Opera House, Port Elizabeth

This building, designed in a late Renaissance style based broadly upon the Doric order, was erected in 1891 under the direction of GW Smith, a prominent Port Elizabeth architect, and was built by the firm of Small & Morgan. It was opened on 1 December 1892 by the Mayor, Mr J McIlraith. It was declared a National Monument under old NMC legislation on 4 January 1980. The Port Elizabeth Opera House and Barn Theatre are located halfway down Whites Road. The Port Elizabeth Opera House and Barn Theatre is the main venue for dramatic productions and shows in the Eastern Cape and is the only surviving example of a Victorian Theatre in Africa. The Opera House is the oldest theatre on the continent of Africa and the Southern Hemisphere. This special piece of World History is right here in Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape Province.Built in 1892, it preceded the railway line by two years. It took 16 more years before artificial lighting - in the form of Gas - came to The Opera House. The building was run candles and limelight during this period. When the theatre opened it was recognized as “The finest theatre in all the World” according to press reports. This is testament to the fact that we can still use the building today. In fact we are not only the oldest theatre in Africa, but also the only Victorian Theatre left on the continent. This means that architecture, if it disappears, will be lost to the children of Africa forever. This very special place - the home of John Kani, Athol Fugard, Winston Ntshona, Nomsa Nkonyeni, Thoko Ntshinga, and Elizabeth Connell (international soprano), and many, many other famous people. In terms of history, culture and the contribution to the Arts during the struggle, no other theatre can claim the role that The Opera House has played.