The Fugard Theatre had something of a false start, writes Penny Haw, but a new manager plans to hit it out of the park
DANIEL Galloway was a serious cricketer. He qualified for the South African schools side in the 1990s and, after matriculating in his home town of Pretoria, left the country to pursue a county cricketing career in the UK in 1998.
Tall, lean and with complexion and hair colour reminiscent of former Proteas captain Shaun Pollock, he looks the quintessential sportsman. Even his nickname, Stix — which came about because of the remarkable length and boniness of his legs when he was a boy — corroborates the sporting theme.
But, while Galloway first set his sights on a sporting career, that’s not the field in which he’s making his mark a decade into his professional life. In December last year, he was appointed GM of The Fugard Theatre in Cape Town, a position he concedes is likely to test his fortitude and resourcefulness a great deal more than any cricket match .
The 270-seat theatre, which is the product of renovating two 19th-century warehouses and an old Gothic-style church hall in the District Six precinct of Cape Town at a cost of almost R20m by London-based, South African- born activist turned acclaimed film and theatre producer Eric Abraham, was opened in February last year. The real drama, however, unfolded late in November, when Abraham expelled the playhouse’s resident theatre company, Isango Portobello, led by Mark Dornford-May, following what Abraham described as "the discovery of certain financial irregularities".
A month later, Mannie Manim who, having retired from the University of Cape Town’s (UCT’s) Baxter Theatre in 2009, had taken on the role of executive director at The Fugard, resigned to "pursue his career as … a producer and lighting designer on a freelance basis". At the same time, Abraham confirmed that "all differences" between The Fugard and the Isango Ensemble (as Dornford-May’s company is now known) had been settled.
With both Dornford-May and Manim gone, and confirmation from the owner of the premises, the District Six Museum Trust, that it remained committed to "a constructive relationship with the theatre", Abraham needed an energetic and qualified person to take over its management and realise his objective of turning it into a sustainably profitable business. Galloway and Abraham’s paths first crossed when the former took on the role of production manager of Athol Fugard’s The Train Driver at the theatre in March last year.
By then, he had long since swapped batting nets for backstage, and before accepting Abraham’s offer at The Fugard, managed UCT’s Little Theatre.
Galloway’s attention swung from cricket to theatre when, "in a twist of providence", he was introduced to dramatic art while coaching cricket at a school in the UK about 13 years ago.
"It happened by chance. While working at the school, the headmaster asked me to substitute for a drama teacher. The theatre and its workings fascinated me immediately. Although I never imagined myself on stage, I thoroughly enjoyed everything that went on behind the scenes and realised then that I’d like to pursue a career in the theatre."
Galloway returned to SA and, a few years later, graduated from the drama department at Rhodes University. His years as a student, he says, confirmed the disparity most perceive exists between sports and the arts.
"My cricketing team-mates were generally taken aback when they discovered I was a speech and drama major, as were my classmates at the drama department when they heard I was a cricketer. But, what really worked for me was that I enjoyed the technical aspects of the theatre, which are the kind of things most drama students loathe. It meant I had every opportunity to experience the full spectrum of behind-the-curtain activities."
After university and following a stint at the Artscape and several months as the events manager at Canal Walk Shopping Centre, Galloway was appointed production manager and resident lighting designer at the Little Theatre in 2003. Since then, he’s been the production manager for numerous South African productions, some of which transferred to London, including a David Kramer production.
His years with UCT were rewarding but when The Fugard offer came from Abraham, Galloway didn’t hesitate.
"I love this space," he says, opening his arms as if to embrace the cool brick and timber interior of the old church hall in Caledon Street, which is now a foyer with a box office and bar counter crafted from polished wooden boards taken from floors removed from other parts of the premises.
"I work with an experienced advisory committee. Eric allowed me to handpick my team. (The Fugard has seven full-time employees.) And, in addition to the theatre, the rehearsal room, open-air deck and foyer are suited to hosting various events."
Opening The Fugard to events is one of the strategies Galloway hopes will help make the theatre a successful business that does not have to continue to rely on Abraham’s generosity. The day I visited, a number of photographic shoots were taking place in the rehearsal studio, a particularly beautiful room with a high ceiling, luminous wooden flooring and spectacular stained- glass church windows.
The outside deck, with its fine views of the city and Table Mountain, is an appealing venue for parties and launches. In December, the Tickled Pink Brutal Fruit party, hosted by US reality TV celebrities Khloe and Kim Kardashian, was held in the lobby.
"We want to see the diverse cultural and creative energies of Cape Town find a place in The Fugard Theatre. We are determined that it is theatre for all and will make special efforts to honour its link with the history of District Six," insists Galloway. "We want to build a strong constituency of support for the theatre and make it self-sustaining within three years. The only guarantee of creative autonomy is financial independence. As such, we’ve put out the word that the theatre complex is available for corporate and commercial hire."
The Fugard team is currently overseeing Die Kaptein se Tier, Antjie Krog’s Afrikaans translation of Athol Fugard’s The Captain’s Tiger. This will be followed by Sandra Prinsloo in Die Naaimasjien (The Sewing Machine). Next month, the theatre will host Sir Antony Sher in Arthur Miller’s Broken Glass. In May, Athol Fugard returns to the theatre named in his honour to direct a new play. The playwright’s latest drama, The Bird Watchers, will star South African stalwarts Sean Taylor and Dorothy Ann Gould.
Over and above already scheduled performances for this year, Galloway is excited by the proposals and requests he receives almost daily. They are, he says, the kind of opportunities he hopes will have the cricketer in him knocking the District Six theatre for a healthy six in the near future.
My cricketing team-mates were generally taken aback when they discovered I was a speech and drama major
By Penny Haw
Daniel Galloway. Photo: Artslink
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