The beloved FollowSpot Theatre in Kalk Bay has sadly announced that it is closing. The bastion of dramatic arts in Cape Town has been buckling under the strain of ongoing building and staffing costs since the COVID-19 pandemic has forced it to close its doors, and has been struggling to keep it afloat.
FollowSpot Theatre found a home within the Kalk Bay Theatre, and now, this home is no more.
“We burned the midnight oil for weeks trying to come up with clever solutions, bearing in mind that there was little prospect of reopening before some time in 2021, but the brick wall in front of us was impenetrable. The devastating end result is that we had to terminate the lease with our landlord, and our running of the Kalk Bay Theatre and Restaurant,” the production company said in a statement.
Vanessa Harris and her husband Ash left mainstream theatre in 2008 and went on to establish FollowSpot Theatre. The pair also took over the management of the Kalk Bay Theatre and Restaurant in 2014, and are heartbroken beyond measure at the closure.
“Every night added so abundantly to the memories. The best memories were watching the people have the time of their lives. Escapism at its best,” Vanessa said during an interview with Cape Town Etc. “There are so many [memories], I wouldn’t know where to start.”
The pair were hands on in the running of both FollowSpot and the Kalk Bay Theatre, and got to know many of the regular visitors on a personal level before the closure.
“I hope they remember the personal touch that we gave the theatre. The building is beautiful, but it was the hugs and the interaction that made the place,” Vanessa said. “Chester Williams was a regular. Now I’m crying again.”
She also advises individuals or companies in similar predicaments to remember the following words: “Don’t be the frog in boiling water. Jump out before its too late.”
According to Vanessa, 19 waiters have lost their jobs as a result of the closure.
“That’s excluding the performers, as well as Ash and myself,” she added. “Its tragic. But it has certainly made me well aware of all the things that make and break a business. At least we will be tougher business owners in the future.”
