1965 To Present
In 1965, Prime minister Ian Smith declared Rhodesia's independence from Britain. This action, surprisingly, had no adverse effect on Reps' earnings for that year.
However, in the following years of Smith's rule, the sanctions against the country meant that obtaining the rights to perform became increasingly difficult. Many overseas companies felt that if they granted rights to Reps, they would be seen as somehow endorsing Smith's policies.
Adrian Stanley negotiated many of these contracts, and managed to obtain rights to several new productions - such as Godspell and Jesus Christ Superstar. These two shows would become the most popular shows in Zimbabwe's history.
The Lancaster House Agreement and the forming of Zimbabwe, also didn't have much effect on the Theatre, apart from the easing of sanctions, etc. The only notable incident was when the independence celebrations were held, many visiting diplomats booked tickets for the Reps Theatre and hardly any showed up.
Read more about this topic: Reps Theatre
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