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Market Theatre Foundation CEO Ismail Mahomed resigns

Ismail Mahomed.
Ismail Mahomed.

The CEO of the Market Theatre Foundation Ismail Mahomed has resigned.

Mahomed, who joined the 43-year-old theatre institution in August 2016, is serving a notice until June 30. The outgoing CEO joined the Market Theatre following an eight-year stint as the National Arts Festival artistic director.

Mohamed said about his departure: “With the support of the council, colleagues and stakeholders who remained focused to our core objective of serving our artists and audiences, we were able to achieve several more milestones at the Market Theatre Foundation. I want to thank the many partners and stakeholders whom I have had the privilege to work with so that we could collectively build on the legacy of the founding fathers of the Market Theatre Foundation.”

Chairman of council Gerald Themba Dumas said: "The Market Theatre Foundation excelled both locally and internationally during Ismail Mahomed’s tenure and this is evident by the many awards and accolades won by the MTF [Market Theatre Foundation]. The partnerships fostered by him and his team go a long way in maintaining the MTF’s position as a leading international arts institution.”

Dumas added: “Ismail has overseen the operations and provided leadership for the Market Theatre Foundation’s four business units Market Theatre, Market Theatre Laboratory, Market Photo Workshop and the Windybrow Arts Centre and developed a unified administrative system across all the divisions.”

 According to Dumas, some of things he managed to achieve in his three-year stay was driving the activation of the Windybrow Arts Centre as a multi-cultural business unit of the Market Theatre Foundation and in partnership with the Coloured Cube and established the two Pan-African Reading Rooms at the Centre.

“He restructured the Market Theatre Laboratory under the leadership of Clara Vaughan and championed it into becoming an income generating business unit which has diversified and grown its programming and footprint extensively without losing any of its core commitment to provide quality and accessible education for historically marginalised students.”

 Dumas further said Mahomed re-activated the Kippies venue which had remained dormant for over ten years and which now serves as an alternative space directed by Jefferson Tshabalala for independent artists