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The company is registered as Port Elizabeth Opera House and trades as The Opera House. We claim “The” to denote reverence and the fact that this is THE Original Opera House in the Southern Hemisphere.
The institution was built in 1892 through efforts of the creative collective of the time and individuals who held the existence of an intimate space for theatrical space dear to life. The oldest theatre in the Southern Hemisphere and the only of its kind still operating in Africa. In 1986 The Opera House became part of CAPAB (Cape Performing Arts Board) together with Nico Malan Theatre and East London Guild Theatre. In 1996 the Arts, Culture and Heritage White Paper led to the dissolution of such institutions as CAPAB with the 1997 the Cultural Institutions Act permitting for the establishment of new companies. By Dr John Kani’s admission, the establishment of new companies ignored the realities that were to be faced by new ill capacitated provinces like the Eastern Cape. The PE Opera House was not declared as a performing arts cultural institution.
This was a grave mistake on the part of policy advisors to the national Department of Arts and Culture, short of calling it a deliberate act of sabotaging history. The Eastern Cape has had a long history of struggle against apartheid, protracted battles for land through Frontier Wars, maiden colonial encounters in Southern Africa, first railway station, first newspaper, first university that has produced throngs of leaders across Africa, first bank in South Africa, maiden religious conflicts, lengthy workers struggle that fed liberation machinery. Who was to tell these stories? Was someone cautious enough to block this? The denial of the Eastern Cape a declared performing arts institution was and is still a treason against history of human kind.
This institution is now registered as Section 21 / Non Profit Company dependent on constant fundraising with limited income streams to ensure self-sustainability in a desired manner.
Mounting support for appropriate resources for The Opera House and the successful implementation and impact of its programmes shall bear plausible Value for Money for both the cultural industry and the granting agent.
Vision
As the Port Elizabeth Opera House we see ourselves : (championing) Coherent development and growth of performing arts excellence.
Mission
Our mission as a performing arts institution is :
- Responsible and accountable institutional management;
- Partnering with local, provincial, national and international individuals and institutions;
- Stimulating creation of decent jobs for the performing arts sector;
- Producing qualitative artistic works;
- Holistic nurturing of talent for excellence.