The Auto and General Theatre on the Square, Sandton’s only theatre, recently celebrated 22 years since it first opened its doors on Nelson Mandela Square.
Daphne Kuhn, the owner of the theatre, has always been involved in the entertainment industry and has filled various positions at the SABC, the Joburg Theatre and the Market Theatre.
Twenty-four years ago, she jumped at an opportunity to start up her own small theatre in Rosebank. A short while later, realising the potential of Sandton, she approached the developers of the Nelson Mandela Square to start a theatre.
“I live in Sandton and it’s always been my home – this is where I brought up my kids so I thought this was the hub.”
Since the theatre opened, there have been thousands of performances, ranging from local and international plays, musicals, comedies and children’s theatre pieces. Kuhn added that the theatre tries to host a wide range of productions to attract a wide audience.
Kuhn has developed relationships with many actors, directors and playwrights over the years and spends a large portion of her time finding plays to potentially produce. Her reputation in the theatre industry also means she sifts through volumes of content which get sent to her.
“Passionately, my feelings about this theatre have never changed. It has brought joy to so many people, work opportunities to thousands of artists on an ad-hoc basis all the time, and we’ve had training elements and workshops and children’s presentations for so many people.”
The theatre industry has changed drastically over the years and has had its fair share of challenges but Kuhn could not imagine a world without theatre.
“It brings cultural diversity, it brings people together and uplifts them because drama, I believe, allows people to communicate and work together and crosses all cultural barriers.”
