The auditorium that almost was not

After the magnificent concert on Sunday, 8 October, performed by a combined NWU Symphony Orchestra, the Rhapsody Orchestra from Bloemfontein and the North West Youth Orchestra, accompanied by the NWU Choir and the NWU Serenaders, I again realised what an absolute gem and treasure the residents of Potchefstroom and the people of the North West Province have in the Auditorium at the North-West University.*

Under the baton of André Oosthuizen “Calling All Dawns” was performed. “Calling All Dawns” is described as “a classical crossover album by Christopher Tin released in 2009. The album won two Grammys at the 53rd Grammy Awards for Best Classical Crossover Album and Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist for the song “Baba Yetu”, the theme for the 2005 video game “Civilization IV”.”

The soloists were: Wilhelm van den Berg, Khayakazi Madlala, Lanka Stols, Rethabile Khaile, Netanja Brink, Hava-jo-toiva Carels and Annemarie van der Westhuizen.

As far as it can be ascertained it is the first time in its existence of almost half a century that three symphony orchestras graced the stage of the Auditorium in one production. Many choir festivals with as many as sixteen choirs at once on the stage, however, took place over the years.

Being privileged to be able to experience the “Calling All Dawns” performance would not have been possible if the Auditorium at the North-West University (NWU) did not exist.

It almost was not.

A great need for a student centre at the Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education (PU for CHE) already came to the fore in 1963 and since 1968 it was discussed and planned at numerous meetings of the Committee for Terrain and Buildings. An auditorium was part of the plans for the Student Centre.

Architects Wilhelm O Meyer and Bannie Britz were appointed to design the centre. Escalating building costs was the cause that the initial budget of R2 million doubled. Facilities in the centre mainly include the Auditorium with seating initially for 1 035, a cafeteria that could process 10 000 meals for students daily, the indoor sport centre, numerous sports venues, squash courts, an indoor sports venue, offices for the Student Council and the Amphitheatre.

The Sanlam Auditorium (below only referred to as the “Auditorium”), as it was later named, was initially planned merely as an auditorium (the name stuck but is not the correct description for what it is today). An auditorium is a public space where a large group of people can gather to listen (hence the first part of the word is similar to “audio”) to music, speeches, etc. This is different from a theatre. A theatre is a place where plays and dramatic works can be performed. A theatre differs from an auditorium since it has a proscenium. This is the arched opening at the front of the stage to which a curtain is attached that can be opened and closed. An auditorium does not have a proscenium, such as the hall at the Conservatory, which is in essence an auditorium.

The Auditorium has its current appearance due to a change of plan, very late in the building phase.

A town theatre or not?

In 1967 the Potchefstroom town council decided to found a theatre fund committee to raise funds for the building of a theatre for the town.

By 1972 the theatre, with seating for 800 was designed and to be built on the corner of Gouws Street (Sol Plaatjies) and Wolmarans Street (where the library now stands). Plans, designed by Interplan, indicate that the Goetz-Fleischack house, now a museum, was to be demolished and the space used as a parking area!

In the meantime, the Auditorium at the Student Centre was only planned as such, without the proscenium.

Three years later the town council received the first of six yearly donations of R160 000 from the government. Mrs Corrie Ryke, mother of Peet Ryke, who later was a stalwart at PUK Kunste (now NWU Arts), was involved with the Potchefstroom theatre project. Building of the Student Centre already started when the government announced that it is not going to contribute the promised 80% to the building of the town theatre. This meant the end of the theatre project.

From auditorium to theatre

The well-known Johan van Rensburg, mostly known as the band leader of Musiekfabriek, who featured in the television programme Noot vir Noot, was then the director of the Alabama Student Company that was widely popular over the whole of South Africa at the time for their revue programmes.

He visited the United States in the early 1970s and since he came back made numerous representations that the auditorium planned at the Student Centre, rather be made into a theatre. The designers of the Auditorium designed it as such under the premise that Potchefstroom will have a theatre and that another theatre was not necessary.

After the demise of the town theatre plans, Johan again agitated for the auditorium to be turned into a theatre.

Subsequently the PU for CHE decided to change the plans to rather build a theatre. The available space was too small for a proper theatre with side stages and a technical tower where lighting and décor could be stored and proper dressing rooms. This decision to change the plans was noted by the advisory committee of the Student Centre as late as February 1979. The first production in the new Auditorium already took place in August 1979, a mere six months later!

For Van Rensburg’s contribution towards the building of the theatre, it was planned to affix a plaque in the Auditorium, but it never materialised.

Johan van Rensburg – noteworthy alumni

Johan became the musical director of the Alabama Student Company in 1966. In 1967 he was the driving force behind the revue concept for the Company. This format of song and dance interspersed with comic sketches was an instant hit with audiences and catapulted the Company to be the foremost student entertainment company in the country. The revue format was copied by many tertiary institutions and high and primary schools.

He is a former director of Afrikaans, light music variety programmes at the then SABC TV1. He produced numerous Afrikaans entertainment programmes for local television, including well-known shows such as Platepraatjies, Teletreffers and Debuut. He co-produced Noot vir Noot for over a decade and was also a popular presence in Musiekfabriek, the band of the show.

He has received various accolades, including the NWU Chancellor’s Medal for his contribution to the advancement of Afrikaans cultural activities and his association with the NWU stretching over more than five decades. In 2019 he received the NWU Alumni Award.

Lack of amenities caused problems

The fact that the Auditorium does not have these amenities (stage tower, proper dressing rooms and side stages), created problems from the start. Johan van Rensburg later said that one of the inconveniences is that you are not able to reach the back stage area from the front of the stage when the curtains are closed, other than to take the long way, through the Auditorium, the foyer and the green room.

Dr Elize Scheepers, lecturer at the now defunct Department of Speech and Drama, wrote in 1981 that students of the department needed a week of rehearsals to iron out all the glitches caused by, for example, bad communications and the enormous amount of time it takes to change a light.

A space frame (ruimteraam) was installed to aid the changing of lights and to hang décor and side curtains from. This unique frame was specifically designed for the Auditorium to be lowered from the roof to the stage. No other theatre in the country had a similar facility. In 2002, Mr Horst Bütow, director of PUK Arts, wrote that this space frame was still inadequate, impractical and clumsy. It caused unnecessary damage and needed to be replaced promptly.

Bütow was appointed as a student advisor for cultural activities in 1980 and specifically to manage and promote the Auditorium. He retired in 2014 as the director of NWU-PUK Arts.

In spite of all its short comings, the Auditorium was put into use, shortly after the Student Centre opened.

The 1979 performance of the Alabama Student Company was the first to grace the stage of the Auditorium. This was on 13 August 1979.

The name Sanlam

One would think that a giant insurance company such as Sanlam would have contributed towards the initial building costs of the Auditorium, hence the attachment of their name to it, but it was not the case. Mr Chris Windell, former director of Public Relations at the PU for CHE, later recalled that the name was decided upon during a conversation between the then rector, Prof Tjaart van der Walt, and Mr Jack van Wyk, general manager of Sanlam. Van Wyk mentioned the possibility of naming the newly built Auditorium after Sanlam due to the many donations the company had made towards the PU for CHE over the years. This includes their contribution to build the first purpose-built administration building of the NWU, now known as the LJ du Plessis Building (F4), that was formally opened in 1957.

The official inauguration of the Student Centre took place in March 1980 with a week-long celebration of productions and sporting events. The main event was a performance by the SABC symphony orchestra on 1 March 1980.

The Auditorium quickly became a popular venue. Bütow wrote in his report for 1982/3 that it can truly be seen as a cultural centre for the Western Transvaal. Requests had been received from all over the country well-known “impresarios” who wanted to present a production there. “This brings the university the benefit to be able to choose which productions to present. Entertainment of the highest level can be our privilege with some ingenuity, organisational skills and financial daring.”

Milestone productions

“Musikale Interaksie” a production presented in 1983 was regarded by Bütow as one of the climaxes at his tenure (from 1980-2014) at the university.

Well-known performers such as Eve Boswell, Danie Niehaus, Rina Hugo, Karen Hougaard, Randall Wicomb, and the home-grown Alabama Student Company all took part. They were accompanied by a “big band” orchestra of 32 members under the baton of a former Alabama musical director, Louis Drummond van Rensburg.

Guests from Johannesburg and Pretoria were conveyed to Potchefstroom in a special train. Guests from the Vaal Triangle travelled in a luxury bus. Apart from the performance in the evening, guests could visit numerous departments of their choice on campus and had a luncheon at Voorhuis dining-hall (now Weet & Sweet).

During the afternoon the ladies were taken to the rector’s residence where they were treated to a garden party and fashion parade. The men, simultaneously, had the opportunity to bid to “buy” the chairs in the Auditorium. An amount of about R600 000 was hence raised in aid of the university.

Another one of the large events where the Auditorium took centre stage (pun intended) was the Kuesta of 1982. Kuesta (the name is a combination of “Kuns” (art) and “fiesta” and is now a choir festival.

Eleven choirs took part, including the Pretoria University Choir, the Oudtshoorn College Choir, the Free State University Choir, The Ambassador Choir, the female choir of the Conservatory of the University of Stellenbosch, the Ad Libitum Choir, the church choir of Stellenbosch-Sentraal, the PU Choir, choir of the Goudstad Teachers Training College and the female choir of the Potchefstroom Teachers Training College.

The climax of this event was a mass choir of 550 members. Mimi Coertse, was the soloist and the choir performed under the baton of Prof Pieter de Villiers.

In his annual report, Bütow described it as a spectacular performance that would not easily be equalled.

In 1984 another mass choir was assembled, accompanied by the National Symphony Orchestra. Choirs that took part, amongst others, were the Potchefstroom University Choir, the City Choir of Klerksdorp and the Potchefstroom Town Choir. This was the first time that the National Symphony Orchestra performed in Potchefstroom. Works included the “Hunters Chorus” from Der Freischütz by Weber, the “Slave Chorus” from Nabucco by Verdi, “Lex Voice” from Carmen by Bizet and the “Triumphal March” from Aïda by Verdi.

Bütow wrote in his annual report that the Auditorium was never before so sold out.

Another mass choir event again took place in 1986. The National Symphony Orchestra again accompanied this mass choir who performed Carmina Burana by Carl Orff. Choirs that participated were the PU University Choir, the Ambassadors Choir from Pretoria and the university choirs of the Randse Afrikaanse Universiteit (RAU – now UJ), Pretoria and the Free State University.

In 1994 sixteen choirs attended the Kuesta Choir Festival held at the PU for CHE and all were on the stage for the final concert.

After organising these choir festivals, the PU Choir presented the first Musica Choir Festival in 1995.

Other large productions include a combined choir and orchestra performance during Aardklop 2017 and Kuesta 2019, which were all held in the Auditorium

Popular venue for locals

Spectacular entertainment was not the only notable events taking in the Auditorium. Many popular artists walked the stage. Local schools soon started to hold their yearly prize-giving ceremonies in the Auditorium and presented their own performances such as revues.

In 1986 it was recorded that six Potchefstroom schools held prize-giving ceremonies. The Teachers Training College had their diploma ceremony, 133 church services and nine graduation ceremonies were held. Apart from this there were 25 other events and concerts. About 125 000 people visited the Auditorium of which about the half had to buy a ticket. By 2002 about 200 000 people yearly made use of the facility.

Other milestone performances the Auditorium saw, include the first concert of the Serenaders on 10 October 1994 when they were the guest choir during the Enkelsêr Competition.

In the 1980s and 1990s the Alabama Student Company was a perennial favourite. During those years they packed the Auditorium to capacity for an average of five performances. The last year the Company performed was in 2007 when there were only two performances in Potchefstroom and for those only half of the tickets were sold. Students’ changing preferences, the popularity of the Ser Competitions and soaring costs were some of the reasons why the Alabama Student Company was disbanded and the name was given to a musical production company managed by NWU-PUK Arts.

Another favourite between 1986 and 2005 was the yearly Film Festival. After about 8 900 people attended in the first year, it was repeated yearly for two decades. In collaboration with Ster Kinekor a national première of a popular movie was the gala event of the festival. Apart from this about 30 other were shown over the period of a few days. This was accompanied by discussions about each film afterwards by experts. Some of the films shown were met with much controversy.

In 1986 the première of A Room with a View, was shown, but management of the university, after a pre-view, was concerned about a nude scene. This was neatly spliced out from the film strip before the film was shown and replaced before the reels were sent back to Ster Kinekor.

A film projector was acquired in 1987 at a cost of R15 000. This heavy projector was hoisted with much difficulty to be installed in the projector room at the back of the Auditorium and is still there.

In its heyday the Film Festival was regarded as one of the important dates on the cultural calendar of Potchefstroom. But by 2005 its popularity had waned and it took place for the last time. Reasons cited are the fact that students were able to acquire newly-released films on the Internet long before they were shown at the Festival. Students in Information Technology created a network, known as “DC”, initially purposed to share study notes with other students. Soon overseas films, not even released in South Africa, were available here.

The film industry also became more digitized and the cumbersome projector, that was almost 20 years old, was not able to show newly-released films.

Other milestone events in the Auditorium include the musicals which were productions put on by NWU Arts. This include Broadway Skouspel (1997), Binglestraat (1998), Downtown (1999), Deliverance (2000), Back to the ’80s (2008), Persreën (2010), Grease (2012) and Breaking up is hard to do (2014).

Still going strong every year are First Year Concert (first held in 1980) and the Ser competitions. The first Talent Festival was in 1986 and is still very popular. It is now called the Eagi Talent Festival.

Graduation ceremonies the most poignant

In spite of the high premium the Auditorium placed on the advancement of the arts, Peet Ryke, who for many years was the manager of the Auditorium, said that presenting graduation ceremonies there is a very important role for the Auditorium. “I observed many graduation ceremonies. For every one that walks over the stage, it is the climax of his student years. And for the parents and family it is an even bigger occasion. One can see that they are wearing their best clothes and you realise that many of them have sacrificed to see their children through university.”

Frequent use necessitated upgrades

The frequency of usage of the Auditorium often necessitated repairs and upgrades.

In 1990 the Potchefstroom town council undertook to donate R30 000 toward the upkeep of the Auditorium. In 1992 Sanlam put their money where their mouth is and partly funded repairs to the chairs.

In 1994 the appearance of the Auditorium was upgraded, including the foyer and the ticket booking system. The upholstery of the chairs and carpets were replaced at a high cost. New refuse bins and a proper surface from where refreshments could be served, were installed.

In 1996 the sound system was replaced at a cost of R300 000 and for 1999 it was planned to replace the cyclorama curtain (back curtain) and the carpet in the foyer with tiles.

In 2013 the chairs in the Auditorium were replaced. Bütow wrote that the usage of 33 years made this necessary. Due to the fact that the new chairs were somewhat larger than the previous ones and to provide a space for wheel chairs, there were now only 989 chairs available, instead of the just more than 1 000 previously. Students, however, were not amused. Wapad wrote on 22 August 2013 that the new chairs leave no leg space and described it as “chairs from the theatre of the seven dwarfs”.

At the same time the lift for wheel chair users was installed, as well as a roof over the entrance to the back stage area.

In 2017 the hardboard on the stage was replaced. According to Jaco van der Walt, director of NWU Arts, the previous hardboard had about six to seven centimetres of paint on it! The sound system was also upgraded.

Coming January and February the lights are going to be upgraded. In July the carpets and space frame will receive attention.

Selling tickets was a ponderous business

Although ticket sales were done by way of a computer programme since 1979, it was not always a seamless process.

Initially tickets were printed by the main frame computer of the university. All the tickets for a specific performance were printed and then manually distributed to vendors (including on campus and by a collaborative business in town, amongst others).

By 1994 the system was computerized and again upgraded in 2004. This system had its own problems. All the tickets for a specific performance had to be printed beforehand, which took hours. The machine was supposed to automatically fold the tickets, but it happened from time to time that the tickets became entangled. Since the printing process took so long, it was done overnight. Alanka Craffert, a former administrative assistive at NWU-PUK Arts, recalled that her office would be transformed into a paper-strewn mess if there was a mishap. The more than 1 000 tickets had to untangled and individually folded and placed in order.

For every event the tickets had to be carefully torn from each other, sorted row-by-row and then evenly divided between the various vendors. It took two days to prepare the tickets for one performance. Afterwards all the returned tickets had to be counted and tallied against ticket sales to conclude the financial aspects of the event.

A new Internet-based ticket sale system was introduced in 2011 and put into use early in 2012. Only sold tickets were printed and immediate monitoring over the Internet of the progression of sales were made possible.

Buying tickets for the Ser competitions before sales became completely digitized, became a student activity and part of each residence’s yearly calendar. First year students were sent to camp out in front of Heimat to be the first to be able to buy tickets. Tents, couches, blankets, braaiing apparatus made their appearance. When tickets were sold out, some genuine tears were shed by the students who sacrificed so much to acquire one. This all became obsolete with Internet sales, but for some years, camping out in front of Heimat was still done.

Horst Bütow wrote that the value of the Auditorium is much wider than just a facility for performing arts. “The Auditorium is actually a laboratory. This is where students can live out their talents. If you take it away, you remove the opportunity. Rugby fields and tennis courts are created to do sport. The university created facilities such as the Auditorium and keep it in good order to create a balanced student. One that does not only immerse himself in his studies, but also has the ability and opportunity to develop leadership abilities by taking part in the performing arts.”

*In 2013 I was commissioned by the dean of Student Affairs at the NWU, Prof Rikus Fick, to research and write the history of the then NWU-PUK Arts. With a humongous archive filling four storage rooms, the research was an enormous task but also a fount of valuable information. This resulted in the book: NWU-PUK Kunste: die Geheim agter die Gordyn (The Secret behind the Curtain.) The name was created by Alanka Craffert. I subsequently completed a PhD in History on the same subject, which degree I received in 2019.