prong of a programme designed to find the next wave of plays that will end up on the stages of the Market Theatre.
The second prong to this development strategy is a call for associate playwrights to submit ideas. Here, those that are selected have an opportunity to work with Homann and a broader team to develop these ideas with a view to making them ready for possible programming on the stages of the Market Theatre. The call attracted many applications, and 13 writers were finally selected. Additionally, the Market Theatre issued a call in 2023 for female associate playwrights to join a collective through which their writing was supported and developed. This was an approach that acknowledged that “this demographic of theatre-makers has historically been under supported”.
Other areas of focus specific to The Market Theatre include making sure that dance and music are regularly part of the mix of shows, and that pan-African centred work is prioritised.
“We are collaborating with a number of partners in this regard, including Bobby Rodwell to organise a Pan-African festival later this year, and currently we are presenting a new play that brings together a team from the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Africa in the production Katanga, January 17, which looks at the conflict in Eastern DRC. We are also working on the Sobukwe Project, a theatrical piece that we have commissioned that looks at the life of the late South African struggle icon, Robert Sobukwe. Sobukwe is a giant who played an important role in shaping South Africa, but whose role is diminished in the public imagination in post-struggle South Africa,” he outlined.
“We are also a key component of South Africa’s world music and jazz scene, and therefore it is essential that we offer a space for musicians to continue building on that invaluable legacy to our cultural landscape,” Homann said. One example of this, is the initiative between The Market Theatre in association with Niki’s Oasis. Together, these two Newtown-based hubs of culture hosted a soft launch of the inaugural Newtown Jazz and Heritage Festival in January 2024, which brought South African and U.S-based jazz musicians alongside each other. A fully-blown second edition is being planned to take place in January 2025, Homann confirmed.
In addition to this, the Market Theatre Foundation is partnering with the Centre for Creative Arts at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, to bring the most longstanding contemporary dance festival, Jomba!, from Durban to the stages of the Market Theatre.
Functioning as an Artistic Director for all four business components of the Market Theatre Foundation, Homann’s focus is not only on theatre productions but to also support the respective heads of the other units, guiding a vision that ensures that the photojournalism and visual literacy curriculum is rolled out by the Market Photo Workshop, that performing arts courses are offered under the Market Lab, as well as ensuring that children in the inner-city of Johannesburg have access to the arts, as is the vision of the Windybrow Arts Centre.
Homann concluded the interview by stating, “Each unit head across the Foundation understands the fabric of what we do. It’s a passionate team who believe wholeheartedly in the legacy we are committed to building on.”
As the Market Theatre Foundation moves towards the next 50 years in its journey, it’s clear that this iconic space – forged from within some of the country’s most troubled years – is well placed to continue challenging, shaping, and inspiring artists and audiences far and wide.