JOHANNESBURG, South Africa—When it first started in the 1970s, South Africa’s Market Theatre staged plays considered to be so subversive that it became a regular target of the apartheid government’s zealous censors.

Even the fact that its audiences were made up of Black and white South Africans mingling together was unheard of in a city where the law separated areas and people by race.

The theater, established in an old fruit and vegetable market in central Johannesburg, was born at a pivotal time in “the Struggle” — the fight against the apartheid government. It opened its doors just days after the 1976 Soweto uprising changed the country forever.

Youth took to the streets to protest schools teaching in the Afrikaans language and the ensuing government crackdown saw hundreds killed.

“So, we opened our doors three days after that event,” says the theater’s current artistic director Greg Homann. “The Market Theatre has been forged in those days of June 16 and now has really carried the weight of telling the national story of South Africa all the way through the dark years of apartheid.”

This year, the theater, where legendary South Africans like actor John Kani and playwright Athol Fugard made their names, is celebrating its 50th anniversary.

John Kani arrives at the premiere of “Murder Mystery 2” on Tuesday, March 28, 2023, at the Regency Village Theatre in Los Angeles.

Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP

hide caption

Advertisement

toggle caption

Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP

In that half century it produced plays of international renown, including “Woza Albert,” “Sophiatown,” and “Sizwe Banzi is Dead,” and the hit musical “Sarafina” — about the Soweto uprising.

“Sarafina,” written by jazz musician Hugh Masekela, went on to Broadway and became a Hollywood movie starring Whoopie Goldberg.

But many initially doubted it would survive. Tony-award-winning actor John Kani said he was stunned when the theatre’s founders Barney Simon and Mannie Manim first told him their vision.

“I thought these two whities were nuts, it’s not going to work, and they said to me and Athol Fugard that it’s going to be open to all. I said what are you talking about, it’s ’75, ’76” Kani recalled in a 2014 interview.

But despite his initial reservations, Kani said, “my entire career fell in place on this stage.”

Still, there were times when it was touch and go.

The theater “was often raided. Actors were sometimes in some kind of danger,” Homann says.

And often, apartheid government censors turned up.

“They would then go onto stage and they would start doing their censorship in front of the audience,” he continues. “And it almost became like a second act of the production where the censorship was actively part of the work.”

‘No Black, no white’

Then there was the fact it was a place where all races could mix, with the theater’s directors cleverly finding loopholes to circumvent the law.

“At one point our bar was sold for one rand, so, you know, the equivalent of 50 American cents, so that it was privately owned,” says Homann.

Being privately owned meant that audience members of color “could stand in that space legally,” he explains. “But if they stepped one meter into the foyer they were illegal by apartheid laws.”

United States First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, left, and Vice President Al Gore applaud during a variety musical performance of “Sophiatown” by members of the Market Theatre Company on Monday, May 9, 1994 in Johannesburg. Rev. Jesse Jackson is seated behind Gore.

Michael Yassukovich/AP

hide caption

toggle caption

Advertisement

Michael Yassukovich/AP

While the theater’s work helped spread the message of the anti-apartheid movement at home and abroad, some white audience members were triggered. 

“Quite a number of times I’ve seen them whites. You know, they get up,” recalls director Arthur Molepo, a theater veteran who has been involved with the Market since its inception.

“You see a man grabbing a woman and just walking out during the play, meaning they were angry, of course, or they’re not agreeing or believing what we’re saying,” said Molepo.

Still, he remembers the early years of the market as a heady time.

“There was no black, there was no white. We were just a whole group, a whole bunch. So we were making things, making theater,” he says.

An image from the February 2026 production of “Marabi” at the Market Theatre.

Ngoma Ka Mphahlele/Market Theatre

hide caption

Advertisement

toggle caption

Ngoma Ka Mphahlele/Market Theatre

This year Molepo directed a new production of an apartheid-era play — “Marabi.”

From the applause and standing ovation it was clear the subject matter still resonated, even with what appeared to be a mainly Gen Z and millenial audience who never knew life under apartheid.

The story follows a Black family’s struggles in the first half of the twentieth century and ultimately ends with their forced removal from their home under the white government’s racial segregation laws.

Gabisile Tshabalala, 35, played the lead role in Marabi, but she grew up in a free South Africa and doesn’t remember apartheid.

However, the actress says: “Theater is extremely important for young South Africans….especially as Black people…we get to tell our stories.”

And the theater isn’t content to rest on it’s historic laurels.

It “tells the South African story,” says Homann. “whatever that might be of its day.”

“So during the ’80s, that was the story of the fight against apartheid. More recently, it’s the challenges of a young democracy.”

Issues like access to education, corruption, and gender-based violence are all being tackled on stage as the Market turns 50, with South Africans hoping for many more years of thought-provoking theater.

My husband and I live in Mission Viejo. Our older son, his wife and two children (ages 5 and nearly 4) live in Newhall. We love spending time together, but it’s quite a trek on the 5 Freeway. Last year, we went to the aquarium in Long Beach, which was great fun. Another day, we enjoyed a day of hiking and a picnic at Placerita Canyon Nature Center near my son’s home. We would love some suggestions about other places to visit which would maybe be a little more centrally located and fun for the whole family. Thanks
— Cathy McCoy

Here’s what we suggest:

Cathy, I understand your pain. Driving 80 miles can feel like an odyssey, especially in SoCal. Thankfully, there are loads of fun places where your family can meet in the middle (or close to it). I’ve rounded up some solid options. By the way, the driving times mentioned here are a rough estimate for a weekend day without traffic, but as you probably know, your actual time may vary.

Since you all enjoyed the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, how about switching it up and spending the day with a different set of animals at the Montebello Barnyard Zoo for your next outing? That would be about a 40- to 50-minute drive for both of you. Open since 1968, the zoo is home to horses, goats, sheep and donkeys that you can pet (and feed for an extra $3). If you’re feeling adventurous, you can ride a pony or take a leisurely trip on a John Deere tractor train. “It’s a great place for young ones to learn that animals outside the home need and deserve the same kind of care that we show our pets,” Etan Rosenbloom writes in a Times guide to things to do with kids around L.A. General admission is $11, and you can sometimes find deals on Groupon as well. Afterward, head to Blvd Mrkt, a food hall in downtown Montebello that sells a variety of food so everyone can get what they want.

Another great option is the South Coast Botanic Garden on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, which might be about an hour drive for both of you. I learned about this spot from my dear late colleague Jeanette Marantos, who was a gardening expert in her own right. The garden, which has more than 2,500 species of plants and five miles of trails, also includes a kids area, which features “a nursery rhyme theme with a large dollhouse, a charming bridge and plants matched to the stories,” Marantos wrote. My editor Michelle Woo also loves this garden. “You can take a leisurely walk along the accessible loop trail or get really into the nooks and crannies of the place, discovering trees with giant roots that kids love to climb on and koi fish swimming in a shaded pond,” she says, adding that she’s excited for Thomas Dambo’s trolls exhibit that opens Sunday. If you get hungry, you can stop by Dottie’s at the Koi Pond, which sells food, beer, wine and specialty cocktails on Saturdays and Sundays. Carry-in food is permitted if pre-prepared.

If you’re interested in space travel, you should visit the Columbia Memorial Space Center, which is the ultimate cosmic playground. Located in Downey (known as “home of the Apollo”) — about a 40-minute drive for you and a 50-minute drive for your son’s family — the recently renovated museum features a play area, robotics lab and interactive exhibits on space exploration, including a shuttle landing simulator. Admission is $5 for adults and kids, $3 for seniors ages 65 and up and free for children ages 3 and under.

Speaking of aviation, another spot worth checking out is the Proud Bird in El Segundo, about a 45- to 50-minute drive for both of you. Here, you can enjoy delicious bites as you watch planes land at Los Angeles International Airport, which is just a couple of miles away. Woo calls it “the perfect spot for a multigeneration gathering.” “Our extended family once celebrated Christmas there when everyone was too tired to cook,” she adds. “You can order solid barbecue from Bludso’s, have a drink by a bonfire pit and let the kids play on the playground as planes fly by.” She also suggests the Point in El Segundo. It’s an open-air shopping and dining center that has a large lawn where the kids can play and the grownups can grab a drink from Lil’ Simmzy’s.

I hope these recommendations are useful as you plan your next family outing (and that they also save you some gas money). Whatever you end up doing together, I’m sure that your family, especially the little ones, will just be grateful to spend quality time with you. Have fun!

Sunday Puzzle

NPR

hide caption

toggle caption

Advertisement

NPR

On air challenge

I’m going to give you some seven-letter words. For each one, change one consonant to a vowel to spell a new word.
Ex. CONCEPT  –>  CONCEIT

1. REVENGE

2. TRACTOR

3. PLASTIC

4. CAPTION

5. SCUFFLE

6. POMPOMS

7. MOBSTER

8. LINKAGE

9. TEMPERS

Last week’s challenge

Last week’s challenge came from Joseph Young, of St. Cloud, Minn. Name an animal. The first five letters of its name spell a place where you may find it. The last four letters of this animal will name another animal — but one that would ordinarily not be found in this place. What animals are these?

Challenge answer

Stallion —> Stall, Lion

This week’s challenge

This week’s challenge comes from Peter Gordon, of Great Neck, N.Y. Name some tools used by shoemakers. After this word place part of a shoe. The result will be the subject of a famous painting. What is it?

If you know the answer to the challenge, submit it below by Thursday, April 2 at 3 p.m. ET. Listeners whose answers are selected win a chance to play the on-air puzzle.