The South African State Theatre, located in Tshwane, is one of the primary performing arts venues in the country. Since its doors opened in 1981, the theatre complex has hosted numerous plays, musicals, operas, ballets, dramas, cabarets and children’s theatre performances. Cats, The Phantom of the Opera, The Sound of Music and Sarafinanumber among the top-billed shows brought to the State Theatre stage.
When the theatre complex was completed in 1981, it was the largest such venue in the southern hemisphere. The complex comprises five theatres, seating between 120 and 1 300 people, various function rooms, rehearsal studios and office space.
Its venues are hired for all manner of functions, including lunches, dinners, parties, film festivals, concerts, weddings and fashion shows. The complex’s large central square has also hosted open-air concerts and shows.
Since its reopening in 2001, the theatre has continued to play a vital role in developing performing arts in the province.
Theatres
The South African State Theatre has six auditoriums for performances: the Opera Theatre which seats 1300 individuals; the Drama Theatre can accommodate up to 640 individuals; the Arena which has a capacity of 288 individuals.
Rendezvous is a smaller theatre which can seat 260 people, whilst Momentum can host 20 individuals and Intimate is a cabaret venue for about 100 guests.
Conference facilities
The establishment is able to host conferences which have predesigned buffet lunches, mid-morning and afternoon refreshments. Audio-visual equipment is available for hire.
Five venues are available for hire, catering for between 10 and 100 individuals each. The Baldinelli Foyer can host up to 100 individuals, whilst a smaller venue named Intimate has a capacity of 100. The Arabesque is available for 60 individuals, and the Applause Foyer can host between 10 and 50 people. The South African State Theatre’s Executive Lounge can seat up to 20 individuals.
Three on-site restaurants and bars are appropriate for more casual meetings, including the Arena Bar (150pax); Applause Champaign Bar (50pax) and Theatre’s Restaurant (250 pax).
