Our History

Originally begun in 2008 by 3 theatre companies who recognized the need to share resources, the Theatre Arts Admin Collective formalized itself in June 2009, under the directorship of Caroline Calburn, to serve the wider Cape Town theatre community. In 2020, it became simply Theatre Arts.

Built on the tenets of affordability, inclusivity and accessibility, Theatre Arts is a vibrant home for local theatre practitioners – a place where they can create work, develop skills, perform, engage in dialogue and meet and work with theatre practitioners who come from diverse backgrounds, whether cultural, social, economic or simply in skill and experience. Described as the rehearsal space of choice, Theatre Arts is dedicated to creating the right environment for artists and theatre to flourish. In an industry which is culturally divided, dominated by a few voices and vastly under-supported financially, both through patronage and funding, Theatre Arts strives to support, enable and provide opportunity for artists to continue developing skills, creating work and generating income. Open to fresh ideas and up for experimentation based on current trends in economic thinking, Theatre Arts is an organic model and successful training ground for re-conceptualising what a theatre institution, in South Africa, can be and how it can sustain itself.

In 2019, Theatre Arts won a Fleur du Cap Award for Innovation in Theatre.

The Blue Doors
In 2009 the doors were an old military green. In 2010, for our very first Obs Family Festival, they were painted a turquoise. A few years later, in a church makeover, they were turned brown. And in 2017, for the Cape Town Fringe, they were painted the iconic blue and have remained so ever since.

Help Keep Our Blue Doors Open