One of the major South African legacy projects linked to the 2010 World Cup was the construction of the first fully equipped, professional theatre facility in the vast township of Soweto, an area now administratively merged with Johannesburg. This showpiece project was to be built near a major shopping centre and adjacent to a large outdoor amphitheatre in Soweto’s Jabulani neighbourhood. (The nation’s infrastructure building effort in tandem with the World Cup also included the new Gautrain system — dedicated rapid rail lines to link downtown Johannesburg, Sandton, Pretoria and the region’s international airport, as well as major sports venues in Johannesburg and elsewhere.) Until construction of the Soweto Theatre, live drama and musical productions in Soweto — the country’s largest and most historic township — had needed to use school, church, or community halls, none of which were technically equipped for professional theatre work. While the Jabulani Amphitheatre had been in use since 1952 and it had hosted memorable live music shows over its history, the city’s plan for the future envisioned bringing the amphitheatre up to modern technical standards for professional outdoor performances. The nearby mall was one of Soweto’s major shopping areas constructed in the post-1994 years, and in a township with no real CBD core, urban planners believed this growing concentration of facilities could spur development of a modern downtown for the township.