We were saddened to learn of the death on 31 October, in Cape Town, of Rosalie Van Der Gucht, who was one of our leading directors in the formative years before the war. Not many present members will remember her, but those who do may recall her outstanding productions between 1936 and 1989, including Dandy Dick, Candida and Days Without End (O’Neill), and a beautiful and moving performance as Mrs Noah in Obey’s Noah in 1939. Shortly after playing in our first Wartime Revue, Van emigrated to Cape Town to take up a position at Cape Town University, where she ultimately became Head of a very active Drama Department. She was a leading and well-known figure in theatrical circles in South Africa and after retiring from the University was greatly in demand as a director, working with coloured, black and mixed casts in Cape Town and elsewhere. She continued to take the keenest interest in The Questors’ doings, as an Associate Member and occasional visitor when on one of her trips to this country. She was one of those talented few who, attracted to The Questors at that time, contributed largely to the artistic development of a young organisation not yet in its teens.
ALFRED EMMET
January 1986