AUDREY NYATHI

Within a week, the iconic Victory Theatre will be up for auction.

Owner Joe Theron said recently that the reserve on the venue on July 14 would be about R33-million.

The 81-year-old theatre on Louis Botha Avenue in Houghton Estate, Johannesburg, has been the long time venue for performances of Africa Umoja the Spirit of Togetherness.

Auction Alliance spokesman Omer Ginsberg says the production is now an international act, and no longer requires a permanent home. “If the theatre sells, Umoja will go on the road,” he said.

Ginsberg says interest in the venue has been excellent.

“The market is very keen. Serious buyers have come forward, and are looking forward to the auction.”

The theatre was renovated in 2007 and boasts state-of-the-art sound and lighting equipment, a four-level secure parking area, an on-site restaurant, a jazz bar and a corporate-events venue.

It reopened in 2007 with the musical Ipi Tombi, and has since hosted top quality theatrical performances such as the Rocky Horror Picture Show and The 2009 Miss World Talent Show. The venue also hosts long-running hypnotist and corporate shows.

Ginsberg said a night at the Victory still means an all-round African outing of fun.

Dining at the venue offers a menu with cuisine from all over the African continent.

The theatre will be auctioned by Auction Alliance at the Grayston Drive Southern Sun Hotel in Sandton, Johannesburg.

Source: The Times