Reps Theatre

This included a fanfare of trumpets from the BSAP band, incidental music from a section of the municipal orchestra, corsages for every lady in the audience, a formal opening ceremony by the Governor General of the Federation, Lord Dalhousie, and after the show a champagne party in the foyer for the entire audience.

He inspired many young people to tread the boards and produced pantomimes, adult and children's shows.

The only problem was that the new theatre only had toilets for men and women, and there were immediate objections from the Salisbury Public Works Committee.

On 17 June 1959, the Committee told Reps that, unless separate conveniences were provided, then they would not receive a Public building Certificate and the theatre would not open.

Once the opening was behind them and encouraged by hints that the Public Works Committee was divided on the issue, Reps decided to stand firm.

The chairman, Ken Towsey, wrote letters to the Mayor of Salisbury and Councillor J. J. Posselt, stressing the doubts on the Law's validity.

It was said to read like an extract from Gilbert and Sullivan, as the following passage shows: On 8 April, the report was privately conveyed to the Mayor, who advised them to quietly carry on with its current policy.

However, in the following years of Smith's rule, the sanctions against the country meant that obtaining the rights to perform became increasingly difficult.

Adrian Stanley negotiated many of these contracts, and managed to obtain rights to several new productions – such as Godspell and Jesus Christ Superstar.

The Lancaster House Agreement and the forming of Zimbabwe, also didn't have much effect on the Theatre, apart from the easing of sanctions, etc.

The only notable incident was when the independence celebrations were held, many visiting diplomats booked tickets for the Reps Theatre and hardly any showed up.

The theatre has always been a cultural mixing pot for Zimbabweans and visitors alike and a number of Reps members have gone on to find fame and hopefully fortune overseas.

Many former members of Repteens have pursued a career in theatre – the most notable is the famed Over the Edge Company, which has won great recognition and awards for its productions in London and Edinburgh.