Research Title : Exploring the role of indigenous languages in fostering audience building in the South African Theatre: A case study of the South African Theatre’s Productions programming. “Theatre Audiences are however notably absent even when theatre Is presented free of charge. This may be in part due to an absence of Familiarity, but there is perhaps a countervailing cultural aspect, Sitting silently in uniform rows in the dark is culturally peculiar.” (Meersman , 2013:1)

Research Questions What is the relationship between audience development and South African indigenous languages in South African Theatre? Can theatre cater for diverse South African indigenous languages without compromising other languages? Is it possible for a mainstream theatre like the Soweto theatre to develop an emerging theatre audience cultural interest alive, whilst keeping the traditional paying established theatre audiences cultural interests satisfied as well? Is Indigenous languages usage as a strategy for audience development sufficient to draw theatre audiences? James Ngcobo admits in the Market Theatre Foundation’s online publication titled “Uncategorized” (2012) that getting a generational mix in the auditorium is going to be a challenge, but it’s one he is up for. “I want to preserve the loyalty of the Market theatre audience while at the same time looking at new audiences. It’s about finding the right voices to showcase” (Uncategorized, 2012; 2) Lusanda, Z., 2015. Lepatata [Online].Available from: http://markettheatre.co.za/press-releases/read/lepatata[accessed [17.07.15].

Problem Statement Ngugi Wa Thiongo said “Since Indigenous languages form a huge cultural element of African peoples’ identity, the major controversy that surrounds African theatre is the language in which plays should be written and performed” (Ngugi, 1986; 70). South African Indigenous languages treated as secondary languages. A balancing a wide mix of audience needs at the same time. I began to identify gaps and possibilities which point to the lack of or prioritization of South African indigenous languages in general which manifests itself in the South African theatre landscape.

Rationale This research is critical to the creative industry sector in South Africa as it directly speaks to the sustainability of theatre through audience development and indirectly speaks back to the question of sustainability of the South African creative sector .It is hoped that the research will contribute to discussions around city and national cultural policy reviews. The idea to build the Soweto theatre was to redress the legacy left by Apartheid, by making theatre accessible to the black community, but sadly access to this new facility remains a dream as local audiences face new barriers. The idea was to bring the ordinary audiences back into the theatre. Lack of diversity in the Theatre production programme , the priority placed on indigenous languages in the White Paper. I see this infrastructural development effort as a necessary attempt of drawing ordinary audiences back into theatre, which can really be feasible when audiences find the theatre content comprehensible and they can participate in. Indigenous languages can facilitate audience comprehension and participation in the theatre Soweto Theatre is build to redress the Apartheid legacy of racialized access and inaccess to theatre.

Theoretical Framework According to Ngugi Wa Thiongo ‘a specific culture is not transmitted through language in its universality, but in its particularity as the language of a specific community with a specific history.’ (Ngugi, 1986; 56) . #MaybeIWasDreaming

Literature Review Language as culture is the collective memory bank of a people’s experience in history . Culture is almost indistinguishable from the language that makes possible its genesis, growth, banking, articulation and indeed its transmission from one person to the next (Ngugi, 1986:14-15). As indeed the rest of Africa, language policies need to move from Being pious articles of faith enshrined in constitutions and policy documents by inconsequent ruling elites. If South Africans are to make progress in social, economic, political and cultural development, we will need to pursue these Policies at the level of active practice (Prah, 2006:34). At a basic level the relationship between the African-language writer/Performer and his/her audience is primarily that of language . By choosing a particular language as a medium, the African-language writer/performer is also choosing an audience. This is the audience that the African-language writer/performer seeks to address, and which should also respond to the author in the same language. This interaction between the audience and the writer/performer’s message leads to the level of critical discourse, which establishes dialogue between the two. (Selepe 2001: 68). Language can foster audience’s identification with the theatre.

Research Method/s Case Study Online Research Audience Survey Interviews

Findings The Soweto theatre produces 12 theatre productions per financial year spanning from June to July the next year e.g. June 2014 – July 2015.The theatre productions that have been or being showcased at the Soweto theatre are Multilingual There’s no priority placed on Theatre productions in Indigenous languages ‘cultural arrogance’ The programming of the theatre seeks to balance the needs of diverse audiences at one go. There’s other factors which influence Theatre audience development at the Soweto Theatre such as socio-economic factors etc. There was mixed reactions from the various stakeholders of the Soweto Theatre.

Conclusion The cosmopolitan demographic representation of the theatre audience among the Soweto residents, which points to why the programming at the Soweto theatre is multilingual. This could be an indication that the Soweto theatre might be on a relevant and necessary track for the moment in their programming, though the need for equal distribution of language representation at the Theatre is something that the theatre management needs to address urgently. There’s many factors to consider when one is looking at barriers to audience development at the Soweto Theatre.

Acknowledgements