Dungeon Collection

The Dungeon Club was one of Johannesburg’s longest running gay clubs, located in the Three Castles Building on the corner of Marshall and Goud Streets in the CBD (207 Marshall Street). The building, home to Johannesburg’s first cigarette factory, dates back to 1898. The Dungeon, owned by Ronnie Oelofsen, opened in 1970 and ran until about 1995. The club hosted a variety of annual pageants, including Mr. Gay Legs, Miss Gay Sluts and Mr. Gay South Africa. The Dungeon Club collection gives a fascinating glimpse into white, gay culture of the 1970s and 1980s in Johannesburg. The clientele was largely white and Afrikaans, with a large lesbian/female presence making it different to other clubs at the time. The Dungeon operated without a liquor licence and patrons would bring their own alcohol and keep it behind the bar. The collection includes a large selection of photographs (largely of the many pageants hosted by the club) as well as correspondence to/from Ronnie Oelofsen, flyers, invitations, menus and programs for the various events hosted at the club, as well as promotional material for other gay clubs operating in Johannesburg at the time, and a selection of theatre programs, a passion of Ronnie Oelofsen’s.

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Item Information:

Identifier: jm214p395
Collection: Discovery Resources
Institution: Gay & Lesbian Memory in Action (GALA)
Contributor(s): Chernis, Linda
Publisher: Gay and Lesbian Memory in Action (GALA)
Date Created: 2015
Dates Covered: 1970 to 1985
Genre: Finding Aids
Subject(s): Ronnie Oelofsen
Places: Gauteng > City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality > City of Johannesburg > Johannesburg
Topic(s): Clubs
Ethnic groups
Gay culture
Night life
Photographs
Resource Type: Text
Language: English
Rights: Copyright undetermined
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