The South African State Theatre houses the greatest performing arts facilities in Africa. It is the pride of South Africa thanks to its international reputation and delivery capacity. The theatre complex was designed to showcase arts of every genre and houses a complete range of industry support services under one roof.

Planning of The State Theatre complex in the heart of the Pretoria CBD began in 1964. Building began on the 27 June 1967, and the grand opening took place in 1981. As a milestone in the performing arts history of South Africa, the opening of The State Theatre was the beginning of great things.

Today, as a vital part of the national culture, The South African State Theatre, mainly a receiving house, offers a great deal more than just a complex of venues.

As a hub for the performing arts it embodies the history of its conception, the passion in its creation, the skill and talent of its performers and the delight, inspiration and excitement of its patrons.

Evolving with the times and the nation, The South African State Theatre has become a learning platform for future artistic talent; a multi-dimensional entertainment venue for a diversifying range of performance styles and genres, and a glamorous, modern venue for events from conferencing to product launches, exhibitions and private functions.

Rockville 2069

Production Rockville
Venue Drama Theatre
Produced by: TLC (Pty) Ltd
Dates 24 to 30 June 2013

Rockville 2069 launched for the media and entertainment industry at a staged concert of the soundtrack on Saturday 18 August. The show was followed by rave reviews and wide-ranging acclaim and this global soundtrack of a rock opera for the new millennium is set to take its rightful place in the spotlight. The music was written by Johnny Ray, arranged by Johnny Ray and Kyle Petersen and masterfully adapted and scored by Darryl Andrews, with lyrics and script by Johnny Ray and Bruno Paiola. The script has been adapted for the stage by Shaun Acker and Barbara McCanlis.

Rockville 2069 is a futuristic rock musical set against the backdrop of a post-apocalyptic world and is steeped in the philosophies that characterise the rebellion of the sixties, the seventies and those that are currently shaping our world. The creative brainchild of composer Johnny Ray, who wrote the music and co-wrote the lyrics and script with Bruno Paiolo, Rockville 2069 is a relevant and contemporary rock musical set to create a new shift in this genre. It’s a fully orchestrated production that sees over 60 artists and musicians from different cultural and musical backgrounds collaborate to bring a new thrilling voice to the rock musical scene.

Gavin Wright, the director, is owner and artistic director of The Fresh Theatre Company. He was trained at UCT and L.K. School of Arts in Cape Town

In1993, he started producing his own works and quickly established himself as a playwright.

He has performed throughout South Africa, produced countless shows and has also become an accomplished “mass choreographer” in South Africa. In 2007 he was commissioned to choreograph the Opening of Parliament’s parade.

The Fresh Theatre Company produces on average 3 original shows per year. His aim is to always produce “fresh” productions. He has penned a wide range of works including his own production “Twisted Vision” in Greenwich London.

Bryan Schimmel, the Musical Director, has positioned himself as one of the leading and most diverse Music Directors, Arrangers and Orchestrators in South Africa. He has worked in theatre, special events, recording and television across a full spectrum of music from rock bands to Big Bands, string quartets to symphony orchestras. His dazzling roster of theatrical productions includes Jersey Boys, Dreamgirls, Chicago, We Will Rock You, Rent and Thoroughly Modern Millie working with international creative teams. Together with Ian von Memerty, Bryan co-created the massively successful, multi award winning A Handful of Keys and played the first 350 performances.

Celeste Botha, the choreographer, started her dancing career at the age of 4 and has since been actively involved in the South African dance industry as performer, teacher and choreographer. Her extensive dance training and experience spans 30 years and includes ballet and contemporary dance. Since graduating from the University of Cape Town Ballet School, Celeste has worked with well-known contemporary and ballet dance companies both locally and abroad. She is a company member of Jazzart Dance. Her most recent works include choreography for The Gary Player Invitational, a ZooZoo commercial for Vodafone, SCARS (which she co-produced and performed in), a collection of choreographic pieces for the popular SABC TV show 'So You Think You Can Dance' as well as choreographing an Andrew Lloyd Webber and Ben Elton musical 'The Boys in the Photograph'.