Johannesburg’s Civic Theatre was built by the city council in 1962, a landmark crowning the Braamfontein hill. A major refurbishment in the late 1980s transformed it into one of the most technically proficient theatres in the southern hemisphere.

In 2000 — a moment when theatres across the country were considered creatively and financially moribund — the city corporatised the operating company, and it became a Municipal Entity of the City of Joburg. In 2009 “the Civic” was reborn as the more street-wise, accessible Joburg Theatre.

Today it stands as one of the acknowledged success stories of the city’s corporatisation policy. Its largest auditorium — renamed The Nelson Mandela Theatre — regularly plays to over 75% capacity and stays open at least fifty weeks a year. Under one roof, Joburg Theatre brings together four stages: the flagship Nelson Mandela Theatre, the versatile Lesedi Theatre, the family-focused Peoples Theatre, and the intimate black-box space.com.

Where the great shows come to play.

Over the past decade, The Mandela has hosted landmark productions — from William Kentridge’s acclaimed staging of Mozart’s The Magic Flute and The Head & the Load, to the West End and Broadway musicals below, and world-class touring spectaculars.

And each festive season, Janice Honeyman’s written-and-directed pantomimes remain the most-loved highlight of South Africa’s theatrical calendar.