PEMADS Little Theatre

The PEMADS Little Theatre is housed in the Athenauem Complex, located on the corner of Castle Hill and Belmont Terrace, Central and was built in the 1850’s. The building is one of few examples of the classical style of architecture in the city and was declared a national monument in 1980. The PEMADS Little Theatre is home to the Gqeberha Music and Drama Society who occasionally stage small productions and modern musicals. The colourful Little Theatre – including its very modern, pop art foyer – with its 250 multi-coloured seats (hence the nickname, ‘Smartie Theatre’) and unique raked stage is a vibrant, but intimate space for just about any theatre performance. It’s the gem of the building – and quickly becoming an icon for functional inner city revitalization. The Little Theatre is one of the most sought after spaces for hire in the Athenæum – a stage for almost any conceivable creative industry pursuit: theatre productions, shows, live concerts, film screenings and now conferences, debates and book launches. This charming Little Theatre has been around since 1946 when PEMADS enlarged the Loubser Hall in the Athenæum. The flamboyant foyer area also has two theatre stage areas and can be used for smaller more cosy functions of up to 100 people. The entire theatre complex is supported by a fully serviced bar. The creative industries in Nelson Mandela Bay have a home in the renovated Athenæum building complex – upgraded specifically to nurture and transform arts, culture and heritage in the city. Located in the historic suburb of Central, Gqeberha, within walking distance of all major city wide transport routes, the building serves as a nexus for creative thinking and pursuits, linking various public art and creative industry sectors. The Athenæum, a multipurpose creative space, has been restored to its former glory as part of the Mandela Bay Development Agency’s (MBDA) inner city precinct upgrade on behalf of the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality (NMBM) with the financial support of the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund (NLDTF). The building is Nelson Mandela Bay’s renewed creative hub for showcasing Nelson Mandela Bay and the Eastern Cape’s art, culture, creativity and heritage offering. It offers a variety of spaces for performances, exhibitions, events, conferences, meetings, launches, shows, theatre and workshops, as well as studio and office space. The building has been guided by a collective association. The vision for the Athenæum Council is to be a vibrant and progressive association of organisations that promotes, develops and nurtures heritage, culture and the arts for all the people of Nelson Mandela Bay. The Athenæum Council pursues this vision by leveraging off partnerships with the MBDA, the Arts Journey, National Arts Festival, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University and Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism, to position the Athenæum building complex as the hub of the creative industry – the effective home of the Nelson Mandela Bay ‘creative collective’.