Previous events in this special year have the included the group's 60th Annual General Meeting, a celebratory dinner-dance and the society as a whole and ten of its stalwarts across the years being honoured on the opening night, specially designated as "ATKV-Peaat Night", of the run of the2011 Showtime Awards young talent musical, Hit the Headlines!, in January.

Before the curtain rose on the premiere, they were recognised with special Showtime award certificates in recognition of their contributions to the well-being of ATKV-Peaat over many years.
The ten were Erna and Johan Theart, for direction and performance contributions, Thinus Du Preez, who preceded Emercia as president for many years, and honorary secretary Ilse Fourie, both for committee administration work, Ellen Philpotts, for technical expertise, businessman Eben de Vos, for long-time personal support, Pieter Rademeyer Jr and Andre' Liebenberg, for bringing honour to the group as individual past Showtime Award-winners, and last but hardly least, Emercia and Mike de Lange, for their resuscitation of the activities of the society.

Peaat was founded, as have so many other amateur dramatic societies, at a meeting of enthusiasts in the lounge of the PE West NG Church rectory on 22 March, 1951, under the chairmanship of JJ Fick, with the aim of "presenting theatre in the service of the church and education, while, at the same time, raising funds for worthy causes".

Many personalities have served Afrikaans theatre in PE since then, with the current dynamic chairperson, Emercia de Lange, who first appeared for the group in the comedy, Vettie, Vettie, in 2002, taking over the reins in March 2005.

On 15 November that year, it was decided at a special general meeting that Peaat would, in future, operate as a branch of the Afrikaans Taal en Kuns Vereeniging (ATKV), which has its headquarters in Pretoria, thus adding a further dimension to its prestige and image as a PE performing arts organisation.

Over the past six years, the society has, in fact, successfully operated under the title ATKV-Peaat.
It is perhaps fitting that, bearing in mind its origins, Die Proponentjie is set in a country rectory, as a new young "dominee", played by Anton Steyn, arrives in town.

The mothers in the congregation immediately get excited, regarding him as fair game as a potential son-in-law for their daughters.

Fortunately his mother has sent along a long-serving family domestic worker (Jocelyn Scholtz) to ease his transfer and settling in - and form a defence against the avalanche of female attention as the hilarious action escalates, aided by the circulation of a bottle of port and the arrival of the young man's student girlfriend, played by Amari Annandale.

Written by noted playwright, Pieter Fourie, as a vehicle for Sharleen Surtie-Richards in 1986, the cast in this production, which is directed by Marlene Thomasse-Pieterse, also features the experience of such players as Marelize Booyens, Antoinette Taalman and Emercia de Lange, with some bright young newcomers playing the various young ladies of the community.

Tickets are available from the cast members or from Hellen at Westway Cafe' (phone 041 365 0217).