10 sept 2006 stond in The Sunday Independent (SA)


I New theatre to be built in White City


The sod-turning ceremony for a new theatre in Jabavu White City, Soweto, The Miracle Theatre, takes place on September 22.
The theatre is an initiative of the Herman van Veen Foundation.

In 2004, during a visit to South Africa, the Dutch stage performer Herman van Veen met members of Thesele Creative Society, a young theatre company from Soweto. He learnt that there was no theatre venue in Soweto for these artists to perform at, but there were several jails.
Thus the idea was born of creating a platform for performers, as well as a facility to present creative and educational workshops for children from the community and host community events. The project is now becoming reality due to the collaboration of the Herman van Veen Foundation, Thesele Creative Society, Tom Roos (a Flemish director backed by the Flemish government), Ipelegeng Community Centre and the local Anglican church.
The theatre will be built on the premises of the Ipelegeng Community Centre. An under-used hall at the centre will be converted into a multipurpose space with retractable, raked seating for 344 people. The latest technical equipment will be installed in the space. Plans for the theatre will soon be submitted to the city council. The architect is Fanuel Motsepe.


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