By Sayuri Persotham
The Rhodes Drama Department is in the throes of renovation. While the refurbished Rhodes Theatre will be launched early next year, theatre administrator Gary Kitching gave Grocott’s Mail a glimpse behind the construction curtain. But a good story needs more than one scene so take this as the prologue.
Upon entry, the smell of paint floods your senses. The walls are dotted with paint samples, from egg yolk to sunset yellow. Kitching teems with excitement over his mini reveal: the new department colours will be a striking combination of purple and coral.
Good-naturedly, he highlights the trials of tracking down the correct paint shade, while balancing the renovation’s ever-shrinking timeline.
Kitching’s animated descriptions conjure show posters across the long departmental hallways — the most precious of which he stores under lock and key. “Digging around, I found a playbill for the debut performance of the Guy Butler Theatre, held all the way back in 1966,” Kitching gushes. He sees this as a celebration of Makhanda’s deeply-rooted artistic legacies.
During the walkthrough, Kitching proceeds to remove a giant wooden fan from the wall. While struggling with its removal, he explains that the overhaul includes reallocating shared venues between the Rhodes Drama Department and the Business School.
Kitching weaves through the latest additions, showing off the new rehearsal spaces and remodelled dressing rooms. Shifting the locations of the props room and the now-larger movement room, the Drama Department is better-equipped to support its people. Students now have larger, airier, and brighter (LAB) spaces in which to practice. Other venues, such as the Box Theatre and the Green Room, still await their facelifts.
The enthusiasm of a passing student shines out: “I’ve seen areas of the department that I’ve never seen before in my life!” With final rehearsals underway for some students, the limited number of available practice spaces appears stressful — for now. “The department will be nicer,” the student says.
We move into Rhodes Theatre, and Kitching gazes down from the majesty of its topmost balcony. He explains that the stage is so large, its entirety cannot be seen by audiences. It has been completely replaced, Kitching says, and bounces on his heels with the new installation’s extra spring. Renovations like these empower the drama department to reclaim some of its former glory — a welcome step forward amid successive budget cuts to the arts.
