The Masque Theatre

In 1957 local attorney, Bertie Stern, Chairman of the South Peninsula Dramatic Society purchased the land that now houses the Masque Theatre..... Not by any means as it now stands, but rather as a totally derelict building with no roof and four walls that was previously a bowling alley! With the help of friends, the hard grind of do-it-yourself construction began, and finally when the building was finished, the struggle with the powers-that-be for permission to operate a theatre in a residential area , especially as Bertie insisted it was multi-racial in what was then a non-multi-racial society, would take another two years! Every possible obstacle was used to stop Bertie opening a theatre in which all races were welcome.......persistence, however, eventually won the day, and the 10th January 1959 saw the grand opening of The Masque Theatre. Bertie made the inaugural speech and emphasized that the Masque Theatre Club, as it was called, intended to combine the best players of all races from both amateur and professional theatre who were interested in the creation of a group with a permanent repertoire.

And so finally, the show was on the road! The Masque Theatre players staged many and varied productions until, in 1976, Pam Ross approached Bertie and asked if the Bergvleit Dramatic Society (now Constantiaberg Theatre Players) could use the Masque for their productions. This was the beginning of other societies using the Masque Theatre as their home. Some well known performers of the early days were, among others, Alec Bell, Zoe Randall, Yvonne Bryceland, Percy Sieff, Frank Lazarus and the most recent success, David Kramer's Kat and the Kings in 1997.

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Quarterly Programme

Booking Information

Associated Societies

Claremont Dramatic Society

Constantiaberg Theatre Players

Fish Hoek Dramatic Society

Muizenberg Dramatic Society