The Johannesburg Civic Theatre has been an icon of the city for the past 40 years. As a venue, it’s always been mainstream, playing host to world-class performers (Marlene Dietrich in 1965) and world-class dictators (Robert Mugabe in the audience in 1996). The venue’s present profile, and its current success are due to the efforts of United Kingdom-born Bernard Jay, a global veteran of the theatre industry. Recruited amid much controversy, Jay took the helm two-and-a-half years ago. Since then as CEO, he’s managed, together with his board, to entice audiences to view a diverse array of productions. The theatre is now set to take on an exciting new face with a massive redevelopment.
Tell us about the redevelopment around the Joburg Civic Theatre.
Two projects are taking place. One is a corporate redevelopment project spearheaded by Sappi and Liberty Life — to invest in the Braamfontein area and upgrade it. Between them, they’re investing well over R200-million to redevelop a part of Braamfontein adjacent to the west side of the theatre. Their plans obviously affect us, as their neighbours. We’ve had this excellent ongoing relationship with Sappi. Building began in January and we’re now involved in the design concept.
How does it affect the theatre?
Sappi is building an amazing pedestrian walkway, landscaped, all the way down Ameshoff Street with benches and fountains, and so on. It should be completed by September. They needed to build a new car park for their staff — it encroaches into our underground space. In return, they’ve offered us the use of the car park in the evenings and on weekends for our patrons. Sappi chairman, Eugene van As decided to build us new escalators and lifts right into the foyer. There’s no money to be repaid, no sponsorship and they have no ongoing interest in this theatre. Thanks to Sappi, when it’s all finished, the theatre will look as if it was planned to sit in the middle of this beautifully landscaped area. We’ll become part of a leisurely environment and not look like a civic building.
What’s happening on the interior?
I’ve been determined to make a restaurant work here. It’s clear that money had to be spent on it — people need to be given a well-known name that happens to be in a theatre. I felt that News Café was the brand that’s needed here — it opens at the end of March. We’re also building a state-of-the-art gallery, with a coffee bar area, the right light and access on the piazza side of the theatre. The money to do this was found internally. Also, it’s been a dream of mine to build a dance studio adjunct to the theatre. This will have a glass wall overlooking the piazza and complement the art gallery.
What are you hoping to achieve by doing this?
I want to give this theatre a daytime life of its own. It’s a beautiful foyer — we have shops, an Internet café, bars … now our anchor tenant will be a restaurant. We’d love to eventually open a late-night jazz café. I want people to feel free to use this building even if they never come to the theatre, and then it’s our job as the team to persuade them.
What are your thoughts on corporate involvement?
We have no shareholders. The only one is the city of Johannesburg. We’re one of the corporatised units who run it. Corporate involvement is not necessary and so far neither is sponsorship. I’m dead against this concept that theatre is the poor relative of the entertainment industry and we must go and beg. We’ve been doing successful barter agreements and taking on strategic partners. We aim to find synergies between companies where there’s added value on both sides. My attitude is that whatever you can offer us, we want it, and we’ll find something to offer you in return.
To what do you attribute the success of some of your ventures?
We have a very clear identity. We’re a ‘receiving house”. We want to entertain you. It doesn’t mean they we can’t make you think or have an emotional experience. Audiences know that they’ll be entertained by choosing a show here. Initially, I had a great deal of criticism — those who said that we’d ‘kill arts and culture” and that it’d be ‘all shows from UK”. We’ve proven them wrong. In the past two years we’ve played host to more performing arts companies in South Africa than the theatre ever did in its past 40 years.
What do you feel about exporting South African theatre?
I’ve been working quietly on a new idea and have obtained the rights and signed a big-name Broadway West End director — the rest is all South African talent. I’m not creating another Umoja or African Footprint. My belief is that the world does not want to see another ethnic show.
You’ve been accused of staging ‘elitist theatre”.
Theatre is elitist. It never will be anything else. The definition of the word elitism is that only so many people can experience it at one time. Also, it’s expensive to run a theatre, if you’re not heavily subsidised and don’t have sponsorship, then that price has to reflect in the tickets. The fact that you need a certain amount of money makes it elitist. There’s no harm in that word. I never realised it had a bad connotation until I came to this country. But, what you mustn’t be is elitist to only one section of the population and we are very conscious of that. We’re very proud that we’re building up very regular and visible black audience — of course with money, as the white and other ethnic groups have a certain amount of money.
How do you know what your audiences want?
I don’t believe in market research. We look at ticket sales and if a show is packing out, you know you’re on the right track. We recently sold out with Sleeping Beauty with Ayanda from Idols. People from the townships came to see it and discovered the Civic Theatre. The best research is to stand at the back while the show is on and watch people’s reactions. But theatre is very fickle. One can never allow oneself to be complacent in this business. But, there’s a definite trend here — audiences like dance and big spectacles from overseas. So, we’re sourcing those shows.
What’s your future vision for the theatre?
To attract more and more people into this building that have never been before. People that go to Sandton and see movies and have dinner, I need them in my theatre. They never felt welcome before — I have to turn that concept around. To build a new theatre going audience and finally, to find a way of taking the name of the Civic Theatre around the world, thereby increasing the value of that name.