2 Collett Street, Adcockvale
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The Savoy Theatre is a performance venue on the corner of Diaz and Collette Streets, Adcockvale, Gqeberha. The venue is also known as the Savoy Club Theatre or Savoy Theatre and Conference Centre.
It is the home of the Impact Community Theatre Company (formerly the Port Elizabeth Gilbert and Sullivan Society, originally known as the Savoy Club Theatre).
History
It was designed and built by members of the Port Elizabeth Gilbert & Sullivan Society in the 1960s, primarily as a rehearsal venue. At that time, since the Society's establishment in 1932, most productions were staged at the Port Elizabeth Opera House and the Savoy stage was made to the same size as the PE Opera House stage. Since the early 2000s most of the Society's productions have been staged at the Savoy Theatre with ongoing improvements being made such as the construction of an Orchestra Pit in 2011 and major renovations to the bar and entertainment areas.
The Savoy Theatre and Conference Centre
Following the major renovations, the venue was renamed the Savoy Theatre and Conference Centre. The venue itself features the auditorium with a full size 9m X 10m theatrical stage. It has two large dressing rooms and one smaller "star" dressing room, with 2 unisex toilets for performers.
The auditorium comprises five separate tiers for optional seating arrangements; dinner theatre style table seating, comprising of eight-seater trestle tables on each tier to allow for comfortable seating for 200 people, and theatre style seating comprising of rows of seats on each tier, allowing seating for 300 people. The Centre features a fully licensed and functional bar area and a coffee lounge area, separate from the bar area which sells coffees, teas and sweets as an option for simple catering events.
In the 2020s, it appears that the venue operates simply as the Savoy Theatre.
Impact Community Theatre Company
Impact Community Theatre Company is an amateur theatre society based at the Savoy Theater in Gqeberha, South Africa. Formerly known as the Port Elizabeth Gilbert and Sullivan Society.
History
The proposal to change from the Port Elizabeth Gilbert and Sullivan Society to Impact Community Theatre Collective was announced by Rose Cowpar (the Society's President) in 2022. The name was changed on August 11, 2022. According to Cowpar, the name was changed to keep pace with the changing times. "The name Port Elizabeth is gone now and the name Gilbert and Sullivan is unknown to most people," she said.
The new society, under the amended name of Impact Community Theatre Company, was launched on 2nd May 2024.
Productions
2024: Sing Out Loud! Festival 2024, Blast from the Past, directed by Rose Cowpar; Grease, directed by Leandi Fontini.
Sources
Correspondence with Rose Cowpar, member of the Society's Executive Committee, October 2014.
