With their long journey from humble beginnings on a farm just outside Plettenberg Bay to international hit shows, the Barnyard Theatre is a homegrown venue for live music shows and entertainment.
It all began in 1996 when the first Barnyard Theatre was opened by the Möller family on a dairy farm. Louis and Sybel had both been involved in the performing arts most of their lives – Louis as co-founder and producer of, among others, the TV show Carte Blanche and Sybel Coetzee-Möller as a freelance actress and TV presenter.
In 1989, they took stock of their hectic lives with two young boys and decided that family came first. As a result, they decided to open a dairy farm close to Plettenberg Bay.
After a few years of farming, they longed for a way to combine their two loves, the footlights and the farm and, with this, the idea of The Barnyard Theatre came to play.
The idea of a barnyard came after Louis built a rustic American-style wooden barn on the farm which he and Sybel converted into a theatre that had an old-world atmosphere, heavy wooden beams, a horseshoe gallery, big tables with lanterns and wood chips on the floor.
In 2003, Louis then joined forces with well-known South African musician, Duck Chowles and together they formed The Barnyard Theatre Production Company, having produced, among others, the mega-hit Roll Over Beethoven.
Chowles now directs and produces all the shows at Barnyard Theatres as well as being a co-owner of some of the six venues.
In celebration and gratitude of the loyal support in their two decades of rocking the nation, The Barnyard Theatre is giving away an all-inclusive party for 30 people valued at R20 000 at each participating venue. They are also offering double Barnyard Bucks for loyalty members during June and July.
Details: www.barnyardtheatre.co.za
