Theatre Australia 1(8) March-April 1977

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D ia n e C ile n t o A n th o n y S h a ffe r in te rv ie w

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QUEENSLAND THEATRE COMPANY

Offices:

S .G .I.O . Theatre, Turbot Street, Brisbane, 4 0 0 0

G.P.O. Box 21, BRISBANE QUEENSLAND 4001

Telephone: 221 3861 Cablegrams: THEATRE CO BRISBANE

Queensland's first fully professional Company. Now in its eighth year of operation it undertakes City Seasons at the S.G.I.O. Theatre and tours throughout Queensland and Interstate. It is very active in the Theatre-In-Education movement, presenting programmes and projects for Secondary and Primary School students. It also runstraining schemes for Artists, Adults and School students.

PATRON:

His Excellency Air-Marshall Sir Colin Hannah K.B.E., C.B., Governor of Queensland.

CHAIRMAN Sir David Muir, C.M.G., DIRECTOR: Alan Edwards 1977 CAPITAL CITY SEASON FOR YEARS I C O ULDN 'T WEAR IVIY BLACK HOBSON'S CHOICE THE M ERCHANT OF VENICE THE LAST OF THE KNUCKLEMEN SA IN T JOAN PLAY 6 To be announced THE BRASS HAT OTHERWISE ENGAGED

by by by by by

Anthony Shaffer (World Premiere) Harold Brighouse William Shakespeare John Powers George Bernard Shaw

by Thomas Muschamp

by Simon Gray

1977 THEATRE-IN-EDUCATION (fu n d e d by th e S chools C om m ission)

PRIM ARY SCHOOLS TOUR T U F F F ..................

by Bille Brown EGGFROTH THE FR ITH E D by Bille Brown

Company Workshop: Precision Street, Salisbury North, Queensland 4 1 0 7 Telephone: 2 7 7 4 7 2 2

SECONDARY SCHOOLS TOUR PRUNES WARCRY INSIDE OUT

by Bille Brown

by Robert Kingham devised by Louise Wadley

THEATRE EXPERIENCE WEEK THEATRE TECHNIQUES WEEK

Scenery, Costumes, Properties, Lighting and Sound Equipment available for hire.

The Queensland Theatre Company acknowledges financial assistance from the Queensland State Government and the Australia Council.

Cover: Diane Cilento in the Queensland Theatre Company's The Taming o f the Shrew.

AUSTRALIA'S N A TIO N A L PERFORMING ARTS M AG AZIN E

CONTENTS

March-April, 1977

C O M M E N T ............................................................................................................................................................................1 Q U O T E S A N D Q U E R IE S .................................................................................................................................................2 L E T T E R S TO T H E E D I T O R .......................................................................................................................................... 2 S P O T L IG H T ........................................................................................................................................................................... J N o t On A H igh Horse R ic k B illin g h u r s t .........................................................................................................4 A rts fo r the D rin k in g M an D on M a c k a y .......................................................................................................6 R E V IE W S A l l A u s tra lia n Pub S h o w G arrie H u tc h in s o n ...............................................

N o rm an d A h m e d , N o W orries Suzanne S p u n n e r.....................................

Hats R aym o nd S ta n le y ......................................................................................

The F a ther, The D o ll T rilo g y , The T ra in in g R un K a th a rin e Brisbane.

In n e r Voices R ex C r a m p h o r n e ......................................................................

The Tw o O f Us N o rm an K essell...................................................................

A Toast to M elba R oger P ulvers...................................................................

F o r Years / C o u ld n 't Wear M y B lack D on B a tc h e lo r ...........................

B u lls h o t C ru m m o n d , Tom R ich a rd F o th e r in g h a m ..............................

The H ills F a m ily S how , Revenge V ic M a rs h ...........................................

The S choo l F o r Scandal M ichael M o r le y ..................................................

H a p p y E nd M argot L u k e ................................................................................

A M id s u m m e r N ig h t's D ream C liff G illa m ...............................................

W hile the B illy B oils Sue K o b u ln ic z k y .....................................................

The P lough an d the Stars B ill D u n s t o n e ..................................................

It's Cingalese fo r L ig h tn in g M a rgot L u k e ..................................................

I nterview w ith Diane Cilento and Anthony Shaffer (above). Page 5.

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10 12 13 15 16 17 18 19

20 21 22 22 23

P L A Y S C R IP T Y oung M o A c t 2 Steve J. S p e a r s ..................................................................................................................24 A U S T R A L IA N C U R R E N T S F a c ility o r L ia b ility ? Ian M i l l e r ..................................................................................................................... 35 A T o n ic fo r Im p o te n c e D on B a tc h e lo r....................................................................................................... 40 H o w A re Y ou H o ly T r in ity ? Paul S h e r m a n ............................................................................................. 42 The People In d u s try M arl is T h ie r s c h ...........................................................................................................45 T H E A T R E O R G A N IS A T IO N S Queensland Theatre C om p any W here There's D o u b t There's H ope D on B a tc h e lo r................................................................................ 36 E m erging P atterns Peter L a v e ry .....................................................................................................................36 The E n d o f a C ycle M u rra y F o y ..................................................................................................................... 36

The D oll Trilogy — Review Page 10, and c e n t r e f o ld .

IN T E R N A T IO N A L D ire c to rs Three Hugh R o r r is o n ............................................................................................. .......................46 T H E A T R E IN E D U C A T IO N T h e a trica l P ro je c tio n an d E d u c a tio n a l E n te rp ris e K e ith H u d s o n .........................................................48 BALLET V ision a n d M y th W illia m S hou bridg e

50

OPERA The E nsem ble P rin c ip a ls D avid G y g e r ............................................................................................................52 I.T .I. N E W S ......................................................................................................................................................................... 54 ON T A P F ilm s B arry L o w e .................................................................................................................................................. 55 B ooks Helen van de r P o o r t e n ...........................................................................................................................56 T H E A T RE G U I D E ............................................................................................................................................................ 57 T H E A T R E -A U S T R A L IA is pu b lis h e d b y T h eatre P u b lic a tio n s L td ., 7 President Place, N ew L a m b to n H eights, N ew S o u th Wales 2 3 0 5 (T el 0 4 9 5 2 5 9 7 6 ) on th e 1 9 th o f every m o n th . It is d is trib u te d by s u b s c rip tio n and th ro u g h th e a tre fo y e rs etc., by Theatre P u b lic a tio n s and to newsagents th ro u g h o u t A u s tra lia by G o rd o n and G o tc h (A 'asia) L td ., M E L B O U R N E S Y D N E Y . P rin te d b y N ew ey & Beath P rinte rs P ty. L td ., 10 B e lfo rd S t., B roa dm ea dow , 2292 N ew castle N.S.W. W h ils t every care is taken o f m a n u scrip ts a n d visual m a te ria l s u p p lie d fo r th is m agazine, th e p u b lish e rs a n d th e ir agents acce pt no lia b ility fo r loss o r damage w h ic h m a y occur. U n s o lic ite d m a n u scrip ts an d visual m a te ria l w ill n o t be re tu rn e d unless a cco m pan ied b y a s tam ped addressed envelope.

O p in io n s expressed in signed artic le s are n o t necessarily those o f th e E ditors.

The pu b lish e rs acce pt no re s p o n s ib ility fo r ad vertisem ents p la c e d in th is m agazine fo r w h ich fin is h e d a r t-w o rk is n o t sup plied. © 1977 T h e a tre P u b lic a tio n s L td . ‘ M a x im u m recom m ended re ta il price o n ly Prices sub je ct to change w ith o u t no tice.

Australian Opera. Page 52

The Queensland scene. Starts Page 35.

SUBSCRIBE NOW AND SAVE 3

E X C IT IN G V E N U E S -D R A M A T H E A TR E , Sydney Opera House, PARADE TH E A TR E , Kensington & Y O R K T H E A TR E , Seymour Centre.

1977 SEASON TWO SEE 10 PLAYS AND SAVE $43.00 on a pair of adult tickets to the season. OR select 8 or 6 plays of your choice on the days that suit you best.

THE OLD TOTE THEATRE COMPANY DRAMA THEATRE

PARADE THEATRE

YORK \ THEATRE \

THE TH R E E SISTERS

by Anton Chekhov

BIG TOYS

by Patrick White MO THERS A ND FATHERS

by Joseph Musaphia

W IL D OATS

by John O'Keeffe

THE T IM E IS NOT Y E T RIPE by Louis Esson THE LOWER DEPTHS

by Maxim Gorky

OBSESSIVE B EH A V IO U R IN SM ALL SPACES

by Ian Stocks and Robert Trebor Lang

THE N ORM AN CONQUESTS

by Alan Ayckbourn (Three plays in Repertoire) Additional savings for Pensioners, Youth and Children

PHONE 6 6 3 6 1 2 2 For Free Brochure Or W rite to - Sales Dept., Old Tote Theatre Company, Box 1, Kensington, N.S.W . 2 0 3 3

THE OLD TOTE THEATRE COMPANY - SEASON TWO 1977 Please send me an obligation-free brochure fo r the above season. / wish to be included on the Old Tote's regular mailing list.

NAME: Mr. Mrs. Miss..............................................................................................................

A D D R E S S :............................................................................................................................. POSTCODE:................................... ..

P H O N E :......................................... BUSINESS:....................................................................................

Mail this form to: The Subscriptions Manager, The Old Tote Theatre Company P O

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Box 1 Kensington N S W 2033

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T h e a tre -A u stra l ¡a March-April, 1977 Page 1

Comment.

People have by turns been outraged, w ildly enthused and left wondering what all the hoo-ha's about, by our last month's comment.

Our basic point, you w ill recall, was that it's high time more of the promotional money went into local product—artists and plays (both together optim um ly). Lately entrepreneurs o f various shades have been spending fortunes on imported things and whatever one may care to say about the increased range of choice this provides our audiences, it still panders regressively to our age-old cultural cringe.

Yes, it's good to see Sheila Hancock and Peter O'Toole (arguably at least), and it w ill be good to seethe Chichester Company under Keith Michel I. Welcome home to him, and David Nettheim (whose polished accents are so informative on the London scene for the A.B.C.).

An entrepreneur complained to us that our carping against such visitors was petty; an influential producer that it was "childish and insulting"; they fill theatres, they fill them with q uality-and isn't that what it is all about? Certainly. Some form of internationalism is a useful cultural aim and achievement. But let the buyer beware nevertheless.

Australian plays and Australian accents errupted onto the stage in the late '60's—for a brief tim e—while they could effectively be pushed as seeable (even enjoyable!) because they were our own.

Part of the push that had made that possible was a reaction to the absolute domination of our theatre scene by English Artistic Directors, English texts (save for the Doll) and not infrequently English casts.

Some sort of battle was enjoined. Voices demanded Equity make sure, and enforce rules excluding outsiders—to enable locals freer reign to show their wares. Australian directors got jobs and pro­ minence. Australian plays were included w ith all the appearance of normalcy in the museum display programming of the leading sub­ sidized companies.

But the battleground now looks to be in a stage of seige. And still our indigenous culture is outside the gates. Inside—by far the majority of Artistic Directors in our top companies are English, and some prominent Australian directors are left out in the cold of umemployment. Most of our state companies are fanfaring their way into 1977 w ith first-up offerings of texts from the U.K. past and present. When equity tries to enforce its rules protecting locals by insisting equal numbers of Australians be included, the letter but not the spirit is followed; Australian born, but regular London per­ formers, are imported too as the home contingent. ,Our most persuasive commentators (■ /ill Max Harris reply to John Bell?) sigh dolefully that, of course, the trouble is we haven't got the training here ( T-A w ill try and disprove that in coming issues) nor the basic talent. And, they add, our life-style is simply not the EDITORS: Robert Page, Lucy Wagner.

Douglas F a irban ks Jn r. as seen b y N a tio n a l T im es c a rto o n is t W ard O 'N e ill.

stuff of which drama is made . . .

So it's time perhaps for the fight to begin again. For the seige lines to be broken so we can engage again.

Think of the gains of pushing the local product. Its a marketing question (we asked John Singleton to answer that one for us but he's to good at doing it to need to bother). The more you push it, the greater supply of quality product you'll have to push.

You have to tell the people that Williamson, de Groen, Hewett, (ah! the theatricality of Hewett!) Hibberd, Buzo, Blair, Spears, Pynne and Battye, are good; that Bell, Blundell, Olsen, Livermore, Fitzpatrick etc, etc, and etc . . . are what they want. And you'll have to tell that cynical little whisper that nags you w ith its "b u t do they?", simply to shut up while you get on w ith promoting a star system of our own. Because at T - A we are unequivocally confident its what they do w ant—and they've got to find out as they did about Skippy Cornflakes, Rexona, T.A.A. and the all Australian Export Cola.

The artists of the community have things to say to the community because they live in it and they know what makes it tick (such insight!) And artists all have a burning desire to entertain. Now all of that is something communities like very much. We aren't being patronising about the great Australian G.P. but given that this is the age of The Advertisement, the rules are that communities have to be told and told w ith confidence.

So bravo, Douglas Fairbanks Jnr., we meant no personal slight.

And yes Mr. Jay that drink you offer can be an amiable one. It's not that we're too international a community, its not that we're too parochial a one. The trouble is that we're not enough of either.

We would dig the international much more, paradoxically, if we became a lot more parochial.

All the eternal truths from the romantic to the scandalous are running round in our little parish—unfortunately of late our theatres have stopped looking for them here. Which could mean we've stopped looking for external truths, too . . . Ah, well.

ASSISTANT EDITOR: Bruce Knappett

REPRESENTATIVES: Sydney - Sue Manger (02) 456-2068

Melbourne - Raymond Stanley (03) 419-1204 Brisbane - Don Batchelor (07) 269-3018

ADVISORY BOARD John Bell Graeme Blundell Ellen Braye Katharine Brisbane Vivian Chalwin Gordon Chater

John Clarke W.A. Enright Lynda Gray Jack Hibberd Ken Horler Garrie Hutchinson Robert Jordan

Perth - Joan Ambrose (092) 94 6639 Adelaide - Michael Morley (08) 275-2204

Philip Mason Stan Marks Jake Newby Phil Noyce Raymond Omodei Philip Parsons Diana Sharpe

Ken Southgate Raymond Stanley Elizabeth Sweeting John Tim lin Tony Trench Guthrie Worby Richard Wh errett

Theatre Publications Ltd gratefully acknowledges the financial assistance of the Arts Grants Advisory Committee of South Australia, the Australia Council, the Literature Board of the Australia Council, the New South Wales Cultural Grants Board, the Queensland Cultural Activities Department, the University of New South Wales Drama Foundation, the Victorian Ministry of the Arts, and the assistance of the University of Newcastle

Page 2 T h e a tre -A u stra lia March-April, 1977

A N N IV E R S A R Y TOAST I'm o b v io u s ly very pleased to get th e C ritics A w a rd fo r A Toast to Melba. Perhaps th e m ost pleasant th in g a b o u t it fo r me is th a t th is has happened e x a c tly ten years since I w ro te W hite w ith W ire Wheels, so it makes a neat decade.

A c tu a lly th a t decade is being celebrated at M e lb ourne U n iv e rs ity —w h o d id th e o rig in a l p ro d u c tio n o f W hite w ith W ire Wheels. T h e y 're d o in g a season o f m y plays in c lu d in g D im b o o la , and W.W.W.W. I'm pleased w ith A Toast to Melba, b u t I th in k The O vercoat is one o f th e best th in g s I've ever do ne, and m uch m o re in n o v a to ry th a n M elba w h ic h o b v io u s ly has m o re p o p u la r appeal. The Pram F a c to ry going n a tio n a l is an exte n sio n o f o u r p o lic y o f ta k in g a m o re p o p u la r style o f play in to th e c o m m u n ity , lik e The H ills F a m ily S h o w and Cingalese fo r L ig h tn in g .

S tre tc h is d o in g a fu ll state to u r because we feel it's an e x e m p la ry p ro d u c tio n and pe rform ance .

Jack H ib b e rd .

AMERICAN TAKE-OVER In A u s tra lia we need th e f i l l i p o f people w h o are d o in g firs t class th in g s as opposed to second class thin gs. So o fte n w e 're fo b b e d o f f w ith second best . . . . I d o n 't believe we s ho uld shut do ors on a rt in any fo r m —any o f th e live arts.

r

LUCKY STARS

\OIHHKS ili

J. C. W illia m sons P ro d u ctio n s have take n th e p ro d u c tio n o f The T w enties a n d A ll Jazz w h ic h re c e n tly ran fo r sixteen pe rform ances at M e lb ourne's o u t o f to w n A ren a T h eatre. The show w h ic h had been conceived, w ritte n , d ir ­ ected and p e rfo rm e d b y Jo h n D ie d ric h , C aro line G illm e r and Jo h n O 'M a y w ill re-open un der th e J.C.W . ba nner at H er M a je sty's, M e lb o u rn e on S a tu rd a y A p ril 1 6 th . It is th e firs t tim e in 25 years th a t J.C .W .'s m anaging d ire c to r K enn B ro d z ia k , has ta ke n over a lo c a lly w ritte n o r p roduce d show lik e th is ; he is ho p in g to arrange fo r an o rig in a l cast re cordin g o f th e show as soon as possible. He also in d ica te d th a t he is con sid er­ ing to u rin g it to o th e r A u s tra lia n cities at a later date. " I th in k th is show is w o rld class; it has th e same s o rt o f e n te rta in m e n t value o f som ething I saw on B ro a d w a y some years ago, A n E vening w ith M ik e N ic h o lls a n d E la in e Maye. It has m e lo d y , m irth and m usic, th e th re e ingredie nts fo r a success, and th is has been proven at th e A ren a, an O ff-B ro a d w a y ty p e th e a tre w ith people c la m o u rin g fo r seats and over a thousand tu rn e d aw ay. I am d e lig h te d to arrange th is m uch needed tra n s fe r; to m a in ta in th e in tim a c y we are b u ild in g th e stage o u t over th e orchestra p it in to th e stalls and w ill close o f f p a rt o f the th e a tre . In th is w ay th e th e a tre w ill seat a b o u t eight h u n d re d . I con sid er th e m em bers o f the cast are th re e o f th e m ost ta le n te d people in A u s tra lia ; th e y are u n d o u b te d ly stars o f to m o r ­ ro w . It is a show lik e Cole o r S ond heim 's Side b y Side and stands up on th e same m e rits. The T w enties an d A ll T h at Jazz is th e biggest little show in to w n ."

K enn B ro d zia k

TRO UNCING THEM IN TAREE W ITH THE TOTE TO U R IN G TROUP It's been going very w e ll. O pe ning n ig h t was s tu n n in g and w o n d e rfu l; everyone was ecstatic.

We opened in Taree in a p r e tty d re a d fu l place, th e school hall w here w e had great d if f ic u lt y g e ttin g in to rehearse as it was a w e t da y and all th e c h ild re n had to pla y in th e re ! T h a t was one o f o u r best houses so fa r th o u g h , along w ith G ra fto n w here we opened a new H igh School H a ll; it was f u ll and we made lo ts o f m o ney.

W e've been amazed and pleased to fin d th a t th e re 's been m u ch b e tte r response fro m the sm aller to w n s th a n th e big ones, in attendance per ca p ita and a p p re c ia tio n o f th e sh o w , perhaps because th e y get m uch fe w e r to u rs in general.

One p ro b le m has been th a t w e've been chasing M arcia Hines, and th e circus I th in k , up and d o w n th e coast and people have been c o m in g to us o n ly w hen th e y h a ve n 't been able to get in to her. B u t it's been w e ll and tr u ly w o rth w h ile ; th e actors are re a lly e n jo y in g th e dem ands made on th e m o f b o th th e plays, w ith so fe w actors and so m any parts and th e dem ands o f all the d iffe re n t venues and audiences. W e're te c h n ic a lly grossly u n d e rsta ffe d , b u t a fte r th e firs t w eek w e've g o t very e ffic ie n t and p r o fic ie n t at g e ttin g th e set in and o u t.

Jake N e w b y, Manager o f th e A .T .Y .P ./O ld T o te A rm id a le P ro je ct.

lÆTTIÜtK Til T h a t's w h a t's w ro n g w ith A m erica . T h e y should n o t close th e do ors to English and A u s tra lia n artists. W e've all g o t to feed o f f each o th e r.

H ow ever, we m u s tn 't let th is c o u n try be used as a stam ping g ro u n d f o r a n y th in g less th a n firs t class th e a tre . . . . I can understand th e m w a n tin g to see w h a t th is c o u n try is p o te n tia lly . T h a t's w h y people are c o m in g o u t here. I w e n t to th e M usic Festival in S ydne y, ju s t fo r a day and a h a lf . . . . it was very e x c itin g , b u t I d o n 't th in k people saw w h a t those men w ere here fo r ; I I d o n 't th in k th e y saw b e y o n d th e e x c ite m e n t o f listenin g to people ta lk a b o u t B ro a d w a y . I saw it as a bunch o f hard-headed m en, co m in g to see w h a t th is c o u n try had to o ffe r th e m .

W ell, we have subsidised th e a tre , and I lo o k e d and th o u g h t: " I w o n d e r i f y o u 're th in k in g o f th is place as a possible venue fo r s om ething y o u w ish to launch in th e hope th a t th e m o ney c o u ld be p a rtia lly p ro v id e d fro m here. It's a very clever th in g to in itia te , if y o u can, because th e m o ney's d ry in g up in A m erica and B rita in ” . A n d I th o u g h t: "O k a y , perhaps it's an acceptable th in g if we can suck in th a t b r illia n t ta le n t, b u t I d o n 't w a n t th a t b ro u g h t here if it means w e 're going to give up a lo t o f w h a t is o u rs e lf to o th e r p e o p le ".

I fe lt th e y re a lly came to see if th e y d id make a decision to move in, ho w easy it w o u ld be fo r th e m to do so.

Maggie F itz g ib b o n

Dear S ir, There is re a lly very little tr u th in th e ru m o u r th a t A ustra lia ns d o n 't w a n t to see A ustra lia ns.

We have proved th a t w ith Same T im e N e x t Year.

It is perhaps nearer th e tr u th to say th a t m ost c o m m ercia l produce rs d o n 't w a n t to see A us­ tra lia n s .

The m ore im p o rte d leads, th e m ore audiences w ill u n d e rsta n d a b ly th in k th a t A u s tra lia n actors are n o t c o m p e te n t to ta ke th e star parts and th e m ore d if f ic u lt it w ill becom e to sell A u stra lia n actors on a co m m e rcia l c irc u it. So let us sto p im p o rtin g overseas actors in second rate plays and p ro m o te A u s tra lia n actors in firs t rate plays.

W ilto n M o rle y

Dear S ir, R eading Jo h n S m yth e 's a rtic le in th e Ja n /F e b issue on th e M e lb o u rn e T h e a tre R estaurant scene, it w o u ld appear th a t th is gentlem an belongs to th a t g ro u p o f so called 'in te lle c tu a ls ' w h o ste a d fa stly refuse to see any m e rit in th e a tre w h ic h does n o t c a rry any social o r p o litic a l message. He denigrates e n te rta in m e n t ju s t fo r th e sake o f e n te rta in m e n t and indulges in the fa v o u rite pastim e o f his ilk in o v e r-in te lle ctu a lising vario us aspects o f th e m a te ria l, and tro ts o u t 'ra c is t', 'p re ju d ic e ' 's e x is t', 'p ro p o g a n d a ' (!) and all th e o th e r tire d o ld cliches th a t th e ardent radicals and th e pa rano id re vo lu tio n a rie s use so g lib ly and so fre q u e n tly !

Dear S ir, T h ro u g h a gross ove rsight I fa ile d to m e n tio n b y name th e a m a zin g ly skille d puppeteers o f Roos and H ands.

The sheer th e a tric a lity o f th e tw o shows, as w e ll as the im ag inative use o f th e puppets, is due, in great p a rt, to th e ta le n t o f A la n H ig h fie ld , Joe G a ld w in , J o y E conom os, and Graeme M athieson.

It's th e ir b lo o d th a t flo w s th ro u g h th e pu ppets' veins.

Roger Pulvers, C anberra, A .C .T .

One o f th e reasons fo r th e success o f shows such as T ik k i & Jo h n 's and S quizzey's is th a t th e y d e lib e ra te ly cate r to th e th e a tric a lly fo r ­ g o tte n M a jo rity , M r & Mrs Average. N ine o u t o f te n people a tte n d in g these tw o venues are cele­ b ra tin g some event. T h e y w a n t a ha p p y, relaxed, 'p a r ty ' atm osph ere, lo ts o f laug hter and no social c o m m e n t! T h e y are o u t fo r th a t "n ic e n ig h t's e n te rta in m e n t” , and th e y c e rta in ly d o n 't share M r S m yth e 's d u b io u s ta le n t fo r e x tra c tin g th e unpleasant, an tiso cia l aspects w h ic h seem to be so p e c u lia rly o b vio u s to him .

T h e a tre -A u stra lia March-April, 1977 Page 3

WIIKIIiS/

REGIONAL RENEWAL

OUT OF CREA TIVE WATERS? The A .P .G . Goes N a tio n a l in 1977 . . . and w h a t w ill th a t mean fo r its fu tu re ? The M elbourne-based group w h ic h has stabled w rite rs lik e H ib b e rd , R o m e ril, W illia m s o n and O akle y, has had Mastare's Its Cingalese fo r L ig h tn in g Y 'K n o w p la yin g in P e rth —to bad notices (see p. 2 6 ); and the group-created H ills F a m ily S h o w p la y in g in A d e la id e —to p o o r houses! M e antim e th e ir Pram F a c to ry back hom e is d a rk . The m o st fre q u e n t c o m m e n t th e ir to u rin g p e rfo rm ­ ances d ra w seems to be; th e y lo o k lik e fishes o u t o f w a te r aw ay fro m th e super-roughness o f the Pram. S hou ld th e y ju s t get back the re and keep d o in g w h a t th e y 'v e d o ne b e fo re , make names o u t o f local w rite rs , and de velop rough new w ays o f d o in g —b o th o f w h ic h can be (and have been) sub seque ntly po lish ed b y others?

"L a s t year we had to lead a h a n d -to -m o u th existence; The Board gave th e go-ahead fo r each p ro d u c tio n o n ly a fte r th e previous one had opened. O ur g ra n t fo r 1977 ($ 2 2 ,0 0 0 fro m th e A u s tra lia n C o u n cil and $ 2 0 ,0 0 0 fro m N ew S outh Wales go ve rn m e n t) enables us to plan a season o f plays at a ce n tra l venue in N ew castle—last year we w ere 1 0 km o u t o f to w n at the U nivers­ ity (w ith o u t th e ir ge nero sity we c o u ld n 't have got s ta rte d ). We are presenting fo u r plays w ith a lin k in g the m e (W ho's sane in a m a d w o rld ? ), one o f th e m an o th e r w o rld prem iere by J o h n O 'D o n o g h u e ; and w e are to u rin g the clubs w ith an A u stra lia n d o u b le b ill. O ur aim fo r the year is to increase audiences, to increase m e m bership and to increase o u r c o m m u n ity w o rk , p ra tic u la rly in schools. U nder c o m m u n ity d ire c to r Michael C a u lfie ld th is last is in good h a n d s ."

Terence C larke A r tis tic D ire c to r.

H u n te r V a lle y T h eatre Com pany

FOR SERVICES TO THEATRE

AUSTRA LASIA N PAPERS

The OBE was a co m p le te and u tte r surprise— a w o n d e rfu l c u lm in a tio n to over 30 years in th e th e a tre . B u t th a t d o e s n 't mean I'm going to stop !

I'm a c tiv e ly researching fo r a new one-w om an show . T his tim e , several o f m y frie n d s , w om e n w rite rs , w ill w o rk w ith me: La d y H asluck, M ary D u ra ck, and Rica E ric k s o n . T o g e th e r we w ant to do so m ething w ith th e same w a rm th and im p a c t as Swan R ive r S a g a ."

N ita P annell, no w O .B .E . ( " f o r services to A u s tra lia n th e a tre ")

The annual A U L L A (th e U is fo r U niversities, th e Ls fo r Language and L ite ra tu re ) con ference was held e a rlie r th is year in W e llin g to n , N ew Zealand. A T h e a tre -A u stra l ia c o n trib u to r, M arlis T h eirsch gave a paper on th e A u s tra lia n scene; to p ic s discussed ranged th ro u g h classics to H andke and th e Chinese; pe rform ance s w ere o ffe re d o f A y k b o u rn e , o f some G erm an E xpres­ sionism , and o f a p la y b y N .Z. p la y w rig h t Craig H a rriso n . Joseph M usaphia (see 'B o o k s '—and.

b y th e w ay, his M o th e rs a n d Fathers w ill be do ne by th e O ld T o te la te r th is year) and J e n n ife r C o m p to n became in volve d in an an im ated debate a b o u t p la y w rig h ts and th e ir re la tio n s h ip to th e ir local th e a tre scene.

NOT THE THEATRE CAPITAL? T here are a w h o le lo t o f reasons w h y C anberra, th e c o u n try 's ca p ita l, d o e s n 't have a resident professional th e a tre c o m p a n y —fear and leth argy am ong o th e rs; it c o u ld c e rta in ly su p p o rt one, a fte r all H o b a rt does. B u t in m a ny ways we are in a fo rtu n a te p o s itio n here—at th e m o m e n t one o f th e fe w com panies w h o can do huge cast shows. I get th e best o f b o th w o rld s, professional exp erts and all th a t th e am ateu r has to o ffe r.

It is stu p id fo r a u n io n to im pose a profession als-o nly ru lin g o n th e th e a tre ; it re stricts b o th actors and te ch n icia n s. A c to rs are, and have been since tim e im m e m o ria l, b a sica lly n o n -u n io n is tic , th e y have a need to act, w h e th e r th e y are paid o r n o t. A n d it is absurd th a t a p ro ­ fessional te ch n icia n c a n 't teach a n o n -p ro b y le ttin g h im operate e q u ip m e n t d u rin g a show; U n io n rules make artists in to te c h n ic ia n s — whereas te ch nicians are a rtists.

Ross M cG rego r, D ire c to r C anberra R e p e rto ry T heatre.

ON THE W HITE TRACK

i hi: editor A d m itte d ly , m uch o f th e m a terial is in fe rio r, b u t the pe rsona lities and c o m ic a b ilitie s o f th e m em bers o f b o th com panies make up fo r o ld gags and tire d ro u tin e s , and th e s to c k ad-libs w h ic h h a u n t all m usic halls. Th e people th a t T ik k i & Joh n have w o rk in g fo r th e m are a treasure tro v e o f ta le n t.

M r S m y th e states—" i f we w a n tto see a change fro m th e tire d o ld fo rm a ts , how ever polished th e ir p re se n ta tio n , th e n we m ust s u p p o rt the pioneers b y p u ttin g o u r bum s on th e ir seats."

M ay I p o in t o u t th a t T ik k i & Jo h n 's have c o n s is te n tly p u t bum s on seats over th e last 10 years—is it n o t possible th a t catering to th e G.P. has p u t these bum s on those seats?

One o f th e m any reasons th a t th e G.P. w o n 't go to th e th e a tre is th a t over th e years, th e y have been e ith e r igno red , o r tre a te d lik e m o ro n s w h o m u st be in s tru c te d as to w h a t th e y should lik e o r d is lik e . If th e a tre is going to survive in th is c o u n try , th e n a tte n tio n m ust be paid to all sections o f th e c o m m u n ity , w h o w ill, we hope, make up th e audiences.

L e t us re jo ice th a t places lik e th e 'F ly in g Trape ze' & 'T h e Last L a u g h 'e tc ., have opened.

Yes we should see a "cha nge fro m th e tire d o ld fo r m a t" , b u t as an a lte rn a tiv e style , n o t a replace­ m e n t, ju s t as th e a tre o f social c o m m e n t and

awareness s ho uld be an a lte rn a tiv e to th e a tre o f e n te rta in m e n t—co m p le m e n tin g , b u t n o t replac­ ing it.

I n c o n c lu s io n , I suggest th a t M r S m y th e does a little honest self-analysis in to his m o tives fo r w ritin g c ritiq u e s . O p in io n a te d he m ay be—Clive Barnes he is n o t! I Y o u rs fa ith fu lly .

Jo h n Fisher, E lw o o d , V ic to ria .

Dear Sirs, M ay one ask w h y it is th a t La B o ite Th eatre, B risbane, o u t o f all th e a m a te u r theatres in A u s tra lia , is th e o n ly one th a t gets co n sta n t reviews o f its p ro d u c tio n s ?

W hen T h e a tre -A u stra lia came in to being, I th o u g h t th e p o lic y was to consider o n ly p ro ­ fessional th e a tre . It seems to me a fla t case o f w ho you know .

The fa c t is, La B o ite 's standard is n o t high even as a m ateu r the atre s g o —and y o u r c o n tin ­ uous F u ll page reviews o f th e ir shows is n o th in g s h o rt o f em barrassing to the professionals o f th is c ity . G e ttin g sick o f it.

La dy Jessy Lang.

A new pla y fro m A u s tra lia 's m ost d is tin ­ guished w rite r w o u ld be a n o ta b le in c lu s io n in any th e a tre season. W hat w ill m ake th e prem iere o f P a trick W h ite 's B ig Toys som e th in g m ore is th a t it m arks his re tu rn to p la y w ritin g a fte r an absence o f fo u rte e n years.

Th e new pla y B ig Toys is a co m e d y o f m anners, o r th e lack o f th e m . $ e t in a P o in t Piper a p a rtm e n t w ith a w ife w h o dabbles in p o litic s , a husband w h o dabbles in law and a v is ito r w h o is encouraged to d a bble in b o th , th e pla y w it t ily reveals the p riva te lies be h in d th e p u b lic veneer o f S yd n e y's very special w o rld o f radical chic. " I n th e co m p a n y I lo o k fo rw a rd to renew ing some valued associations, p a rtic u la rly fro m S arsaparilla, and also m y c o lla b o ra tio n w ith B rian T h o m so n w h o w ill re tu rn fro m L o n d o n to create th e stage d e sig n ."

J im S harm an

Page 4 T h e a tre -A u s tra lia March-April, 1977

ACTORS' NEWS B ruce Spence, John K ru m m e l, Sandra M acG regor Peter W h itfo r d , R edm ond P h illip s , Peter C o llin g w o o d , S tanle y Walsh in th e O ld T o te 's A lc h e m is t (Jo hn C larke d ire c tin g ) Sandra G ore, Irene In e s c o rt, S im o n C hilvers, E dw ard H epp le, B a rry H ill, Bruce M yles, F rank T h rin g in th e M .T .C .'s S c h o o l fo r Scandal (R ay L a w le r d ire c tin g ).

B rian James, K evin M yles, E d w in H odgem an, D aphne G ay, D o ro th y V e rn o n , A n n e P end le bury R u th C racknel I in the S .A .T .C 's C h e rry O rch ard (C o lin George d ire c tin g ) F rank W ilson jo in s fe llo w T . V .—p ro T e rry D ono van in the M .T .C .'s p ro d u c tio n o f W illia m ­ son's latest. The Club.

L y n d e ll R ow e is o f f to Brisbane to play D o c to r in Love.

R a ym o n d du Parc re c e n tly in Tarantara, is o f f to th e Tasm anian T h eatre C om p any fo r S oun d o f M usic and D racula.

N o rm a n K aye is The F a ll G u y at th e M .T .C .

G lo ria D aw n is do in g th e G lo ria D aw n S h o w at M usic L o ft in J u ly .

R on G raham is back on the bo a rd s—w ith W allace E a to n , E laine H udson in Caesar a n d C leopatra D iane G reentree is the new Janet in th e long ru n n in g R o c k y H o rr o r S h o w (n o w 15 m o n th s in M e lb o u rn e ). J o h n n y Ray re c e n tly pro n o u n ce d th e p ro d u c tio n the best R .H .S . o f m a ny he's seen a ro u n d th e w o rld .

N ew faces at P erth's P layhouse: Ian S c o tt fro m M e lb o u rn e and Ian N ic h o lls fro m S ydne y. A n d C arole S k in n e r is opening in W illia m s o n 's The D e p a rtm e n t the re th is m o n th .

DIRECTORS' NEWS R o b e rt Q u e n tin is d ire c tin g fo r th e O ld T o te : A la n A y c k b o u rn 's tr ilo g y The N o rm a n C onquest w h ic h w ill be on o ffe r at th e S e y m o u r C entre.

R u m o u r has it Graem e B lu n d e ll is being sought fo r th e T o m C o u rte n a y role.

Ken H ealey, c r itic w ith th e C anberra Tim es w ill d ire c t D o n Pasquale fo r th e C anberra Opera (th e y 'v e ju s t m oved in to new prem isies—th e Y .W .C .A . C entre, w ith a gym nasium fo r rehear­ sal space). P erth's J oh n M ils o n was to , b u t had to w ith d ra w .

George M a lla b y was in v o lv e d last m o n th in a w o rk s h o p /re a d in g at Canberra House L o n d o n , fo r th e A sso cia tio n o f A u s tra lia n A rtis te s . We are to ld b y th e A .A . A. th a t it " is recognised b y th e A u s tra lia n H igh C om m ission as being th e O ffic ia l th e a tric a l g ro u p o f A u s tra lia n s in th e U .K ." So th e re .

K e ith M ich e ll w ill lead th e prestigiou s C hichester Theatre C om pany on a to u r o f A u s tra lia n ne xt y e a r-s ta rtin g w ith th e P erth Festival, th e n ro u n d th e island. Bob Sturgess (ex J.C .W .'s) is organis­ ing it. The tw o plays on o ffe r w ill be The A p p le C a rt and O th e llo . W ill M ic h e ll pla y th e M o or? Or lago? O r b o th ?

N ew D ire c to r o f Y o u th A c tiv ité s at B ris­ bane's T w e lfth N ig h t T h eatre is Jon atha n B a x te r fro m N ew Zealand. Predecessor L lo y d N ic k s o n is n o w w ith th e Q .T .C ..

A u c k la n d 's M e rc u ry T h e a tre —1977 p ro ­ gram m e includ es B re ch t's T rum p ets a n d D rum s, Joh n P ow er's The L a s t o f the K n u c k le m e n , A th o l Fugard's H e llo a n d G oo dbye , and N ew Zealand w rite r , R o b e rt L o rd 's c o m edy W ell Hung. A m o n g th e personnel listed is som etim e M .T .C . d ire c to r and a c to r J on atha n H a rd y .

A World Premiere! From the pen of the man who brought us Sleuth! The Queens­ land Theatre Company presents English­ man Anthony Shaffer's Widows Weeds. . . now renamed by its original title : For Years / Couldn't Wear M y Black . . . " I t was really a Try-out, Yes . . . a Try-out.

But it's more politic to call it a 'World Premiere'." Shaffer himself is talking. With him is Diane Cilento, our own star of stage and screen in the mausoleum of the S.G.I.O. theatre where the night before this try-out opened.

"Y e s te rd a y , b e fo re th e c u rta in w e n t up . . . in th e a fte rn o o n . . . we had a rehearsal. We were m aking changes th e n " , said D iane. She had made th e tr ip o u t in advance o f th e p la y w rig h t, representing S h a ffe r w ith th e Q .T .C .'s Joe M a cC o lum (d ire c to r), as a k in d o f d ram aturg fo r th e piece. " I had b ro u g h t o u t fro m L o n d o n a tape re cordin g th a t w e 'd m a d e ", said D iane "W e 'd made it o f th e w h o le p la y —to see w h a t d id n 't w o rk . Its th e w ay a lo t o f people in A m erica no w do it . . . I th in k N eil S im on w o rk s his plays like t h a t " She he rself w ill be the p la y's ne xt d ire c to r—w hen it is done in L o n d o n . " I th in k th a t he . . . Joe M a cC o lum . . . he had d iffic u lt ie s " , o ffe re d S haffer. "Because the play, po ssib ly, w hen he got it, was n o t in the rig h t shape. He had very little tim e ”

S h a ffe r d id n o t get in to Brisbane u n til very late in th e piece—o n ly s h o rtly b e fo re th e play opened. He seemed to be fig h tin g a m ild re lu c t­ ance to ta lk a b o u t p ro d u c tio n o r s c rip t at a ll— c e rta in ly in any p a rtic u la r d e ta il. D iane was, n a tu ra lly m o re ready to enthuse a b o u t th e p la y — a b o u t w h a t she te rm e d its ca re fu l o n io n -lik e s tru c tu re . B u t he c le a rly d id n 't w a n t his reticence to re boun d on d ire c to r M a cC o lum .

"W e changed th e s c rip t a fte r a lo t o f s tu ff had been alre ady b lo c k e d and m oved . . . Perhaps it co u ld n o t be u n p icke d enough in th e tim e to acco m m o d a te th e changes we m ade. U n d e r the circum stances, he d id very w e ll.”

W hat a b o u t th e cast? B o th are in agreem ent: S h a ffe r: " I th in k th e y d id re m a rk a b ly w e ll c o n s id e rin g ."

C ile n to : " I d o , to o . I th in k th e y d id very w e ll."

C onsidering? A n th o n y S haffer te n ta tiv e ly elucid ates: " I th in k its very d if f ic u lt fo r a cast d o in g a pla y o f th is k in d w h ic h a c tu a lly isa tig h t­ rope betw een th e lig h t and th e d a rk, betw een co m e d ic (sic) and th e sinister. Its d if f ic u lt being able to o rch e stra te it w ith an audience w hen th e y d o n 't k n o w the length o f a laugh, w hen th e y d o n ’t re ally k n o w q u ite w h a t w e ig h t a m ore th r illin g scene m ig h t have . . . th e y , th e cast, are s lig h tly in th e p o s itio n o f having to busk i t ! ! " T h a t sta rte d D iane C ile n to ta lk in g a b out audiences and a b o u t th is S .G .I.O . th e a tre w here as a guest a rtis t she playe d th e lead in The Tam­ ing o f the S h re w a co u p le o f years ago. "Y e s.

l

T h e a tre -A u stra l ¡a March-April, 1977 Page 5

HORSE der her arm for the Queensland iwed her and the author the

Q.T.C. p ro d u c tio n o f F o r Years I C o u ld n 't W ear M y B lack . . . re c e n tly it was r e w r itte n ."

W here, th e n , does it go fro m here?

"W e are going to d o it in L o n d o n . Th ere is a suggestion we d o it at G re e n w ic h —w e've had an o ffe r to d o it the re. W h e th e r we do go the re, o r ta k e it s tra ig h t to th e West E nd, o r tra n s fe r fro m G re enw ich to th e West End . . . w e 're n o t a b s o lu te ly c e rta in ."

Th e p la y w rig h t's o th e r plans?

Last n ig h t th e audience re a lly had c o n tro l over th e a cto rs—because th e y , the acto rs, ju s t d id n 't k n o w w here th e laughs w ere c o m in g . T h a t was very od d.

"O n e th in g I have n o tic e d —th e a tte n tio n span o f audiences is lim ite d . Y o u k n o w , th e y com e here a fte r w o rk . . . and th e pla y d id run a long tim e . One's g o t to guage h o w m uch an audience can ta ke . T h a t re a lly means la u g h te r—it means g e ttin g th e gags” A ll in all, th e opening seemed som ething less th a n a to ta l success. She looke d a ro u n d her. " A n d th e re 's som e th in g else. T his th e a tre . I m ean, inside its lik e som eone's b e lly w h o hasn't eaten fo r th re e days. Instead o f being concave its con vex. Its a strange th e a tre to play in. A c to rs have to p la y o u t, very ha rd, because y o u seem to be aw ay fro m th e audience in a fu n n y w ay. A n d th is is a show th a t should really be q u ite near th e audience. In rehearsal we were o fte n astounded b y ho w good the actors were . . . we w ere close up, th e n ."

Was it to o long last night?

T h e y w ere in agreem ent again. " Y e s !”

"W h e re are y o u going to c u t it? " S h a ffe r avoids the q u e s tio n . Diane responds w ith an e n ig m a tic " A h h h . . ." th a t tra ils in to a th r o a ty laugh.

I asked S h a ffe r a b o u t th e p la y 's o rig ins, w here it fitte d in th e w rite r's d e v e lo p m e n t. The successful w rite r was s till evasive: "W e-e-ell. Its a little ea rly . . . its an e a rlier w o rk th a n it seems b y th e fa c t th a t w e've ju s t done it here fo r the firs t tim e . It was w ritte n some tim e ago—and

" I lik e plays o f m a n ip u la tio n . . . b u t I th in k I'm going to t r y to m ake th e m bear heavier bu rdens in th e fu tu re th a n th is . T h is is q u ite a lig h t piece. A n d I'm d o in g a lig h t piece in L o n d o n . B u t . . . its very d if f ic u lt to say pos­ itiv e ly in w h a t w ay I p e rso n a lly w a n t to go. L ik e all w rite rs I can lo o k ba ck and see a p a tte rn in m y w o rk . Th ere is som etim es a desire to break th a t p a tte rn ; th e re is som etim es a desire to go fu r th e r w ith th e same p a tte rn . Its a little vague.

I k n o w th a t a ju m p has to be m ade—a leap, a leap has to be m ade. B ut in w h ic h d ire c tio n I'm n o t a b s o lu te ly c e rta in ."

T here was re a lly no pu rsuing th a t.

D iane C ile n to ta lk e d a b o u t her trip s hom e to w o rk w ith th e Q .T .C ., and p a rtic u la rly her

. . . See D on B a tch e lo r's re vie w Page 16.

last v is it as an actress.

"W h e n y o u com e in to a C o m p a n y fro m the ou tsid e , w hen y o u 'v e been d o in g th in g s overseas, th e re 's a te n d e n cy fo r actors to th in k y o u 're going to be very m u ch up o n y o u r high horse.”

A high horse d id n o t seem so m e th in g Ms C ile n to was in th e h a b it o f rid in g . "T h e y th in k y o u 'll tre a t th e m in som ehow a d iffe re n t w a y. Y o u have to overcom e th a t, im m e d ia te ly —so th a t th e y k n o w y o u 're an a c to r to o . . . o n th e same level as th e m , in th e same b o x as th e m . . . and th a t y o u 're all w o rk in g to g e th e r on th e same th in g ."

W hat o f her fu tu re plans? In fa c t th e re 's a rem arkable v a rie ty ahead: q u ite ap art fro m establishing her o ve r-re p o rte d c o m m u n ity in N o rth Q ueensland, and d ire c tin g S h a ffe r's play in G re enw ich, she's g o t tw o film s in th e p ip e ­ lin e - o n e here and one in E ngland. She's also been com m issione d to w rite a p la y fro m th e K a fka s h o rt s to ry R e p o rt to an A ca d e m y. B u t u n lik e S h a ffe r she was c a re fu l n o t to sound to o earnest in ta lk in g a b o u t w h a t m ig h t lie ahead.

"Y e s , th e fu tu re . . . I 'll th in k a b o u t the fu tu re . . . to m o r r o w ."

Page 6 T h e a tre -A u s tra lia March-April, 1977

ARTS for the DRINKING M A N

D o n M ackay

It was an accident really. Two actors and a stage manager from the Players Caravan were out doing a schools tour o f Victoria w ith an Australian history/literature pro­ gramme, "The Great Australian Historical E xhibition". One night, after dinner at the Beaufort pub, the stage manager started playing guitar and the rest o f the bar joined in the songs and asked fo r requests.

by Don Mackay

"W h a t d o y o u bloke s do fo r a jo b ? " " A c to r s " . " I n B e a u fo rt? " (u n b e lie vin g ) "Y e a h , p la y in g at th e H igh S chool to m o r r o w " .

"W h y d o n 't y o u d o a b it o f a tu r n fo r us?"

So th e sho w was p e rfo rm e d , w ith in te r­ po la te d songs and occasional pauses to ru n o u t to th e bus fo r props.

W h e n th e la w a rriv e d a t m id n ig h t th e p u b lica n made a speech to th a n k th e bo ys fo r b rin g in g "g o o d clean fa m ily e n te rta in m e n t back to B e a u fo rt" . A n d an idea was b o rn .

A lo n g w ith o th e r th e a tre pe ople I ta lk high m in d e d ly a b o u t g e ttin g o u t am ong people and reaching new audiences, b u t it w a s n 't u n til a fe w years la te r w hen I w e n t to th e V ic to ria n A rts C o u n cil th a t I realised th a t th e n a tu ra l m eeting place in c o u n try to w n s , th e local pub, had never been u tilis e d b y th e A rts C o u n c il, o r an yone very m uch b u t ro c k bands.

So we started to reshape th e A u s tra lia n m a terial fo r pu b c lie n te le and called it The A l l A u s tra lia n Pub Show .

The tw o actors fro m th e B e a u fo rt p u b —G ary G ray and James W rig h t—w ere prepared to t r y it again. Franciscus H e n ri, w h o had p re v io u s ly been stage manager was on to u r w ith S pike M illig a n , so tw o A u s tra lia n fo lk veterans w ere re c ru ite d -P e te r M cD o n a ld fro m M ulga B ill's B ic y c le Band and D avid Isom fro m B ush­ w hackers and B u llo ckie s Bush Band.

It was asto nishing h o w th e o rig in a l h isto rica l source m a te ria l—M a rk T w a in , H enry Law son, A n th o n y T ro llo p e , th e V agabond and those w elk n o w n w rite rs T rad and A n o n —w o rk e d w ith pu b

audiences, w hen c u t to th e bone and playe d in a broad s ty le . The tra n s c rip t o f th e Ned K e lly tria l became a d ra m a tic h ig h lig h t o f th e evening and a stro n g c o n tra s t to th e lig h te r m a te ria l w h ic h preceded it.

M usic was selected fro m a w e a lth o f c o n v ic t songs, bush ballads, u n io n songs and so on. M ore fa m ilia r songs w ere used fo r singalongs.

The Pub S h o w w e n t o u t on a six w eek to u r o f V ic to ria in M arch o f 19 76, b u t due to the dem and was exte n d e d tw ic e .

It has been a ha ppy b re a k th ro u g h to new audiences. T he fa c t th a t th e pubs u su a lly sold o u t w e ll ahead and fre q u e n tly asked fo r re tu rn visits indica tes th a t we m u st be g e ttin g som ething rig h t!

It h a sn 't replaced th e regular A rts C o u n cil p rogra m m e in V ic to ria , b u tm ic e ly c o m p le m e n ts such to u rs as The H ills F a m ily S how , Canadian M im e T h e a tre , V ic to ria S tate Opera.

The 1977 to u r began o n F e b ru a ry 17 in M e lb o u rn e p r io r to fiv e w eeks in Q ueensland. It w ill v is it Tasm ania, S o u th A u s tra lia and pla y yet a n o th e r re tu rn in V ic to ria be tw een n o w and S eptem ber.

The sho w is an in te re stin g d e v e lo p m e n t in a n o th e r w ay. The fo u r a rtists are p la y in g tw o school program m es d u rin g th e da y w h ile on to u r. Th e actors are p la yin g th e o rig in a l second­ a ry school p rogra m m e and th e m usicians an A u s tra lia n fo lk m usic show .

Here's a to a st to th e A l l A u s tra lia n Pub S h o w !

Cheers! (A n d w h a t's m ore it d o e s n 't need any k in d o f su b sid y!)

a tribute to the A.P.G. Jack Hibberd A Stretch of the Imagination Barry Oakley Bedfellows A Lesson in English (Double Bill No. 1) John Romeril I Don’t Know Who To Feel Sorry For The Floating World David Williamson The Removalists Don’s Party (new film edition) Three Plays: The Coming of Stork — Jugglers Three — What If You Died Tomorrow The Department A Handful of Friends today better than ever Currency Press Pty. Ltd. Australia's drama publisher distributed by Cambridge University Press (Aust.) Pty. Ltd., Melbourne and Sydney

T h e a tre -A u stra l ¡a March-April, 1977 Page 7

QUEENSLAND ARTS COUNCIL

THE ALL AUSTRALIAN PUB SHOW Garrie Hutchinson

i

_______________________________ THE ALL AUSTRALIAN PUB SHOW devised and directed

by Don Mackay.

GARY GRAY. DAVE ISOM. PETER McDONALD, JAMES WRIGHT.

H aving ju s t had th e som ew hat chastening e xp erien ce o f p ro d u c in g a co u p le o f shows at th e G ra n t S treet T h e a tre , a d u b io u s venue at best, and at a ro tte n tim e o f year (excuses, excuses), th e a rgum e nt over audience versus art has a p a rtic u la r p iq u a n c y fo r me. D o ro th y H e w e tt's The G olden O ldies and A lm a de G roen's C h id le y playe d to a to ta l o f a b o u t 3 ,0 0 0 people. T h a t's n o t very g o od, and w h e th e r o r n o t it's the fa u lt o f o u r d ire c tio n , o r th e plays, it's ra th e r dish e a rte n in g to th in k th a t th e re is n 't an audience in a c ity th e size o f M e lb o u rn e fo r th e a tre even s lig h tly o f f th e beaten tra c k . I'm sure th e experience o f th e A u s tra lia n P e rfo rm in g G ro u p last year w ill bear th a t o u t as w e ll. It's g o tte n to the stage w here unless y o u 'v e g o t a sub sid y fro m some g o v e rn m e n t o r a n o th e r, o r have w o n a lo tte ry , profession al p ro d u c tio n is w e ll nigh im possible. I'd calc u la te th e loss per show at a b o u t $ 1 0 ,0 0 0 w hen do ne p ro p e rly .

C o n se q u e n tly, it's back to th e s e m ip ro leagues, and venues lik e La Mama.

I f th a t is th e case, th e n it makes th e d isco ve ry o f any fo rm u la fo r success a v e rita b le p h ilo s ­ o p h e r's stone. A n d th e m in in g o f it p ro fita b le fo r a tim e .

One such fo rm u la was discovered here b y the APG w ith th e H ills F a m ily S h o w —w h ic h is s till seeing service in A d e la id e and S ydne y as a bank against u n e m p lo y m e n t w ith in th e group. The fo rm u la involves th e use o f o ld va u d e ville ro u t­ ines, som etim es se rio u s ly ,s o m e tim e s as a sendup.

Juggling v e n trilo q u is m , m e ntal m agic, c ro o n in g , da n cin g , stan d-u p s it-d o w n c o m e d y , a n y th in g at a ll. T h is am ia ble, a p o litic a l rough th e a tre causes some so rt o f s u b lim in a l rem em brance in those to o y o u n g to have seen th e orig in a ls, w h ic h u n ites w ith th e nostalgia o f those w h o d id in an atm osph ere o f good h u m o u re d fa m ily fee lin g.

A side fro m th e H ills , and Steve Spears' Y oung M o, it has been th e th e a tre restaurant shows th a t have cashed in on th e general idea.

N o t o n ly th e standard m usic hall pe anut th r o w ­ ing v illa in hissing m elodram as, b u t shows such as C rackers a t the Savoy re c e n tly seen at th e Last Laugh. T h e Busby B erke le y's, p e rp e tra to rs o f th is so p h istica te d a rt vau d e ville , used a b it o f g litte r, a b it o f cam p and some superb vis u a l/ m o ve m e n t ideas as in th e ir B lack a n d W hite S how . T his was so sim ple and so po e tica l th a t it is one o f th e best achievem ents o f any k in d o f th e a tre in M e lb o u rn e o f th e last fe w years.

B u t ta le n t o f th is o rd e r is rare. Even th e ge ntle m o c k e ry o f the H ills F a m ily S h o w has q u a lity , n o t necessarily in th e tech nique s, b u t in th e idea its e lf, and in th e q u a lity o f p e rfo rm a n c e th a t makes it s o m ething special.

L o o k in g at th e c u rre n t range o f p ro d u c tio n s in th is general lin e , th e re 'd have to be som e d is ­ a p p o in tm e n t w ith th e w ay o ld fo rm u la s are repeated, and th e easy w ay ta k e n . B ut th e y all seem to be p o p u la r, w h ic h says som e th in g .

T ake The A l l A u s tra lia n Pub S how , devised and d ire c te d b y D on M a ckay. T h is has one in n o v a tio n , w h ic h is th a t it is c u rre n tly to u rin g bush pubs. It w o u ld be great if th e A rts C oun cils w h o are spo nsorin g th is to u r were to keep th e c irc u it open f o r o th e r acts w h ic h m ig h t lik e a tim e up c o u n try e n te rta in in g —S oap box C ircus, fo r instance.

Th e show its e lf again uses a venerable fo r m a t: th a t o f a b u n ch o f s o n g s -A u s tra lia n in th is case, and some readings fro m o ld te x ts . The singing, b y Dave Isom and Peter M cD o n a ld is e x c e lle n t, and th e re c ita tio n s b y G ary G rey and James W rig h t d o th e jo b h u m o u ro u s ly enough. The bone I'd p ic k w ith it is n o t o n ly th a t it seeks to re in fo rc e A u s tra lia n prejudice s a b o u t Poms, Salvos, Ned K e lly , bo oze, b u t th a t it's ra ther d u ll, in th e end. If it w ere ju s t a singalong, th a t'd be fin e b u t h a rd ly necessary. It trie s to ta p some o f th e c o n v iv ia lity and m a teship o f th e p u b , b u t misses th e o p p o r tu n ity o f d e aling w ith th e pu b as an in s titu tio n o f im p o rta n c e . The p e rip h e ra l m a te ria l th a t is used is a n cie n t and am using, b u t d o e s n 't make a n y th in g happen. A p u b show th a t used th e vast range o f jokes and stories a b o u t

d rin k in g m ig h t have made fo r an in te re stin g n ig h t o u t. A n y th in g fo r th a t.

S till, th e Pub S h o w as it stands is frie n d ly enough to amuse w hoe ver it is p e rfo rm e d to , up in th e bush, given th e special circum stances o f its p e rfo rm a n c e : th a t is, w hen it's p e rfo rm e d it w ill be a special occasion. I d o n 't t h in k it w o u ld stand m u ch o f a chance o n th e p u re ly c o m m e r­ cial p u b c irc u it in th e c ity .

The Pub S h o w w o rk s w e ll enough in its lo w key m anner because it has songs th a t its audience k n o w to p u ll it th ro u g h . Th e Lo uis N o w ra opus, Sleezeee at th e Last Laugh h a sn 't. It o n ly lasted a fo r tn ig h t, and was a m a jo r d is a p p o in tm e n t to those o f us e xp e ctin g b ig th in g s fro m N o w ra .

The m usic, b y Sarah de Jong was tuneless and u n m e lo d ic , th e w ritin g b o rin g and p re te n tio u s .

I d o n 't k n o w th a t I am so c o n d itio n e d b y th e v a u d e ville /m u sic hall th a t I c a n 't accept an u p ­ date o f cab aret—it is ju s t th a t th is p a rtic u la r show is n 't very good.

It deals w ith th e career o f th e G reat C am ille , a Lo la M o ntezish lady w h o progresses fro m Nazi G erm an y to A u s tra lia . She has scenes w ith H itle r, as Mae W est, w ith a p u n k ro c k e r, and an A ll Grassby lik e person. There is a n a rra to r and a feeble ca rica tu re o f a c r itic . The less said a b o u t a ll th a t, th e b e tte r. Sleezeee m ig h t have had a b e tte r chance, o r at least th e idea m ig h t have had a b e tte r chance, in a th e a tre . As it stands it is n o t good, and also in a p p ro p ria te to th e Last Laugh.

So perhaps it all gets back to using th e go ld en fo rm u la . C e rta in ly H ats a send up o f va u deville, is do in g fa ir ly w e ll, and th e nostalgie m usical, The Tw enties a n d A l l T h a t Jazz is to o . A udiences o b v io u s ly p re fe r these k in d s o f shows, w here th e m a terial is gentle am using and safe, to a n y ­ th in g else. T h ey seem to p re fe r th e k n o w n in any fo rm (D a vid W illia m s o n o r George G ershw in o r T ap D ancing) to th e u n k n o w n . M aybe th a t's a tru is m , b u t i t d o e s n 't m ake a sanguine fu tu re fo r th e th e a tre as a w h o le . W ith o u t an audience fo r the unusual th e re e v e n tu a lly w o n 't be an audience fo r a n y th in g .

Page 8 T h e a tre -A u s tra lia March-April, 1977

LA MAMA

N O WORRIES N O R M A N D AHMED Suzanne Spunner

NORM AND AHMED by Alex Buzo. La Mama Theatre, Carlton, Victoria. Opened 10.ii.77. Director, Mark Callan.

Norm Gallagher, CLIFF ELLEN; Ahmed, BRUCE KERR

NO WORRIES by Cliff Ellen. La Mama Theatre, Carlton, Victoria. Opened 10.ii.77. Directed by Bruce Kerr.

Graham, CLIFF ELLEN; Joan, SUE JONES; Wendy. LIDDY CLARK; Dave, JACK MOBBS; Ricky. RICHARD DAWSON; Francie, JENNIE ELLEN.

C u rre n tly at La Mama fo r a th re e -w e e k season are tw o A u s tra lia n plays. C liff E lle n's N o W orries is a new pla y having its firs t p e rfo rm a n c e w h ile S ydne y p la y w rig h t A le x B uzo's N o rm a n d A h m e d is n o w some te n years o ld . Its fir s t pe r­ form an ces in 1967 at La Mama w ere th e occasion o f zealous p o lic e a c tio n and a c o u rt case fo llo w e d in w h ic h charges o f o b s c e n ity w ere b ro u g h t, b u t th a t was in th e days o f M r. R y la h 's re now ne d de lica te da ug h te r. T o d a y th in g s fo r tu n a te ly have changed, th o u g h to say th a t A u s tra lia n s o c ie ty has v is ib ly m a ture d w o u ld be to b e lie th e e v i­ dence o f th e O ckeram a vision o f N o W orries.

F o r, save fo r th e concession to th e seventies—a fem ale ro le , th e p u n te r's w ife w h o makes a h a lf­ hearted grab fo r indé p e n d a n ce —th e concerns o f N o W orries, th e d e p th o f th e ir tre a tm e n t and the pla y 's re solute n a tu ra lism all place th e play in th e c o n te x t o f th e late sixties. T h is is n o t a fa u lt in its e lf b u t fo r a p la y w ritte n n o w i t is.

Set in th e liv in g ro o m o f a suburban M e lb o u rn e house, N o W orries covers a p e rio d o f te n days d u rin g w h ic h tim e th e man o f th e house, an in v e te ra te p u n te r has a big w in —some six th o u sa n d d o lla rs —and manages to send it back to w here it came as ra p id ly as it was earned. He is aided and a b etted b y his b o o z y cronies w h o w illin g ly if a b it u n k n o w in g ly , egg h im on . M ean­ w h ile his u n d e rsta n d in g if occa sio n a lly ra n klin g w ife is try in g to get h im to " C h a d d y " to b u y a new ca rp e t fo r th e aforesaid liv in g ro o m . She also is p e titio n in g fo r a loan o f 7 5 0 d o lla rs to s ta rt a g ift-s h o p w ith a g irl-frie n d w h ile his neglected teenage d a u g h te r needs a mere 46 d o lla rs fo r a school e x c u rs io n —in e v ita b ly n e ith e r o f th e m see a p e n n y o f th e w in d fa ll and it is o n ly

th ro u g h nagging his mates th a t th e w ife even fin d s o u t h o w m u ch he w o n . No d o u b t a fa m ilia r scenario, happening eve ryd a y som ew here in our tw o -b o b -e a ch -w a y s o cie ty. H ow eve r b e y o n d its d e dicated realism C liff A lle n does n o t e n lig h te n us fu r th e r and we m ay as w e ll have listene d to a tra n s c rip tio n o f a tape re co rd in g . T h e actin g fo r th e m o st p a rt was u n in te re s tin g ; o fte n b o rin g it ra re ly c o n fro n te d th e audience w h o were c o n te n t w ith b e lly laughs at th e self-congratu la te ly p re se n ta tio n o f A u s tra lia n 'ty p e s '. O n ly L id d y C la rk as th e g irl-frie n d o f R ic k y —b y fa r th e m o st repulsive o c k e r ever to h it th e stage— gave a n y d e p th to her p e rfo rm a n c e . F o r her th in g s s till m a tte re d , perhaps because she had n o t y e t succum bed to T r ic k y D ic k ie 's in flu e n ce c o m p le te ly ; th e y w ere o n ly engaged. She s till had some fire whereas th e w ife was w e ll and tr u ly e x tin g u ish e d . O verall th e p e rfo rm a n c e was e n n e rva tin g , s lo w ly paced and lackin g in v ita lity .

In th a n k fu l c o n tra s t N o rm a n d A h m e d , had e v e ry th in g N o W orries lacked. Set o n a deserted c o n s tru c tio n site at n ig h t, it was staged in th e car-park o u ts id e La M am a against th e tin fence.

M id d le aged N o rm , fo rm e r rat o f T o b ru k and present ersatz w h ite -c o lla r w o rk e r accosts A h m e d , a y o u n g P akistani stu d e n t o u t here on th e C o lu m b o Plan. The p la y covers th e p e rio d o f th e ir fo r ty -m in u te e n co u n te r. D ire c to r M ark C allan paced it fast and close to th e b o ne, b u ild ­ ing up th e aggression s u b tle y and u n re m ittin g ly b u t in such a w ay to m ake it e x p lic a b le th a t th e in te llig e n t, perceptive A h m e d was p u t o ffg u a r d b y N o rm 's patches o f ap pare nt s y m p a th y . C har­ a c te ris a tio n was c o m p le x and no less tru e to life fo r th e s u p e rfic ia l c o n tra d ic tio n s . We even at p o in ts feel sy m p a th y fo r N o rm as he e x to lls th e v irtu e s o f th e lu c k y c o u n try and lam e nts th e de ath o f his w ife ; it is q u ite possible th a t he d id ju s t w a n t som eone to ta lk to . S im ila rly A h m e d is n o t a s te re o typ e , a socialist he nevertheless speaks in th e o v e rb lo w n s ty le o f som eone w h o has le a rn t english fro m th e re m n a n ts o f th e Raj. As A h m e d B ruce K e rr was e x c e lle n t, he fa ith ­ fu lly cap ture d the speech in fle c tio n s and m a in ­ ta in e d in te llig e n c e and d ig n ity th ro u g h o u t, no m a tte r h o w p re te n tio u s A hm e d m ay at tim es sound to us. W hile C liff E llen managed to make N o rm 's m ost in n o ccu o u s q u e stio n pregnant w ith im m in e n t aggression and im p lic it racism . A sense o f fo re b o d in g aggression is b u ilt up n o t m e re ly v e rb a lly , in th e w o rd s o r th e to n e in w h ic h th e y are spo ken. B u t ra th e r in th e am big­ uous gestures o f m a te sh ip ; th e to o heavy hand shake, th e to o e m p h a tic slap on th e back and th e to o in siste n t staring in to th e oth ers eyes; the suggestion o f q u e stio n a b le in tim a c y and u n c o n ­ scious ho m osexu al overtones. The actin g p o r­ tra y e d th is invasion o f p riv a c y s u p e rb ly w ith o u t o ve rsta tin g its case.

In th e fin a l m o m e n ts o f th e p la y N o rm w ith no w a rn in g o r o b vio u s p ro v o c a tio n tu rn s on A h m e d . T he violen ce w h ic h eru p ts is h o rrify in g and sh o ckin g . One's firs t response is to w o n d e r w here it came fro m , th e n in s ta n tly we are d ra w n back to th e clues in N o rm 's cha racte r and realize th e la te n t menace was alw ays present , and it w o u ld o n ly be a q u e s tio n o f tim e b e fo re it was unleashed.

N o rm a n d A h m e d has n o t da te d , one o n ly need con sid er th e racist overtones o f th e press coverage o f th e recent 'Paks' c ric k e t to u r to realize h o w little th in g s have re a lly changed irre spective o f th e dem ise o f th e W h ite A u stra lia P o licy.

N .B . ''C h a d d y '' refers to th e n o to rio u s consum er paradise—th e M yers sho p p in g c o m p le x o f Chadstone, an o u te r M e lb o u rn e S ubu rb.

C lif f E lle n as N o rm a n d B ruce K e rr as A h m e d in N o rm and A h m e d .

S u z a n n e S p u n n e r is th e a tr e M e lb o u r n e T im e s .

c r it ic

o f th e

T h e a tre -A u stra lia March-April, 1977 Page 9

ERIC DARE

HATS i

Raymond Stanley

HATS, A vaudeville revue devised, written and choreographed by Ron Challinor and Colette Mann.

P aybox Theatre, Melbourne, Victoria. Opened 24.ii.77.

Dnector: Gary Down, Musical Director: Rodney Kendall.

Featuring COLETTE MANN and RON CHALLINOR.

T o w a rd s th e end o f last year th e y o u n g and e n te rp risin g C o le tte M ann and R on C h a llin o r h ire d th e P la y b o x fo r th re e nigh ts and b e fo re

C o le tte M ann & R on C h a llin o r in Hats.

an in v ite d audience o f show biz and a llie d f o l k in c lu d in g th e a tre m anagem ent representatives— p e rfo rm e d th is little a ttra c tio n o f th e ir o w n devising as a showcase fo r th e irta le n ts . E ric Dare, w h o so p ro u d ly has presented Reg L ive rm o re , th e L ind say K em p C o m p a n y and L e t M y P eople Come is ju s t as p ro u d ly presenting th is wee morsel fo r p u b lic c o n s u m p tio n .

A p p a re n tly Miss R ita M ay and her co m p a n y o f 135 are ending th e w o rld to u r o f a va u deville revue a t M e lb o u rn e 's P a la is;b y m ista ke th e m uch sm aller P la yb o x has been b o o k e d . U n d a u n te d R ita carries on w ith ju s t th e tw o A u s tra lia n m em bers: R on C h a llin o r and C o le tte M ann. B u t Miss M ay has o v e r-im b ib e d , misses each entrance, and th e tw o are fo rce d to p e rfo rm th e e n tire show on th e ir o w n . R ita does m ake b rie f sem i­ appearances: a stra y leg here, an arm th e re , her costu m e show n in all its g lo ry , and once in an apache dance she is th ro w n across th e stage b y C h a llin o r in m ista ke fo r M ann.

T h e un derstudies are m e diocre and lim ite d e n te rta in e rs , repeating th e ir tric k s again and again, presenting th e co rn ie st o f gags and s itu ­ a tio n s th ro u g h o u t. So th e audience shall n o t fo rg e t w h a t a no b le jo b th e y are d o in g to ensure " th e show goes o n ," every fe w m in u te s comes th e re m in d e r o f R ita 's a lc o h o lic state; in ail th e big nu m bers—de spite huge b u ild -u p s -th e star fa ils to appear. T h e understudies single -ha nded ly d o th e ir in d iv id u a l steps in big ensem ble n u m ­ bers, M ann p e rfo rm s a song and dance sister act m inu s her 's is te r' and C h a llin o r—n o t realising she has fille d in —repeats th e same n u m b e r in drag.

He even does a sho ckin g im p e rs o n a tio n o f W.C. Fields. A n d so th e show proceeds. It re a lly is o n ly a 1 0 -m in u te old -fa sh io n e d in tim a te revue ite m exte nde d b e yo n d all lim its .

M ann and C h a llin o r, are a nice co u p le w ith ave rage talen t t r y in g —m is ta k e n ly in m y o p in io n — to get o u t o f th e ir present class. T h e y d is p la y fe w real signs th a t th e ir singing, da ncing o r thesping is little m o re th a n co m p e te n t. N e ith e r appears to be a n a tu ra l co m ic , n o r possess m u ch in d iv id ­

ual p e rs o n a lity . M aybe in ten years, w ith the m in im u m o f lu c k and m u ch experience, th e y w ill be in th e L iv e rm o re and D aw n class. B u t on present sh o w in g , n o t n o w . N e a rly e v e ry th in g is over d o n e ,e ve ry p o in t ra m m ed incessantly hom e.

Even sham m e d io c rity can have some s u b tle ty .

T he tw o have set them selves an im possible task. No d o u b t th e y believe th e y are d isp la yin g v e rs a tility ; all th e y re a lly show is a con stant one-level m e d io c rity . T o in d ica te th e y are ta l­ ented and n o t m e re ly presenting them selves, p ro o f is re quire d o f th e level th e y can a tta in .

A n established a rtis t, w hose a b ilitie s an audience has no p r io r d o u b ts a b o u t, p o ssib ly can get aw ay w ith it. Even so to o m uch in th e one stra in w o u ld be a bore.

Th ere is one magic m o m e n t at th e end o f th e evening—c o m p le te ly o u t o f c o n te x t—w hen th e d u o sing S ond heim 's "A n y o n e Can W h is tle ". It makes up fo r all th a t has gone b e fo re . Had th e y been able to sustain a second h a lf d e voted to a m iscella ny o f p o in t and stra ig h t num bers, w ith perhaps some p a tte r and dance ro u tin e s , one m ay have w a lke d fro m th e th e a tre co n vin ce d one had seen m a jo r ta le n ts in th e m aking.

One has no w ish to discourage tw o p ro m isin g youngsters w h o have been brave and s tu b b o rn enough to d o th e ir o w n th in g . A n d in fairness one m ust re p o rt m o st o f th e firs t n ig h t audience appeared to adore th e ir an tics, laughed o u t lo u d and c o n s ta n tly ap plauded. It is ju s t possible th a t, bred on m e diocre T V v a rie ty shows, audiences w ill be easily satisfied w ith th e fare presented and give th e ir s u p p o rt. N a tu ra lly th is w ill be fin e fo r M ann and C h a llin o r, p ro v id in g th e y realise th e y m ust never present such a face again and n e xt tim e m u st re a lly p ro v id e p r o o f o f v e rs a tility — w h ic h means b rin g in g in b e tte r and m ore exp erien ced and o rig in a l s c rip t w rite rs .

W hen all is said, surely a show w h ic h consists o f tw o u n k n o w n p e rfo rm e rs d e lib e ra te ly being m e diocre backed b y a 4-piece orchestra, p la y in g 4 2 m inu tes in th e firs t h a lf and 38 in th e second, is ove rprice d at $ 6 .8 0 a seat?

Page 10 T h e a tre -A u s tra lia March-April, 1977

OLD TOTE THEATRE COMPANY

THE FATHER MELBOURNE THEATRE COMPANY

THE DOLL TRILOGY EVENING STAR PRODUCTIONS

THE TRAINING RUN Katharine Brisbane THE FATHER by August Strinberg, Adapted by Euan Smith.

Parade Theatre, Kensington. N.S.W. (opened 9.¡¡.77) Director, Euan Smith, Designer, Douglas Heap.

Captain, RICHARD MEIKLE; Laura, DIANA PERRYMAN; Bertha, ANGELA PUNCH; Dr. Ostermark, PHILLIP HINTON; Pastor, MAX MELDRUM; Nurse, AILEEN BRITTON; Nojd, STUART CAMPBELL; Svard, RICHARD USSHER

THE DOLL TRILOGY by Ray Lawler. Russell Street Theatre, Melbourne, Victoria, 12.ii.77. and 19.ii.77. Directed by John Sumner; designed by Anne Eraser.

KID STAKES Dickie Pouncett, DAVID DOWNER; Emma Leech, IRENE INESCOURT; Olive Leech, CAROLE SKINNER; Nancy Wells, SANDY GORE; Barney Ibbot.

BRUCE MYLES; Roo Webber. PETER CURTIN. OTHER TIMES Emma Leech, IRENE INESCOURT; Roo Webber, PETER CURTIN; Bubba Ryan, CHRISTINE AMOR; Olive Leech, CAROLE SKINNER; Barney Ibbot, BRUCE MYLES; Nancy Wells, SANDY GORE; Josef Hultz.

DAVID DOWNER. SUMMER OF THE SEVENTEENTH DOLL Bubba Ryan, CHRISTINE AMOR; Pearl Cunningham, SANDY GORE; Olive Leech. CAROLE SKINNER; Barney Ibbot, BRUCE MYLES; Emma Leech. IRENE INESCOURT; Roo Webber, PETER CURTIN; Johnnie Dowd, DAVID DOWNER.

THE TRAINING RUN by Mervyn Rutherford. Bondi Pavilion. Queen Eliz. Drive, Bondi N.S.W. (opened 14.i.77) Designed & Directed by Max Cullen.

Wally Rassmussen. GORDON PIPER; Jack Kelly, JOHN CLAYTON; Patrick Reilly. JOHN HARGREAVES. Sgt. Broom, CUL CULLEN; Rex Green, BARNEY LEEMAN; Nancy McDonald, JULIE DAWSON.

P eter C u rtin (R o o W ebber) a n d Carole S k in n e r (O live Leech) in S um m er o f th e 1 7 th D o ll.

See also cen tre fo ld .

A ugu st S trin d b e rg 's g lo o m y m asochistic p o rtra it o f a man being d e stroye d b y a house­ h o ld o f w om e n is no w on stage at th e Parade T h eatre, S ydne y, and m y task is to give it some s o rt o f assessment.

"W h y The F a th e r? ", one asks oneself. D eath at th e b o x o ffic e . W hat reason the n? Some black N o rd ic g u ilt to w eigh against The P lough an d the Stars, The A lc h e m is t, Caesar a n d C leopatra and so on in th e c u rre n t season. N o t good enough. W ell th e n it is a fin e veh icle fo r an a cto r w h o needs to pla y a ro le lik e th is. Yes, w e ll R ichard M e ikle a cq u its h im se lf passably w e ll in th e role b u t c e rta in ly th e re is none o f th a t sense o f b u rn in g c o m m itm e n t b y th e th e a tre th a t can go in to the g ro w th o f a great p e rfo rm a n ce . The p ro d u c tio n , the c o n te m p o ra ry tra n s la tio n , the clever, characterless set, all seemed to disperse th e energies o f th e cast and leave th e pla y naked and helplessly exposed.

I am try in g hard to im agine w h a t virtu es m ig h t have been foreseen b y those in charge o f

presenting th is p ro d u c tio n . T h e b ro c h u re des­ cribes th e pla y as e xa m in in g a "n e v e r p a llin g th e m e —th e basic re la tio n s o f m a rria g e ". B u t th e th e m e in th is p ro d u c tio n does p a ll: one longed fo r m ore e n te rta in in g v a ria tio n s on i t —M rs W arren's P rofession, fo r exa m p le , o r W ho's A fr a id o f V irg in ia W o o lf? O r even—b u t n o —L o o k B ack in A nger. T here are tim e s w hen a p la y is rig h t fo r revival b u t surely, w h a te ve r th e extrem es o f th e present eco n o m y we have n o t y e t reached th e level o f im p o te n c e and mas­ o ch ism w h ic h can revel in S trin d b e rg 's Freud ia n pessim ism.

Th e th ir d reason fo r cho osing a p la y lik e th is w ith a respected place in w o rld h is to ry b u t no im m e d ia te appeal: th a t is th e e d u ca tio n a l one, o f b rin g in g to lig h t and life a w o rk o f lite ra tu re .

T h e O ld T o te T h e a tre C om p any has b ro u g h t fro m L o n d o n to d ire c t th e pla y Euan S m ith w h o has also tra n sla te d it; and Douglas Heap to design it. It is n o t a c ritic is m o f th e ir native ta le n t to say th a t th e result is o u t o f sy m p a th y w ith th e audience b u t a c o n firm a tio n o f th e fa c t th a t yo u c a n n o t p ro d u ce great th e a tre th e w ay y o u can (and even th is is open to q u e stio n ) p r o ­ du ce great opera b y settin g up an in te rn a tio n a l c irc u it. Because th e a tre b y its very na ture is p a ro ch ia l and depends fo r its greatness u p on a spontaneous c o m m u n a l creative act b y actors, d ire c to rs , designers and audience. Euan S m ith 's h ig h -p itc h e d d o m e s tic w ran gle sits a p a rt fro m its audience in a sm all w o rld o f designer's a rtific e .

Douglas Heap's m o dish ash-coloured set is a th e a tric a l device, n o t an e n v iro m e n t fo r s u ffe r­ ing: it makes its p o in t a b o u t th e c la u s tro p h o b ic n a tu re o f the pla y b y pressing in th e sides o f th e b o x set act b y act and p la yin g shadows on th e e m p ty w a lls —neat it m ay be b u t w ith o u t passion.

C lu tte r, I w ill a d m it, can obscure a p la y and M r S m ith m ay argue th a t b y c h ip p in g o f f th e archaism s o f realism one m ay com e at th e s p iri­ tu a l q u a litie s m o re fre e ly . I w o u ld con test th a t it is th ro u g h th e c lu tte r o f th is oppressive pe riod th a t th e personal stre n g th and single-m indedness o f th e a u th o r emerges. B u t w h a te ve r th e reasons, th e u n d e n ia b le fa c t is th a t The F a th e r is a b o rin g evening w ith a cast th a t never gets it to g e th e r as a team , p la yin g at fu ll p itc h and w ith o u t cadence as if fo re v e r con dem n ed to u n fa m ilia r te r r ito r y .

I m u st exce p t fro m th e general g lo o m th e actress Angela Punch w h o manages th e c h ild B erthe w ith a c o n c e n tra tio n o f fee lin g w o r th y o f th e a u th o r.

T h e a tre -A u stra l ¡a March-April, 1977 Page 11 It is th a t s y m p a th y o f a c to r and audience response, so d e adly absent fro m The F a th e r, th a t made th e firs t p e rfo rm a n c e in M e lb o u rn e o f The D o ll trilo g y such an e m o tio n a l occasion, an occasion so fa r exceeding in t o t a lity th e sum o f its parts. F o r me it was a m o m e n to u s event, a k in d o f v in d ic a tio n o f th e A u s tra lia n th e a tre .

L ik e m ost o f th e pe ople in th a t audience I ca rrie d in to th e th e a tre e m o tio n a l m e m o ry o f S u m m e r o f the S eventeenth D o ll and its place in o u r h is to ry , o f th a t im m a tu re flo w e rin g o f o u r dram a in the 50s and th e d is illu s io n th a t fo llo w e d , o f R ay L a w le r's hopes and fears as a w rite r , his se ttlin g abroad and his c o m in g hom e, and th is brave new a tte m p t to com e to term s w ith his A u s tra lia . Th e tw o new plays w ere re s p e c tfu lly b u t p a llid ly received b y a press and p u b lic used to th in k in g in term s o f to d a y 's shop­ ping list and to w h o m th e little m ira cle o f c ra fts ­ m a nship w h ic h K id Stakes is, seemed a b it to o m u ch lik e yeste rda y's vegetables.

B u t p e rfo rm a n c e as a tr ilo g y on th a t m e m o r­ able F e b ru a ry 12 was a n o th e r m a tte r alto g e th e r.

Such a d rena lin fro m b o th actors and audience one seldom has th e p rivile ge o f fee lin g in the th e a tre . Th e perform ance s w ere g o od, at m o m ­ ents o u ts ta n d in g , b u t th e y w ere carried b y th e e m p a th y o f th e audience to a he ig ht w h ic h transcended s k ill. W a rm th o v e rflo w e d th e f o o t­ lig h ts and enveloped in a ffe c tio n Irene Inescort as she unveiled th e once te n d e r flesh o f leathery o ld Em m a; S andy G ore b rin g in g to v iv id life an e n ig m a tic N ancy, th e one g ro w n -u p in th e fro z e n teenage w o rld o f S u m m e r o f the S eventeenth D o ll; B ruce M yles lo o k in g re m a rk a b ly lik e the y o u n g L a w le r as B arney.

As an observer I feel th e need to pay trib u te to an occasion p ro b a b ly u n iq u e in o u r th e a tre his­ to r y : an a u th o r receiving a standing o v a tio n n o t ju s t fo r th e e x c ite m e n t o f a new achievem ent, n o r—as w ith P a tric k W h ite 's c u rta in call a fte r th e O ld T o te 's The Season a t S arsaparilla last y e a r in renew ed respect fo r an o ld a ch ie vem e nt; b u t in h u m b le ackn o w le d g e m e n t o f s om ething w h ic h is u n iq u e ly and m u tu a lly ou rs. A p ro p h e t h o n ­ ou red at last in his o w n c o u n try .

Th e occasion's achievem ent was to p u t the plays in perspective. The fir s t tw o gained b y th e tre a tm e n ts and in a w ay S u m m e r o f th e Seven­ te e n th D o ll d id to o . T h e firs t tw o plays are p e riod pieces and as such have great charm . B ut The D o ll is c o n te m p o ra ry . It carries, as all great d ram a does, n o t ju s t th e ph ysica l c o n te x t o f place', tim e and a c tio n b u t un co n scio u sly the s p iritu a l c lim a te also. K id Stakes and O th e rT im e s lo o k ba ck a t th e 30s and 40s fro m th e tr a n q u ill­ ity o f an o ld e r s o c ie ty . The D o ll is a s tu d y o f im m a tu rity w ritte n w ith all th e desperate hope, love and e m o tio n a l p e rc e p tio n o f a m a tu re a rtis t in te rp re tin g an adolescent society. T here are discords and even longueurs in seeing th e plays to g e th e r; b u t th e exp erien ce enables us to d e fin e fu r th e r tho se v irtu e s u n iq u e to The D o ll as firs t lady o f A u s tra lia n dram a. It was a face-to-face a c k n o w le d g e m e n t b y an audience o f th e g ro w n ­ up 70s o f th e s im p le p o w e r o f his old -fa sh io n e d q u a litie s o f love, s e n tim e n ta lity and innocence w ith in a s tru c tu re u n fa m ilia rly m e tic u lo u s and re fin e d , th a t b ro u g h t R ay L a w le r, p la y w rig h t, hom e to us at last th a t n ig h t.

T h o u g h h a rd ly in th e same cate gory a n o th e r p la y sh o u ld n o t go u n n o tic e d b y TheatreA u s tra lia : M e rv y n R u th e rfo rd 's The T raining R un, ju s t c o m p le tin g a season at th e B ondi P avilion T h eatre. Insp ired b y an in c id e n t as a c o u n try po lice m a n in N.S.W . in th e 50s, th is pla y has had a long and hazardous u p b rin g in g going back six years o r m o re and in v o lv in g a n u m b e r o f readings and w o rk s h o p s in c lu d in g one at th e o ld N im ro d S tree t T h e a tre and a session a t th e 19 74 N a tio n a l P la y w rig h ts ' C onference.

A lo t o f people have had a lo t to say a b o u t the s c rip t over th e years; b u t at last it has go t its e lf to g e th e r u n d e r th e d ire c tio n o f M ax C u lle n and has emerged as th e jo lly rib a ld co m e d y it alw ays had p rom ise o f being. In co m m e rcia l te rm s some o f th e language, I w o u ld suggest, is in a p p ro p ria te fo r th e k in d o f fa m ily e n te rta in m e n t fo r w h jc h th e pla y is o th e rw ise id e a lly suited ( d ir ty w ord s and ideas are, a fte r all, th e pre ro g a tive o f th e subsidised th e a tre ) b u t w ith th is reservation I see no reason—and w ith th is e x c e lle n t c a s tw h y it sho uld n o t h a p p ily p la y th e cap itals o r tra n s m u te in to a te le visio n play.

The T ra in in g R un is set in a c o u n try p o lic e s ta tio n presided over b y a sergeant w ith an eye

fo r his o w n c o m fo rt. It is d is tu rb e d , how ever, w hen a car th ie f escapes fro m th e s ta tio n ceil.

The sergeant begins a cove r-up cam paign. Cul C ullen plays th e sergeant s p le n d id ly and is sup­ p o rte d b y Joh n Hargreaves as th e y o u n g co n s t­ able w h o gets his com e-uppance (his th ic k accent makes h im p r e tty w e ll in co m pre hen sib le b u t he makes up fo r it in gestures) and fin e he avyw eight p e rform ance s fro m Jo h n C la y to n and G o rd o n P iper. U n lik e The F a th e r and S u m m er o f the S eventeenth D o ll, The T raining R un has no de p th s to be p lu m b e d ; b u t having com e so fa r and tra in e d so long I w o u ld be s o rry if it w e n t no fu r th e r th a n B o n d i on the w ay to the big event.

Page 12 T h e a tre -A u s tra lia March-April, 1977

NIMROD THEATRE COMPANY

INNER VOICES Rex Cramphorne

INNER VOICES by Louis Nowra. Nimrod Theatre Upstairs.

Sydney, New South Wales. Opened 25.ii.77. Director, John Bell; music Sarah de Jong.

Ivan, TONY SHELDON; Mirovich, ROBERT FAGGETTER; Leo, Andrei, ROBERT ALEXANDER; Anna. Princess Ali, Baby Face, JANE HARDERS; Vladimir, Kirobkin. GREG ZUCKERMAN; Sergeant, Peter, BILL CONN.

In n e r Voices is a new A u s tra lia n p la y th a t is n o t a b o u t A u s tra lia o r A u s tra lia n s . It is set in Russia b u t it is n o t a b o u t Russians e ith e r. It is, w o n d e rfu lly , a pla y w h ic h raises m o ral and p h il­ oso p h ic qu estions fro m m a te ria l th a t is s p e cific enough to be a w o rk o f cre ative im a g in a tio n , b u t general enough to a llo w th e qu e stio n s it raises to be o f d ire c t, c o n te m p o ra ry , and b ro a d ly hum an relevance. I f th a t makes th e pla y sound fu z z y and abstruse I hasten to add th a t it m ay also be v iv id , th e a tric a l, and am using enough to achieve p o p u la r a p p e a l./n n e r Voices takes a step in to th e te r r ito r y o f C a lde ron 's L ife is a D ream , P ira n d e llo 's H e n ry IV , and H andke's Kaspar. It is an a m b itio u s step fo r a y o u n g w rite r , a step th a t fe w , in th e A u s tra lia n p la y w rig h ts ' renaissance o f th e '6 0 's and '7 0 's , have w ished

to ta k e , and, fo r m y m o n e y, a step in th e rig h t d ire c tio n .

I propose to relate m y im pressions o f In n e r Voices to th e C alderon and H and ke plays n o t because I w ish to con sid er th e co m p a ra tive value o f th e achievem ents, n o r because I w ish to suggest in flu e n c e o r d e riv a tio n —I have no idea w h e th e r Lo u is N o w ra kno w s o r cares fo r such p la y s —b u t ra th e r because it w ill be useful to have exam ples o f com para ble m a terial b y w h ic h to assess th e sp e cific and in d iv id u a l aims o f M r.

N o w ra 's p la y. F o r th e purpose I am afra id I w ill have to v e n tu re in to p lo t synopses, w h ic h I usu ally avo id .

In 1635 C alderon w ro te one o f th e greatest plays o f th e G o ld e n , o r any o th e r, A ge—La Vida es Sueno. It's hero, S egism undo, has been kep t all his life alone in a to w e r, save fo r one servant, b y his fa th e r B asilio, king o f P oland, on a cco unt o f prophesies w h ic h said his son w o u ld be an evil ty ra n t. W hen th e b o y has g ro w n up B asilio begins to regret his de cisio n and decides to give S egism undo a chance to prove h im se lf. He has h im drugged, b ro u g h t to th e palace in his sleep, and, on aw ake ning , has h im in fo rm e d th a t he is a p rin ce , and he ir to th e th ro n e . Enraged at th e d e c e p tio n th a t has been practised fo r years and eager to t r y his po w e r, S egism undo is angry, ven gefu l, and ty ra n n ic a l. B asilio p ro m p tly drugs h im and re tu rn s him to his to w e r. W hen he awakes he sees th e exp erien ce o f being p rin ce as a dream , and learns b y th is e x a m p le th e v a n ity o f th e m a te ria l and social advantages th a t life can be stow . In th e th ir d act S egism undo is freed fro m th e to w e r b y m u tin o u s soldiers, vanquishes his fa th e r in b a ttle , b u t conquers his o w n p rid e and a m b itio n and forgives B a silio, w h ile p o in tin g o u t to h im th a t his m e th o d o f a ve rting th e p re ­ d ic te d fa te was w ro n g .

H andke's p la y (firs t staged in G erm any in 1968) bears lit t le re la tio n to th e h isto rica l Kaspar Hauser: 'T h e p la y K aspar does n o t show h o w it re a lly is o r re a lly was w ith Kaspar Hauser. It shows w h a t is possible w ith someone.

It shows h o w som eone can be made to speak th ro u g h speaking. The p la y c o u ld also be called speech to r tu r e . . . (H an dke's in tr o ­

d u c tio n to th e p la y ). H and ke's v is io n o f 'u n ­ a cco m m od ated m a n' being ta u g h t to speak by unseen p ro m p te rs is d o m in a te d b y th e co n ce p t o f speech as a means o f op p re ssio n —a means o f cre ating a r tific ia l u n ifo r m ity b y te a ching pe ople to c o m p re h e n d th e w o rld o n ly in te rm s o f the speech pa ttern s th e y are given.

In n e r 1/o/cestreats th e s to ry o f a S egism u ndo / Kaspar fig u re fro m an in tim a te ly personal p o in t o f view . Its aim (in term s o f s o c ia l/m o ra l/p h ilo so p h ic c o m m e n t) is n e ith e r th e acco m plishe d fo r m u la tio n o f L ife is a D ream , n o r th e e la b o r­ a te ly de veloped q u e stio n in g o f Kaspar. R ath er it is d e s c rip tiv e —it shows us w h a t it is lik e to be S e g ism u ndo /K aspar and stops at th e p o in t w here he is b e ginnin g to com e to an un d e rsta n d in g o f his p o s itio n . T h e cha racte r is called Ivan V I, in a som ew hat fre e w h e e lin g a ttitu d e to Russian h is to ry .

In th e ea rly scenes we are sho w n an Ivan w h o has lived his tw e n ty -th re e years in is o la tio n and silence in a priso n in w h ic h no one is a llo w e d to speak to h im . He is able to say o n ly his o w n nam e. ( I t is a ch a ra c te ris tic d iffe re n c e th a t he sh o u ld be obsessed b y his o w n id e n tity w h ile H andke's hero desires o n ly to becom e a person as o th e r people are: his fir s t, repeated phrase is 'I w a n t to be som eone lik e som e b o d y else was o n ce '.) A p a ir o f c y n ic a l, self-seeking guards plan to m ake th e ir fo rtu n e s b y releasing Ivan, p ro c la im in g h im king and deposing C atherine.

Just as th in g s are lo o k in g at th e ir w o rs t (on th e road to S t Petersburg w ith no fo llo w e rs le ft and an 'id io t ' kin g w h o c a n 't be ta u g h t a n y th in g ) an em issary arrives to say th a t C ath e rin e has died and th a t Ivan is rig h tfu l king. Th e fa t guard, M iro v ic h , p r o m p tly k ills his frie n d so as to have th e rew ards fo r h im s e lf and, in a scene w h ic h brings to g e th e r th e m a terial o f act one w ith te ll­ ing fo rc e and e c o n o m y , M iro v ic h teaches Ivan to say his second w o rd —'M ir o v ic h '— in response to th e q u e s tio n 'w h o is y o u r frie n d ? '.

Th e last scene shows Ivan rehearsing his c o r­ o n a tio n speech at th e p ro m p tin g o f voices—the 'o u te r' voices w h ic h p ro m p t and te a c h —and c ro w n in g h im se lf.

A c t tw o co n tin u e s th e zeroing in on Ivan w h ic h had alre ady begun in act one. He claim s closer and closer a tte n tio n as he develops in re la tio n to th e false, s e lf-s e e k in g in fo rm a tio n given to h im b y M iro v ic h and th e voices—he is being ta u g h t th e false values o f th e w o rld a round h im : th a t th e aim o f life is pleasure, th a t pleasure is th e o n ly happiness. Ivan is given a co n n ivin g im p o s te r w h o calls he rself Princess A li as his b rid e . In p re p a ra tio n fo r th e w e d d in g -n ig h t M iro v ic h teaches Ivan th e 'fa c ts o f life '. W hen he fa ils to respond to M iro v ic h 's m im e d in s tru c ­ tio n , M iro v ic h says: 'I kn e w we sho uld have given h im som eone to practise o n ' and V la d im ir replies: 'I d o n 't th in k it's a q u e stio n o f th a t. I th in k he ju s t hates h e r.' (I d o n 't q u o te th e line to m ake any p a rtic u la r p o in t—th o u g h it serves as an exa m ple o f th e lig h t, p o in te d , and am using s ty le o f th e d ialo gue , esp ecially in its c o n te x t in th e scene. T h e audience w ith w h ic h I saw th e p la y laughed a lo t, th o u g h m ore, perhaps, in re c o g n itio n o f p o in ts th a n at o ve rt h u m o u r.)

E v e n tu a lly M iro v ic h dies o f over-eating. A t th e m o m e n t o f his lib e ra tio n fro m his 'frie n d ', Ivan, k ic k in g the b lo a te d b o d y savagely, says b o th 'I 'm ta lk in g n o w ' and 'I'm lis te n in g '. In th is key m o m e n t we c h a rt th e e x te n t o f Ivan's p ro ­ gress: fre ed o f th is 'te a ch e r' he is able to speak fo r h im s e lf, even th o u g h it w ill be in th e c o n te x t o f w h a t he has been ta u g h t. A n d at th e same m o m e n t th e re is th e be g in n in g o f a desire to hear fo r h im s e lf, even to evaluate w h a t is heard.

U n fo rtu n a te ly M iro v ic h 's d y in g w o rd s —a w a rn ­ ing a b o u t th e new p re te n d e r to th e th ro n e , Paul —

__ T h e a tre -A u stra lia March-April, 1977 Page 13 pass unheeded. (O r, fo r tu n a te ly : de pend ing on w h e th e r y o u th in k it desirable th a t Ivan c o n ­ tin u e as king o r n o t.) A c tin g o n his o w n b e h a lf n o w , Ivan surroun ds h im s e lf w ith th e people and voices he likes to hear—th e c h e e rfu l, acquiescent, 'low -class' voices o f a m u sic-hall singer and her relatives. The teachers and voices o f M iro v ic h 's p e rio d are punished and th e p ro ­ ble m o f 'p re te n d P aul', as Ivan calls h im , is igno red . In the fin a l scenes Ivan is alone, hearing voices w h ic h are a lte rn a te ly t r u ly in n e r (i.e. unheard by the audience) and d e a fe n in g ly o u te r, in a s itu a tio n w h ic h m ay be th e last m o m ents b e fo re Paul's arm y arrives, o r already back in p ris o n a fte r his arrival.

I f th e ph ysica l p lo ttin g is k e p t a little vague a t th e end it is because we are no long er o u ts id e Ivan observing: M r. N o w ra has led us to p a rtic ­ ipate in Ivan's o w n state o f m in d . T h is state is an in te lle c tu a l, m o ra l, and even a p e rceptual chaos: n o th in g th a t has been perceived o r learnt can be tru s te d , b u t in th e v ery e x tr e m ity o f d o u b t Ivan screams fo r silence and, in it , says 'I 'm lis te n in g '—o u t o f th e chaos a consciousness is reaching o u t fo r self-kn o w le d g e .

In te rm s o f C alde ron 's s tru c tu re i t is lik e a rresting th e s to ry at th e m o m e n t w hen S egism undo has ju s t re-aw akened in p ris o n , b e fo re he can d ra w an y c o n clu sions a b o u t his exp erien ce. I t is lik e th e p o in t at w h ic h Kaspar began.lvan, on th e o th e r hand, has reached th e end o f his pla y w ith no m ore th a n th e beginnin g o f an awareness o f his p ro b le m .

M r. N ow ra , u n lik e C ald e ro n , does n o t give us an act th re e .

B u t th e n , o f course, m o st o f us c o n tin u e to live o u r lives w ith o u t an act th re e , on th e p a in ­ fu l th re s h o ld o f self-awareness, able to satis fy w ill and desire u n til su d d e n ly s ub je cted to checks w h ic h are ge nera lly o n ly c o m preh ensib le b y reference to o th e r pe ople's system s o f th o u g h t. I f I seem to be ra m b lin g in to m y o w n p re o ccu p a tio n s , th e p o in t is th a t th e p la y is o f a k in d w h ic h in v ite s such ram bles.

M r. N o w ra has w r itte n in a m o d e rn id io m w ith very little concession to h is to ric a l v e ris im il­ itu d e . Such de tails o f Russia, 1 7 6 4 , as are given are, as I have in d ic a te d , o f a friv o lo u s and jo k in g k in d a lth o u g h , e q u a lly , th e m a te ria l is tre a te d serio usly and th e re is no sense o f h is to ric a l burlesque o r send-up. In s h o rt, th e dialo gue treads a very fin e lin e . F ro m tim e to tim e I fo u n d m y s e lf th in k in g o f it as a s y n th e c tic c o m ­ prom ise ra th e r th a n a fin e lin e , b u t i f th e a lte r­ na tive as a c a refully-resea rched h is to ric a l re cre a tio n I can o n ly c o n c lu d e th a t fro m the p o in t o f vie w o f a general audience, M r. N ow ra has p ro b a b ly made th e rig h t choice.

I have n o t said m u ch a b o u t th e p ro d u c tio n (Jo h n B ell) because it seems to me to be accu r­ a te ly in service o f th e te x t, w ith ad m ira b le p e r­ form an ces fro m th e w h o le cast. T o n y S heldon's Ivan is a s tro n g c e n tre to th e p la y and i t is cer­ ta in ly a ro le in w h ic h an a c to r can ta k e great d e lig h t. Jane H arders, th e o n ly w o m a n in th e cast, is p a rtic u la rly v iv id as Princess A li and the m u sic-hall singer, Baby-Face. P resentation o f th e p la y in th e D o w n sta irs space gives a big plus in th e area o f closeness to th e pe rform ance s, b u t a s lig h t m inu s in th e lack o f v a ria tio n in th e to n e o f scenes. I fe lt, in p a rtic u la r, th a t th e later scenes ran to g e th e r a little w here s u b tle r and m o re c o m p le x lig h tin g and th e use o f a fe w d e ta ils o f se ttin g and props in a larger area, c o u ld have helped to keep th e m m ore d is tin c t fro m on e a n o th e r. I t is in th is area, i f any, th a t th e p la y w ill fa il to appeal to general audiences—act one w ill be re a d ily acceptable at a n a rrative level b u t th e long er and m ore c o m p le x act tw o m ay leave those whose in te re s t is c o n fin e d to th a t level a little un satisfied.

PAUL ELLIO TT AND THE AU STR ALIAN ELIZABETHAN THEATRE TRUST

THE TW O OF US Norman Kessell

THE TWO OF US by Michael Frayn. Theatre Royal. Sydney.

N S.W., (Opened 15.ii.77.) Director, Patrick Lau. Designer, Terry Parsons, SHEILA HANCOCK, JOHN THAW, DAVID NETTHEIM, VALMA PRATT.

N ew faces in o ld shows is a c u rre n t th e a tric a l ph e n o m e n o n in A u s tra lia . T h is p ro d u c tio n at th e T h e a tre R o y a l, S ydne y, o f Sheila H ancock and Joh n T h a w in The Tw o O f Us, has been fo llo w e d b y Douglas F a irban ks Jn r, D avid L a ngto n and S tanle y H o llo w a y in The Pleasure O f His C om pany. L a te r we are to have A m e rica n f ilm star James S te w a rt in —w o u ld y o u believe?— H a rv e y !

One fe llo w c r itic has observed w h a t a p ity it is we are n o t seeing these in te re stin g overseas players in new er w o rk s . Even th a t, alas, is n o t w ith o u t its hazards, rem em b erin g th e disastrous Peter O 'T o o le s o rtie in D ead E ye d D ic k s and the fe a th e rw e ig h t Keenan W yn n opus, The M in d W ith The D ir ty Man. T he ta le n te d B ritis h husband and w ife team b ro u g h t ove r fo r S ydney and M e lb o u rn e seasons o f The Tw o O f Us are k n o w n to A u stra lia n s o n ly per m e d iu m o f th e screen and th e b o x —Sheila H anco ck th ro u g h T V 's The Rag Trade and m any film s , and Joh n T h a w also in film s b u t m ore im m e d ia te ly as star o f th e n o w telecasting series The Sweeney.

Th e pla y th e y are in w e firs t saw here in 1972.

M a ny theatregoers w ill re m em b er th e M arian St. T h e a tre p ro d u c tio n w ith A n n e H addy and M ax M e ld ru m w h ic h was so successful it was im m e d ­ ia te ly tra n s fe rre d fo r an e q u a lly successful run at th e Ind e p e n d e n t T h e a tre —a N o rth Shore th e a tric a l " f i r s t ” u n lik e ly ever to be repeated.

T h is new version is pro d u ce d b y Paul E llio tt and B ernard Jay in association w ith th e A u s tra ­ lian E liza b e th a n T h eatre T ru s t and P la y b ill (A u s tra lia ) P ty L td and b y arrangem ent w ith th e M .L .C . C entre M anagem ent—a classic exa m ple o f th e co -o p e ra tive c o m p le x necessitated b y th e e c o n o m ic s tru c tu re in th e a tre to d a y .

A c tu a lly , The Tw o O f Us is n o w a m isno m er, because A c to rs E q u ity has u n d e rsta n d a b ly in ­ sisted on an equal n u m ber o f A u stra lia n s being in th e cast, th u s m a kin g it The F o u r o f Us. T his has to some e x te n t upset th e balance o f th e show , w h ile th e in b u ilt v irtu o s ity th a t was an essential e lem ent o f M ichael F rayn's q u a rte t o f one-actors has been lite ra lly halved. A n d c o in c id e n ta lly , b u t s ig n ific a n tly , th is p ro d u c tio n was o n ly h a lf successful—on o p ening n ig h t in S yd n e y, a n yw a y.

In th e firs t p la y , B lack A n d S ilve r, Miss

H anco ck and T h a w p la y a cou ple whose re tu rn to V enice to t r y to re captu re th e rom ance o f th e ir h o n e y m o o n is c o n s ta n tly th w a rte d b y th e c ry in g o f th e ir ba by. A ll th e ge ntle h u m a n ity and h u m o r o f th is s itu a tio n has som ehow vanished un der P a tric k Lau's d ire c tio n and th e do m e stic d e ta ils in volve d becom e m e re ly cru de ra th e r th a n co m ic.

In The N e w Q u ix o te , V alm a P ra tt plays a m a ture w o m a n w h o in an a lc o h o lic haze at a p a rty th e n ig h t b e fo re has p icke d up a brash yo u n g m an and a llo w e d h im to share her bed.

Thus encouraged, he proceeds to move in to her cottage, c o m p le te w ith h i-fi and d ir t y w ashing, and she succeeds in g e ttin g rid o f h im o n ly b y e x p lo itin g his cu rio u s p h ilo s o p h y o f reverse tr u th . T h a w is an experienced and re source ful a c to r and he in je cts tre m e n d o u s energy in to th is ro le , b u t th e re is no w a y , even w ith a b lo n d w ig, th a t he can present h im s e lf as a y o u n g man o f 2 0 o r so.

The show's m ore successful h a lf came a fte r in te rv a l, firs t in M r. F o o t, w ith Miss H ancock giving a s p le n d id ly am using, y e t stra n g e ly to u c h ­ ing p o rtra y a l o f a sensitive w o m a n , in te llig e n t w om a n to ta lly repressed b y m a d d e n in g ly b o o r­ ish a ir o f s u p e rio rity assumed b y her husband, played by D avid N e tth e im . A lm o s t her o n ly source o f c o m m u n ic a tio n w ith h im is his fo o t, th e co n sta n t in c o n tro lla b le tw itc h in g o f w h ic h is u su ally her sole guide to his th o u g h ts .

Piece de resistance, how ever, is th e fin a l p la y , C hinam en, w ith Miss H anco ck and T h a w to g e th e r again as a harassed co u p le try in g to cope w ith an u n w a n te d guest at a d in n e r p a rty .

W ith ingenious staging, im m a c u la te tim in g and m any q u ic k changes, be tw een th e m th e y pla y all fiv e visib le roles in th is w e ll-d ire c te d , fa st-m o vin g little co m edy. T h a w plays b o th th e host and th e un w a n te d guest, w ith Miss H a n co ck as th e hos­ tess, the un w a n te d guest's estranged w ife and, fu n n ie s t o f all, the w ife 's new h ip p y b o y frie n d .

T e rry Parson's w o rk a b le sets and Anastasia W ade-B row n's costum es are e ffe c tiv e aids.

Sheila H anco ck & J o h n Thaw in C hinam en.

Page 14 Theatre-A u s tra li a March-April, 1977

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CANBERRA REPERTORY SOCIETY AT THEATRE THREE

A TOAST TO MELBA Roger Pulvers

A TOAST TO MELBA by Jack Hibbard . Canberra Repertory Society, Theatre 3 Director, Ross McGregor. Musical Director Paul Thom. Designer, Allan McKenzie, (opened 17.ii.77) LORRAINE HAASE as Melba. With MARGARET DE MESTRE, RALPH GOLDSTEIN, BRIAN O'BRIEN, FRANK PENIGUEL KEITH RADFORD, JOAN RICHARDS, MARGARET SIM. JAN SMITH, FIONA TULLY. MICHAEL WILSON.

T h is is A u s tra lia n yea r at C anberra R ep.— M elba, C h id le y , an A u s s ifie d version o f Three Sisters, and H o w Does Y o u r G arden G row . It is surely a b o u t tim e th a t Rep g o t a ro u n d to th is p ro g ra m m in g . Up to th is year th e y had g re a tly im p ro v e d th e am biance and w o r k a b ility o f th e ir space; th e actin g and level o f p ro d u c tio n in every w ay had begun to shine; o n ly th e p ro g ra m m in g had s till re fle c te d the d ra b choices o f yesteryear.

N o w w e 're in fo r some long -aw a ited tre ats.

E s p e c ia lly lik e d th e to n e th a t Ross M cG regor s tru c k . Th e p ro d u c tio n weaved its w a y very s m o o th ly be tw een planned over-seriousness, gross send-up, and C a rlto n sla p s tic k . Th e set was sim ple and elegant, in art-de co p in k s and blacks.

T h is fo rm e d an e a s y -to -lo o k -a t b a c k d ro p fo r th e fla m b o y a n t and s u p e rb ly chosen c o s tu m in g .

N ellie 's dresses,for instance, w ere q u ite fa n ta s tic .

T h is is im p o rta n t, n o t o n ly fo r th e suggestion o f op u le n ce , b u t fo r th e p a th e tic c o n tra s t w ith th e b la c k o f o ld age.

T h e fir s t h a lf o f act one was to o slo w , and one c o u ld see th e firs t n ig h t b u tte rflie s lo llin g in th e air. T h is k in d o f p a ro d y , fu ll o f asides and th ro w -a w a y s , needs quickness. T h ings p icke d up n o tic e a b ly and th e la te r scenes betw een M elba and O u r G lad, and M elba and La d y de G rey came o f f w ith o u t q u e s tio n .

Ms. Haase's N e llie was q u ite d iffe re n t fro m E velyn K rape's, at least ju d g in g fro m th e A d e la id e p e rfo rm a n c e w h ic h I saw. E velyn Krape had th a t in c re d ib le energy and edginess o f s p irit to create a c h ild h o o d N e llie w h o be lie va b ly tu rn s in to th e to u g h ic o n o c la s t la te r o n . L o rra in e Haase w a s n 't successful in c re ating th e c h ild is h N e llie —she w a s n 't s tic k in g o u t her lo w e r lip at th e w o rld .

B u t she seemed to g ro w in to th e p a rt, u n til, at th e end, we had a cha racte r w ith pa thos and d e p th o n o u r hands (and I d o believe th is is w h a t Jack H ib b e rd is aim in g a t, ju s t at th e very end).

Th e s u p p o rtin g actors in plays m ay be th is c ity 's great s tre ngth . Perhaps th e P u b lic Service is th e ba stion o f e cce ntrics and zanies, I d o n 't k n o w . A n d in a p la y o f c a rto o n characters and p o m p o u s som ebodies, all ta k in g c re d it fo r the success o f a n o th e r person, w h a t b e tte r place to d ra w on th a n th e n a tio n 's c a p ita l.

A n d th is goes fo r all o f th e s u p p o rts ! M ichael W ilso n was q u ite w o n d e rfu l as C ecchi. These

Ita lia n super-stereotypes are very dear to th e a tre ­ goers fro m C a rlto n to F itz r o y ; and M ichael W ilson playe d Cecchi w ith such c o m ic gusto as to d o rig h t b y th e o rig in a l co n c e p tio n .

M argaret de Mestre has th e voice and stage d e p o rtm e n t fo r La dy de G re y; and th e success o f th e scenes in her d ra w in g ro o m are a tt r ib u t­ able to her c o n tro l over the space. H er J im m y M u llin s was e x c e lle n t. Perhaps it was Joan R ichards, ho w e ver, w h o stole th e show . Th e fa c t th a t she o u t-c o lo ra tu ra -e d M e lb a—Ms R ichards tra in e d at th e M elba C o n s e rv a to riu m —gave the second act a to n e o f unabashed ba thos, w h ic h is th e to n e I believe th e p la y strives to create. As Madam e M archesi, to o , she acted w ith s n o o ty

M ic h a e l W ilson as P ie tro Cecchi.

bravado and, again, upstaged M elba, b u t th is is w h a t was being aim ed fo r . In th a t sense, Ross M cG rego r kn e w w hen to e x p lo it th e character o f M elba and w hen to le t her e x p lo it herself.

I w ish , how ever, th a t Jack H ib b e rd had w ritte n th is p la y as a one-act piece, m uch lik e th e Les D a rcy S h o w w h ic h is th e pla y b y h im th a t m ost resembles M elba in c o n c e p tio n and a tta c k . M elba is a series o f c a rto o n -s trip images and very clever p u n c h y lines. Som e o f it is slo w and u n w o rk a b le , b u t some scenes are to ta lly e ffe c tiv e , lik e th e B risbane scene o f M elba's re tu rn , fu ll o f absurd Queensland and o u tb a c k p o m p o s ity . Th e g lo rio u s spunkiness o f M elba is th e re , as is th e toughness and d o lo r. I m ig h t guess th a t th e re 's m o re th a n a lit t le Mae W est in Jack H ib b e rd 's M elba and w h o c o u ld regret th a t.

M y th -m a k in g —the a rt o f e x p lo itin g th e hero o r he roine fo r personal o r n a tio n a l g a in —is th e th e m e and it needs no e x p lic a tio n . M ost o f th e e ffe cts are good and th e y b rin g it o u t. B u t in th e end th e re is a h o -h u m a b o u t th e piece and it w o n 't go aw ay. T h e p la y is m o s tly on th e surface and th a t's fin e . So is Spears' Y oun g M o. These are p ro d u c tio n pieces and s h o u ld n 't be c ritic is e d fo r th e lack o f a s u b -te x t. L o o k in g fo r n a tu ra l­ is tic devices in plays w h ic h supercede n a tu ra lism is ju s t h o ld in g A u s tra lia n dram a d o w n b y th e tro u s e r legs. Jack H ib b e rd 's w it is all over th is p la y . B u t th a t e x tra p h ilo s o p h ic a l w h im s y o f his—as in S tre tc h —is n o t to be fo u n d .

L o rra in e Haase as N ellie.

Page 16 T h e a tre -A u s tra lia March-April, 1977

QUEENSLAND THEATRE COMPANY

FOR YEARS I COULDN’T WEAR MY BLACK Don Batchelor

FOR YEARS / COULDN'T WEAR M Y BLACK by Anthony Shaffer. S.G.I.O. Brisbane, Queensland, (opened 9 .ii.77) Director, Joe MacColum. Designer. James Ridewood.

Florence Collier, ELAINE LEE; Claire Parker, ROBYN GURNEY; Dick Richard, DOUGLAS HEDGE; Alex, PHIL MOYE; Ted. BRUCE PARR; Bernie, RUSSELL NEWMAN; Joe WARREN MEACHAM; Electrician, RON LAYNE;

Th e tee m ing m in d o f A n th o n y S h a ffe r has spawned a p o te n tia l w in n e r in F o r Years / C o u ld n 't W ear M y B lack. It's a th re e act c h ille r and w hen th e cast learns to tru s t th e p la y instead o f pushing, w hen th e y fin d a c o n s is te n t level o f p e rfo rm a n c e w h ic h can c o n tro l audience and a u d ito riu m , th is w o rld p rem iere p ro d u c tio n b y th e Q .T .C . w ill d o some ju s tic e to th e te x t.

On o p ening n ig h t, it was b y no means a fin is h e d p ro d u c t, e ith e r on paper o r in p e rfo rm ­ ance. Slabs o f fla b w ill no d o u b t be rem oved so th a t subsequent p a tro n s need invest som ething less th a n th re e hours five m in u te s o f th e ir lives in it; and th e re m u st be a re -d ra ft o f A c t T w o , to replace w a llo w in g w ith d riv e . B u t th e fra m e o f th e piece is so sound th a t th e re is no d o u b t it's a goer.

Even in th is ro u g h -cu t state, y o u can see w h a t a little d ia m o n d it is. W hen it's po lish ed, th e hard edge and m a ny facets sho uld sparkle e n te rta in in g ly . F o r some pe ople th is w ill be pleasure enough; b u t th e p la y does give o f f m ore re w a rdin g re fle c tio n s .

Th e s itu a tio n is th a t F lo C o llie r is opening

JSmm

E laine Lee, D ouglas Hedge a n d Tom B u rlin s o n

P h o to : Q.T.C.

her low er-m idd le-class hom e and he art to a T .V . cre w film in g an en dorse m en t fo r th e w o n d e r d a n d ru ff-c u re " F o llic le a n ''. Th e ro u tin e day o f film in g is tra n s fo rm e d b y a set o f b iza rre fa m ily re velation s th a t tu r n th e safe c e llu lo id w o rld o f th e cre w inside o u t. In th e end, n o t even th e m o st aware o f th e m can d is tin g u is h th e tr u th w hen he sees and tou ches it. T h e tw is ts and tu rn s o f th e p lo t are in ve n tive , and each one reveals some new and h o rrify in g d im e n s io n in th e real life o f w h a t th e ad vertising agency had chosen as a nice little clich e fa m ily . We learn the e xp lo sive e ffe c t o f o u t-m o d e d and sterile a u th o rita ria n is m o n tw o adolescents w hose o n ly a lte rn a tiv e is th e pre-packed c o m m e rcia l p rin c ­ iples handed d o w n fro m th e oracles o f a d ve rtis­ ing.

N o t th a t S h a ffe r's vie w o f th e ad vertising w o rld is w ith o u t h u m o u r o r com passion. The characters he draw s are w e ll observed, typ e s fro m his o w n experience o f th is " w o r ld " . The m o st developed one is D ic k R ichards, th e film d ire c to r, w h o feels th e life spark inside fading and w hose every u tte ra n ce d rip s w ith th e w ry c y n ic is m o f a defeated soul. He is a p a th e tic e xa m p le o f the hum an w astefulness o f dem ean­ ing w o rk and e m p ty ph ilo soph ie s.

As m a te ria l fo r th e d ire c to r, th e f ilm crew has a lo t to o ffe r, and a p la y lik e The C o n tra c to r has d e m o n stra te d ju s t w h a t th e stage value o f professionals at w o rk can re a lly be. In th e ea rly stages, Joe M cC o lu m realised th is w ith some fa s c in a tin g ly d e ta ile d w o rk as th e film -c re w set up its e q u ip m e n t. B u t th e inventiveness faded la te r and to o o fte n actors lu rk e d on th e edge o f a c tio n lik e so m a ny ghosts. W orse damage was d o ne b y th e in clu sio n o f a cam p cla p p e r loader in th e cre w . Th e in itia l e rro r o f ju d g m e n t was S h a ffe r's ; b u t th e d ire c to r and a c to r (B ru ce Parr) co m p o u n d e d it w ith a lo t o f grotesque fa iry flo u ris h in g th a t scored cheap laughs a t th e expense o f th e ritu a l pre p a ra tio n s involve d in the ru n -u p to any film -ta k e , and o f th e line o f h u m o u r th a t b u ild s fro m cla p p e r to clanger in each film sequence.

In general, th e w o rs t fe a tu re o f th e acting was a te n d e n c y to w a rd s th e a tric a lity in an a tte m p t to p o in t th e h u m o u r o f th e lines. A us­ tra lia n acto rs, lacking th e b ris k , sure vocal te c h ­ n iq u e o f th e ir E nglish c o u n te r-p a rts, w o u ld be w e ll advised n o t to ape some ha lf-app recia ted s tyle , b u t to c o n c e n tra te on th e essence o f th e characters. The w it o f th e lines does n o t survive m u ch heavy a tte n tio n .

T h is was c e rta in ly n o t a fa u lt in E laine Lee's F lo C o llie r; a vap id in n o c e n t, made m indless by years in sub urbia . No s ta r tu r n th is , b u t p ro p e rly in te g ra te d , w ith perhaps a to u c h o f unnecessary cuteness in th e op ening scenes.

In b lo o d in g T o m B u rlin so n and Laurel B u rto n as th e teen-age C olliers, Joe M cC o lu m d id s u p e rla tiv e ly w e ll. T h e y radiated a m a nic inte ns­ it y th a t was c h illin g .

A bo x-set o ffe rs little jo y to th e designer (James R id e w o o d ), and, in th e S .G .I.O . Th eatre, w here th e re is no d e fin in g pro sce n iu m , th e stro ng fra m e necessary to d ra w us in to th e illu s io n is m issing. F u rth e r damage is done b y th e sep aratio n th a t results fro m re tre a tin g u p ­ stage in search o f a lin e fo r a c u rta in d ro p . The th e a tre ca n n o t, how ever, be blam ed fo r those o ff-w h ite w alls in th e set w h ic h re flected savage glare un der th e a d d itio n a l film lights.

T h e c o n s id e ra tio n o f staging leads me to th e th o u g h t th a t th is p la y m ay w e ll tra n sla te b e tte r to th e screen w here fo cu s on essential a c tio n w ill be easier, in te n s ity w ill be enhanced and atm os­ p h e ric e ffe c ts are m o re possible. In th e event, it w ill m ake a w o rth y and in trig u in g successor to S le u th —p ro vid e d th e y can fin d a m o re e ffe c tiv e nam e.

T h e a tre -A u stra lia March-April, 1977 Page 17

LA BOITE THEATRE

BULLSHOT CRUM M OND CAMERATA THEATRE

TOM Richard Fotheringham

BULLSHOT CRUMMOND by Messrs. House, Shearman etc; La Boite, Theatre, Brisbane. QLD. (opened 18.ii.77) Director, Rod Wissler; Designer, Paul Tilley.

Hugh Crummond, ERROL O'NEILL, Rosemary Fenton, PENNIE WISSLER; Otto von Brunno, STUART MATCHETT; Lenya von Brunno, MARINA BOSSOV; Others. RICHARD MICHAEL

TOM by Alex Buzo. Camerata. Fernberg Rd. Brisbane. QLD. Director, Doreen Wilson.

Tom, JOHN COOLEY; Susan, KATE HOWARD; Ken, PHIL COOK; Carol. KERRY DAVIES; Stephan, GEOFF FARRELL Angela, DIANA PRIEST.

A re y o u going to th e th e a tre less, and e n jo y ­ ing it m ore? I c e rta in ly am. T h is last m o n th I've managed to resist m ost o f th e bla n d is h m e n ts o ffe re d b y th e a tre , and gone to som e m ovies instead. A n d having d o ne so. I'm b e ginnin g to understand w h y I can so seldom fin d an yone to give th a t second free th e a tre tic k e t to .

I d o n 't w a n t to get in to one o f those liv in g presence vs. c e llu lo id image argum e nts, exce pt to o p in e th a t th e p o in ts fo r th e liv in g presence d o n 't a p p ly to th e d e te rm in e d ly fo u rth w a ll realism o f m o st m o d e rn th e a tre . B ut b o th the plays I've seen th is w eek raise q u ite o th e r qu estions to m in d , fo r b o th seemed to be achiev­ ing th e ir aims q u ite w e ll in an o r th o d o x th e a tric a l sense, and to be d is tin c tly second rate on a cross­ m edia com pariso n.

B u lls h o t C ru m m o n d at La B o ite is a nonsens­ ic a l s p o o f on B u lld o g D ru m m o n d , th e very B ritis h hero o f the Sapper novels, w ith a v illa in ­ ous H un, his s lin k y m istress, a sweet you ng th in g , and a f i f t h a c to r p la y in g a d o tty professor, a w a ite r, a h u n c h b a c k in th e dungeons etc. It's advertised as 'A rio to u s p a ro d y o f 1930s B-Grade m o vie s'. I k n o w n o th in g a b o u t the a u thors, Messrs. House, W h ite , N e v ille -A n d re w s , Shear­ m an, and C unn ingh am ; exce pt th a t th e y also w ro te E l G rande Coca Cola. I 'll have a d o lla r each w ay how ever th a t as th e re 's 5 o f th e m and 5 actin g roles, it's one o f those a c to r-im p ro v is e d scripts.

Th e p la y uses the lim ita tio n s o f fiv e actors to advantage, and at one p o in t rises to a very fu n n y lit t le scene w here necessity forces the a c to r p la yin g th e v illa in to d o u b le as an A m e ric a n gangster he's hire d. A t th e end o f th e scene he k ills h im se lf and dies and lives to glo a t. A n d as a sp o o f it has its m o m ents; th e re are bo m bs in cakes to be dived o n , aeroplanes to be shot d o w n , sticks o f d y n a m ite , fo rc e fie ld s . . . . There was some sim ple acro b a tics, and a b it o f fen cing. It was q u ite w e ll acted, and some o f th e lig h tin g and p ro d u c tio n tric k s had th e audience clapp ing.

I t 'l l keep th e tu rn s tile s c lic k in g at La B o ite u n til th e T h ree Queensland Play Season, fo r those s h o rt su ccin ct reasons.

T h ere are also s h o rt s u c c in c t reasons fo r a vo id in g it. It's b a re ly an h o u r long , c o u ld n 't be

long er w ith o u t th re a te n in g to becom e te d io u s, is o fte n p la in s illy , and is so evanescent th a t y o u 're le ft w ith th e th o u g h t " W h y b o th e r? " b e fo re y o u 're across th e fo y e r ho m ew ard b o u n d .

T he best lin e in th e pla y is so because it's lite r ­ a lly the o n ly one w ith any b ite to it at all. ("G o o d G o d ," says B u lls h o t, th in k in g th e sweet y o u n g th in g has been ravished w h ile his back was tu rn e d , "a n d I was going to o ffe r to m a rry her to o " .) A n o th e r s h o rt reason fo r n o t going is th a t also in to w n is a good s c rip t on a s im ila r th e m e —N e il S im o n 's co m e d y -s p o o f on great d e te c tiv e s to ry w rite rs —th e film M u rd e r B y D eath. If it's t h r ill inconsequence and lau g h te r y o u 're seeking, th e n y o u 'v e s till fre e d o m o f cho ice , and m ost w ill choose th e film .

A le x a n d e r B uzo's Tom , at a new sm all Brisbane th e a tre C am erata, was c e rta in ly n o t evanescent. T he th e a tre is th e fr u its o f the en thusiasm o f a u n iv e rs ity dram a g ro u p d rive n o ff-c a m p u s b y e x o rb ita n t rentals, and is a tin y 6 0 seat traverse playh ouse made b y k n o c k in g the p a rtitio n o u t f r o m betw een tw o room s in a house in th e inne r suburbs. T h e ir p ro d u c tio n had all th e d riv in g m o n o to n o u s energy o f u n s k ille d b u t d e dicated am ateurs. Th e pla y is set in S ydne y, and peopled w ith th e lo w e r executives o f an o il c o m p a n y and th e ir wives. The acto rs seemed unable to cope w ith th e d ia lo g u e o f B uzo's loqu aciou s and p o e tic a lly p re te n tio u s characters, and chose to d e live r th e lines w ith m uch energy and little v a rie ty o r s u b tle ty .

T h is made w h a t's p ro b a b ly an o v e rw ritte n pla y a n yw a y a ve rita b le barrage o f w o rd s. The second act, w here th e p lo t activates at last and th e focu s on the c e n tra l cha racte r o f Susan becom es clearer, was b e tte r w ritte n and b e tte r acted, and sent me hom e w ish in g Cam erata all

th e best b u t w ith o u t any real e n jo y m e n t. C o m ­ pared to say Jules F e iffe r's s c rip t fo r th e f ilm C arnal K n o w le d g e , B uzo's observatio ns on th e pressures and sexual m ores o f w este rn m id d le class s o cie ty are som ew hat m u ndan e, and th e A ustralianness o f his characters o fte n has m ore o f th e exaggerations o f B a rry H u m p h rie s th a n o f anyone I kn o w .

F ilm , it occurs to m e, m ig h t w e ll be M r.

B uzo's m e d iu m . A good d ire c to r w o u ld red pe ncil th e v e rb o s ity , and th e m e d iu m w o u ld o b via te th e need fo r th e som etim es a w kw a rd w ay B uzo keeps all th e a c tio n w ith in one living ro o m set. Th e m a jo r c ritic is m o f Tom w hen it firs t appeared was th a t th e p la y stra d d le d tw o genres u n c o m fo rta b ly —d o m e s tic dram a and be d­ ro o m farce. T h e p ro b le m b a sica lly is th a t B uzo uses a lo t o f th e " w ill th e husband catch the lover o r th e w ife the m istre ss" business, (w ith fo r tu ito u s ly op ening and closing d o ors in th e best Feydeau tr a d itio n ) , and he s till exp ects us to m a in ta in a b e lie f th a t these characters are sane ra tio n a l in te re stin g pe ople w h o fo r some reason c lim b th ro u g h w in d o w s , sh o o t ad ultere rs, and are alw ays surprised w hen th e ir spouses w a lk in to th e ir ow n homes. A ll th e characters are d im in ish e d b y th e e x te n t to w h ic h w e 're unable to suspend d is b e lie f, and in th e case o f Susan th is dim in ishes a very fin e ch a ra cte r s tu d y in ­ deed.

A gain th e co n v e n tio n s o f film w o u ld be k in d e r to th e s c rip t. In th e o ld days c u ttin g was reserved fo r c o n tin u o u s tim e and a c tio n , w ith fades, m ixes and w ipes used to d e n o te th e pass­ ing o f tim e o r th e s h iftin g o f a scene. N ow adays it's c u t, c u t, c u t, — and we seem to accept it re a d ily enough. In the re c e n tly televised D avid C o p p e rfie ld we even accept an instantaneous c u t fro m D avid leaving U riah Heep's o ffic e in fu r y to D avid (d iffe re n t cloth es) p e a ce fu lly eating his breakfa st at hom e th e n e xt m o rn in g . The present cle a rly d e fin e d genres and c o n ve n tio n s o f th e a tre m ay be ju s t to o in fle x ib le to serve M r. Buzo's needs.

So th e re yo u are. O ccasio nally I th in k it pays to lo o k at th e o th e r m edia and see w h a t th e y 're up to . O h, one w o rry in g th in g —I have a c o n ­ fession to m ake. I'm o n ly going b y w o rd o f m o u th th a t M u rd e r b y D eath leaves B u lls h o t C ru m m o n d fo r dead—yo u see, I ha ve n 't seen it, o r S ile n t M ovie, o r K in g K ong. A ll m y frie n d s have seen th e m , so I suppose (a) th e y w ere being o th e rw ise e n te rta in e d the nigh ts I o ffe re d them free seats, o r (b) th e y 'v e learnt fro m past e xp e r­ ience th a t plays are ju st n o t-so -rio to u s parodies o f B-Grade movies. T h e y 're also going to the th e a tre less, and e n jo y in g it m o re, I'm a fra id .

E rro l O 'N e il (B u lls h o t) & P ennie W issler (R ose m ary) in B u lls h o t C ru m m o n d .

Page 18 T h e a tre -A u s tra lia March-April, 1977 ra tio n a lise d e sth e tic o f w h a t th e y 're d o in g , b u t no re ve rb e ra tio n in th e heart.

AUSTRALIAN PERFORMING GROUP

THE HILLS FAMILY SHOW ALELAIDE THEATRE GROUP

REVENGE Vic Marsh HILLS FAMILY SHOW devised and produced by the Australian Performing Group collective. The Space, Festival Centre, Adelaide, S.A. (opened 10.li.77) Featuring FAY MOKOTOW, JACK WEINER, EVELYN KRAPE, MAX GILLIES, BILL GARNER, TONY TAYLOR, LAUREL FRANK.

le ft w ith all th e fo rm le ss, unfocussed m eander­ ing na ture o f an im p ro v is a tio n . It's le ft largely to M ax G illie s to s trin g us along w ith jo lly au d­ ience games—he's a m aster o f th e ge ntle e lb o w in -th e -rib s , a ll-jo in -in p a rtic ip a tio n .

REVENGE by Howard Brenton. Adelaide Theatre Group.

Sheridan Theatre, Mackinnon Pde., Nth. Adelaide. 2,ii 77 19.iu.77.

Directed by JOHN DICK; Designed by MAC DICK. ^am Hepple, Asst. Comm. MacLeish FRANK GALLAGHER; Voice of Brixton Gaol, P.C. George DAVID HURSTHOUSE; Rot, JIM HOLT; Bung, DAVID REED; P C. Albert, MICHAEL LESTER; Liz, Dorothy MacLeish CHRISTINA MACKAY; Jane, VIRGINIA BAXTER; Daisy a Cow, SUE FORMBY & MARGARET FERRIS.

H ung a ro u n d a va u d e ville fa m ily , The S h o w provides these p e rfo rm e rs w ith several openings fo r th e ir p e c u lia rly ic o n o c la s tic c o m e d y ob vio us gags a b o u t te ch n ica l ineptness a b o u n d — and th e y tre ad a fin e line. Y o u alw ays feel uneasy i f an a c to r lo o k s as th o u g h he d o e s n 't re a lly k n o w w h a t he's d o in g —and th e best o f th e m make fin e p la y o f th a t te n s io n : b u ild in g y o u up w ith e x p e c ta tio n and th e n a n ic e ly tim e d c o l­ lapse. B u t I w ished th a t Fay M o k o to w co u ld a c tu a lly flash a little o f th a t past b rillia n c e fro m A n tig o n e 's h e yday in th e ta p ro u tin e s, and I was u n c o m fo rta b le as hell w hen G ra n n y Fanny H ills (E v e lyn K rape) w ie ld e d her w h ip .

On th e o th e r hand, Jack W einer's pia n o past­ iche was w it t y w hen needed precisely because he c o u ld p la y th e pia n o (and pla y around w ith it), and th e m a rvellou s M ax G illie s showed eve ry­ one else a n o th e r level o f co m e d y a lto g e th e r in his te rrib le a tte m p ts at v e n trilo q u y . His d o ll starts to get o u t o f hand, co m m e n tin g on his p a te n t in a b ility to ta lk w ith o u t m o vin g his lip s , p lu n g in g F itz ro y in to a d yp som an iacal crisis o f c o n fid e n c e ; son W in sto n leaps in to th e breach, as fa th e r d rops in to an escapist do ze, and the w h o le s itu a tio n crosses th e b o rd e rlin e in to m ad­ ness, tug ging us fa r aw ay fro m any s im p lis tic 'can he do it, o r c a n 't he?' q u e stio n in g (alw ays a dangerous one to leave ly in g a ro u n d th e a u d ­ ience m in d .)

T h is is w here H ills re a lly com es to g e th e r— G illie s ' ch a ra cte risa tio n o f th e seedy, d ru n k e n p a tria rc h thread s to g e th e r a p a tc h y d ig n ity th ro u g h e v e ry th in g he does. T o n y T a y lo r's in c ip ie n t pa rano ia, as W in s to n , blossom s in a revealing n u m b e r as th e liq u id -la ry n x e d c ro o n e r; fa ta lly a ttra c te d to th e u lu la tio n s o f his o w n v ib ra to , he loses th e audience a lto g e th e r, and b ro th e r B lu e y steals th e show at th e pia n o (th is fa m ily stab each o th e r in the back w ith engaging c h a rm ).

S om eone asked me if H ills F a m ily S h o w was, in fa c t, a " fa m ily s h o w " — and I had to answer yes. Every n o w and th e n at th e Pram F a c to ry , th e G ro u p gets to g e th e r a show w ith o u t a w rite r and th e ir audience indulges th e m as th e y k ic k up th e ir c o lle c tiv e heels. H ills re m inds me o f n o th in g q u ite so m u ch as th e tra d itio n a l y e a rly p a n to ., p e rfo rm e d by d iffe re n t th e a tre tro u p e s fo r perhaps d iffe re n t reasons.

The S h o w was o rig in a lly b u ilt a ro u n d the ta le n ts o f a p a rtic u la r team o f p e rfo rm e rs , w e llknow n to th e ir c o m m u n ity audience in M e lb o u rn e , and it o rig in a te d , s tru c tu ra lly , as a strin g o f acts—v e n trilo q u is t, tap -da ncer, p ia n is t, c ro o n e r, m ind -re ade r (no jugglers, no fire-eaters) —and n o tw ith s ta n d in g th e s lig h t scenes o f filia l in te ra c tio n , th e s tru c tu re rem ains very loose—it's

The D um m ies o f th e H ills F a m ily S how

W hen y o u leave p e rfo rm e rs alone to w o rk it o u t, y o u get all th e strengths and weaknesses o f p e rfo rm a n ce th e a tre —th e c o n te n t and th e shape o fte n need m ore th a n ju s t p ru n in g (it's lik e hav­ ing lo ts o f m a rvellou s w o rd s and no sentences o r paragraphs). Th e A .P .G . c o lle c tiv e s till fin d s d ire c tin g and w ritin g a little a u th o rita ria n , b u t th e y are skills basic to th e th e a tre en te rp rise and ones th e y are d isco ve rin g th e necessity fo r ..

As p e rfo rm e rs th e y p ru n e d and shaped th e w ay y o u 'd exp ect, tig h te n in g it up in rh y th m and d ro p p in g th e slo w gags, b u t a w r ite r gives yo u an ov e rv ie w , a s ta te m e n t— n o t alw ays fo r th e in te lle c t. A .P .G . g ro u p shows com e o u t a t yo u in an e x tro v e rte d c o n fro n ta tio n , b u t I ten d to feel le t d o w n a fte rw a rd s —a little con ned, in fa c t—c h a rm in g ly , w ith t e r r ific energy and sho w m ansh ip, and u su a lly an a rtic u la te ,

H ow ard B re n to n 's Revenge is a caustic co m edy a b o u t th e am bivalence o f good and evil in th e hu m an psyche, and he sketches it o u t w ith characters fro m th e East End u n d e rw o rld p itte d against p a te rn a list L o n d o n p o lice .

The cen tre o f th e p la y is th e h a tred and revenge stem m ing fro m a s tro n g a n tip a th y betw een a rc h -c rim in a l A d a m H epple, a b it o f a has-been (o r never was), and th e firs t c o p p e r w ho ever d o b b e d h im in —A ssistant C om m issioner M acLeish. M acLeish has risen in th e fo rc e all th e w h ile th a t H epple had gone d o w n h ill; A dam loses all in s p ira tio n to p e rfe c t a life o f c rim e and dream s o n ly o f revenge, even fo rg iv in g an o ffsider w h o slam m ed h im in a safe and tip p e d o f f th e cops, ju s t to get a gang to g e th e r fo r long enough to p lo t his revenge. M acLeish's star c o n ­ tin u e s to ascend, w hen in th e d e n o u m e n t (in darkness) he is d ra w n up to heaven, and p o o r H epple co n tin u e s do w n w a rd s, in to th e p its o f hell.

A b it o f a m o d e rn m o ra lity p la y , th e n ; b u t B re n to n is no c o n v e n tio n a l m o ra lis t—he has b ro u g h t th e tw o poles to g e th e r and u n d e rlin e d his p o in t b y having th e same a c to r pla y o u t b o th characters. A d a m H epple is m o tiv a te d b y pure h a tre d , and M acLeish, th e S co t, is m o tiv a te d by e litis t re lig io n , p lo ttin g his w ay in to heaven w ith th e ele ct. B u t b o th m en are m o tiv a te d b y aggression and b o th fantasise a b o u t th e glories o f A l Capone. T o B re n to n , life is a g rim business, best d e p ic te d in a s ty le w h ic h used to be called , a p tly enough, ga llo w s h u m o u r.

V io le n c e and d e g ra d a tio n are a c o m m o n ­ place, b u t s e n tim e n ta lity and a so rt o r inno cence are all strands o f th e c u ltu ra l fa b ric w e 're w rap ped in. He c o u n te rp o in ts th e vicio u s w o rld o f co p p e r and c rim w ith a oned e m ensio nal, lo v e ly inno cence in a b u co lic scene on th e ru n , co m p le te w ith a b ig p a n to ­ m im e c o w and gorm less fa rm h a n d ; to b o th crim s and coppers th e c o u n try is an alien e n v iro n m e n t, fo r th e coppers it's th e risk o f rh e u m a tism w h ile w a itin g in th e hedgerow s, w h ile fo r H epple, the nearest th in g he's experienced to a g ric u ltu re is a sewer.

T h is is a su re -fo o te d p ro d u c tio n by John D ic k , lean and e co nom ica l and co n ce n tra te d in ju s t th e w a y B re n to n requires. He is w e ll served b y F ra n k G allach er, w h o does e xce e d in g ly w ell in th e dual ro le , and th e rest o f th e good cast c o n trib u te a w ell-focussed se ttin g fo r his b r ill­ iance. G allacher is a d e lig h t—w ith splen did a tta ck and sim ple , clear stro kes o f ch a ra cte risa tio n , he displa ys an u n ca n n y ear fo r th e c o m ic a m b iv ­ alence a t th e heart o f B re n to n 's characters. The opening n ig h t p e rfo rm a n ce o n ly needed to relax in to its straps a little m o re to fin d th e rig h t pac­ ing, and to give its audience a little m ore tim e to savour B re n to n 's o r ig in a lity .

Revenge lends its e lf to sim ple staging, and I p a rtic u la rly a d m ired Joh n D ic k 's sim ple sound e ffe c ts —fro m th e taped opening sectio n w h ic h evoked th e priso n release to th e sh o rt b u rst o f a u th e n tic g u n fire - it was sim ple and to th e p o in t.

The S herid an's lig h tin g is none to o fle x ib le —I fo u n d it hard to relate some p lo ttin g o f moves and changes o f scene to lig h tin g changes; and a flash in g p o lic e lig h t at th e end o f A c t I was w eak w here it sh o u ld have been stro n g . On th e o th e r hand, an insta ntan eou s flash o f stro b e at one p o in t, and th e sim p le e ffe c t o f a to rc h lig h t sequence w ere e ffe c tiv e .

H ow ard B re n to n kno w s his th e a tre and uses its te ch n iq u e s very s im p ly to serve his d ra m a tic idea; Jo h n D ic k , w ith able s u p p o rt fro m eve ry­ one at th e S herid an, is to be com m end ed fo r p la y in g it s tra ig h t, d o in g w ith o u t the frills , and le ttin g th e p la y speak.

__ T h e a tre -A u stra lia March-April, 1977 Page 19

SOUTH AU STR ALIAN THEATRE COMPANY

THE SCHOOL FOR SCANDAL Michael Morley

THE SCHOOL FOR SCANDAL by R.B. Sheridan. The Playhouse, Adelaide, South Australia. Opened 5 .iii.77.

Director, Colin George; Designer Rodney Ford.

Sir Peter Teazle, BRIAN JAMES; Sir Oliver Surface, KEVIN MILES; Sir Benjamin Backbite. ALAN ANDRES; Crabtree, EDWIN HODGEMAN. Joseph Surface. RONALD FALK; Charles Surface, DENNIS OLSEN; Careless, CRAIG ASHLEY; Mr Rowley. LESLIE DAYMAN; Mr Snake, PATRICK FROST. Moses, HEDL£Y CULLEN; Sir Toby, MICHAEL FULLER; Sir Harry Bumper, COLIN FRIELS; Gentlemen, BRIAN DEBNAM. John Lowe; Trip, DOUG GAUTIER; William. MICHAEL SIBERRY; Lady Sneerwell, DAPHNE GREY; Lady Teazle. DOROTHY VERNON; Mrs Canour, RUTH CRACKNELL; Maria, ANNE PENDLEBURY; Maids, REBEL RUSSELL. MICHELE STAYNER.

In th e past it has o fte n seemed th a t th e m ain p ro b le m c o n fro n tin g a d ire c to r using the P lay­ house is th a t o f lo c a tin g his p ro d u c tio n in a p e rfo rm a n ce area w h ic h , fo r all its ob vio us advantages, can seem c u rio u s ly in tra c ta b le and even rem ote. F o r his p ro d u c tio n o f The S c h o o l fo r Scandal, C o lin George has sensibly decided to use o n ly th e fr o n t h a lf o f th e area, p o s itio n in g th e players w e ll d o w n on th e th ru s t sectio n, w h e re th e y are separated fro m th e cavernous expanse be h in d b y a se m i-c irc u la r co lo n n a d e o f arches to p p e d w ith m e ta llic fillig re e . H ow ever, it is n o t being u n d u ly c ritic a l to n o te th a t, at th e same tim e as using o n ly h a lf th e stage, his p ro ­ d u c tio n re a lly gives us o n ly h a lf S herid an's play.

T h a t said, th e re is m u ch to co m m e n d in his p ro d u c tio n . It has a good sense o f s ty le (no mean ach ie vem e nt, o n past show ings, fo r th is c o m p ­ any) and displa ys, fo r th e m o st p a rt, careful observance o f th e shape o f th e d ialo gue , w ith o u t a llo w in g th e actors to becom e m a rione ttes m o u th in g an endless series o f poised epigram s.

These v irtu e s are p a rtic u la rly e v id e n t in the sections preceding th e firs t in te rv a l a strong poin+ in th e p ro d u c tio n 's fa v o u r, as th e re trosp ective re p o rtin g and b a c k g ro u n d fillin g - in here can easily becom e lab o u re d . T h e p roblem s o f th e e x p o s itio n w ere recognized, a fte r a ll, at th e firs t p e rfo rm a n c e b y th e p o e t R o b e rt M e rry , w h o amused even S heridan h im s e lf b y re m arkin g at th e close o f th e second a c t: " I w ish th e d ram atis personae w o u ld leave o f f ta lk in g and let th e play b e g in ." The scenes at La d y S neerw ell's and th e Teazles w ere w e ll paced and rh y th m ic a lly c h o r­ eographed. B u t th e y also served to show up th e , b y c o m p a ris o n , seem ingly under-rehearsed and fla t scenes a fte r th e in te rv a l.

T he scenes d e p ic tin g Charles and his c o m p ­ anions carousing and selling o f f his fa m ily 's p o rtra it ga lle ry s ho uld go w ith snap and verve: th e y are stro n g on a c tio n and lig h t on bo n mots.

B u t th e p ro d u c tio n sagged b a d ly and was n o t helped b y some toneless and u n rh y th m ic a l sing­ ing and clu m s y a tte m p ts at establishing an atm osph ere o f re velry and d ru n k e n c o n v iv ia lity .

U n fo rtu n a te ly , th is sluggishness also carried over in to th e screen scene: so m uch so th a t the fin a l disclosu re o f La d y Teazle to her husband and th e ensuing d is c o m fitu re o f Joseph lacked b o th im p a c t and c o n v ic tio n . F u rth e rm o re , some clu m s y b its o f business should have been

rem edied o r dispensed w ith : th e a tte m p t to hide La d y Teazle's parasole w o u ld n o t have deceived a man co n s id e ra b ly m ore senile and sho rt-sigh ted th a n S ir Peter. A n d w hen th e la tte r advances on th e screen and supposedly catches a glim pse o f th e French m illin e r's p e ttic o a ts , he seemed, fro m w here I was s ittin g , to com e face to face w ith a ra th e r surprised La d y Teazle w h o had o b v io u s ly m ista ken his fie ld o f visio n .

The scenes a fte r th e second in te rva l recovered so m e w h a t: b u t th e damage had already been done. A n d th e pla y's co n c lu s io n , w h ic h sought to ju x ta p o s e b o th an up-beat and d o w n -b e a t e n ding, seemed u n s a tis fa c to ry . Far b e tte r fo r C o lin George to have o p te d f ir m ly in fa v o u r o f th e d o w n -b e a t. His closing tab leau o f characters processing o f f in th e h a lf-lig h t ro u n d th e back o f th e arched colo n n a d e , w ith Snake fo llo w in g th e ir progress w ith p e ncil and n o te b o o k poised, is an im a g in a tive , iro n ic and resonant coda and does n o t need th e s u p p o rt o f th e preceding gay dancing.

O verall, th e p ro d u c tio n was b e tte r th a n the in d iv id u a l pe rform ances. It had h u m o u r, sparkle and no lack o f c o lo u rfu l and s trik in g costum es th o u g h as usual, th e S .A .T .C . design d e p a rt­ m e n t p re fe rre d ove rsta te m e n t to suggestion.

N o t so R ona ld F alk in th e ro le o f Joseph: his was q u ite th e m ost s ty lis h and a tte n tiv e p e rfo rm a n c e of th e evening, th o u g h his costu m e was su re ly to o garish fo r th e cha racte r.

W ith his face c o n s ta n tly assuming a threeq u a rte r s m irk o f fo rc e d a m ia b ility and his p o s tu re a lte rn a tin g be tw een c o n tro lle d obsequiousness and s u p e rio rity , he made

Joseph's h y p o c ris y b o th o d d ly engaging and re p e lle n t. As th e o s te n s ib ly m ore e xu b e ra n t and rakish Charles, D ennis Olsen was sadly miscast. He began in o ve rd rive , ga bbling his lines lik e a p a tte r song, and lo o ke d fo r m ost o f th e evening lik e a ra th e r n a tty u n d e rta ke r's assistant. Hard to im agine th is Charles e n jo yin g any ph ysica l pleasures: to o blan d to p ro vo ke any reservations th e audience m ay have a b o u t his cha racte r, and to o re m ote to p ro m p t its s y m p a th y .

On th e o th e r ha nd, B ria n James' S ir Peter resorted to to o m a ny o b vio u s c o m ic g im m ic k s to engage th e audience's a tte n tio n . T h is was a sto c k o ld -m a n -c o m ic : and y e t S ir Peter is th e least o b v io u s ly c o m ic ch a ra cte r in th e play. He m ust be seen as th e y a rd s tic k —a lb e it som ew hat ja u n d ic e d —o f th e o th e rs ' b e h a v io u r: and w here th e pa rt calls fo r re s tra in t, b itte rn e ss and even a degree o f pathos, w e w ere given a ra th e r jo c u la r m u d d le r. Hard to im agine th is S ir Peter a ttra c t­ ing La dy Teazle, w h o , in th e person o f D o ro th y V e rn o n , is c e rta in ly a desirable ca tch ; fo rc e fu l, fe m in in e and fash ionab le. If she ap proached the ro le w ith a ra th e r d iffe re n t vie w o f th e c o u n try to w n p ro b le m a tic th a n d id Pauline C o llin s in th e recent T .V . versio n, she nevertheless o ffe re d an acce p ta b ly vigorous reading o f th e p a rt.

O th erw ise, th e w o m e n w ere a c o lle c tio n o f curate's eggs: R u th C ra ckn e ll began s p le n d id ly as Mrs. C and our, b u t ten ded a fte rw a rd s to lope a ro u n d th e stage to n o t m u ch ap pare nt purpose. A n d D aphne G re y's L a dy S nee rw ell, th o u g h m uch b e tte r th a n her last year's roles, sneered to o little , w h ile s till e m o tin g to o m u ch.

In s u p p o rtin g roles, Leslie D aym a n and Craig A sh le y stoo d o u t; a special w o rd fo r E d w in H odgerm an as C rabtree. Th e p a rt is a ca rica tu re and an open in v ita tio n to h a m m ing and m ugging: b u t th is a c to r, as usual, avoided th e easy sh o rt-c u ts and gave a lit t le gem o f a pe r­ fo rm a n ce , exact and a lik e in a tte n tio n to ph ysica l and vocal d e ta il.

C o lin George's p ro d u c tio n is a p ro m is in g beginnin g to h is te rm a s d ire c to r: it m ay lack th e pathos and b ite th a t lie at th e heart o f S heridan's co m edy o f m anners, b u t it c e rta in ly catches th e lightness and h u m o u r th a t th e recent T .V . p ro ­ d u c tio n seemed d e lib e ra te ly to eschew. Its one serious weakness, on firs t vie w in g , appears to be its lack o f stam ina and pace: b u t th e season's run m ay w e ll re c tify th is .

Page 20 T h e a tre -A u s tra lia March-April, 1977

HOLE IN THE W ALL THEATRE

HAPPY END Margot Luke

HAPPY END by Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht. Hole in the Wall, Perth, W.A. Director John Milson, Designer Bill Dowd, (opened 5.ii.77) Mirian. HELEN HOUGH; Johnny Flint, ROLAND McCALLUM; Sam Wurlitzer, BARRY SCREAIGH; Jimmy Dexter, JEFF OLIVER; Bob Merker, CHRIS FERGUSON Dr. Nakamura, ROBERT VAN MACKELENBERG; Pigeons STEPHEN EDWARDS, ROLAND PAVER, Bill Cracker, ROLAND PAVER; Lady in Grey, HELEN HOUGH; Sr. Lillian Holiday, MARY HAIRE; Hannibul Jackson, STEPHEN EDWARDS; Major MERRIN CANNING.

The dram a o ffe rin g s (fo u r o u t o f eigh t) at th e Festival o f P erth th is year are stro ng on W ords w ith Music. B rech t and W e ill's H a p p y E n d at th e H ole in the W all and a ro c k version o f A M id s u m m e r N ig h t's D ream at th e H aym an T h eatre have one o th e r aspect in c o m m o n : b o th com panies achieve a m ore o r less successful b le n ding o f profession al and a m ateu r ta le n t.

A n d th e re th e s im ila r ity ends. H a p p y E n d is p roduce d on a shoestring w h ile The D ream has th e b a cku p fa c ilitie s o f a large and c le a rly gen­ erous e d u c a tio n a l o rg a n is a tio n . B o th shows achieve w h a t th e y have set o u t to d o : to e n te r­ ta in festiva l audiences w ith a con sid era ble degree o f o r ig in a lity . H a p p y E n d , w ith its special lim it ­ atio n s, w ith its e x u b e ra n t actors and largely in c o m p e te n t singers strike s a spark o f a d m ira tio n c o m m o n ly reserved fo r game little b a ttle rs . The D ream , on th e o th e r hand, b lo a te d w ith selfindulgence, comes ove r as a vu lg a r piece o f o s te n ta tio n . F u n n y —yes, e n te rta in in g to o , fo r at least th e firs t h a lf. B u t th e re 's som ething nouveau riche a b o u t its p ro d u c tio n values w h ic h te m p te d d ire c to r D avid A d d e n b ro o k e in to th e

area o f high cam p. Jo h n M ilso n on th e o th e r hand, fo rce d in to m ore re a listic a rtis tic b u d g e t­ ing at th e H ole in th e W all has succeeded in em phasizing th e a stringen cy o f th e p la y. The tw o p ro d u c tio n s , seen in th is ju x ta p o s itio n , m ake a nice p o in t a b o u t th e re la tio n s h ip b e t­ ween a fflu e n c e and decadence.

H a p p y E n d is a little -k n o w n w o rk b y th e B rech t and W eill team , p u t to g e th e r to fo llo w up the e n orm o us success o f The T hreepenny Opera in 19 28. (M o st G erm an reference bo oks fa il to lis t it.) It is an e a rly G uys and D olls s to ry o f gang w a rfa re and th e love o f a S alvation A rm y lass fo r one o f th e gangsters. The settin g is C h ic a g o -B ill's Beer H all and Canal S tree t M ission (w ith an a d m ira b ly eco n o m ica l set by B ill D ow d a d apting to b o th w o rld s ). The B re c h tia n d id a c tic e lem ent hovers as th e palest o f shadow s b e h in d th e social p a ro d y . M u rd e r and e x to r tio n are tre a te d as lig h tly as re lig io n — b o th p ro v id e raw m a te ria l fo r co m e d y. The m u rd e re d v illa in makes a m ira cu lo u s recovery, th e serm onising is d e lic io u s ly ga rbled , heavies and holies are h a p p ily u n ite d .

The profession al actors revel in th e o p p o r­ tu n itie s fo r cha rade -pla yin g.

R o b e rt van M eckelenberg creates a Japanese v illia n as sur­ re alist as he is sin iste r, and reaches a h ig h lig h t o f a b s u rd ity singing a ca tc h y n u m b e r w h ils t s im u lta n e o u s ly c lo b b e rin g a hapless gangster.

Helen H ough do ubles as a d im -w itte d barm aid w h o jo in s th e salvoes, and as th e p o w e rfu l La dy in G rey w h o m a sterm in ds th e gang re so rt­ ing to a series o f e ffe c tiv e disguises. She proves once again th a t she is an actress w ith a con sid er­ able g ift fo r co m e d y w ith o u t ever losing an in s tin c tiv e elegance o f m o vem en t.

Th e non-professio nals are fin e ly inte grated, largely th a n ks to th e liv e ly y e t d is c ip lin e d cho re­ o g raph y b y B a rry Screaigh, w h ic h w elds the m to g e th e r, th e ensem ble w o rk o v e rrid in g any u n c e rta in tie s in in d iv id u a l c h a ra cte risa tio n .

T h e m o st g la rin g ly w eak e lem ent is the sing­ ing. The o fte n d is c o rd a n t m usic and patter-songs m ig h t suggest th a t real singing a b ility m ay be dispensed w ith , b u t o f course it c a n 't. O n ly one o f th e m in o r characters, playe d b y Stephen Edw ards shows real singing a b ility and he is given th e easiest, i.e. th e m o st o b v io u s ly tu n e fu l songs.

M a ry H aire, as H a lle lu ja h L il, th e heroine, brin gs im pressive m issio n a ry fe rv o u r to the p a rt, b u t is n o t c o m p le te ly at hom e w ith th e m usic.

H er n a tura l g ift is fo r th e g e n tly ly ric a l (as she

i o p : HODert van M ackelenberg, R o la n d Paver, J e f f O liver. S eated: B a rry Screaigh, R o la n d M cC allu m , C hris Ferguson in H app y End.

show ed in A Toast to M e lb a ), w hereas here, in a tte m p tin g the vocal aggressiveness th e cha racte r o f L il dem ands, she is singing against th e grain.

W hat makes th e p ro d u c tio n a success is a sense o f s ty le th a t recognises th e lim ita tio n s to be ove rcom e and com pensa ting as fa r as possible b y c o n c e n tra tin g o n th e elem ents fre e ly available to th e c o m p a n y : h u m o u r, tim in g , m o v e m e n t and a v e rs a tility in cre ating q u ic k -s k e tc h cha racte r pa rts.

A M id s u m m e r N ig h t's D ream is a very d iffe r ­ e n t p ro p o s itio n . D ire c to r D avid A d d e n b ro o k e was in spired b y a year's w o rk w ith th e R oyal Shakespeare C o m p a n y u n d e r Peter B ro o k to present an annual u n c o n v e n tio n a l Shakespeare p ro d u c tio n . O ver th e years his approa ch has o s c illa te d be tw een using th e u p d a tin g to enliven o r even c la r ify th e o rig in a l on th e one hand, and o n th e o th e r hand to p ro v id e a sp rin g b o a rd fo r a c o lo u rfu l th o u g h n o t necessarily relevant p re se n ta tio n . In th e present instance he d isre ­ gards one m a jo r ru le fo r good m agic: the re m ust be lim ita tio n s . (T he tra d itio n o f th e th re e wishes, o r th e seven years, o r hom e b e fo re m id n ig h t is a basic m echanism b y w h ic h th e cre ative im a g in ­ a tio n o f o ld , p ro te c te d its e lf against un g o ve rn ­ able madness.)

T he progra m m e notes c la im th a t th e settin g chosen represents a circu s, because th e p la y is a b o u t fa n ta s tic happenings and th e re fo re ju s t­ ifies th e s e ttin g . In fa c t, ho w e ver, th e circus elem ents all b u t disappear in th e w e lte r o f o th e r e ffe c ts . T ru e , th e re is some s c a ffo ld in g reaching u p to co lo u re d lig h ts, T ita n ia 's a tte n d a n ts are dressed as clo w n s, and th e re are occasional am p­ lifie d ca rn ivo ro u s how ls. B u t th e tru e s p irit o f th e show is som ew here be tw een a gay n ig h tc lu b and D isn e yla n d , w ith a generous in fu s io n o f ro ck opera. T his makes a good relevant m ix fo r th e tre n d y seventies audience.

Th e e ro tic e lem ent th ro u g h o u t fu n c tio n s o n vario us levels o f th e grotesq ue: m alice am ong th e fa ir y fo lk and a h o ydenish cuteness re m in isce n t o f th e L i'l A b n e r s trip fo r th e A th e n ia n lovers. Th e songs are rendered in various styles o f ro c k fro m th e fiftie s to the seventies. In fa c t, th e p ro d u c tio n succeeds in a c c o m m o d a tin g n e a rly every shade o f c u rre n t p o p c u ltu re in a liv e ly and p ro fe s s io n a lly slic k m a nner. Th e e ffe c ts and costum es g litte r (designed by Peter P a rkin so n ), th e lig h ts flash and s w irl and th e audience is b o m barded w ith stream ers b a llo o n s and soap bubbles. The n o n ­ profession al s u p p o rt com es fro m stud ents o f the T h e a tre A rts Course w h o make a pleasing c ro w d o f a th le tic fairie s, p a rt go-go dancers, p a rt o n ­ lo o ke rs c lim b in g a b o u t th e scenery.

The leading roles are playe d in as m any styles as th e p ro d u c tio n has ro o m fo r : Edgar M e tcalfe as P uck is m a in ly o u t o f Cabaret, th o u g h he travels b y m o to rb ik e w herever possible. Evan T a p lin and Pat S ke vington are no ble and h e raldic in th e ir Theseus and H ip p o ly ta scenes, and th e n ham it up as O be ron and T ita n ia , w h ils t the A th e n ia n lovers ho ver betw een sendup o f ro m a n tic love and th e e n th u sia stic w re stlin g o f puppies.

A fin a l reference to th e p rogra m m e , w h ic h is c le a rly in te n d e d as a defence against all possible c ritic is m s . As p ro o f th a t th e p la y is fa ir game fo r a ll in n o v a tio n s , it cites a late 1 7 th c e n tu ry opera version (m usic b y P u rce ll), w h ic h dis­ pensed w ith th e Shakespeare te x t e n tire ly and ends in a cho rus o f C hinam en and a dance b y six m o n ke ys, w h ic h was said to leave " th e C o u rt and to w n w o n d e rfu lly s a tis fie d ". F o r sheer c o lo u r and spectacle th e A d d e n b ro o k e version ou td o e s th e china m en and m onkeys by fa r, and one feels th a t b o th th e c o u rt and the to w n w ill echo th e seventeenth c e n tu ry co m ­ m e n t.

T h e a tre -A u stra l ¡a March-April, 1977 Page 21

WESTERN AU STRALIAN THEATRE COMPANY

A MIDSUMMER NIG HT’S DREAM C liff Gillam

A M ID S U M M E R N IG H T 'S D R E A M by W illia m Shakespeare. Hayman Theatre, W.A.I.T.. Perth (opened 17.ii.77) Director, David Addenbrooke, Designer. Peter Parkinson Puck or Robin Goodfellow, Philostrate, EDGAR METCALFE; Theseus, Oberon, EVAN TAPLIN; Hippolyta, Titania, PATRICIA SKEVINGTON; Egeus, Peter Quince.

PETER SAUNDERS; Lysander, TIM HOOD; Demetrius, MICHAEL LONEY; Hermia, JUDY BEST; Helena, SHEREE GUHL Nick Bottom, GEOFF GIBBS; Francis Flute, JACK MACPHERSON; Tom Snout, INGLE KNIGHT; Robin Starveling, STEVE ROWBOTTAM; Snug. MICHAEL STANLEY; Pease-Blossom, CAROLINE McKENZIE; Cobweb, JULIA MOODY; Moth, DENISE KIRBY; MustardSeed, KAREN PRICE; Audio-Visuals, SEU-PETA JUNES, JA N IS O 'H A N LO N , LIND Y CROTHERS, JEAN CROTHERS. LEE HOWE, CAREY McLACHLAN.

D avid A d d e n b ro o k e 's Festival p ro d u c tio n o f A M id s u m m e r N ig h ts D ream d ispla ys a special k in d o f fre e d o m ; a fre e d o m fro m th a t k in d o f psuedo-reverence so o fte n b ro u g h t b y d ire c to rs to th e Bard, and w h ic h results in p ro d u c tio n s w h ic h c o u ld stand as te x tb o o k exam ples o f w h a t Peter B ro o k has called th e D e a d ly Theatre.

A d d e n b ro o k e 's p ro d u c tio n , to use a phrase re c e n tly po pularised b y th e ro c k band Th e W ho and hence, (fo r reasons w h ic h w ill appear la te r), p e c u lia rly a p t to it, was m e a ty, b e a ty , b ig, and bouncy.

M e aty it was, p a rtly in consequence o f A d d e n b ro o k e 's desire to tra n s la te w h a t Polish c r itic Jan K o tt saw as th e d a rk e ro tic is m o f the p la y in to the m o st d ire c t and ob v io u s term s.

O b e ro n 's tro u p e o f fa irie s (o r “ audio-visu als,” as th e pro g ra m m e so q u a in tly insists) was a ttire d in'se q u in e d bras and panties, to p p e d o f f (o r does one say under?) w ith sexy b la c k suspender belts and stockin gs. O be ron and T ita n ia w ere p re­ sented as ty p e s o f th e lecherous p o te n ta te , each possessed o f a raging lib id o and a sensual a rro ­ gance re m in is c e n t o f O tto m a n ty ra n ts . The lovers pursued each o th e r n o t so m u ch fo r love as fo r th e chance (o fte n ta ke n ) to fa ll in to em braces o n ly ju s t s h o rt (in deference to the te x t) o f c o p u la tiv e .

B eaty it was, because th e p ro d u c tio n , set in an area hung w ith c o lo u re d e le c tric lig h ts and suggestive o f th e circus arena u n d e r th e big to p (T ita n ia 's fa irie s w ere dressed as c low ns) also boasted a ro c k band w h ic h accom panied the p e rfo rm e rs in c a b a re t-ro c k pre s e n ta tio n s —b o th o f th e songs o f th e p la y and some sections o f th e d ia lo gue w h ic h had been set to m usic.

Big it was, because apart fro m th e in te llig e n t and co n sta n t use o f all th e spaces and levels made available to h im b y Peter P arkinson's set (an expanded version o f the “ b o x and g a lle ry " idea used in Peter B ro o k s fam ous 19 70 R.S.C. p ro d u c tio n , here tric k e d o u t w ith circus tra p ­ pings) A d d e n b ro o k e sought alw ays th e s tun ning e ffe c t—fro m P uck's e n try on a m in i-m o to rc y c le , to th e re p ro d u c tio n o f B ro o k s m ira c u lo u s firs t h a lf fin a le , (T ita n ia 's s e d u c tio n o f B o tto m

achieved am id cheers, stream ers, c o n fe tti, and Mendelssohns W edding M arch at high volum e) d o w n to th e massed c o m p a n y singing th e e p i­ logue in cho rus, e v e ry th in g was B IG .

B o u n c y it was, because th e p e rfo rm e rs w o rk e d tire le ssly and at a c ra ckin g pace set fro m th e o p ening m o m e n ts o f th e p la y . Edgar M e tc a lfe gave us a sardonic little debauchee o f a P uck, re m in isce n t o f Joel G re y's C abaret M.C. He danced, sang and m a n ip u la te d th e in h a b ita n ts o f th e fa n ta s tic w o o d w ith d ia b o lic glee and was, to Evan T a p lin 's o d d ly cru el O be ron , an a ll-in -a ll; servant; p ro c u re r; c o n fid a n t. It was a p e rfo rm ­ ance d e m and ing a re fin e d te c h n iq u e and c o n ­

siderable ph ysica l prowess, and M e tca lfe was alw ays b e a u tifu lly in com m and . As T ita n ia , Pat S ke vin g to n was less easy w hen it came to song and dance b u t gave us a d e lic io u s ly im p e rio u s case o f th e ho ts in the se d u ctio n scene. The q u a rte t o f lovers was, as a g ro u p , re m arka ble fo r energy.

M e a ty, b e a ty , big and b o u n c y A d d e n b ro o k e 's p ro d u c tio n c e rta in ly is—it is all these th in g s and m o re ; a d e lic io u s spectacle, a c o n tin u o u s ly in ve n tive e n te rta in m e n t. B u t it lacks w h a t its m ost o b vio u s in flu e n c e , Peter B ro o k 's D ream had in ab undance; w holeness o f visio n . It is n o t so m uch an in te rp re ta tio n as a series o f stu n n in g p ro d u c tio n num bers. It is as if A d d e n b ro o k e had shaken up A ris to tle 's six elem ents in a dice-cup and th ro w n snakes-eyes; spectacle, th e low est, becomes highest. W here B ro o k sou ght fo r and achieved a magical synthesis o f th e R ough Theatre and Th e H o ly T h e a tre , A d d e n b ro o k e has o p te d fo r the energy o f th e R ough Th eatre, in a p ro d u c tio n fille d w ith echoes o f th e tra d ­ itio n s o f circus, m usic-hall and cabaret.

I t is above all a p o p u la r p ro d u c tio n , a im in g n o t to please th e academ ics (a fu tile exercise a n y h o w , and one w h ic h A d d e n b ro o k e has been sensible enough to abandon e n tire ly long b e fo re th is D re a m ) b u t to b rin g th e p e ople and S hake­ speare to g e th e r in an atm osph ere o f ce le b ra tio n and Festival e x c ite m e n t. On these te rm s, it m ore th a n succeeds. To judge b y th e response o f the firs t nig h t audience it w ill be a re sound ing h it.

C liff G illa m in his Festival R o u n d -u p o f th e last issue, was aided b v C hris M o u n tfo rd .

Page 22 T h e a tre -A u s tra lia March-April, 1977

WHILE THE BILLY BOILS Sue Kobulniczy

WHILE THE BILLY BOILS : An Evening with Henry Lawson and Leonard Teale Drama Centre, Mount Lawley College, Perth, Western Australia, as part of the 1977 Festival of Perth. (8.¡¡.77 - 19.ii.77).

Leonard Teale, s k ille d in th e a rt o f disguise, discarded his H o m ic id e hat to present a h u m o r­ ous and m oving p o rtra y a l o f H e n ry Law son, the w r ite r and man. Th e evening was devised as a sh o w -w ith in -a -s h o w , a p u b lic reading b y Lawson o f his poems and s h o rt stories, stru ng to g e th e r w ith rem iniscences and personal anecdotes. W hat we were given was n o t s im p ly a reading o f some o f Law son's m ost p o p u la r w o rk , b u t a th o ro u g h ­ ly c o n vin cin g p o tra y a l o f th e m an b e h in d the w o rk : a man o f good h u m o u r and c o n v iv ia lity , o f com passion and b itte r ou trag e at social in ju s t­ ice, and th e p a th e tic a lc o h o lic , lo n e ly , in c lin e d to s e lf-p ity , obsessed w ith a sense o f personal fa ilu re .

Teale entered as a s h u fflin g , shy p u b lic p e r­ fo rm e r, ra th e r u n c o m fo rta b le in d a p p e r s u it as he m oved to w a rd th e le cte rn . His in itia l e m b a r­ rassment was soon over: Law son revelled in the fa m ilia r w o rld o f pubs and shanties, diggings and m ateship, w ith a m ix tu re o f ta ll tales, h e a rty songs and m im ic ry . There w ere m o m e n ts o f high h ila r ity fo r b o th p e rfo rm e r and audience as Lawson raced th ro u g h th e c o m ic 'G ru ff-a n d G ru m b le Steeplechase' (a p a ro d y o f his 'good frie n d Paterson's' in te rm in a b le horse-racing stories); and th e re was a fresh and vig o ro u s read­ ing o f th e o ld -fa v o u rite fa rc e ,'T h e Loaded D og'.

Teale re m in d e d us c le a rly th a t th e m a g ic o f such w o rk lies to a large e x te n t in its b e in g read alo u d .

B ut even a m id st th e lau g h te r, Teale was care­ fu l n o t to ove rdo th e h e a rty , b lu f f ra co n te u r o f A u s tra lia n lite ra ry and h is to ric a l legend. His reading o f 'T h e U n io n B uries Its Dead' was a th o u g h tfu l blen d o f pa thos and d ry iro n y . Here Teale created th e Law son o f b ro th e rh o o d and s y m p a th y , aware o f loneliness and transcience, u n d e rc u t b y sardonic se lf-m o c k e ry . A n d Teale's p re s e n ta tio n o f th e swagger and s k y la rk s was to u c h e d w ith no sta lg ia : an inescapable re m in d e r th a t th is w o rld o f m a teship and p u b heartiness was passing. L ife fo r Law son, b o th off-stag e and as he appeared b e fo re us, was alre ady souring.

Thus th e p ro g ra m m e 's second h a lf, a lth o u g h d is tin c tly m o re som bre in to n e , had been ad e q u a te ly prepared fo r in Teale's p o rtra y a l. As th e c o n s ta n t sips fro m th e th e rm o s flask had th e ir e ffe c t, Teale m oved in to 'A rv ie A s p in a ll's A la rm C lo c k ', an inexcu sa b ly s e n tim e n ta l s to ry a b o u t the e x p lo ita tio n and m isery o f a you ng fa c to ry hand. Q u ie t and un derstated as Teale's reading was, it c o u ld n 't rem ove th e audience's o b vio u s em barrassm ent at the m a w kish d e a th ­ bed scene. The no te o f increasing de spera tion and hopelessness was e v id e n t, to o , in Teale's reading o f 'to B e rth a ', a n o th e r s e lf-in d u lg e n t and m a w kish piece, w h ic h reveals u n m is ta k a b ly Law son's shame at his a lc o h o lis m , fa ile d m arriage and p u b lic disgrace. Here we w ere fa r rem oved fro m the sho w 's lig h t-h e a rte d be g in ­ ning. Law son, n o w a s o lita ry and te a rfu l fig u re

OLD TOTE THEATRE COMPANY

THE PLOUGH A N D THE STARS Bill Dunstone

THE PLOUGH A N D THE STARS by Sean O'Casey. Old Tote Theatre Company. Playhouse Theatre Perth, (opened 7 .li.77) Director, Hugh Hunt; Designer, Anne Fraser.

Jack Clitheroe, BRENDON LUNNEY; Nora Clitheroe, ELIZABETH CHANCE; Peter Flynn, RON HADDRICK; Young Cover, MARTIN PHELAN; Bessie Burgess, ANNE HADDY; Mrs Cogan, BETTY LUCAS; Mollser, LORNA LESLEY; Fluther Good, MARTIN VAUGHAN; Lt. Langon DANNY ADCOCK; Cpt. Brennan, JOHN LOVELL Cpr Stoddart, GEOFFREY WILLIAMS; Sgt Tinley, TOM MCCARTHY; Rose Redmond, JUNE COLLIS; Bartender RAYMOND MURRAY; Speaker, TOM MCCARTHY.

The O ld T o te 's o p ening p e rfo rm a n c e in P erth o f Sean O 'Casey's The P lough a n d the Stars lost pace b a d ly in the firs t A c t and, de spite a fe w s p irite d in d iv id u a l e ffo rts , never recovered it.

Th e fu n d a m e n ta l p ro b le m was c le a rly th a t The O ld T o te had n o t achieved th e degree o f ensem ble p la y in g require d b y th e p la y , and as a consequence the pla y 's e x tra o rd in a ry im p a c t o f m ing led co m e d y , pathos and b r u ta lity was d is ­ sipated.

H ugh H u n t, th e distin g u ish e d v is itin g d ir ­ e c to r, gave us a version o f th e p la y in w h ic h the balance to o fre q u e n tly tip p e d to w a rd s sy m p a th y fo r th e Iris h , a bias w h ic h d u lls th e edge o f O 'Casey's co m e d y and runs c o u n te r to his b itte r and distressing p o rtra y a l o f heroics and p a tr io t­ ism. O'Casey acknow ledges in d iv id u a l acts o f bravery b u t dam ns Irish and B ritis h a lik e fo r th e d e s tru c tiv e gestures th e y m ake in the name o f p a trio tis m . The present p ro d u c tio n o fte n fa ile d to m a in ta in th is p o in t o f view .

A m a jo r d e fe ct in th e p ro d u c tio n seems to have been a fa ilu re to m arshall O'C asey's early e ffe c ts o f lau g h te r and pa thos and b u ild on th e m to w a rd s the h a rro w in g fin a le . T h e firs t A c t, in p a rtic u la r, lacked shape and su ffe re d fro m p o o r tim in g . B e tty Lucas seems to have had d if f ic u lt y ge ttin g in to th e c h a ra cte r o f Mrs. Gogan in th e opening scene, perhaps because, one sensed, Ms Lucas was n o t at hom e w ith O 'C asey's blen d o f D u b lin brogue and p o e tic fan tasy. R on H a d d ric k was d is a p p o in tin g as Peter F ly n n and, indeed.

L e o n a rd Teale as H e n ry L a w s o n -P h o to : G e o ff L o v e ll. sto o d m o tio n le ss, exposed, b ro k e n in s p irit, in f r o n t o f th e s ile n t and m oved audience. Even th e re cital o f th e b a w d y 'B astard fro m th e Bush' ('o n e o f m y best k n o w n pieces') fa ile d m o re th a n m o m e n ta rily to relieve th is sense o f fa ilu re and d e je c tio n .

Le onard Teale's p e rfo rm a n c e was in fo rm e d b y a sensitive un de rsta n d in g o f his su b je ct.

T h ro u g h voice, gesture and cho ice o f m a te ria l, he created Law son in th e va ryin g roles o f bush ra c o n te u r,s o c ia l re fo rm e r and hopeless a lc o h o lic .

W h a t he gave us, in th e fig u re b o th c o n v iv ia l and fo r lo r n am ongst th e p o tte d palm s and b illb o a rd s o f th e p u b lic p la tfo rm , was a m e m ora ble and m o vin g p o rtra it o f a c o m p le x legendary fig u re . seemed to have been sadly m iscast in th e ro le o f w h a t O 'Casey describes as a " lit t le , th in b it o f a m a n ." A ll in a ll, th e firs t h a lf o f the p e rfo rm a n ce de veloped in s u ffic ie n t im pe tus and te n sio n to c a rry th e a c tio n th ro u g h to its m e lo d ra m a tic end.

T h e re w ere, ho w e ve r, some im pressive in ­ d iv id u a l pe rform ance s. M a rtin Vaughan's te c h ­ nical ease and his sense o f ch a ra cte r as F lu th e r G ood w ere a pleasure. A n n H add y playe d th e c o m ic m o m e n ts o f Bessie Burgess w ith p le n ty o f a tta c k , b u t missed som e o f th e p o ig n a n cy o f Bessie's credo at her de ath. Lo rna Lesley, as th e c o n s u m p tiv e M o llse r, p ro vid e d some o f th e fe w m o m e n ts o f genuine pathos in th e evening.

A n n e Fraser's designs w ere w o rk a b le and pleasing to th e eye, th o u g h th e set and costum es fo r th is P erth season w ere to o clean to convey th e p ro p e r atm osph ere o f c lin g y de clin e . As a consequence, N ora 's d iss a tis fa c tio n w ith her sur­ ro u n d in g s lost its im p a c t. One w ond ers, to o , w h y th e B ritis h s o ld ie ry sho uld appear in s p o t­ less pa rade-ground c o n d itio n at th e he ig ht o f an arm ed re b e llio n . Th e p la y's n a tu ra lism was w eakened also b y th e ap pare nt de cisio n n o t to a tte m p t an a u th e n tic Irish accent. T h is was p ro b a b ly wise in th e event, b u t it w o u ld have been easier on th e ear if th e cast had settle d on a c o n siste n t and u n o b tru s iv e co m p ro m ise accent.

As a fin a l q u ib b le , we in P erth , th o u g h w e ll p ro vid e d w ith good th e a tre , lo o k fo rw a rd to o u r occasional o p p o rtu n itie s to see to u rin g c o m ­ panies fro m th e east. We w ere d isa p p o in te d on th is occasion th a t the O ld T o te d id little justice to th e p la y and to the en o rm o u s local e xp e n d ­ itu re on th e season.

T h e a tre -A u stra lia March-April, 1977 Page 23

AU STR ALIAN PERFORMING GROUP

IT'S CINGALESE FOR LIGHTNING Margot Luke PHAR LAP - IT S CINGALESE FOR LIGHTNING. Y'KNOW

by Steve Mastare. Festival of Perth Octagon Theatre, Perth Western Australia. 22.ii.77. to 5.iii.77. Director, Paul Hampton.

CLAIRE DOBBIN, WELFRED LAST, PHIL MOTHERWELL, ALISON RICHARDS, GREIG PICKHAVER, SUZY POTTER

A t the O ctagon, th e A u s tra lia n P e rfo rm in g G ro u p prem iered a new A u s tra lia n p la y by S tephen Mastare, d ire c te d b y Paul H a m p to n .

Based on th e rise and fa ll o f A u s tra lia 's m ost fam ous race horse, th e t it le P har L a p : It's Cingalese fo r L ig h tn in g Y 'k n o w , is th e m ost m e m ora ble th in g a b o u t it. In s ty le it is b y Les D a rcy o u t o f N e llie M elba, b u t it d o e s n 't reach th e pace o r th e stayin g p o w e r o f its sire and dam .

A p re re q u is ite fo r th is c o m ic -s trip s ty le o f h is to ric a l dram a is th a t th e characters sho uld be larger th a n life , th e language c o lp u r fu lly in v e n t­ ive, and th e h u m o u r outrag eou s. Here th e c h a r­ acters are sm aller th a n life (and o f course th e t it le ro le is in v is ib le b y necessity). T h e y a re n 't given enough good lines and even th e n the h u m o u r raises sm iles ra th e r th a n lau g h te r. The a c tio n , w h ic h d o e s n 't a m o u n t to m u ch , is kep t on its toes w ith in te rru p tio n s , c o m m e n ts , songs and rapid changes fro m scene to scene, b u t on th e rare occasions th a t longer exchanges are called fo r th e dialo gue is colou rless. H ig h lig h ts are such m odest exam ples o f t u r f lore as " th e f |Tff Iff?

o n ly w a y h e 'll get s o m e th in g o u t o f a horse is b y fo llo w in g w ith a sho vel” o r th e tale o f th e jo c k e y w h o ro d e so close to th e rails " th a t he g o t s p lin te rs in his le g ."

Th e characters are n e ith e r so lid n o r fu n n y n o r likeab le enough to create m uch audience in v o lv e m e n t. T h ere m ay be some sy m p a th y fo r C laire D o b b in 's N oreen, th e hero's longs u ffe rin g w ife , a b a ttle r long ing fo r g e n tility b u t able to let fly w ith th e language w hen exas­ perated. B u t th e hero, H ughie T e lfo rd , (Phar Lap's tra in e r) is played as an o p e n -m o u th e d id io t. Dad and Dave s ty le , b y P hil M o th e rw e ll, a c h a ra c te ris a tio n th a t makes th e m o m e n ts o f p o e tic vis io n a b o u t the horse's fu tu re hard to c re d it. W ilfrid Last provides a m u ch needed fo il as Davis, a grasping businessman w h o is p e r­ suaded to b u y the u n k n o w n horse w h ile un der th e in flu e n c e o f a very p o w e rfu l d ro p , later sobers up to regret th e deal and leases it to T e lfo rd to save on tra in e rs ' fees. (T hen takes it back and ru in s it in the m o m e n t o f triu m p h ).

Last also do ubles as B oy len, a w ily I rishm an w h o provides some good m o m e n ts, p a rtic u la rly in a le n g th y s ile n t-m o vie -style scene in v o lv in g a la d ­ de r and an o ld lady (A lis o n R ichards) d e te r­ m ine d to get a good possie at th e races.

A id e d b y a m in im a l set o f w h ite fram es sug­ gesting posts, fences, gates and ba rriers, th e play makes con sid era ble dem ands on th e sm all cast.

îffîH n f ff

"W ebbers BOOKSELLERS (Formerly The Bookshop of Margareta Webber) are pleased to announce the opening of their NEW PREMISE*, on the 1st. Floor, 343 Lt. Collins St., Melbourne.

Phone: 67 2559, 67 2418

We hope our customers w ill find that our larger shop and more accessible location w ill make visiting us an even more pleasing experience than before!

WEBBERS BOOKSELLERS: Specialists in all branches of the Performing Arts-Theatre, Plays, Costume, Ballet, Film, Music.

Also A rt, Literature, Biography, Australian and Fine books in general.

w h o w ere under-rehearsed fo r th e op e n in g , w ith flu ffs , bad cue in g—and one cha racte r fo r several m inu tes being addressed b y th e w ro n g name!

The basic p a tte rn is liv e ly : b rie f scenes betw een th e p ro ta g o n ists are c u t across and com m e n te d on b y th e spo radic appearance o f tw o g a llo ping jo c k e y s —A lis o n R ichards and Suzy P o tte r—w h o act as cho rus, sound e ffe cts and scene sh ifte rs, also c o n trib u tin g a g a lle ry o f race-track cha r­ acters. S uzy P o tte r does a nice series o f hopeless riders, in c lu d in g a b lin d 4 2 -ye a r-o ld ap p re n tice , and A lis o n R ichards swaggers a round as a very tin y bank-m anager w h o ends up su icid in g in th e s to c k m a rk e t crash.

W here th e p la y fa lls d o w n b a d ly is in th e lack o f d ra m a tic h ig h lig h ts. H ughie's te n a c ity and fa ith , and p a rtia l triu m p h , is overshadow ed by th e em phasis on th e la ir c h a ra c te ris a tio n ; the seedy ba ttles th a t go on be h in d the b a rrie r are to o flim s y ; th e re are no te n sio n s—n o th in g is ever a llow e d to develop. As fo r th e c la im in th e p ro ­ gram m e th a t " th e spectacle and sm ell and sound o f th e race game is th e in fo rm in g e n e rg y " o f the pla y, th is ju s t is n 't on. A n y energy th e re is, is generated b y th e cast, w h o g a llo p and sing and m im e and p e rfo rm lig h tn in g costu m e and sex changes, and do th e ir best to co n vin ce us th a t th e re are m ore th a n six people m illin g a ro u n d on th e large stage.

T h ere is a p o in t to be made a b o u t th e venue fo r th is p ro d u c tio n . Th e A .P .G . s ty le o f present­ a tio n is d e lib e ra te ly ram shackle, and th e re fo re lo o ks o u t o f place in th e glossy s u rro u n d in g s o f th e large (and h a lf e m p ty ) O cta gon th e a tre . On th e o th e r hand, seeing th e g ro u p o u t o f its elem ent serves to sho w up th e ra th e r a ffe cte d am ateu rism th e y have developed in a fra n tic b id to be as d iffe re n t as possible fro m th e m uchdespised co m m e rcia l th e a tre . T ru e , it achieves m u ch o f th e freshness o f th e annual school p la y, b u t also, to o o fte n , th e flatness. ;ssssss:st!*tt*tsssmt!sttt»!**!»«s»*»»!

"W ebbers BOOKSELLERS

A selection of new titles from our Performing Arts section: Friederich Durrenmat: Writings on Theatre and Drama (J. Cape 11. 75)—An important collection of essays by the great Swiss playwrite, author of such masterpieces as 'Play Strindberg' and The Visit'.

Tyrone Guthrie: The Authorised Biography by James Forsyth (Hamish Hamilton 22.60) This exciting new bio­ graphy tells the story of one of the most brilliant and colourful theatrical producers and personalities the Twenti­ eth century has known, from his almost prodigious childhood to the days of his great production successes, (culminating in his great Sydney production of Oedipus Rex) when he became a powerful influence upon such important insti­ tutions as the Old Vic, Sadlers Wells, Stratford-on-Avon and the Phoenix Theatre in New York.

Sibley and Dowell by Spatt & Dromgoogle. (Collins 28.50) This beautful book tells the story, in their own words and through the magnificent photographs of Leslie Spatt, of one of the most celebrated partnerships in the history of British ballet.

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Page 30 T h e a tre -A u s tra lia March-April, 1977

TAA

GroupTravel savings havetheatre-goers applauding 7 Pop festivals, music concei ts, opera, jSgbnllet or theatre parties, trade shows, f incentive groups, jaunts to the “ biR M agam e” , or whatever. ° i If you belong to an eligible commonSj*interest group, T A A otters a fat - • 1 0 % Discount off regular Economy *#®fares when 15 or more of you j J j f l y together.

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Page 34 T h e a tre -A u s tra l ¡a March-April, 1977

PLAYLAB

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T h e a tre -A u stra lia March-April, 1977 Page 35

THE QUEENSLAND SCENE Perform ing Arts

Q ueensland A r t Tvfvii&rtu ÌBÉ

Restaurant an Auditorium Q ueensland State Library

I I I |

Queensland Theatre Company Popular Theatre Troupe

Facility or Liability?

A t 11.35 a.m. on Friday, March 11, the Queen stepped onto a strange-looking floating object in the middle of the Brisbane River and pressed a button.

M u rk y w a te r sped 75 m etres in to th e a ir, and so her S ilve r J ub ile e A u s tra lia n T o u r was cele­ b ra te d ; b u t her sim ple a c tio n d id m o re th a n th a t.

It gave R oyal san ction to an a m b itio u s c u ltu ra l extravaganza th a t seems c e rta in to be­ com e a m a jo r p o litic a l headache fo r th e State G o ve rn m e n t.

A c tiv a tio n o f th e fo u n ta in is th e firs t c o n ­ cre te step in c o n s tru c tio n o f Th e Queensland C u ltu ra l C e n tre —long th e dream o f m o neystarved n o rth e rn a rt lovers.

T h e p ro je c t was o rig in a lly to cost $ 4 5 m illio n and no w has risen to $ 6 0 m illio n . H ig h ly placed S tate G o ve rn m e n t o ffic ia ls re a d ily a d m it th a t th is c o u ld escalate to $ 1 0 0 m illio n b y th e p r o ­ posed c o m p le tio n date in 1983. W ild e r claim s have p u t th e fin a l fig u re at a staggering $ 2 0 0 m illio n .

T h e cen tre is do o m e d to be labelled an o th e r m o n e y —eating S ydne y O pera House, ju s tifie d o r n o t. Y o u d o n 't have to delve back to o fa r to re m em b er th e massive cost escalation involved in th e S ydne y ha rborside show piece. E stim ated to cost $ 3 .5 m illio n in 19 57, th e fin a l b ill was $ 1 0 0 m illio n w hen it opened in 1973.

T h e sheer m a gnificen ce o f th e Opera House is w h a t beats the c ritic s ; fina nce is no longer a big issue. B u t in B ris b a n e th e m ore c o n v e n tio n a l, squarish, lo w slung c o m p le x w ill have no such advantage.

Loose m e n tio n o f th e Opera House and escalating costs, to th e cen tre's P lanning and E sta b lish m e n t C o m m itte e C hairm an , S ir D avid M u ir, makes his b ristle s rise. " O f course it w ill escalate—b u t because o f in fla tio n o n ly , " he snapped. " I n O c to b e r 1974

The Brisbane Pro-Am Scene The New Cultural Centre

IAN M ILLE R on the need for and cost of the new Queensland Cultural Centre.

th e estim ate was $ 4 5 m illio n . No d o u b t the re has been s ub stantia l escalation since th e n and w o u ld be $ 6 0 m illio n on present day figures.

B u t w h a t I have been try in g to get in to people's m in d s is th a t w e w ill n o t spend any e x tra m o n e y on new fa c ilitie s .

P o in t ta k e n . B ut go vernm enta l fin a n cia l statem en ts ra re ly w o rr y c ritic s o r p o litic a l p o in t scorers. A lre a d y pa ro ch ia l p o litic ia n s in c o u n try areas are a tta c k in g such vast e x p e n d itu re on a Brisbane p ro je c t, p a rtic u la rly , as one w h o wishes to rem ain nameless said, " o n a p o o fy palace fo r th e h o ity -to itie s and snobs in the c ity social je t set.”

As fo r th e c o m p le x its e lf, th e firs t o f fo u r stages, th e art g a lle ry, is exp ected to be fin ish e d e a rly in 1979. W o rk on th e p e rfo rm in g arts c e n tre s ho uld be co m p le te d b y m id 19 81, the m useum b y m id 1982 and th e lib ra ry b y late 1983. T h e 1 3 ,000 square m e tre Queensland A r t G a lle ry is an essential p r io r it y —th e $ ta te 's art treasures are n o w being housed in a to t a lly inadequate ga lle ry in G regory Terrace as w e ll as a n o th e r s to p —gap hom e in a c ity b u ild in g .

T h e p e rfo rm in g arts cen tre w ill c o n ta in an opera and b a lle t th e a tre seating up to 2 0 0 0 ; a c o n c e rt hall fo r 2 0 0 0 and a s tu d io th e a tre fo r 40 0. Th e opera hall w ill be o f va ria ble size w ith a flo a tin g ce ilin g to a cco m m o d a te th e m ost in tim a te to th e m ost spectacular.

It is hard to get an argum e nt w ith m any people a b o u t th e fa ct th a t a c u ltu ra l c o m p le x is needed; b u t there is p le n ty o f c o m m e n t on the in e v ita b le cost escalation, its grandness and its u ltim a te e ffic ie n c y .

K e ith W rig h t, $ ta te L a b o r spokesm an on C u ltu ra l A ffa irs : "T h e S tate G ove rn m e n t w ill have to get its fin g e r o u t and b u ild th is cen tre w h ile we can. " I t is all very w e ll to ta lk o f increased leave and re c re a tio n ; b u t it is o f little use i f th e re are

no fa c ilitie s . The kids m ay as w e ll go back to th e ir m o to rb ik e s and m ilkb a rs if th e re is no place o f e n te rta in m e n t."

M r. W rig h t said he had visited A d e la id e and S ydney and it had becom e im m e d ia te ly o b vio us th a t Queensland needed a de cent arts cen tre. He said th e re should be scaled-dow n versions o f the cen tre in p ro v in c ia l and c o u n try areas w hen the go vernm ent co u ld a ffo rd it.

Jo h n T h o m p s o n , E xecutive D ire c to r o f the Queensland Opera Co., said th e cost estim ate fo r the p e rfo rm in g arts sectio n o f th e co m p le x was $17 m illio n . "H a v in g regard to th e physical state o f theatres in Brisbane it is so m e th in g th a t ju s t has to be done and m o ney th a t has to be s p e n t," he said. A c c o rd in g to M r. T h o m p so n th e fin a l con cept o f th e variable size fo r th e opera and b a lle t th e a tre , seemed to satisfy everyone. " E v e ry th in g seems to be going along th e rig h t lin e s ," he said.

A n o th e r c ritic is m , th a t th e co n c e rt hall is to o sm all, is one made b y e n tre p re n e u r M ichael Edgley.

S ir D avid M u ir ripostes: "H e 's ta lk in g a b out b rin g in g o u t N ure yev o r a n o th e r person o f such stature. It has to be realised th a t such an event w here an audience o f 5 0 0 0 co u ld be a ttra c te d w o u ld happen o n ly once o r tw ic e a year. We have to be eco n o m ic, and e x p e rt investig ation s have com e up w ith th e 2 0 0 0 c a p a c ity ."

He also denied suggestions th a t O pera and b a lle t w o u ld need a d d itio n a l subsidy because o f th e large cost o f re n tin g the theatres.

Perhaps we sho uld leave th e fin a l w o rd w ith fo rm e r $ ta te Treasurer, S ir G o rd o n C halk, w h o gave the o rig in a l c u rta in s-u p to fina nce th e p ro je c t: "T h e re w ill be no reason fo r it to be referred to as a n o th e r O pera House. W hat hap­ pened to th e Opera House was th a t people d id n o t understand w h a t th e to ta l design w o u ld be no r ho w to p u t the ro o f o n ."

Page 36 Theatre-A ustraH a March-April, 1977

WHERE THERE’S 0 Don Batchelor

-V-.

The Queensland Theatre Company did not grow organically. It was a government graft on to the local scene. Beginning with an untried Board, an "outsider" as D ir­ ector, not a single patron of its own, and no group of professionally trained person­ nel to draw on, it might well have addressed itself for some time to laying foundations.

H ow eve r, a c o m b in a tio n o f Q ueensland's o fte n u n c ritic a l sense o f its e lf and th e am azing fo rtu ito u s n e s s o f th e firs t nine m o n th s o f Q .T .C . h is to ry a llo w e d no tim e fo r gradual b u ild in g . A n im m e d ia te and u n q u e stio n in g c o m m itm e n t was made to th e m o d e l o f a m a in -lin e , professional re p e rto ry c o m p a n y along p ro v in c ia l B ritis h lines, w ith th e a d d itio n a l im p u d e n t in te n tio n o f serv­ ing th e w h o le S tate im m e d ia te ly .

T h e C o m p a n y has survived its e a rly p resum p­ tio n s because it fo u n d an audience th a t was sub­ s ta n tia lly new and m o re inte reste d in a n ig h t o u t th a n in m a tte rs o f th e a tric a l te c h n iq u e and ap proa ch. In such a c o n te x t, d is g ru n tle d th e a tre ­ goers fin d in g su p e rio r th e a tric a l e ffe c ts o r values in c e rta in a m ateu r shows c a rry lit t le sting.

As to any challenge o n p h ilo s o p h ic a l ground s th e voice o f a radical a lte rn a tiv e has once o r tw ic e been raised, s trid e n t b u t p r e tty th in , and

Alan Edwards, Artistic Director, Queensland Theatre Company.

QUEENSLAND

' Winners of the 1976 National Critics Award

EM ERGING PATTERN* Brisbane's Albert Hall was, in its latter years, a shabby and inauspicious venue for live theatre. Yet generations of Brisbane theatre-goers had been raised on the ama­ teur theatricals presented in this modest centre-city hall. Fitting then, that from its ashes should arise a fine theatre and the State's first resident professional theatre company to play in it. For had it not been fo r the insistence of the proprietors of the Methodist Church, no less, that in re­ developing the site the State Government Insurance Office replace the venue for the annual Methodist convention, the chain of events leading to the rapid formation of the Q.T.C. may not have occurred.

N ew South Wales Dram a Foundation is gratefully acknowledged fo r th e Theatre ies

The A u s tra lia n E liza b e th a n T h e a tre T ru st ap proached th e Q ueensland G o ve rn m e n t in m id 19 66 to request fin a n ce fo r b u ild in g a th e a tre in B risbane to house a resident co m p a n y and to p ro v id e an a lte rn a tiv e to H er M a je sty's T h eatre fo r v is itin g shows. T h e G o ve rn m e n t d e clin ed, p o in tin g instead to th e S .G .I.O . th e a tre -to -b e ; and fo r th e ne xt th re e years, th e u n lik e ly c o m ­ b in a tio n o f th e Q ueensland G o ve rn m e n t, an Insurance C o m p a n y, and th e T ru s t, to ile d to p ro d u ce th e Q .T .C . E a rly in 1969 a B oard was set up u n d e r th e c h a irm a n s h ip o f S ir D avid M u ir to establish th e new co m p a n y . M u ir was keen fo r a c tio n , and so proceeded w ith the firs t p ro ­ d u c tio n , The R o y a l H u n t o f the Sun, u tiliz in g th e ta le n ts o f th e local sem i-pro fession al g ro u p a n o th e r classic, a co u p le o f A u s tra lia n plays, and som e o f th e m o re lik e ly c o n te m p o ra ry w o rk s fro m th e West End. O f course b o x o ffic e d id

T h e a tre -A u stra lia March-April, 1977 Page 37

BT THERE’S HOPE its representatives have ge nera lly gone th e ir o w n w ay ra th e r th a n c o n tin u e to d o b a ttle . Som e disa ffe cte d ex-Q .T.C . acto rs fo r exa m ple, p ic k e tte d th e 1974 p ro d u c tio n o f G odspell, w ere rem oved fro m th e fo y e r and scarcely heard fro m again.

Part o f the reason fo r th e in v u ln e ra b ility o f th e C om p any has been its c o m m e n d a b ly careful stew a rdship in business m atters. Th e Board (u n d e r S ir D avid M u ir, as C hairm an) and manage­ m e n t (u n d e r A la n E dw ards, as D ire c to r) has presided over an ord e re d if s tu ffy a d m in is tra tio n , w here g ro w th has been considered and steady, and n o th in g ap proa ching a m a jo r fin a n c ia l b lu n ­ der has ever surfaced. The result is th a t subsidis­ ing bodies have c o n fid e n tly s u p p o rte d exp ansion plans. Present grants, to ta llin g ro u n d $ 6 0 0 ,0 0 0 , are six tim e s those o f seven years ago. A rtis tic p o lic y is som ew hat p a te rn a l; it provides a d ie t o f plays w h ic h is w hole som e and balanced, fe a tu r­ ing tho se vita m in s and m inerals essential to good n o u ris h m e n t, and stayin g w ith in th e range o f staple th e a tric a l fa re . A d v e n tu ro u s o r e x o tic ap petite s are scarcely catered fo r , and spice is in tro d u c e d w ith tre p id a tio n lest it o ffe n d th e general taste. In all th is , M u ir and E dw ards are n o t u n m in d fu l o f w h o b u tte rs th e bread.

T w o -th ird s o f the plays to da te have been d ire c te d b y th e house tea m o f A la n E dw ards,

Joe M a cC o lum , and M u rra y F o y , each o f w h o m has a stro ng in te re st in tea ching (b o th Edw ards and M a cC o lum w ere staffers at N .I.D .A . b e fo re w o rk in g w ith th e Q .T .C .), and th e same general bias to w a rd s tea ching can be seen in m ost guest d ire c to rs . T he o u tc o m e on-stage is u su ally c o n ­ v e n tio n a l ra th e r th a n a fresh o r revealing in te r­ p re ta tio n . A fe w firs t-ra te v is itin g d ire c to rs m ig h t e n ric h th e "le a rn in g " fo r b o th actors and audience.

In its y o u th w o rk an ad m ira b le jo b has been do ne in in tro d u c in g th e a tre experiences to th e c o m m u n ity o f yo u n g people, especially in schools. Th e tre n d has been to w a rd s lo c a lly w ritte n o r developed p ro je cts closely derived fro m th e experiences o f school-age people. A recent scheme called "S p e a rh e a d " w ill s h ift th e balance to w a rd s cre ative dram a a little .

T he regional aspect o f the org a n isa tio n o f "S p e a rh e a d " suggests to S ir D avid M u ir p o ssib il­ ities fo r a fu lle r c o n ta c t betw een local c o m m u n ­ ities and th e C om p any in its a d u lt w o rk fo r c o u n try audiences, since it is generally agreed th a t the present tw ic e ye a rly in v ita tio n s b y plays to u rin g w ith th e A rts C o u n cil are so m ething o f a to k e n .

O n th e w h o le , th e n , th e Q .T .C . s till suffers fro m th e in fla tio n s o f its beginnings and needs a lo t m o re exp erien ce b e fo re it m eets even present asp iration s. Th e w o rk o f n u rtu rin g p e r­ fo rm e rs and audience has been sob erly pursued — b u t th e re are th e a tric a l fro n tie rs to be breached, ga u n tle ts to be th ro w n d o w n , and passions y e t to be s tirre d .

THEATRE COMPANY lueensland for services to theatre in Brisbane._________________ Peter Lavery T h e College Players, b e fo re th e pe rm a n e n t A r t ­ istic D ire c to r, A la n E dw ards, to o k up his pos­ itio n . The tu r m o il o f p ro d u c in g a new A u s tra lia n m usical, A R um D o, fo r th e Q ueen's v is it in early 19 70, co m p le te d th e h a rro w in g scenario fo r E dw ard s' in tr o d u c tio n to his new jo b . B u t lik e all fa ir y stories, it w o rk e d o u t fo r th e best.

R o y a l H u n t d id w e ll and A R u m D o d id b e tte r.

T h ere was good p u b lic ity and an a ir o f e x c ite ­ m e nt a b o u t th e new th e a tric a l events in T u rb o t S tree t. T he schools c o m p a n y was o u t on th e road b e fo re A R um D o op ened , and, a perceptive move on M u ir's p a rt, th e c o m p a n y was estab­ lished as a s ta tu to r y b o d y b y an A c t o f Parlia­ m e n t. Th e s ta tu to ry n a tu re o f the c o m p a n y gave it m a ny privileges, b u t also set a b rie f fo r the co m p a n y w h ic h has c le a rly in flu e n c e d its dev­ e lo p m e n t. Its c o m m itm e n t to tra in in g , schools program m es, to u rin g , and indeed th e general c o n te n t o f th e m e tro p o lita n progra m m e , can be seen as th e results o f th is e a rly im p rim a tu r as th e e sta b lish m e n t co m p a n y .

In 19 70, th e firs t fu ll year o f th e C om p any's o p e ra tio n , th re e o f th e fo u r p ro d u c tio n s m o u n te d to u re d th e S tate. T h is ea rly a rd o u r faded to tw o o u t o f eigh t in 19 71, and has rem ained thu s since. The n e x t th re e years saw th e co m p a n y establish a p a tte rn and gro w at a h e a lth y rate. Musicals w ere trie d as a good opener to th e year, and w o rk e d w e ll u n til th e disaster o f Expresso Bongo in '7 3 shredded th a t th e o ry .

A succession o f tra d itio n a l C hristm as pantos fa ile d to gross the takin gs, o r inculca te Brisbane audiences w ith the h a b it o f fa m ily the atre -go in g th a t E dw ards had hoped. H ow ever th e overall p a tte rn o f th e C om p any's o ffe rin g s had emerged and was successful. Each year a Shakespeare and

n o t alw ays go hand in hand w ith a rtis tic success, and tw o high p o in ts th a t E dw ards id e n tifie s , B u rk e 's C om p any and O ld Times, d re w a g ig a n tic ya w n fro m th e Brisbane p u b lic . N evertheless th e end o f '7 4 saw th e co m p a n y in a sound p o s itio n .

Th e s u b s c rip tio n scheme in tro d u c e d fo r th e '7 3 season had 4 ,0 0 0 subscribers, and o u t o f a to ta l audience o f one q u a rte r o f a m illio n , h a lf were ad ults, and h a lf w ere p u p ils fo r th e program m es in schools.

1 9 75 was a b o o m year fo r th e co m p a n y.

Equus opened th e season and in d ra w in g good audiences and c ritic a l acclaim , seemed to in d i­ cate an increasing m a tu rity in Queensland aud­ iences. D iane C ile n to starred in The Tam ing o f the S h re w w h ic h playe d to 99% fu ll houses, and s u b s c rip tio n s h it 5 ,0 0 0 . N o t fo r long. Last year saw a 10% d ro p in s u b s c rip tio n , and th o u g h o ve rall audiences have o n ly d ro p p e d m a rg in a lly , E dw ards is fra n k in expressing a very real co n ­ cern as to th e d ire c tio n th e co m p a n y sho uld ta k e . N o t th a t his o p tio n s seem very w id e . The co m p a n y , established w ith such a fir m b rie f, seems to have fu lfille d m a ny o f its fu n c tio n s . It is p re -em inen t am ong state com panies in th e tra in in g program m es it has ru n , b o th fo r its o w n actors, and fo r y o u th in th e State. Its says a lo t fo r the C om p any th a t p ro d u c tio n s ta ff te n d to re m ain, ra th e r th a n w a n t to leave, and its p o lic y o f giving year-long c o n tra c ts to actors has estab­ lished a p a te rn a listic/e n se m b le fee lin g in th e C om p any w h ic h m ost react to p o s itiv e ly . A n d y e t is it enough? Does an established ro le , a m enu w ith som ething fo r e v e ry b o d y , and honest w o rk m a n s h ip add up to th e m agic o f theatre?

It w o u ld be d is tu rb in g if M u ir's "tim e s are b a d ” th e o ry was accepted b y th e C o m p a n y as an excuse fo r th e lack o f p u b lic enthusiasm ; b u t E dw ards is n o t c o m p la ce n t, and w here the re's d o u b t th e re 's hope.

END OF A CYCLE Murray Foy In 1970 before he opened the doors of the S.G.I.O. Theatre to the expectant theatre­ goers of Brisbane and a few days later to Her Majesty, the Queen, for a Royal Per­ formance of the Australian musical A Rum D o! Alan Edwards, the first and brand new Director of the Q.T.C. sent a team of actors around the 7,000 mile Queensland School Circuit. Theatre-inEducation is still in the forefront of his thinking.

In th e firs t year o f o p e ra tio n s we in h e rite d th e jeans and cloaks o f th e Y oun g E liza beth an Players and the b rie f to service 6 0 ,0 0 0 stud ents w ith p o tte d Shakespeare and some p o e try . F o r tw o years we ho no u re d o u r o b lig a tio n w ith M ichael B odd y ta rtin g up th e Bard. Teachers were c o n te n t w ith th e status q u o b u t th e re w ere stirrin g s in th e audience. In 1972 w hen y e t a n o th e r p ro d u c tio n o f M a cbeth lo o m e d we decided it was tim e fo r a change.

We trie d a c o m p le te p la y —th e A n o u ilh A n tig o n e and a Revue—W hat's in i t fo r me?, M ichael B o d d y's im pression o f th e A u s tra lia n con sum er so cie ty fro m 1789 to 19 01. As w e ll as breaking aw ay fro m tra d itio n we co n d u cte d a S tate w id e survey o f w h a t plays w ere being studied in schools and an eigh t w eek o n -th e -sp o t in ve stig a tio n in to audience re a ctio n to o u r w o rk .

A n tig o n e g o t an e n thusiastic response; th e revue pro vo ke d a strong b u t m ixe d re a ctio n . . .

"M o s t m e a n in g fu l th in g th e kids have seen all y e a r." . . . " A tw o pronged C o m m u n is t th r e a t! " . . . In 1973 we repeated th e e x p e rim e n t. We w e n t fo r b ro k e w ith P in te r's The D u m b W a ite r and a revue on e d u ca tio n , G o o d M o rn in g 9 B 2 , b y local w rite r R ichard F o th e rin g h a m . P in te r was a disaster; the revue scored six o u t o f ten.

In 1974 we s tru c k pay d ir t w ith U n d e r M ilk W ood, go t fo u r o u t o f te n fo r th e O ff-B ro a d w a y A n E vening F o r M e rlin F in c h and h it th e ja c k ­ p o t, m ost u n e xp e cte d ly w ith W ild e r's H a p p y Jou rney.

1975. N o w th o ro u g h ly confused b y teacher and audience re action w e paused to c o u n t o u r problem s. We w ere pa yin g to o m uch a tte n tio n to a u th o ritie s w h o insisted th e y kn e w w h a t yo u n g people needed. We were presenting plays th a t w ere to o s ty lis tic a lly d if f ic u lt fo r th e a tric ­ a lly naive audiences. A ll o u r m a te ria l had been e d u c a tio n a lly valid b u t n o t all was im m e d ia te ly relevant to young Queenslanders. O u r tech n ica l resources, lim ite d b y th e p ra c tic a litie s o f to u rin g e xte nsively, paled in com pariso n w ith those o f tele visio n. We were rescued b y local p la y w rig h t B ille B ro w n . His S pringle, the s to ry o f a d r o p ­ o u t searching fo r a sense o f d ire c tio n , cau ght th e im a g in a tio n o f the yo u n g audiences. A po e tic m ix tu re o f revue, m adcap, and m y s tic is m , it confused and annoyed a lo t o f ad u lts b u t it 'got th e kids w here th e y live '.

In 1976 B ro w n came up w ith an even b e tte r p la y, T u f f . . . ., a sim ple co m e d y th a t exam ines th e be haviou r pa ttern s o f yo u n g teenagers and th e games th e y play to make sense o f a d u lt be haviou r. T h is year we c o m p le te th e B row n trilo g y w ith Prunes, w h ic h exam ines teenagers b a u lkin g on th e b rin k o f a d u lth o o d . B ro w n , now w o rk in g fo r the R.S.C. in L o n d o n , assures us

Page 38 T h e a tre -A u s tra lia March-April, 1977

^superbly good splendidly cast well directed brilliantly performed’— T e le g ra p h

s

John Gaden

Tain Sloppaid's^^^B

1------- w

starring

Director

Horler D esigner

Ralph Cotterill D A rcy Robert Davis Fay Kellon Matthew O'Sullivan Barry Otto Barbara Stephens

nimrod upstairs Box Office 69 5003 Opens March 11 ‘John Gaden . . . a tour de force’ — Daily Telegraph ‘Dazzling Cleverness’ — National Times ‘Splendidly whacky and inspired masterpiece of sustained lunacy’ — The Sun ‘Exhilarating’,— Sunday Telegraph

Tuesdays to Sundays at 8.00 Saturdayat 5.00and 8.30 Please note special times

Theatre-A ustraH a March-April, 1977 Page 39

Q.T.C. cont’d. th is is his last play fo r youngsters. It seems the end o f a cycle. T h is year we m ust ta k e s to c k and see if th e re is n o t a m o re e ffe c tiv e w a y o f in v o lv ­ ing yo u n g pe ople in th e a tre . F o rtu n a te ly in th e w orse ning e co n o m ic c lim a te w e've had a w in d ­ fa ll.

1977: PROJECT SPEARHEAD. A $54,000 Innovations Grant from the Schools Commission w ill enable us to implement a scheme we have been hatch­ ing for some years—Project Spearhead.

Spearhead is designed to lin k m o re closely th e w o rk o f th e D ram a Teacher and th e p ro ­ fessional th e a tre p ra c titio n e r.

Th e p ro je c t has tw o p ro n g s :— In th e classroom , a fo u r man tea m o f a c to r/ teachers give stud ents a vo c a b u la ry o f th e a tre skills th a t w ill enable th e m to devise and present program m es on th e issues th a t co n ce rn them .

O utsid e th e classroom , th e tea m w o rk s as actors and d ire c to rs , in fu lly m o u n te d p ro d u c ­ tio n s , w ith C o m m u n ity Y o u th Theatres and H igh S choo l D ram a C lubs. Th e tea m w ill w o rk fo r fiv e m o n th s in the B risbane m e tro p o lita n area and fo r th re e m o n th s in c o u n try centres.

Just as th e de v e lo p m e n ts in o u r y o u th pe r­ form an ces sprang fro m a nagging co n c e rn , so to o d id Spearhead. T h e a tre -in -E d u c a tio n so o fte n loses sight o f its w e ll-s p rin g , th e source o f its energy and v it a lit y —th e th e a tre . The p rim e concerns o f T .I.E . are personal d e v e lo p m e n t and social awareness. B u t once we have developed th e p e rs o n a lity th a t w o u ld seem to be th e end o f it.

We d o n o t go on to d e velop th e a tre c ra ft as a means o f expression to th e e x te n t w e cou ld .

We d o n o t re fin e th e a tre s kills to th e stage w here th e stu d e n t gets th e e x c ite m e n t and jo y th e a c to r does o u t o f p ractising his c ra ft w e ll. N o, I d o n 't envisage th e H igh S choo l replacing N .I.D .A . . . . Yes, please save me fro m th e school m usical.

Some teachers realise th e value o f T .I.E . y e t sto p s h o rt o f e x p lo rin g its fu ll p o te n tia l. There are several good reasons. T h e y do n o t w ish to tu r n o u t S h irle y Tem ples. T h e y d o n o t w ish to im pose (as the D ire c to r o f th e school m usical m ust to get results). Few teachers have s u ffic ie n t kn o w le dge o r e x p erien ce o f th e a c to r's c ra ft.

It m u st be possible to im p a rt a sm all b u t essential b o d y o f T h e a tre concepts and skills th a t w ill enable stu d e n ts to express them selves w e ll and th a t w ill p ro v id e th e pleasure o f prac­ tis in g a c ra ft w e ll. T h e p ro b le m is w h ic h c o n ­ cepts, w h ic h s k ills ; h o w m a n y , h o w few ? Spear­ head w ill p ro v id e som e answers.

R ay G urney, D i O 'C o n n o r an d F ra n k G allach er in A C loak A C ro w n & A S w o rd . P h o to : I. & G. Pierce (D e s ig n e r/T e a c h e r/D ire c to r) are no w ensconced in T o o w o o m b a , hub o f th e D arlin g D o w n s and o f th e latest Q .T .C . Y o u th /E d u c a tio n p ilo t scheme.

F o r six m o n th s th e three man tea m w ill w o rk s h o p in all aspects o f th e a tre w ith some fo r t y 15 to 18 year olds d ra w n fro m six centres o n th e D ow ns—120 k ilo m e tre s West o f Brisbane and ro u g h ly h a lf the size in area o f Tasm ania.

Th e p ro je c t w ill c u lm in a te in a p ro d u c tio n o f Th e B o o k o f Genesis, devised scripted and rehearsed in w o rk s h o p . A fte r its opening in T o o w o o m b a , Genesis w ill to u r th e six centres fro m w h ic h th e

ta le n t has been cu lle d .

Besides th e ir deep c o m m itm e n t to y o u th and th e ir exp ertise, K ingha m and con freres have tw o th in g s in c o m m o n —open m in d s and th e fle x ­ ib ility to adapt o ld fo rm s to new needs. A ll th re e espouse th e b e lie f th a t as im p o rta n t as an experience is, th e un de rsta n d in g o f it is m ore so.

T h e y should uncover m u ch.

F o r th e Q .T .C . th is is an im p o rta n t step f o r ­ w ard in tw o d ire c tio n s : th e e sta b lish m e n t o f a professional Y o u th T h e a tre and th e d e c e n tra l­ isation o f th e a tre in th is state.

1977: THE Q.T.C. DARLING DOWNS YOUTH THEATRE. For six years the Q.T.C. has been running a live-in Drama course for teenagers— Theatre Experience Week. After tw o years of experience the students in talk-back sessions expressed dissatisfaction: "We've had the Experience, now what about some techniques?" So a second course, Theatre Techniques Week, was implemented.

T hree years la te r in ta lk -b a c k : "W e've got th e tech nique s, no w w here d o we go fro m here?"

R o b e rt K ingha m , a yo u n g tu t o r /a c to r /w r it e r / d ire c to r (he spent 12 m o n th s in Poland w ith G ro to w s k i) suggested a w a y —Th e D a rlin g D ow ns Y o u th T h e a tre P roject.

K in g h a m , R ic k T h o m p s o n (A d m in is tra to r) and L lo y d N ickson

V ic to ria A r th u r , P h i! M oye, M a rk H e m b ro w an d B ille B ro w n in S pringle.

Page 40 T h e a tre -A u s tra lia March-April, 1977

A TONIC FOR IMPOTENCE Don Batchelor The people of Queensland appear to be politically powerless. One group, though, the POPULAR THEATRE TROUPE refuses to remain silent. But their method is to charm their audiences, not offend them.

There is a common belief outside Queens­ land that we Banana-benders are a bunch o f hies whose sensibilities are so stewed in the sun that we accept w ithout question the farce that poses as political life north o f the Tweed River. This assessment knows nothing of the anguished sense of im pot­ ence many people feel at the wilder excesses of our "leaders” .

W hat d o y o u do in a place w here, on T V , thousands w itness a senior p o lic e o ffic e r bashing a young w om a n p ro te s te r fro m b e h in d w ith o u t ap pare nt p ro v o c a tio n , o n ly to have the P rem ier, w h o ad m its to n o t seeing th e film , cancel a proposed e n q u iry b y th e P olice C om m issioner o n th e grounds th a t th e o ffic e r concerned e xp la in e d th a t his b a to n slippe d (T he same o ffic e r has since been p ro m o te d )?

H o w do y o u re a c t,a s o n e o f a g ro u p o f 6 5 ,0 0 0 citize n s o f Brisbane w h o signed a p e titio n c a lling fo r a re fe re n d u m on a S tate proposal to take over e le c tric ity s u p p ly fro m the C o u n c il, w hen th e responsible M in is te r announces th a t th e legisla tion w ill proceed even if th e re are 3 0 0 ,0 0 0 p e titio n e rs?

It was in such a m o o d o f b itte r powerlessness and loss at the re sig natio n o f M r. R ay W h itro d (fo rm e r P olice C om m issioner) in th e face o f w h a t he called un due p o litic a l in te rfe re n ce in p o lic e m a tte rs and q u estions o f ju stice , th a t I re c e n tly saw th e P o p u la r T h eatre T ro u p e .

Th e occasion was a p e rfo rm a n ce o f The M illio n a ire 's H and icap b e fo re a sm all g ro u p o f S enior C itizens at som ething called th e Forester's H all in one o f Brisbane's less salub riou s inne r suburbs. We w ere an e x tra o rd in a ry c o n ju c tio n o f people as we s to o d w h ile th e cha ir-pe rson re cited a p ra y e r w ith arresting s in c e rity and the n led a w o rld -w e a ry b u t u n q u e s tio n in g re n d itio n o f "G o d Save th e Q u e e n " as a ro u tin e pro lo g u e to th e a fte rn o o n 's events.

T here was a b ris k u n p a tro n is in g in tro d u c tio n b y one o f the tro u p e , and the n a go od, p ro fe s­ sional p e rfo rm a n ce o f the p la y ; and th e e ffe c t on me was asto u n d in g to th e p o in t th a t I fo rg o t m y review er's ha bits alm o st e n tire ly . A ll te c h ­ nical th e a tric a l co n sid e ra tio n s seemed irre levan t instead o f being th e usual b a rrie r to sharing the pfay.

S o m e th in g a b o u t th e am bience was m ost a ffe c tin g . Th ere was no p re te n sio n , no preaching,

' - >l nm m m m

Ja n e t M a hone y, N ic k Hughes, J u d ith James, R o s ly n A tk in s o n & D unca n C a m p bell in M illio n a ire 's H andicap

no pu shing, ju s t a q u ie t c o m m itm e n t to a w it t y little expose o f th e e ffro n te rie s o f big business, p o litic ia n s and u n io ns in th e ir greedy e x p lo it­ a tio n o f A u s tra lia 's m in e ra l w e a lth and th e d is ­ possession o f its na tive peoples.

The sho w consists o f a clu ste r o f "im a g e s " ro u n d th e ce n tra l idea o f a horse race w h ic h p e rm its some te llin g analogies a b o u t th e "b it, th e h o b b le , and th e ca stra tin g k n ife in th e " tr a in in g " o f na tive peoples o r a b o u t th e Q ueens­ land G o ve rn m e n t actin g as " y o u r e n tire ly im p a rtia l C le rk o f th e C o u rse ."

I t is th e sim p le approp riate ness o f these analogies, w ith all th e ir resonances a b o u t th e ga m bler's in s tin c t fo r easy m o n e y , and th e g u ll­ ible lit t le p u n te r, an eternal w illin g v ic tim to th e fix in g th a t goes on be h in d th e scenes, th a t is so c o m p e llin g ; th is , and th e ir b o ld th e a tric a lity and m o c k in g h u m o u r.

T o be able to laugh was lik e a to n ic ; and su d d e n ly one realised w h a t p o w e r lay in th e r id ­ icule th a t in fo rm e d th is a p p a re n tly harmless piece o f th e a tric a l nonsense. A n d , w h a t is m ore, one fe lt th a t fo r once here was a g ro u p w h ic h c o u ld c la im to "c o m m u n ic a te ". As A lb e rt H u n t has said, "T h e re are some avant garde theatres

T h e a tre -A u stra lia March-April, 1977 Page 41

w h ic h d e lib e ra te ly set o u t to rouse, assault, and o ffe n d th e ir audience. We t r y to establish a d ire c t w a rm re la tio n s h ip w ith th e audience to deal w ith th e hard m a te ria l". W ell, A lb e rt, I was privile ged to see it happen one h o t a fte rn o o n in th e F o r­ ester's H all in Brisbane.

A lb e rt H u n t was th e m an w h o in tro d u c e d th e te ch n iq u e s o f th is s ty le o f th e a tre event to A u s ­ tra lia ; and the person w hose im p o rta n t idea it was to in v ite H u n t to th e p ilo t Q 'ld Festival o f th e A rts in M ay 19 74, was R ichard F o th e rin g h a m (praised be his nam e). O n th a t occasion, a ra n­ d o m g ro u p pioneered th e m e th o d in a p ro d u c ­ tio n called S ta r T rick. It was a largely unsuccess­ fu l half-digested a tte m p t th a t to o k as its p o lit­ ical m a terial th e d o u b le -d is s o lu tio n re sulting fro m th e G air A ffa ir ( o ld e r readers w ill rem em ber it h a z ily ). P rem ier Joh w a s o u r hero C aptain K irk lo cke d in de a d ly c o m b a t w ith his arch-enem y, th e evil genius G arth (W h itla m ).

A fte r th e event, all concerned ackn ow ledg ed a lim ite d success, b u t w anted to d e velop the m e th o d fu r th e r. In June, 1974, T he P opu la r T h eatre T ro u p e was fo rm e d and set a b o u t raising th e fu n d s to operate.

B y n o w th e g ro u p is w e ll established th o u g h survival is th e usual year b y year a ffa ir. There has been s u p p o rt fro m th e Queensland Festival o f th e A rts S o c ie ty , some fu n d in g fro m th e Q ueensland D e p a rtm e n t o f C u ltu ra l A c tiv itie s , and th e b u lk o f th e ir m o n e y com es fro m the A u s tra lia C o u n c il.

B ut it takes v ery little to keep th e m o p e ra t­ ing. Personnel consists o f fiv e actors, a w rite r, and an a d m in is tra to r. There's a som ew hat b a tte re d F o rd tra n s it van, and an o ld H olden S ta tio n w agon, c o n ta in in g a m in im u m o f stage e q u ip m e n t and props. The w o rld is th e ir s ta g e p riso n mess halls, c h ild re n s ' p la y g ro u n d s , m ine rs'

canteens, even shop w in d o w s have served.

T h e y have tra ve lle d exte n sive ly in th e ir hom e S tate, b u t are establishing q u ite a re p u ta tio n as fa r a fie ld as A d e la id e and w ith c ity and c o u n try audiences in V ic to ria and New S o u th Wales.

Show s have in clu d e d The P u n y L it t le L ife S h o w described as "a series o f va u deville scenes, songs and sketches a b o u t s e x ". The W h ite M an's M ission w h ic h lo o ks at th e w h ite m an's arrival in A u s tra lia w ith songs, m agic, m iracles, and games, and The W hite House Goes to the M ovies w h ic h draw s on A lb e rt H u n t's passion fo r film s and is in tw o parts M r. Joh nson Goes to T o w n and We Was W ith Y ou a t R ig o le tto 's .

A t any one tim e th e T ro u p e has tw o o r th re e shows in th e available re p e rto ire and ho ld s th e m fo r six m o n th s o r so. In a d d itio n , th e y w o rk in th e c o m m u n ity in w h ic h th e y fin d them selves, d o in g w o rk s h o p s w ith kids, organising w om e ns' m eetings, o r p ro m o tin g g ia n t games over a pe rio d o f fo u r to six weeks. In T o w n s v ille , fo r exam ple, th e y set up a m o n ste r game o f Snakes and Ladders and in v ite d pe ople fro m such groups as th e A b o rig in a l Legal Service, T rade U nion s, F riends o f th e E arth , A r t S tude nts, and M us­ icians to p a rtic ip a te . In th e end, up w a rds o f 10 00 m em bers o f th e p u b lic jo in e d in th e event fo r ju s t on fiv e h e ctic hours.

W atchin g th e m chat w ith a fe w tra in e e teachers over a fre e cup o f tea a fte r th e p e rfo rm ­ ance, o r before -han d as some prisoners he lp th e m set up fo r a show , one realises th a t th e real value o f th e tro u p e is th a t it is c o m m itte d to th e idea o f being " p o p u la r " b y w h ic h one means " o f th e p e o p le ". I t is th is care and c o n s id e ra tio n fo r all sorts and c o n d itio n s o f m en w h ic h flo w s o u t o f th e ir plays in to th e ir lives. O f course, th e y fa il as o fte n as th e y succeed in th is d if f ic u lt ta s k — b u t I salute th e m w ith all m y heart fo r try in g .

THEATRE EPHEMERA is looking for an experienced

WARDROBE SUPERVISOR who w ill be a fully-trained cutter with several years theatre experience of all facets of costume making and adept at interpreting designs econ­ omically within our budgets.

There w ill be frequent opportunities to design costumes for the Upstairs and Downstairs Theatres and the successful man or woman will be available from the beginning of June.

Apply in writing with full detailsof experience to the Production Manager, Nimrod Street Theatre Company Ltd., 500 Elizabeth Street,Surry Hills, SYDNEY 2010.

Theatre-Australia requests that all theatres lodge with them press release, programme, playbill and photos of each production mounted. These will be indexed and carefully preserved as archive material and an information resource for interested parties. Any older m ate ria l fro m th e a tre s or individuals would also be welcomed.

PRESERVE THE PAST Send material freight c.o.d. to Theatre-Australia 7 President Place, New Lambton Heights, N.S.W. 2305.

Page 42 Theatre-A ustraU a March-April, 1977

H O W A RE YOU HOLY TRINTTY? Paul Sherman on the Brisbane P ro -A m Theatres

Brisbane's currently dispersed network of theatres is hard fo r the outsider or new­ comer to map. Twenty years ago I remem­ ber the scene was dominated by a Holy T rin ity -T w e lfth Night, B.A.T. and Rep­ ertory.

W hen I firs t played w ith T w e lfth N ig h t the n, R hoda Felgate d ire c te d us in M a cbeth on a s tu rd y , ’serviceable E liza beth an stage w h ic h we b u ilt w ith in th e o ld A lb e rt H all (n o w d e m olishe d fo r th e c o u rty a rd o f th e S.G.1.0 .) A ll th e groups shared the A lb e rt, and we w ere all am ateurs, exce pt th a t some o f th e leads d id A .B .C . radio.

As Sparger says in K e n n e d y 's C h ild re n , "W e d id plays . . . w ith o u t w o rry in g w h e th e r we w ere going to be a h it, o r becom e a star, o r get a grant, o r a n y th in g else . . . e x c e p t w h e th e r w e w anted to do i t . " N ow days th e scene is very d iffe re n t. The H o ly T r in ity survives b u t, exce pt fo r La B o ite (R e p e rto ry ), th e m o st v ita l and in n o v a to ry w o rk com es fro m a clu s te r o f sm aller the atre s, o fte n stapled b y C .A .E . and U n iv e rs ity stu d e n ts, and o th e r yo u n g people.

T w e lfth N ig h t, a fte r a road d e v e lo p m e n t razed its G o w rie H a ll, slaved and saved u n d e r Joan W halley (w h o else c o u ld get us to a c tu a lly shovel coal?) to b u ild its grey em inence at inne r sub urba n B ow en H ills . A lw a y s b a ttlin g a m o ns­

tro u s d e b t, th e th e a tre c lim b e d occasional peaks (lik e Ted G raig's p ro d u c tio n o f Three Sisters and M a lc o lm R o b e rtso n 's S u m m e r an d S m oke ) a fte r it w e n t profession al. N o w th a t th e S tate has b o u g h t the th e a tre , th e co m p a n y pays rent instead o f in te re st. A p p ro p ria te ly , th e firs t play fo r 1977 is to be D angerous C o rn e r (in c lu d in g reliables in T V p e rs o n a lity B abette Stephens and the M u ir-S m ith s , Jerem y and Ros). M ost B risbane th e a tre people ow e m o re th a n a little to T w e lfth N ig h t, and are h o ping th e c u rre n t c o rn e r is tu rn e d safely. T .N .T . has proved b e fo re th a t it has th e P hoe nix fa c to r.

B .A .T .—Brisbane A m a te u r T h eatres—is no w Th e A rts . A lw a y s a frie n d ly , fa m ily sort o f th e a tre , its a d u lt casts w ere m o th e re d b y th e late Jean T ru n d le and its c h ild re n 's groups w ere th e special apple o f Y vo n n e H o o p e r's eye. Its firs t ho m e on P etrie Terrace having been trie d b y fire , th e A rts re b u ilt w ith m o desty and n o w has a secure base. T h o u g h o cca sio n a lly flir tin g w ith an u n k n o w n p la y (as once w ith m y M elba) th e A rts prefers a fa ir ly "s a fe " re p e rto ire .

T h o u g h e a rly th is year th e y 'll be o u t in th e breakers w ith V irg in ia W o o lf, th e y 'll be back w ith in th e reef la te r w ith N ig h t M u st F a ll and The M an W ho Came To D in n e r. A u s tra lia n dram a w ill be represe nted—b y The S h iftin g H eart.

W ith no apologies to th e Q .T .C ., th e th e a tre

S u m m e r S c h o o l d ram a fo r teachers a t K e lv in G rove C .A .E ., Brisbane.

th a t re a lly trie s to k ic k B risbane along is La B o ite , o p e ra tin g on a mere m orsel o f th e State T h e a tre 's sub sid y. L o o k in g lik e a tre n d y ch u rch fro m th e o u tsid e . La B o ite is a s q u a re ly-ro u n d th e a tre ju s t across th e road fro m th e o u te r en tran ce to Brisbane's biggest th e a tre -in -th e ro u n d , th e Lang Park R u g b y League fie ld —so h o w a b o u t a fly in g ta c k le soon at S to re y's The C hanging R o o m ?

F o llo w in g d y n a m ic w o m e n d ire c to rs B abette S tephens and J e n n ife r B locksidge , La B o ite no w has a d o u g h ty m ale skip p e r in R ic k B iIlin g h u rs t, w h o was re c e n tly bre a th in g fire at me w h ile he was s im u lta n e o u s ly settin g lig h ts fo r B u lls h o t C ru m m o n d and le c tu rin g on th e need fo r "h e re and n o w " plays. L o o k in g at th e lights, I rem em ­ bered a N o rth Brisbane C .A .E . stu d e n t k icke d a fo o tb a ll in to one d u rin g B ig Men F ly th e re a fe w years ago.

La B o ite has retained m uch o f its o ld R eper­ to r y prestige w h ile going fu ll- o u t fo r new, young b lo o d . Y oun g stagers, m id d le stagers, a d u lt acto rs and w rite rs w o rk b u s ily in and u n d e r th e th e a tre , and in th e o ld cottage beside it. "T h e re 's 160 pe ople in volve d in th e a tre here every w e e k,” says R ic k .

La B o ite 's b ill fo r 1977 ranges fro m Seneca's O edipus to ro c k and ro ll. B u t th e m ost a m b itio u s p ro je c t is th e staging o f plays b y th re e Queens­ land p la y w rig h ts . L o rn a B ol's T re a d m ill and

T h e a tre -A u stra lia March-April, 1977 Page 43 p riz e -w in n e r J ill Shearer's The K ite and The B o a t w ill rub shoulders w ith veteran George L. D ann's In B e a u ty I t Is Finished.

La B o ite is a strong s u p p o rte r o f Queensland P laylab, w h ic h is organising a Queensland P lay­ w rig h ts ' C onference at La B o ite on th e firs t w eek-end in A p ril, c o in c id in g w ith th e Queens­ land season.

Brisbane co u ld do w ith m o re o f th e fa ith in local w rite rs th a t is fo u n d at La B o ite . T here it operates n o t o n ly at th e a d u lt level, b u t w ith th e "m id d le stagers" -w h e r e D e'Ja Vu b y you ng w rite r S im on C a rrin g to n is n o w being developed.

T h e re has also been a h e a lth y d e v e lo p m e n t at N o rth Brisbane C .A .E . w here Greg R udd has been able to have his one-act plays p e rfo rm e d b y fe llo w stud ents and to pro d u ce his o w n and o th e r fu ll-le n g th plays. N o w a teacher, Greg s till com es back to w o rk w ith th e s tu d e n t’s S pikers U n io n , a g ro u p th a t is re a lly alive and k ic k in g .

In to u rin g plays b y Q ueenslanders, n o ta b ly B ille B ro w n 's S pring le trilo g y , th e Q .T .C .'s e d u c a tio n d e p a rtm e n t u n d e r M u rra y F o y is in tu n e w ith th e m ost pro m is in g T .I.E . w o rk o f o th e r groups. Th e new emphases on open-ended T h e a tre -in -E d u c a tio n w o rk do n o t reduce the need fo r " fe e d e r " s cripts. Indeed, th e y w id e n th e vistas fro m w h ic h dram a resources need to be d ra w n . T h o u g h th e ir aim s go b e y o n d th e serving o f a s c rip t, th e y m u st u ltim a te ly s tim ­ ula te local w ritin g , especially am ong th e you ng.

D aring and in v e n tiv e use o f even classical m a terial has been d e m o n s tra te d b y B ryan Nason's G rin and T o n ic playe rs. His W ill Shakespeare in Lo ve is no mere m e dley o f p o tte d Shakespeare, b u t a d y n a m ic pre s e n ta tio n o f a th e m e , handled w ith th e h a rm o n io u s energy o f team w o rk th a t has alw ays characterised th e best o f his m a ny endeavours.

A live ly new th e a tre is C am erata, adapted fro m a fo rm e r ba kery ju s t d o w n th e road fro m th e som ew hat larger hom e o f Q ueensland's G o ve rn o r. A t present D avid G ittin s (a P laylab en thusiast) has th e challenge o f staging The W in te r's Tale in C am erata's re a lly in tim a te space.

F u tu re plans in c lu d e C hekhov's The Seagull, Sam Shepard's A c tio n o f S hepard, F o rd 's w ellseasoned T /s p it y she's a w hore, m o d e rn Polish d ra m a tis t R osew icz's W hite M arriage and A rth u r M ille r's A V ie w fro m the B ridge. C am erata has declared its inte rest in local plays, so I guess th e y 're s till lo o k in g .

W h ile U n iv e rs ity s tu d e n ts are h o p e fu l th a t a U tah grant w ill enable th e C em ent B o x (u nder th e prestigious b u t expensive S chon ell) to be re-opened, stud ents are at present p e rfo rm in g at th e A rts . T h e C .A .E .'s are alive and h u m m ing .

N o rth Brisbane, as w e ll as its S pikers U n io n , is being a venue fo r local regional th e a tre and has m any plans, in c lu d in g personal appearances b y local poets, b e ginnin g on A p ril 20. K e lv in G rove C o m m u n ity w ill fo llo w K e n n e d y 's C h ild re n w ith S to re y 's H om e , and K e n n e d y d ire c to r G ary O 'N e il is already s c rip tin g a G ershw in p ro ­ gram m e. K e lv in G rove College T h eatre w ill d o C harlie G irl in A p r il. S tu d e n ts w o rk in g w ith Peter Lavery are in to a s tun ning p a ir-up o f a T u d o r In te rlu d e A l l fo r M o n e y and A lb e rt H u n t's We was w ith y o u a t R ig o le tto 's , sharing the same set. Last year's O rsin o te lls me he m ay be M a rily n M o n ro e in R ig o le tto 's . Lets hope m ore th a n some lik e it h o t!

S to p Press: A fte r w ritin g th is a rtic le , I have heard news th a t C amerata is having some p ro ­ blem s o f locale. It seems th a t c o m p la in ts to the C ity C o u n cil a b o u t noise and pa rk in g have led C am erata to seek o th e r theatres fo r fu tu re shows.

W in te r's Tale d ire c to r D avid G ittin s te lls m e th a t th e Shakespeare season w ill open fo r fiv e weeks fro m A p ril 7 at the A v a lo n Th eatre, S ir Fred S chon ell D rive , St. Lucia.

Page 44 Theatre-A ustraU a March-April, 1977

THE V A R IE T Y INDUSTRY'S M O N TH LY BIBLE. . .

Did you know that in our February cover story we covered 34 production shows touring the club circuit?

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WHAT THE BUTLER 5AW

by Joe Orton

Friday 25 March to 16 April

MATINEES:

v ABSURD N PERSON

Saturday 2 April.

11 June, 9 July, 6 August at 2.15 p.m.

SINGULAR}

by Alan Ayckbourn

Friday 22 July to 13 August

SPECIAL SCHOOL PERFORMANCES

■)£ plus a popular extra to tour the Clubs

C

HAMLET

a m l e t

S P O R T IN G D O U B LE

by William Shakespeare

Friday 27 May to 18 June

4 PLAYS at the HUNTER THEATRE Merewether plus CLUB TOUR

New Play

by John O'Donoghue

Friday 24 June to 16 July

THE LES DARCY SHOW

by Jack Hibberd THE ROY I H MURPHY SHOW

by Alexander Buzo

H

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Cnr The Terrace and Tyrrell Street, Newcastle 2300 PHONE 26 2526

Guest director:

[A.H. 69 2979]

John Tasker A rtistic Director:

Terence Clarke

T h e a tre -A u s tra lis March-April, 1977 Page 45

About fifty theatre people from drama, film and music groups, from entrepren­ eurial and educational bodies, and a few cultural bureaucrats, took part in the recent short pilot course in theatre admin­ istration arranged by the National Institute o f Dramatic A rt at the request of the New South Wales Government.

Back in the n in e te e n th c e n tu ry , th e careers o f such A u stra lia n th e a tre p e rsona lities as George C o p p in , George D a rre ll, A lfre d D am p ier and W illia m s o n , to m e n tio n o n ly a fe w , sho w th a t th e a tre managers o fte n p ro m o te d th e m ­ selves fro m th e ranks o f successful actors.

T o d a y th e a tre a d m in is tra tio n needs special­ ised tra in in g . P u b lic assistance to th e p e rfo rm in g arts has b ro u g h t w ith i t th e dem and fo r p u b lic c o n tro l ove r h o w th e m o ney is spent. A c c o u n t­ a b ility has vastly increased and professional s k ills are n o w essential.

G oo d th e a tre a d m in is tra to rs m ust, how ever, be m ore th a n ju s t e ffic ie n t business managers.

A n awareness o f th e im p a c t on m anagem ent o f a rtis tic c rite ria is v ita l, and th e success o f a th e a tre co m p a n y hinges on th e existe nce o f a ha rm o n io u s and creative re la tio n s h ip betw een th e a d m in is tra tio n side and th e a rtis tic d ire c tio n o f th e en terp rise.

T h e purpose o f th e recent N .I.D .A . course was to su p plem e nt th e kno w le d g e o f people alre ady w o rk in g in th e p e rfo rm in g arts w ith a d d ito n a l skills and in fo rm a tio n designed to he lp th e m fu n c tio n m o re e ffe c tiv e ly as th e a tre a d m in is tra to rs . A m o n g th e m a ny salient facts and figu res e x p o u n d e d at th e m eetings, th e fo llo w in g q u o ta tio n s and re m arks seem p a rt­ ic u la rly n o te w o rth y :

On THE ARTS " T h e A rts are one of the measures o f a country's civilisation"—Dale T u rn b u ll (P re sid ent o f th e B oard o f D ire c to rs o f th e O ld T o te Theatre C o m p a n y),

and THE PEOPLE " T h e theatrical companies th a t are going to survive are going to be th e ones who do things professionally" M r. T u rn b u ll p rophe sied, having c o m m e n te d on a tre n d to w a rd s th e p a y m e n t o f d ire c to rs w h o at present, d e spite th e ir serious re sp o n sib ilitie s , s till act in an h o n o ra ry cap a c ity .

He said th a t th e s e lectio n o f plays fo r th e c o m ­ pa ny's re p e rto ire "should be made by the A r t­ istic D irecto r".

"T h e atre is a people in d u s try "—Peter S m ith (S tra n d E le c tric ) ta lk e d a b o u t p ro d u c tio n b u d g e tin g in th e ro le o f Stage D ire c to r, advising pe ople to lo o k at th e ph ysica l cha racte ristics o f th e ir the atre s, to plan w e ll ahead, keep o n ly one o rd e r b o o k b u t also a big b o o k fo r notes and ch e cklists w hen de legating a u th o r ity .

"G oo d publicity people are born, not m ade"— Barbara James (fo rm e rly J.C .W .'s p u b lic ity o ffic e r) said th a t, keeping in m in d th a t y o u r firs t d u ty is to m anagem ent, th e p rim a ry task is exte nsive research in to th e th e a tre organisa tion y o u are serving, th e ir 'p ro d u c t' and th e audience y o u aim to reach. The e s ta blishm e nt o f good re la tio n s w ith th e Press are th e ne xt m o st im p o rt­ a n t fa c to r. " I'd rather have an inefficient girl who is co urte­ o u s"—M o n ica Preston (T h e a tre Manager, O ld T o te ), he rself h ig h ly e ffic ie n t and m e tic u lo u s , o u tlin e d b o x o ffic e procedures w h ic h are organ­ ised so th a t she "can tell instantly how m any tickets are sold" and to w h o m and w h e n , back to th e firs t T o te p e rfo rm a n c e o f The C herry O rch a rd in 1963. " A n y adm inistrator is only as good as his staff" —

The People Industry Compiled by Marlis Thiersch E liza beth S w eeting (fo rm e r A d m in is tra to r o f th e O x fo rd Playhouse, at present D ire c to r o f th e S outh A u s tra lia n d iv is io n o f th e A rts C o u n c il o f A u s tra lia ) th o u g h t th a t because o f th e increas­ in g ly c o m p le x and th e re fo re fascin ating elem ent o f a c c o u n ta b ility w h ic h is tie d up w ith th e tra in ­ ing o f arts a d m in is tra to rs , th e re is a necessity fo r changes in th e basic a ttitu d e —w h ic h needs to be m ore im a g in a tiv e —and in th e p sych o lo g y o f a d m in is tra tio n - w h ic h she sees as being som e­ w h a t negative at present. S k ills o f a new k in d , she said, w o u ld be re quire d in fu tu re and she e x h o rte d people to "th in k positive". Respons­ ib ility and con cern w ere th e m o st necessary q u a litie s in the ru n n in g o f th e a tre as a business, a c on cern fo r th e hu m an beings and fo r the hum an ta le n t o f w h ic h th e a tre has a lo t to sell.

THE ORGANISATIONS "O ne o f th e weakest Unions (E q u ity )" —M ike C rosby (T hea tre O rganiser fo r A c to r's E q u ity ) d e plore d th e rate o f u n e m p lo y m e n t am ong th e actin g profession w hen discussing the "re a so n ­ a b ly g o o d ” Federal and S tate G o ve rn m e n t awards th a t govern actors. He said th e y sho uld be payed m ore and th a t awards o n ly set th e m in im u m p a y m e n t, w a rn in g th a t 'c u t- o ff' rates ge nera lly w o rk against th e acto rs' interests.

"We are in the business o f co m m un ication "— F a ith M a rtin (a cto rs', d ire c to rs ’ and w rite rs ' agent) o u tlin e d th e sensitive re la tio n s h ip b e t­ ween th e a tre artists and th e ir agents, saying th a t a d m in is tra to rs sho uld beware o f ta k in g a d va n t­ age o f th e ir stro ng p o s itio n in being able to p u t d o w n c o n d itio n s o f w o rk . B elieving in th e w o rk ­ shopping o f new m a te ria l, she saw stro ng poss­ ib ilitie s in th e co -o p e ra tio n betw een produce rs, p e rform ers and p la y w rig h ts and w o u ld lik e to see new people given some chance, and a gam ble take n by m anagem ents on new and fresh tale nts.

THE MARKET "D e fin e your m arket; get as much as the m arket will pay but set realistic prices; sell a show; there is a tendency to charge to o little; d o n 't w ork on the assumption o f to o much subsidy, face realit y " - D o n a ld M cD o n a ld (G eneral Manager, Musica V iva S o c ie ty ) advised w ith m u ch sense on m any aspects o f co m p a n y bu dgetin g. " I t is most im po rtant to kn ow all about the play"—Paul D on (Sales and P ro m o tio n s Manager, O ld T o te ) spoke a b o u t P u b lic ity B udg eting , saying th a t th e p ro m o tio n s schedule m u st be w o rk e d o u t ba ckw ards fro m th e o p ening n ig h t and c o u ld cover a p e rio d o f th re e m o n th s to get ready.

THE MONEY "T h e re is a lot o f money a ro u n d "—K en H o rle r (C o -A rtis tic D ire c to r o f th e N im ro d T h eatre) s tarted o f f his fu n d ra isin g address by s o lic itin g fro m th e p a rtic ip a n ts th e ir acco unts o f e ffo rts to o b ta in fin a n cia l s u p p o rt. These seeming e n tire ly to o m odest, he urged th e m to T h in k Big, A im H igh and Go T o Th e T o p . He emphasised th e im p o rta n c e o f having a d e fin ite , id e n tifia b le and a ttra c tiv e p ro je c t to present to p o te n tia l m o n e y givers, and o u tlin e d tw o o th e r reasons w h y business o r in d u s try m ig h t be indu ced to d o n a te fu n d s to th e arts; n o v e lty , th e rom ance and g la m o u r o f th e th e a tre , and m o ney c o n ­ s ideration s lik e ta x d e d u c ta b ility . " I t is im portant to im prove the clim ate of

opinion towards the arts"—B ob Adam s (S ecret­ ary o f th e T h e a tre Board o f th e A u s tra lia C o u n cil) o u tlin e d th e s tru c tu re and o p e ra tio n o f th e Federal G o ve rn m e n t's arts fu n d in g agency, being at pains to p o in t o u t th e 1977 decrease, b y 37% in real term s, in available fin a n ce fro m th is source. Because it dispenses p u b lic fina nce, th e C o u n cil is inte reste d in audience d e velop­ m e n t, c o m m u n ity p a rtic ip a tio n and th e im p ro v e ­ m e nt in access to th e p e rfo rm in g arts b y de­ prive d groups. A t present a p p ro x im a te ly 50% o f th e a tre p ro d u c tio n costs are covered b y b o x o ffic e revenue in A u s tra lia on average, and the o th e r 50% com e fro m Federal and S tate subsidy.

He m e n tio n e d th e p ro b le m o f ed ucating p o li­ ticia n s in to accepting th a t s u p p o rt fo r th e arts is essential in term s o f the he alth o f th e co m ­ m u n ity .

THE LAW "T h ere is no special virtue in a piece o f paper"— Ken H o rle r (D ire c to r o f th e N im ro d T h eatre) p o in te d o u t th a t verbal c o n tra c ts betw een m anagem ent and p e rfo rm e r are b in d in g and th a t a one-page le tte r o f agreem ent w ith dates and rate o f p a ym e n t was s u ffic ie n t to c o n firm th e o ffe r and acceptance o f e m p lo y m e n t. He also discussed p la y w rig h ts ' ro y a lty pa ym e n ts o f a percentage o f gross b o x o ffic e revenue, insisting th a t a fir m agreem ent is im p o rta n t as success can o fte n cause tro u b le .

THE PLACES "Teachers are the most d iffic u lt people to con­ vince o f the value of theatre and to involve in the program m e"—N oel C islo w ski (N .S.W .

E d u ca tio n D e p a rtm e n t, Speech and D ram a Sec­ tio n ) spoke a b o u t th e T .I.E . approa ch th a t is relevant to th e local area, as w e ll as o f th e o th e r tw o fo rm s o f th e a tre in schools, perform ance s fo r e n te rta in m e n t and p ro d u c tio n s o f set te xts.

"Having got a w h ite elephant is no reason fo r building a rose-pink stable to house it in " — E liza beth S w eeting q u o te d James A gate a propos o f her m isgivings a b o u t w h a t she called "th e menace o f th e m o n o lith " w h ic h threate ns to go bble up th e lions share o f available fu n d in g .

M e n tio n in g th e a lte rn a tiv e p rin c ip le s o f 'raise' o r 'spre ad', she v e n tu re d to say th a t n o w th e several S tate th e a tre com panies w ere established and standards had been raised, th e a tre needed a place in th e c o m m u n ity and th a t 'spread' to d a y is th e o p e ra tive w o rd .

Everyone w h o to o k p a rt in th e course en­ jo y e d it and th o u g h t it a good id e a -a ll exce pt one person—and agreed th e y w o u ld lik e to p a rt­ icipate again in such a course. T here w ere some problem s w ith those fro m sm aller th e a tre c o m ­ panies being confused b y th e c o m p le x a c c o u n t­ ing and b o x o ffic e procedures o f th e O ld T o te .

Lectures seemed a b it long, and m o re w o rksh o p ty p e s itu a tio n s take n b y p ra c titio n e rs w o u ld have been ap precia ted; th e re was stro ng su p p o rt fo r the exte nsion o f the idea to base p ractical exercises on a sm all, fic titio u s th e a tre co m p a n y.

T his cou ld help w ith to p ics such as th e ro le and managing skills o f th e th e a tre co m p a n y a d m in is­ tra to r; the h ierarch y w ith in good m anagem ent; co n tra c ts , righ ts, ro ya ltie s, s u b s c rip tio n ,ta x and legal re sponsib ilitie s. M ost people th o u g h t th is sort o f course sho uld be held every year, th o u g h th e a tte m p t to cover in five days a fie ld th a t in England and th e U.S. is tre a te d in tw e lve m o nths is an a m b itio u s un d e rta kin g .

Page 46 T h e a tre -A u s tra lia March-April, 1977 ___

I H K E C T 0K 8 Y H K G G The spectacular new work of three directors examined in HUGH RORRISON'S view of the West German stage.

Germany has an admirable theatre system.

Its foundations were laid in the eighteenth century when every self-respecting prince and Germany had many princes - main­ tained a court theatre (Hoftheater). With the social emergence of the bourgeoisie in the nineteenth century self respecting civic dignitaries riposted w ith the municipal Salzburg and Hamburg for instance, still stand, sound as the Bank o f England, which indeed these pompous, free standing buildings architecturally resemble. Liter­ ary theory addressed itself to the matter, and in 1784 Friedrich Schiller summed up its conclusion by pronouncing the theatre to be a 'moral institution'. This establishes the context in which German theatre must be viewed. The Germans expect an evening at the theatre to be serious (dark suits and long dresses), even if it is a comedy, and they w ill tolerate a high level of puzzle­ ment and boredom, modestly assuming that something significant may be happen­ ing which is above their heads. For a German, the local theatre is a matter of civic pride, administered and funded by the Ministry of Education on the same footing as schools and universities. The result of these attitudes in the Federal Republic is a network of 75 standing companies, w ith 350 stages across the land which have regular professional perform­ ances. (The German Democratic Republic, which is outside the scope of this article, has 53 state companies.) In the 1974-75 season this network cost 924,000,000 DM (£230m), only 18.4% of total running costs being taken at the box office. This record subsidy has provoked heated argu­ ments about financial priorities, but so far no state theatre has been closed.

W hat are G erm an the atre goe rs c u rre n tly g e t­ tin g fo r th e ta x p a y e rs ' m o ney? The d o m in a n t figu res are th e d ire c to rs . N ew plays lo o k m odest besides the lavishly m o u n te d revivals in w h ic h d ire c to rs m a n ip u la te th e classics fro m S hake­ speare to Ibsen, indeed even A eschylus has been cannibalised la te ly , to s u it radical and o fte n n a rro w in te rp re ta tio n s . The re sult is o fte n v irtu a lly a new play. W hat w o u ld Ibsen's A D o ll's House lo o k lik e if M a g ritte had w ritte n it? Hans N euenfels m ust have asked h im s e lf b e fo re he ta c k le d th e play re c e n tly . T he m o st n o te w o rth y p ro d u c tio n s in the last tw o seasons have com e fro m Peter S tein, Peter Zadek and Claus P eym ann.

Peter S tein's co m p a n y at th e S chaubuhne am H alleschen U fer, B e rlin , is c u rre n tly gestating a Shakespeare p ro d u c tio n (R ic h a rd I I I o r A s Y ou L ik e I t ) te n ta tiv e ly scheduled fo r th e spring. U n lik e th e o th e r subsidised the atre s w h ic h h o ld a b o u t ten p ro d u c tio n s in th e re p e rt­

o ire and o ffe r several o f th e m each w eek, th e S chaubuhne is o n ly c o m m itte d to fo u r p ro d u c ­ tio n s a season in s h o rt runs. Thoroughness and m e tic u lo u s d e ta ilin g m a rk th e S chaubuhne style.

A p la y is m o o te d , debated b y th e fu ll co m p a n y and vote d on . If it is accepted th e d ire c to r and d ra m a tu rg on th e p ro je c t assemble m a terial fo r s tu d y , to p ic s are d is trib u te d to actors, d ire c to rs , designers, d ra m a tu rg s, indeed e ve ryb o d y c o n ­ cerned, and th e co m p a n y em barks on a ro und o f sem inars in w h ic h th e social, p o litic a l and lite ra ry b a ckg ro u n d o f th e p la y is e x p lo re d . As in th e case o f th e ir P ro je c t A n t iq u it y in 1974, th e S chaubuhne in D ecem ber staged th e p ro ­ visional results of th e ir e x p lo ra tio n of E liza b e th a n England in a grandiose exercise in a p plied th e a tre science called Shakespeare's M e m o ry , a seven h o u r h is to ric a l revue on succes­ sive evenings in a d e re lic t f ilm s tu d io . As yo u com e in to th e bare hall w hose w alls are d e c o r­ ated w ith arcadian scenes fro m th e p e rio d , an a c to r is crossing on a tig h t rope, o th e rs are tu m b lin g in th e corners, m o rris-d ancing in th e m id d le , w h ile m usicians w ith a n tiq u e in s tru ­ m ents m in g le w ith th e c ro w d (no seats). A fte r th e fa irg ro u n d fro lic s som e te x tu a l evidence: Erasmus on eating fis h , a p o litic a l speech b y E liz a b e th I, B u rto n on m e la n c h o ly , p u n ctu a te d b y a tu m b ril fu ll o f go rgeo usly a ttire d fo o ls, and a duel fro m R ic h a rd 11, all o ve rla p p in g , s im u lta n ­ eous events, scattered over th e flo o r. 'M use um ' is th e n e x t phase, e n viro m e n ts to w and er th ro u g h , one an a strologe r's s tu d y , a le ctu re on th e in flu e n c e o f th e planets o n th e pa rts o f th e b o d y , d e m o n s tra te d o n a w a x zod ia c m an, a scene fro m T o u rn e u r’s Revenger's Tragedy w ith m uch ham m ed e y e -ro llin g . There are o p u le n t props (K a rl E rnst H e rrm a n n ) lik e th e galleon's h u ll w h ic h disgorged a ric h ly costu m ed pageant (cost. M o id e le B ic k e l). F in a lly actors and au d­ ience reach Shakespeare's Island, and selected passages o f th e Bard are d e live red to w h e t o u r a p p e tite fo r th e p ro d u c tio n , w hen it com es.

T his is S tein's firs t p ro d u c tio n since G o rk y 's S u m m e rfo lk (D ecem ber 1 9 7 4 ), w h ic h to u re d th e E uropean festiva l c irc u it th is year and w ill be seen in L o n d o n in M arch. It is set on a w id e , tu rfe d stage (des. K . E. H e rrm a n n ), banked back and sides, and enclosed in a th ic k e t o f real b irc h tru n k s . It is fla n k e d b y th e verandahs o f tw o daschas, fo r th e year is 1901 and w e are in the fo re s t villas fro m w h ic h profession al m en c o m m u te to M oscdw in th e h o t sum m er season.

Th e characters are all onstage th r o u g h o u t—th e law yers; the harrassed, b le a tin g d o c to r; th e b u ll­ ish, c y n ic a l c iv il en gineer; th e sanguine re tire d fa c to ry o w n e r; th e m e la n c h o ly p o e t—cha uvinists a ll, and th e ir w o m e n hate th e m . D ialog ue flic k e rs in to life in th is very real e n v iro n m e n t, passes fro m one g ro u p to th e n e x t (d e ftly cross-cut, a fe w in s ig n ific a n t w o rd s o v e rla p p in g ), subsides, breaks o u t elsewhere. Th e characters g ro u p and re grou p, b ic k e r, search th e ir souls, p ic n ic , c lu m s ily a tte m p t suicide (flesh w o u n d ) u n til fin a lly a g ro u p crysta llize s a ro u n d W arw ara, a lo n g -s u ffe rin g , open hearted w ife , and th e co o l.

o p tim is tic M aria Lvovna, a d o c to r. T h e y beat a new e x it th ro u g h th e th ic k e t upstage in a gesture o f e m a n c ip a tio n . Dense, g rip p in g the atre , phrased lik e cha m ber m usic, each o f th e 13 acto rs to t a lly , u n fo rc e d ly in ch a ra cte r fro m start to fin is h .

T h is k in d o f f u lly o rch e stra te d , m e tic u lo u s ly d e ta ile d p la y in g o f th o ro u g h ly researched in te r­ p re ta tio n s (G o rk y 's s c rip t was ra d ic a lly reorgan­ ised and exp ande d) has made th e Schaubuhne G erm a n y's u n o ffic ia l n a tio n a l th e a tre o f late, w hen it assumed th e m a n tle th a t th e D e m o cra tic R e p u b lic 's B e rlin e r Ensem ble, sadly in d e clin e, has re lin q u ish e d .

Peter Z a dek's w o rk is a sta rk co n tra s t to the finesse and p o lish o f S tein. Zadek is In te n d a n t ( A r tis tic d ire c to r) at B ochu m , a sm all in d u s tria l c ity in N o rth G erm an y, com p a ra b le w ith S h e ffie ld in E ngland, w h ic h has a strong th e a tric a l tra d itio n going back 50 years. Here Z a d e k has c u ltiv a te d a b rand o f ro ugh th e a tre in an a tte m p t to a ttra c t a b ro a d e r p u b lic than th e tra d itio n a l, ageing m iddle-class season tic k e t h o ld e r w h o had h ith e rto been th e m a in stay o f th e b o x -o ffic e . He and his fe llo w d ire c to rs have fa vo u re d w ritin g th e ir o w n scripts, o f ad apting novels (D a rw in 's J o u rn e y was th e co m p a n y's a cco u n t o f The J o u rn e y o f th e Beagle, and Hans F a lla da's novel L it t le M an, W h a t N o w ? on the fa te o f a shop assistant d u rin g th e in fla tio n in th e tw e n tie s was d ra m a tise d , co m p le te w ith fla p p e rs and a leg-show ). The n a tio n a l c ritic s sneer a t these c o n fe c tio n s , and th e Fallada a d a p ta tio n had a co o l re ce p tio n at th e L o n d o n W o rld T h e a tre season, b u t Zadek rem ains a d o m in a n t fig u re .

Z a dek's K in g L e a r was seen in M ay 1975 at the B e rlin T h e a te rtre ffe n (an annual festiva l o f th e season's te n m ost n o te w o rth y p ro d u c tio n s , chosen b y a ju r y o f c ritic s ) and was subsequently w id e ly to u re d in E uro pe. It was evolved n o t in th e B ochu m P layhouse b u t in a vast p ic tu re palace, w here designer G o tz Lo epelm ann set up som e o ld fla ts and a fe w od d props fro m th e fu r n itu r e store. He also selected a heap o f co s t­ umes fro m th e w a rd ro b e and th e actors were encouraged to w ear w h a te ve r th e y th o u g h t was rig h t fo r th e p a rt, so Regan became a m asochist's dream in a b la c k leather le o ta rd and th ig h b o o ts w h ile C ord elia started o u t in a p in k b a lle rin a 's tu t u . The o p ening sequence set th e s tyle . The audience, as it file d in, saw a circus tro u p e w a rm in g u p , C o rn w a ll fo r exa m ple a beefy stro ng man w ith his nam e o n his chest, fle x in g his muscles. G o n e ril and Regan's d e cla ra tio n s o f a ffe c tio n w ere b la ta n t m o c k e ry , b u t Lear w a s n 't even w a tc h in g . C ord e lia m o u th e d her lines c h ild ­ ish ly and ju m p e d in to Lear's lap. A fte r his w ild o u tb u rs t w hen he banished K e n t, Lear (U .

W ild g ru b e r) cu rle d u p on his th ro n e and stuck his fing ers c h ild is h ly in his m o u th u n d e r his catm ask, p re su m a b ly appalled at his o w n a u d a city.

T h is s ty le was sustained over fo u r hours to see h o w m u ch o f Shakespeare's te x t survived w hen served u p in term s o f p o o r th e a tre , laced w ith g ra n d g u ig n o l (G lo uceste r's eyeballs held up fo r

Theatre-A ustraH a March-April, 1977 Page 47 in sp e ctio n , a hand hacked o f f s till clasping its sw ord , a p in t o f b lo o d splurging fro m th e sleeve e n d ), and occasional pa thos (L e a r carries on C ord elia's naked corpse over his s h o u ld e r).

Zadek's m ost recent a tte m p t at te s tin g a s c rip t to d e s tru c tio n was his H am b urg p ro d u c tio n o f O th e llo , again in a m in im a l set w ith m o tle y custom es (des. P. Papst). T he actin g was s trip p e d o f professional p o lish and reduced to u n p re d ic t­ a b ility and e m o tio n a l in fa n tilis m , and U lric h W ild g ru b e r as O th e llo sweated and c avo rted as a ra n d y b u c k nigger, blacked to th e w a is t, and smearing his D esdem ona c o p io u s ly fo re and a ft as he em braced her. She appeared in a series o f costum es f i t fo r a W estern F irs t La dy o f the m o re vulga r s o rt. In th e fin a l scene O th e llo chased her ro und the darkened stage, w restled w ith her on th e bed, tie d her up w ith sheets, draped her over a balu strad e lik e a rag d o ll as E m ilia approached, th e n fin a lly to bed fo r a d y in g flin g b e fo re th e V ene tian a u th o ritie s ta ke over.

Th e fir s t n ig h t audience alm o st rio te d a fte r O th e llo , and th e c ritic s w ere c o o l, b u t th e p ro ­ d u c tio n has fo u n d an audience and is m uch in dem and. S tu ttg a rt, M a nnhe im and Belgrade have already seen it, B e rlin , M u n ic h and Z u ric h are a b o u t to , and th is is a measure o f th e inte rest d ire c to ria l e xp e rim e n ts co m m a n d in G e rm a n y — in th e West th a t is. The B e rlin e r Ensem ble trie d to d o a Zadek w ith S trin d b e rg 's Miss J u lie and was q u ic k ly re prim a nde d b y o ffic ia ld o m , the p ro d u c tio n disappearing a fte r a h a n d fu l o f per­ form ances.

S om ew here be tw een S tein and Za dek we m u st place Claus Peym ann w h o has p u t th e W urttem be rgische s S chauspiel S tu ttg a rt am ong th e to p th re e theatres in G erm an y since b e co m ­ ing In te n d a n t in 19 74. P eym ann made his name d ire c tin g new plays such as Peter H andke's The R ide o ve r La ke Constance (B e rlin , 19 71) and Thom as B ernhard's The Ign ora m us an d the L u n a tic (S alzburg Festival, 19 72) and he s till cu ltiva te s new w ritin g in S tu ttg a rt, b rin g in g o u t B o th o Strauss' K n o w n Faces, M ix e d Feelings and G e rlin d Reinshagen's S und ay's C h ild re n , a re con­ s tru c tio n o f th e life in a sm all G erm an to w n d u r­ ing W o rld W ar 11 seen th ro u g h th e eyes o f a c h ild , last year.

He has a big , ta le n te d c o m p a n y and last year decided to stre tc h its ta le n ts w ith an in tra c ta b le classic, H e in ric h von K le is t's K a th c h e n von H e ilb ro n n a rom ance o f c h iv a lry w ritte n in 1808.

Th e dram aturgs w ere fascinated b y th e the m e, an a u th o rita ria n love s to ry (th e village g irl and th e c o u n t) c o m b in e d w ith a u to p ia n vis io n o f love (K a th ch e n falls in love w ith W e tte r vom S tra h l at firs t sight and s tic k s to h im to the ha ppy en d). It is a pla y fu ll o f b o ld , naive fa iry ta le s itu a tio n s , and P eym ann managed to invest its p a n to m im e e ffe c ts w ith p o e tic phantasy.

K a th ch e n 's rival K u n ig u n d e , a m ediaeval vam p, was costum ed in sequined tig h ts and a leopardskin to p . She ensnares S tra h l w ith a song, and as she does so da rts to and fro across the stage, an ch o rin g h im to th e flo o r in a rope w eb, a te ll­ ing im age, p u lle d o f f to p e rfe c tio n . W here K le ist sends K a th ch e n in to a b u rn in g castle to rescue a casket as an angel hovers overhead, A c h im F reyer fille d th e p la s tic m arquee on th e stage w ith blue sm oke. It collapsed on K a th c h e n , w h o emerged unscathed fo llo w e d b y a rouged angel a fte r the s ty le o f a naive, w inge d C hristm as c a n dleho lder.

T h e w it and inventiveness o f Freyer's designs and costum es c o n trib u te d m uch to th e pla y 's success. F o r th e fin a le , S trah l and K athch en w a ltze d ro u n d th e stage, th e la tte r w ith a sm o o th d o ll's face on the back o f her head, so th e au d­ ience sees firs t Lo re B ru n n e r's peasant face, th e n th e sm o o th mask, p e rfe c tly expressing K le is t's strange m ix tu re o f realism and phantasy.

A b o v e : K le is t's Das K atche n von H e ilb ro n n in S tu ttg a rt.

P h o to : A . T u lla m

B e lo w : P eter Z a d e k's H am b urg S chauspielhaus p r o d u c tio n o f O th e llo

So in G erm an y at th e m o m e n t w e have S tein, radical in p o litic s , conservative in sty le , p ro d u c ­ ing d e fin itiv e , m e tic u lo u s ly prepared p ro d u c ­ tio n s , and in c o n tra s t S hocke r Zadek e x p lo itin g effects o f c ru d ity and ba thos in a s ty le th a t keeps

the audience at a pe rplexe d distance. Between th e m Peym ann indulges his phantasies and those o f his designer, b u t keeps ho m in g in on th e heart o f th e pla y, in to w h ic h he absorbs th e audience as th e play progresses, A ris to te lia n th e a tre in its m o dern w ay.

Page 48 T h e a tre -A u s tra lia March-April, 1977

THEATRICAL PROJECTION AN D ED UCATIO N AL ENTERPRISE Keith Hudson ence; oth e rs m ay say it is his o w n fa u lt. Perhaps S onia, bra ve ly e n d u rin g at th e end o f th e pla y, seems th e m ost noble cha racte r; y e t if o n ly she had show n a little m ore in itia tiv e she c o u ld have had A s tro v p e rfe c tly easily. O r w o u ld she, p e r­ haps, have been wasted o n him ? A n d so o n . Th e n e tw o rk o f pe rsona lities and fee lin gs is so d e li­ ca te ly in te rw o v e n th a t we can speculate e n d ­ lessly.

S tu d e n ts w e n t in groups o f th re e , arm ed in itia lly w ith a s h o rt and easily recognisable m im e on a 'goodies and ba ddies' the m e. T h ey p e rfo rm e d th is , and led o n t o a discussion a b o u t th e essentials o f dram a; th is was fo llo w e d b y a second m im e , w h ic h started in th e same w ay as th e firs t b u t som ehow s h ifte d th e audience's s y m p a th y so th a t it becam e ha rder to decide w h o was in fa c t good and w h o bad. The p o in t to be m ade was th a t dram a shows c o n flic ts , som etim es betw een easily id e n tifia b le rig h ts and w ron gs, and som etim es, m o re in te re s tin g ly , a m b ig u o u sly.

The s tu d e n ts th e n led th e classes in a n u m ber o f c o n flic t exercises, at firs t in pairs and th e n d e m o n s tra tin g th e a d d itio n a l c o m p lic a tio n s o f threesom es. We spent some tim e on th is , and it p ro v o k e d a great deal o f inte reste d discussion; m o st o f th e p u p ils had d o ne no pra ctica l dram a b e fo re , and th e response we go t suggested th a t it m ig h t go very w e ll, p a rtic u la rly w ith th e m ore in te llig e n t classes. O n ly a fte r all th is was U n d e Vania m e n tio n e d . We gave some in fo rm a tio n a b o u t C h e kh o v and his s ty le o f w ritin g , as w e ll as a synopsis o f th e b a ckg ro u n d to th e a c tio n o f Vania. The d ra m a tic s itu a tio n is b a sica lly th a t o f tw o in tru d e rs fro m th e c ity and th e e ffe cts th e y have on a se ttle d ru ra l w a y o f life . Th e q u e stio n was asked: 'G iven these k in d s o f pe ople all b ro u g h t to g e th e r in th e same house, w h a t c o n ­ flic ts w o u ld y o u e xp e ct to arise?'

Mount Gravatt College of Advanced Education, which trains primary and sec­ ondary teachers, offers a major elective sequence of courses in Drama, of which one course is entitled broadly T w entieth Century Theatre'. In 1976 we undertook a slightly more ambitious project than usual by producing Chekhov's Unde Vania at La Boite Theatre.

We aim ed th is to be n o t m e re ly a th e a tric a l p ro je c tio n b u t also an e d u c a tio n a l e n te rp ris e : we o b ta in e d the c o o p e ra tio n o f fiv e Brisbane high schools and made plans to ta k e f i f t h and s ix th fo rm English classes in these schools d u rin g th e fo r tn ig h t preceding the p ro d u c tio n . V e ry little dram a is ta u g h t in Q ueensland schools, and o u r idea was th a t o u r s tu d e n ts sho uld a tte m p t to in tro d u c e dram a in such a w a y th a t w hen the school stud ents saw U n d e Vania th e ir p e rc e p tio n and hence th e ir e n jo y m e n t w o u ld be increased.

A fte r the p la y we w o u ld v is it th e schools once m ore to discuss issues arising and to receive feedback.

We spent a m o n th w o rk in g o u t h o w to e x p la in w h a t dram a is and w h y people d o it, and w h y we th o u g h t C hekh ov d id it p a rtic u la rly w e ll.

U ltim a te ly we de cid ed th a t dram a arises fro m an a tte m p t to id e n tify and deal w ith th e eternal struggle betw een 'g o o d ' and 'b a d '. We n o te d th a t in the less s o p histicated fo rm o f dram a these d is tin c tio n s are alw ays clear c u t, and th e re is little danger o f an audience n o t k n o w in g w hose side th e y s ho uld be o n ; y o u can te ll w h ic h c o w ­ b o y is the hero because he alw ays rides a w h ite horse, fo r instance.

As th e audiences' exp erien ce o f d ram a and powers o f d is c rim in a tio n d e velop, how ever, these d is tin c tio n s becom e m o re b lu rre d , and th e c o n flic t becom es m ore sub tle. P olicem en are show n to have th e ir hum an failin g s, th e red indians m ay have been in the rig h t a fte r all. Th e sim ple s a tis fa c tio n o f k n o w in g th a t ju s tic e has triu m p h e d in th e end is replaced b y a m ore re fin e d pleasure: th a t o f w e igh ing th e p ro s a n d cons and d ire c tin g th e a p p ro p ria te a m o u n t o f sy m p a th y to e ith e r side; and th a t o f fe e lin g the balance o f one's sym p athies w ave and change as th e pla y reveals new insights in to th e cha r­ acters. We fo u n d it illu m in a tin g to com pare recent and o ld film s and T .V . d ram a, and assess th e stories and the m e th o d s o f p re s e n ta tio n .

W hen we ap proached C h e k h o v fro m th is d ir-

Vania witnesses an em brace be tw een A s tro v & Ye!iena

e c tio n , we saw h im as a h ig h ly so p h istica te d p la y ­ w rig h t. It is hard to establish clear c u t rig h ts and w ron gs in his plays, and to see w here his o w n sym p athies lay; perhaps w ith all his characters, perhaps w ith none. O u r o w n sym p athies m ay be e q u a lly a m b iva le n t. In 'U n c le V a n ia ' in p a rtic ­ ular, some pe ople m ay sym p athise w ith Y eliena , im p ris o n e d in a te d io u s m arriage to a m an o ld enough to be her g ra n d fa th e r; oth ers m ay dism iss her as a m a n ip u la tin g b itc h . Som e m ay feel fo r V ania, as he bew ails his fru s tra tio n and im p o t­

A second and m o re su b tle q u e stio n was: 'G iven th a t these people all th in k o f them selves as p o lite and c iv ilis e d , h o w w ill th e ir c o n flic ts m ake them selves ap p a re n t? ' T h is q u e stio n goes to th e ro o t o f C hekh ov's s ty le ; antagonism s are sho w n in tin y w ays, som etim es v e rb a lly b u t som etim es o n ly b y slig h t m o vem en ts o r gestures w h ic h m ay be im p e rc e p tib le to an u n tra in e d observer. If, fo r instance, th e classes decided th a t the re m ig h t be h o s tility betw een S onia and her new , y o u n g and a ttra c tiv e ste p m o th e r, th e y w ere asked to w a tc h th e tw o actresses closely fo r signs o f it.

F o llo w in g th is , each g ro u p o f stud ents pres­

T h e a tre -A u stra lia March-April, 1977 Page 49 ented a s h o rt e x tra c t fro m th e p la y , w ith th e aim o f d e m o n s tra tin g some o f th e diffe re n ce s betw een the s c rip t on the page and th e p la y on th e stage, and show ing h o w one starts w ith the firs t and g ra d u a lly w o rk s to w a rd s th e second.

One g roup to o k th e arg u m e n t in A c t 1 betw een V ania and his m o th e r; started b y reading it; th e n acted it adhering c lo se ly to th e s c rip t and sequence o f lines; and fin a lly gave a fre e r re n d e r­ ing in w h ic h it became clear th a t it is th e feeling o f bad te m p e r w h ic h co u n ts , ra th e r th a n w h a t e x a c tly is said.

O th e r groups w o rk e d on th e Y e lie n a —Sonia re la tio n s h ip . Is Y e liena 's o ffe r o f frie n d s h ip in A c t II genuine? Has she S onia's interests re ally at he art, o r is she a callous m a n ip u la to r? The te x t w ill bear e ith e r in te rp re ta tio n , and d iffe r ­ e n t m ovem ents, expressions, gestures and pos­ itio n s , can con vey tw o q u ite con traste d im press­ ions. Th e im p o rta n c e o f, fo r exa m ple, th e re l­ ative p o sitio n s on stage o f th e tw o w o m e n was illu s tra te d . Y eliena ad m its to Sonia th a t she is n o t ha ppy. If she lo o ks in to S onia's eyes as she says it we get one e ffe c t; if she tu rn s her back w e get q u ite a n o th e r. L a te r S onia says 'Y o u w ill te ll me the tr u th , w o n 't y o u ? '; Y eliena replies 'O f cou rse'. I t proved easy to show h o w an actress can con vey to th e audience h o w serio usly th e y should ta k e Y eliena 's w ord s.

We sent six groups o f th re e stu d e n ts to th e fiv e schools; th e y w ere w e ll received, and came back encouraged fo r th e p ro d u c tio n .

La B o ite , in an act o f fa ith w h ic h w e ap prec­ ia te d , gave us th e th e a tre fo r th re e days, and we d id e ve ryth in g ourselves. We playe d three nights, w ith one m atinee. We had p re d o m in a n tly you ng audiences at th re e o f th e p e rfo rm a n ce s, b u t on one evening th e audience was m o re m a tu re . I have never k n o w n an audience m ake as m uch d iffe re n c e to a p la y . On th a t evening we present­ ed a som bre, sad p la y ; at each o f th e o th e r p e r­ form an ces it was a genuine c o m e d y (perhaps C hekh ov was rig h t in insisting th a t he was w r it ­ ing com edies). Part o f th e d iffe re n c e was no d o u b t due to th e fa c t th a t it was th e cast's sec­ o n d e ffo r t o f the d a y , and th e y m ay have had less b o unce in th e m ; b u t p a rt at least was due to th e ages o f th e audience. Th e o ld e r audience s im p ly saw a d iffe re n t p la y th ro u g h d iffe re n t eyes, and th e cast responded b y p la y in g w ith m ore re stra in t and pathos. Perhaps it is ju s t th a t w hen yo u are 16 o r 2 0 , th e spectacle o f an in c o m p e te n t 47 yea r-old b e w a ilin g his regrets th a t he has done n o th in g w ith his life is fu n n y ; w hen y o u are m id d le aged it is n o t. Th e d iffe r ­ ence be tw een c o m e d y and tra g e d y is o fte n a m a tte r o f ho w close y o u are stan ding to th e events. T h is in its e lf was a valua ble learning exp erien ce fo r th e stu d e n ts; fo r th e m , to o , the p la y became m o re alive as th e y acted it. The audience show ed th e m new insights all th e tim e .

A n e xa m ple was in V ania's A c t II s o lilo q u y a b o u t Y e lie n a , te llin g ho w d iffe re n t th in g s m ig h t have been if he had fa lle n in love w ith her ten years e a rlie r; th e y w o u ld to n ig h t have been in bed to g e th e r, and she w o u ld have aw oke n, frig h te n e d b y th e s to rm , and he w o u ld have c o m fo rte d her and said 'd o n 't w o rr y , it's all rig h t. I'm here'. M uch to th e a c to r's surprise, th e firs t n ig h t audience gave a h e a rty laugh at th is ; y e t in re trosp ect we agreed th a t yes, th e y w ere rig h t, th e idea o f anyone fee lin g reassured b y th e presence o f a b u m b lin g fo o l lik e V ania was indeed fu n n y (th e fa c t th a t he th o u g h t it was serious, o f course, made it fu n n ie r).

M y o w n m ost sa tis fy in g m o m e n t o f th e p ro ­ d u c tio n was on th e last n ig h t w h e n , in th e fin a l act, A s tro v is irre s o lu te ly hanging a b o u t try in g to spur h im se lf to leave (o r n o t), and th e N anny delays and d is tra c ts h im b y o ffe rin g h im vodka.

T h e re was a silence b e fo re he answered, d u rin g (co nt. page 50)

A b o v e : Yeliena liste n s to Sonia confessing h e r feelings fo r A s tro v .

B e lo w : Sonia a tte m p ts to con sole U n d e Vania a t the close o f the pla y.

Page 50 T h e a tre -A u s tra lia M a rc h -A p ril, 1977 (T .I.E . c o n t. fro m page 4 9 )

M w h ic h th e o n ly m o vem en t was S onia's tu rn in g in her c h a ir to give h im a beseeching lo o k (w h ic h he d id n 't see). In th a t m o m e n t we trie d to re m in d th e audience th a t she had e a rlie r in th e p la y begged h im to be d iffe re n t fro m o th e r men and n o t drag h im s e lf d o w n b y d rin k in g . A fte r th e silence, A s tro v accepts th e o ffe r 'W e ll—perhaps', and in th a t de cisio n fin a lly tra p s h im s e lf in th e ru t th a t he has dug fo r h im s e lf. T h a t is th e last decision fo r A s tro v (and fo r S onia); a fte r th a t th e re is no hope. It is a tin y , u n d ra m a tic m o m ­ e n t, and c a n 't be p laye d to o o b v io u s ly ; th e p o in t is th a t in such t in y , u n d ra m a tic w ays o u r des­ tin ie s are sealed. The m ost pleasing m o m e n t o f th e w h o le p ro d u c tio n was th e q u ie t y e t un m istake able w hispe red 'o o o o h !' fro m 40 Brisbane G irls ' G ra m m a r S chool girls. T h e y s a w th e p o in t!

M y o w n co n c lu s io n was th a t y o u do n o t have to o ffe r c h ild re n s u p e rfic ia l, s im p lifie d ru bbish.

S chool dram a need n o t be 'H iss th e V illa in ' and The C rim son C o co n u t. P ro p e rly prepared, th e y are q u ite capable o f a p p re c ia tin g an honest a tte m p t at a p la y o f q u a lity .

The stud ents vis ite d th e schools once m ore fo r discussion a b o u t th e p la y and p ro d u c tio n , and w ere o fte n surprised b y th e acute pe rcep­ tio n s and in te llig e n t q u e s tio n in g th a t th e y en­ c o u n te re d . We also received w r itte n c o m m e n ts , and I have selected a fe w to illu s tra te ho w w e ll th e schools observed and th o u g h t a b o u t th e play.

'I lik e d th e w a y y o u had to lo o k fo r d o u b le m eanings'.

'T h e e m p ty ro c k in g c h a ir a t th e end was a good s ym b o l w hen it k e p t on ro c k in g '.

'Y e lie n a b ro k e her p a rt w hen she kissed th e d o c to r; th is was n o t ty p ic a l o f Y e lie n a '.

'I d id n 't lik e th e fa c t th a t th e costum es and props w ere in keeping w ith th e p e rio d w h ile th e language th e actors used was m o d e rn and in fo r ­ m a l'.

'I lik e d the s u b tle ty o f the to a st be tw een Sonia and Y eliena (Y e lie n a d id n 't tie th e frie n d ­ ship w ith a sip fro m th e same glass). I disagreed w ith th e in te rp re ta tio n o f V ania's cha racte r, because I d id n 't see h im as s tu p id b u t m o re o f a th o u g h tfu l, c o m p le x c h a ra c te r'.

'T h e th e a tre was good as it seemed to b rin g m ore feelings and e m o tio n s fro m th e actors to me, so th a t I fe lt as i f I c o u ld n e a rly w a lk d o w n o n to th e stage and becom e p a rt o f th e ir life s ty le '.

'T h ere was a b it to o m u ch a d -lib b in g in places; th e y ten d e d to repeat them selves'.

'The pla y d o e s n 't re a lly s u it th e a tre in the ro u n d , a lth o u g h it draw s y o u closer to th e characters'.

'T h e ending was good because it is so d if f e r ­ ent fro m y o u r usual en dings'.

'I d id n 't lik e th e w a y it e n d e d —it d id n 't fin is h h o w everyone exp ected it to '.

U

*

VISION AND William Shoubridge on The Kinetic Energy Dance Compa

I don't think anyone could deny the importance o f the amateur and semiprofessional theatre groups that abound in this country, strewn about under the shadow of the vastly inflated major sub­ sidised theatre companies like so many dog droppings.

T h e ir im p o rta n c e lies n o t so m u ch in d is ­ covering new w o rk o r p e rfo rm in g plays th a t the larger com panies w o u ld n 't to u c h w ith a barge po le , b u t ra th e r in cre ating a g round base o f pe ople inte reste d in th e a tre and p e rfo rm in g and th u s cre ating a m o re d e e p ly c ritic a l audience fo r those subsidised com panies.

In dance, th e p ic tu re is n 't q u ite so rosy.

P ra c tic a lly any fo o l can w a lk in o f f th e stre et, p u t on a co stu m e and act, b u t people w h o are w illin g to go in fo r th e g ru e llin g years o f tra in in g and d a ily exercises as w e ll as th e s trin g e n t self d is c ip lin e to keep them selves in shape ju s t to go in to an a m ateu r dance co m p a n y fo r no fin a n c ia l re m u n e ra tio n , d o n 't e xist.

So w h a t one gets w ith a m ateu r dance c o m ­ panies are c o lle c tio n s o f m iserable h a lf-ta le n ts :

lu m p is h , o v e rw e ig h t and unsexy ( fo r sexiness is a basic p re re q u isite fo r a go od d a ncer).

T h e p e rform ance s are em barassing and dism al in th e e x tre m e w ith th e girls c o n tin u a lly fa llin g o f f p o in te and even v o c a lly a p o logising to th e audience (I'v e seen it h a p p e n !); and th e vastly o u tn u m b e re d men lo o k in g m o re lik e m isplaced fo o tb a lle rs b ro u g h t in o n ly to bear th e stra in o f liftin g ladies.

R e a lly, it's enough to p u t one o f f dance fo r life .

A t th e o th e r e xtre m e we have th e " c o m m it­ te d '' u n iv e rs ity s p in -o ff groups, a d oring "G ra h a m te c h n iq u e ", s n iffin g d is d a in fu lly at classicism and s tu ffin g th e ir program m es w ith obscure q u a si-m ystica l ja rg o n , in e p t m im e , and a p le th o ra o f messy stage and lig h tin g tric k s guaranteed to indu ce fu r y and rage in th e sensitive soul.

So it's w ith a m o re th a n m o d e ra te sense o f re lie f th a t I can m ake fa vo u ra b le m e n tio n o f at least one g ro u p th a t has playe d re c e n tly in S y d n e y : th e K in e tic E nergy Dance C om p any at th e S e y m o u r C entre.

Th e K in e tic Energy g ro u p is n o t to ta lly ama-

a n n McDo n a l d COLLEGE OF DANCING (EST. 19 26) Classes and P rivate T u itio n — B a llro o m , L a tin A m e ric a n , O ld T im e , S ocial, T h e a tric a l, M o dern , Jazz and Classical.

B allet (R .A .D .). E x a m in a tio n s in all fo rm s and G old and S ilver M edal tests, i f re q u ire d :

57 EDWIN STREET, CRO YD O N (next to Railway Station) Th e P h o e n ix: tw o g ia n t b ird s m a n ip u la te d b y e ig h t dancers. "V a s t acre o f p a ra c h u te s ilk . "

Phone 798-8409 J

T h e a tre -A u stra lia March-April, 1977 Page 51

MYTH The Dance of Life Company

te u r: yo u can see th a t fro m the grace and ease w ith w h ic h th e y dance. T he dancers have all had some basic classical tra in in g , and th e y do get a sm all p itta n c e fro m th e A u s tra lia C o u n c il— th o u g h n o t enough to have th e g ro u p to g e th e r o n a c o n tin u a l c o n tra c tu a l basis.

B u t w h a t is in te re stin g is th a t th e y use b o th m o d e rn and classical te c h n iq u e , have merged th e m w e ll, have a co u p le o f choreographers o f great p o te n tia l, and have w o rk s o f in te re s tin g shape and good design—in c lu d in g a co u p le w ith some plan gen t and concise th in g s to say a b o u t m o d e rn life .

One in p a rtic u la r. Past Carirt/ a lth o u g h it m ig h t in d u ce sm art co m m e n ts fro m c e rta in pe ople, is a w o rk th a t once it realises w here it's going and ju s t w h a t it w a n ts to say, has enough c o n te n t to feed a t least tw o o r th re e o th e r dance th e a tre pieces. It comes a t y o u all a heap, im pressions sparking o f f m a ny associations w ith in th e view er. T he im p a c t is c o m p e llin g and d ra m a tic .

O ne m o m e n t especially, w hen a g ro u p o f pe ople are going th ro u g h a series o f to t a lly self

Eugenie K n o x and R o n a ld o in Th e P hoenix.

involved c o n to rtio n s , w ith a cu rio u s pu ll-a n d tw is t fig u ra tio n to a b a ckg ro u n d o f a tele phon e ring ing (never an sw e red !), suggests a w h o le c o m m u n ity w rap ped up in its e lf, to ta lly o b liv ­ ious o f those a round th e m , and even th e n n o t very happy w ith th e th in g s th a t life has given the m .

T h e w o rk th a t closed th e progra m m e at the S e ym o u r C entre was P rim itiv e V isions, inspired

by A b o rig in a l b a rk pa in tings. One tends to d ro o p a t m e n tio n o f th in g s lik e th a t, (u nable to erase th e m e m o ry o f th e A u s tra lia n B allet's C o rro b o ré e ?), b u t th is w o rk e ffe c tiv e ly uses th e shape and s ty le o f th e p a in tings as its basic vo c­ a b u la ry ; an X -ra y e ffe c t, fo r exa m ple, w ith bodies laid o u t on th e flo o r , arms and legs a k im b o as if w a itin g on th e dissector's tab le.

T h e w o rk is concerned w ith basic ritu a ls and survival (h u n tin g and d e a th ), w ith trib a l fo r m ­ atio ns, c h ild b irth and m a tin g . It traverses th e seven ages o f man and clim axe s at th e end w ith th e e n tire c o m p a n y c ra w lin g to g e th e r on th e flo o r and re tu rn in g to th e op e n in g image o f th e ba rk pa in tings. P rim itiv e V isions is an e xce lle n t, sinew y and c o m p le te ly developed piece o f dance dram a. It o n ly goes to prove th a t if y o u lo o k long enough y o u can fin d s tre n g th and w e a lth o f in te lle c t and o r ig in a lity am id st th e m u rk o f the " a m a te u r" dance.

I'm a fra id th a t the Dance O f L ife C om p any

also re c e n tly seen at th e S e y m o u r C entre, is a n o th e r u n fo rtu n a te exa m ple o f th a t m u rk . Th e c re a to r o f th is h o llo w extravaganza-on-a-shoestrin g , Eugenie K n o x , o b v io u s ly has a m ore o v e r-rid in g inte rest in clo th e s and vast acres o f pa rachu te s ilk th a n in creative dance's c a p a city fo r in te llig e n t d e p th .

The P h oe nix is one o f those h o a ry o ld m y th s th a t have been rehashed b y m u ltitu d e s o f earnest y e t u n in spire d dancers and thespians. I d o w ish th e y w o u ld leave it alone. It is a grand, sim ple and b e a u tifu l m y th in its o w n rig h t-a n d tre a ch e r­ ous because o f th a t s im p lic ity . T re a t th e m y th as Miss K n o x has and it lapses in to p u e rilism s like "M a n is ever R eborn and P u rifie d " , " L if e is U n q u e n c h a b le " and o th e r cliches o f th e L o ve /P eace /H ippies/G oodvib es set.

There was o n ly one m o m e n t th a t was w o r th ­ w h ile , and th a t was th e slow progression o f an o ld w om a n w ith a w a lk in g s tic k across th e stage in a th in c o r rid o r o f lig h t to w a rd s her ever decreasing shadow . B u t th a t was soon lost in th e w e lte r o f m usic, c lo th , lig h t and aimless to -in g and fro -in g .

W e've all read H erm an Hesse, K ih a l G ib ra n , G insberg, The H o b b it etc etc, and I've alw ays h a rbou red a nasty fea r th a t soon w e 'd see some so rt o f d e riv itiv e , sim ple m in d e d sub Lind say K e m p th e a tric a l pa gean try o u t o f it all. T his is it.

Page 52 T h e a tre -A u s tra lia March-April, 1977

The Ensem ble Pi David Gyger Carlo Felice Cillario, who served a brief term as musical director of the Australian Opera-its first ever—in 1969-71, suddenly turned this summer into something of a cult figure fo r audiences at the Sydney Opera House. Whereas critics have been divided in their assessment of the artistic merits of some of the work of the current musical director, Richard Boynge, not to mention his predecessor, Edward Downes, scarcely an unkind word has been uttered over the years about Cillario.

O rianna S a n tu n io n e as Tosca.

P a rtic u la rly d u rin g th e past co u p le o f years, he has been c o n s is te n tly co a xin g w e ll above average p e rform ance s fro m the orchestral m us­ icians u n d e r his co m m a n d , in sp irin g th e m tim e a fte r tim e to excel th e ir o w n ever-raising sta n d ­ ards. The firs t and m o st o b vio u s evidence o f th is c o u ld be seen rig h t fro m th e firs t p e rfo rm a n ce o f th e A .O .'s co n c e rt hall A id a in Jan uary 1975, w hen th e E liza b e th a n S ydne y O rchestra emerged fo r th e firs t tim e fro m the subterranean p it o f th e B ennelong P o in t opera th e a tre to pla y in the u n o b s tru c te d a co ustical spaciousness o f th e c o n c e rt h a ll, its n u m e rica l stre n g th also aug­ m e nted due to th e dem ands o f th e score.

Th e visual w o n d e r at T o m L in g w o o d 's designs fo r A id a has d im m e d a little , a fte r three successive seasons have been w ru n g o u t o f sets and costum es o rig in a lly in te n d e d fo r one year's e x p e rim e n ta l use o n ly ; b u t th e aural w o n d e r o f th e c o n c e rt ha ll A id a has increased as orchestra and chorus a like have g ra d u a lly absorbed m ore and m o re o f th e su b tle nuances o f th e A id a score u n d e r th e c o n tin u in g presence o f C illa rio —w h o has so fa r c o n d u c te d every p e rfo rm a n ce o f th is p ro d u c tio n . Such ups and d o w n s as th e re have been have been caused m o s tly b y the ebbs and flo w s o f th e p la to o n s o f soloists w h o have graced th is A id a over tho se th re e seasons.

B u t th is yea r, C illa rio 's ta le n ts have been spread m u ch m o re w id e ly , and to great e ffe c t: d u rin g th e sum m er h o lid a y season ju s t c o n ­ clu d e d he n o t o n ly c o n d u c te d all th e A idas, b u t tw o o f th e th re e P uccini operas th a t alm o st made th e 1977 S ydne y sum m er season a P uccini fe s tiv a l. B o th his revived Tosca and his new M adam a B u tte r fly w ere stu n n in g .

P re d ic ta b ly , as the o n ly prem iere o f a new p ro d u c tio n , th e B u tte r fly prem iere was th e suprem e h ig h lig h t o f th e 1977 sum m er season.

Th e u n equivo cal triu m p h s o f op e n in g n ig h t w ere th e s tu n n in g d e b u t o f a m a rve llo u sly ta le n te d A m e ric a n sop rano , Leona M itc h e ll, in the title ro le , and th e d is tille d essence o f P uccini C illa rio coaxed fro m th e orchestra. S om e how these triu m p h s m ake it seem alm o st lik e n it-p ic k in g to p o in t o u t th a t th e re w ere indeed fla w s —some in th e s u p p o rtin g pe rform ance s, some in Jo h n C o p le y 's p ro d u c tio n its e lf.

I had been as aw are o f th e q u a lity o f M itc h e ll's voice as advance exp osure to her s plen did p o rtra y a l o f Bess in L o rin Maazel's prem iere c o m p le te re co rd in g of George G ershw in's P orgy an d Bess c o u ld m ake m e; b u t it was q u ite clear b e fo re M itc h e ll even came on stage in B u tte r fly th a t she was going to be a good deal m o re im pressive in th e flesh th a n any m ere re cordin g c o u ld m ake her seem. She flo a te d e ffo rtle s s ly over th e off-stag e cho rus w ith o u t a

tra ce o f th e harshness th a t som etim es m arred K ir i Te K anaw a's singing last year; and she ra diated th e k in d o f charism a th a t c o u ld h a rd ly fa il to in vo lve all b u t th e m o st heartless m em ber o f th e audience in th e u n fo ld in g dram a. She was a near-ideal B u tte r fly ; re tic e n t alm o st to th e p o in t o f obsequiousness a t th e s ta rt, yet never giving cause to d o u b t fo r an in s ta n t th a t she was capable o f th e in te n s ity o f love, and the stre n g th o f cha racte r, th a t im pe l her fin a lly to b lo o d y se lf-d e s tru c tio n .

H e n ry B a rd o n 's sets are s ta rk ly tra d itio n a l and very e ffe c tiv e ; M ichael S te n n e tt's costum e designs are e x c e lle n t, c o lo u r fu lly O rie n ta l and severely W estern as re q u ire d —p a rtic u la rly those fo r th e A m e ric a n ladies, w hose he ig h t is emphasised b y to w e rin g hats w h ic h fo rc e th e m to s to o p to en te r th e Japanese house. The lig h t­ ing, a ttrib u te d jo in t ly to R oger B a rra tt and C o p le y , is s u p e rb —p a rtic u la rly th e tra n s itio n s fro m da y to n ig h t to da w n to w a rd th e end o f A c t II, w here B u tte r fly and S u zu ki are reduced to s ilh o u e tte s in m a rvellou s visual e xte n sio n o f th e escalating despair th a t is w ritte n in to the score as th e w e ird ly ethereal h u m m in g chorus com es and goes.

C o p le y 's p ro d u c tio n erred o n ly in in tro d u c ­ ing th e A m e ric a n ladies senselessly in to the fir s t a c t, and in re q u irin g B u tte rfly to craw l im p la u s ib ly h a lf w ay across th e stage, a fte r r itu a lly d is e m b o w e llin g he rself, to open the d o o r fo r P in k e rto n . Such d y in g gestures as she is able to m ake sh o u ld be d ire c te d instead, as th e score e x p lic itly requires, to w a rd little T ro u b le and n o t his b a s ta rd ly fa th e r.

L a m b e rto F u rla n 's P in k e rto n was n o th in g s h o rt o f a personal actin g triu m p h (and a d ire c t­ ing triu m p h fo r C o p le y as w e ll, w h o no d o u b t w o rk e d very hard w ith h im at great e ffe c t); b u t R o b in D o n a ld 's p o rtra y a l o f th e ro le late r in th e season was e q u a lly e ffe c tiv e in q u ite a d iffe r ­ e n t, m o re o v e rtly insensitive w a y —even if it was m arred b y a fe w o f th e a w kw a rd mannerism s th a t b e tra y u n e q u iv o c a lly , fro m tim e to tim e , th a t he is D ona ld S m ith 's son and a real ch ip o f f th e o ld b lo c k .

N e ith e r R onald M aconaghie no r Joh n P ringle was q u ite rig h t as Sharpless, M aconaghie lacking vocal p o w e r and P ringle la cking d ra m a tic in v o lv e ­ m e n t. J e n n ife r B erm in gha m was an e xce lle nt S u z u k i, at last b reaking c o m p le te ly free fro m the m a nnerism s o f C h e ru b in o in The M arriage o f F ig a ro th a t have in tru d e d d is c o n c e rtin g ly in to to o m u ch o f her o th e r w o rk in recent years.

Th e Tosca te a m —O ria nna S a n tu n io n e in the t it le ro le , R eginald Byers (Cavaradossi) and John Shaw (S carpia) was ju s t as e ffe c tiv e in this P uccini m e lo dra m a as it had been w ro n g , earlier in th e season, in V e rd i's A id a ; and w ith all the nittinesses o f S tephen H a ll's o rig in a l p ro d u c tio n exp unge d b y D avid N eal's re th in k in g , it all added up to a g rip p in g n ig h t in th e th e a tre .

E veryo ne was in fin e , even th r illin g , voice; C illa rio had th e orchestra sh rie kin g and soaring in unleashed passion su ita b le to th e b la ta n t u n s u b tle ty o f th e score, w h ic h is at th e absolute o p p o s ite end o f the P uccini sp e ctru m fro m B u tte rfly . The statue o f A c t I has. been m oved do w n stage in keeping w ith its d ra m a tic s ig n ific ­ ance. Tosca and S carpia no long er chase each o th e r ro u n d th e sofa in A c t II as if th e y are

T h e a tre -A u stra lia March-April, 1977 Page 53

icipals c o m ic characters in a s ile n t film o f th e 20s; g e t­ tin g to the secret d o o r to th e to r tu re cham ber no longer requires ca lling in th e fu r n itu r e m overs.

Cavaradossi is no longer tie d to th e stake b e fo re being shot in A c t I I I , and is a llow e d to c ru m p le to th e g round as he o u g h t—th o u g h Tosca's u p ­ w a rd flig h t th ro u g h a p h alanx o f soldiers w h o m e re ly stand tra n s fix e d and w a tch her pass b y is no m ore co n v in c in g no w th a n it was in th e fir s t place, reducing th e fin a l d e n o u e m e n t to a b it o f a giggle.

C o p le y's 1973 p ro d u c tio n o f M o z a rt's M agic F lu te lacked a good b it o f the o rig in a l m agic th is tim e ro u n d , th o u g h it was m arked b y s tu n n in g im p ro v e m e n t in R honda B ruce's Queen o f the N ig h t, w h ic h is no w fa r and aw ay th e best ever heard in th is p ro d u c tio n . R ona ld M aconaghie's Papageno rem ained as fresh as ever, on opening n ig h t, b u t Isobel B uchanan's Pamina seemed a t r if le harsher th a n be fore . R o b e rt G ard's T a m in o was a little to o w o rld ly wise to s u it th e role, N eil W a rre n -S m ith 's Speaker superb, G ra nt D ickson's Sarastro d is a p p o in tin g ly u n d e r­ po w e red . R ona ld D ow d to o k over im pressively fro m R on Stevens in th e b it p a rt o f th e firs t arm ore d man.

T h e last prem iere o f th e sum m er season was W illia m R eid's La Bohem e, also reprod uced (lik e Tosca) b y D avid Neal, m o s tly to great e ffe c t.

B o th casts w ere e x c e lle n t, b u t th e in d iv id u a l triu m p h was R o b e rt A llm a n 's M a rc e llo . It m ay seem odd to single o u t M a rcello fo r special m e n tio n ; b u t, in c re ating th is cha racte r, A llm a n once again proved ju s t ho w versatile an a c to r he is, as w e ll as w h a t a tre m en dous asset as a singer.

He clo w n e d w ith th e best o f th e m , b u t was w h o lly cre d ib le w hen he tu rn e d serious; it was a new A llm a n , n o t ju s t a general all-p urp ose A llman th ro w n in to a d iffe re n t c ostu m e in a d iffe r ­ e n t stage settin g. T he com passion o f his fin a l "C o ra g g io ” to R o d o lfo , w h o is a b o u t to discover th a t M im i has d ie d , and th e em brace th a t accom panied it w ere a b s o lu te ly rig h t and helped g re a tly to make th e last fe w m o m e n ts o f the opera th e sh a tte rin g d ra m a tic exp erien ce th e y o u g h t to be.

A llm a n was aided no end b y th e a b s o lu te ly superb M usetta o f E tela Piha . . . tem pestu ous, fla m b o y a n t, p ro v o c a tiv e , com passionate as she m ust be. H er W a ltz Song, in A c t 11, q u ite rig h t­ fu lly b ro u g h t th e house d o w n . B o th casts o f p rin cip a ls w ere aided b y th e sm all-scale c o n tr i­ b u tio n s o f A la n L ig h t (A lc in d o ro ), N eil W arrenS m ith (C o llin e ) and G re gory Y u ris ic h (Schauna rd ). One c o u ld n o t escape th e fee lin g th a t th e fo u r B ohem ians w ere re a lly e n jo y in g the hors­ ing a round in A c t I and A c t IV ; and consequent" ly th e pa thos o f M im i's te n d e r entrances and, fin a lly , her de ath was enhanced g re a tly .

O n each o f th e three occasions I saw her, Joan C arden's M im i started o f f to o w eak v o c a lly , and le ft me un satisfied a fte r A c t I ; b u t each tim e she was q u ite m a rvellou s a fte r th a t. W ith ju s t a little m ore w e ig h t in A c t I —w e ig h t dem anded b y th e clim axes w ritte n in to th e score, w h ic h a d m itte d ly c o n tra d ic t to a large e x te n t the n o tio n she is p h y s ic a lly fra il rig h t fro m th e start o f th e o p e ra —she w ill be a th o ro u g h ly c o n v in c ­ ing heroine.

B o th R o d o lfo s w ere personal triu m p h s : L a m b e rto F u rla n , th e op ening one, c a rry in g on th e d ra m a tic and vocal tra n s fo rm a tio n fo re -

Leona M itc h e ll as Cio C io San, L a m b e rto F u rla n as P in k e rto n in Madama B u tte rfly . P h o to B ill M oseley

shadowed b y his P in k e rto n ; A nson A u s tin even m ore spe c ta c u la rly successful, and co rre sp o n d ­ in g ly m ore appreciated b y th e audience, singing fa r b e tte r th a n I have heard h im b e fo re —and also fa r less w ood en o f stage presence. B o th F u rla n and A u s tin have th e s lim , a ttra c tiv e p h ysiq ue to make th e m th o ro u g h ly cre d ib le in th is ro le , and the re was very little be tw een th e o ve ra ll q u a lity o f th e ir pe rform ance s. F u rla n lacked a lit t le po w e r at tim e s, b u t his tw o anguished " M im is " at th e very end had th e u ltim a te verism o o f th e deeply Ita lia n a te te n o r; A u s tin 's firs t act aria was m ore s a tis fyin g , his ending a t r if le less c o n ­ vincing.

T here was n o th in g seriously w ro n g w ith Joh n P ringle's M a rce llo , b u t it lacked the fu ll measure o f his usual d ra m a tic c o m m itm e n t; it was a m is­ take to cast E liza b e th F re tw e ll as M u se tta ,b u t she made a c re d ita b le jo b o f it.

F in a lly , th o u g h , all these Bohemes had a b out th e m an aura o f ensem ble m a tu rity th a t is very g ra tify in g to see em erging in one o f th e oldest p ro d u c tio n s s till in th e re p e rto ry o f th e A u s tra ­ lian Opera (p rem ie red in 1 9 70, it was). The w h o le p ro d u c tio n has m a ture d in th e same w ay th a t Joh n C o p le y's 1971 Figaro m a tu re d , o n ly m ore so—fo r th e Figaro was e xce lle n t to start

w ith , whereas th e B ohem e was m e diocre or worse.

Increasingly, fro m season to season, th e A .O . is p roving th a t o p e ra tic e x c ite m e n t need n o t be generated solely b y new and lavish p ro d u c tio n s , o r th e im p o rta tio n o f spectacular new stars.

Ensem ble s till m atters, perhaps m ore th a n a n y ­ th in g else; and the A .O . is scoring its greatest triu m p h s th ro u g h e x p lo ita tio n o f th a t very fa c t.

One o r tw o stars p lo n ke d d o w n in th e m id d le o f a ru n -o f-th e -m ill o r w orse resident co m p a n y, th e m in o r roles th ro w n aw ay to anyone w h o 's around and is reasonably c o m p e te n t, d o m in a te and bedazzle a p ro d u c tio n to th e p o in t o f ris k ­ ing a co m p le te b re a kd o w n in d ra m a tic c re d ib il­ ity .

The fu ll im p a c t o f th e F lu te is gre a tly enhanced w hen yo u can have a R onald D ow d p la yin g th e firs t arm ored m an; o f a Carm en w hen y o u can have Frasquita and Mercedes played by a Piha and a F re tw e ll; o f a B ohem e w hen yo u can have Bohem ians o f th e calib re o f W arrenS m ith and Y u ris ic h and an A lc in d o ro as e ffe ctive as A la n L ig h t. T h is is such an ob vio us fa ct it is astonishing so m any o f th e w o rld 's b ig -tim e opera com panies seem to feel no qualm s a b o u t ig no ring it co n s is te n tly .

Page 54 T h e a tre -A u s tra lia March-April, 1977

n

AUSTRALIAN CENTRE INTERNATIONAL THEATRE INSTITUTE

W O R LD T H E A T R E D A Y The fo llo w in g is an e x tra c t fro m th e In te r­ na tio n a l Message, w ritte n b y th e President o f the IT I, M ' Radu Beligan. " I t is w e ll-k n o w n : th e th e a tre gave hu m an d ig n ity its firs t te s tim o n y , a te s tim o n y w h ic h in its struggle against violen ce and op pressio n, in its endeavour to c o m preh end and w a rn , can be pre­ scribed b y no one.

It is w e ll-k n o w n : the th e a tre , fir s t am ong all o th e r arts, recognized and voiced m a tters o f conscience, u n d e rs to o d w here th e y came fro m , w h a t drove th e m ; and th ro u g h p ro te s t and s u ffe r­ ing a ffirm e d reason, b ro u g h t e q u ilib riu m to the w o rld .

It is w e ll-k n o w n : th e th e a tre ta u g h t man to face h im s e lf h o n e s tly , w ith in fin ite s c ru tin y : to c o n fro n t his g u ilt and assume re s p o n s ib ility fo r h im se lf; it ta u g h t h im to c on sid er and rise to w h a t he c o u ld be ra th e r th a n b o w to lim ita tio n s he'd been led to accept. It ta u g h t h im e q u a lity th ro u g h e m o tio n , and h o w one man alone is an e n tire universe.

A n d th e a tre is a privile ge. A privile g e enabling people to open them selves one to a n o th e r and share dreams o f a ju s t and b e tte r w o r ld ."

17TH

B IE N N IA L I.T .I. C O N G R E SS IN 1977

The Swedish C entre o f th e IT I has sent its firs t b u lle tin in re la tio n to th e seventeenth Congress o f th e In te rn a tio n a l T h e a tre In s titu te to be held in S to c k h o lm fro m M ay 31st to June 5 th , 1977.

M eetings w ill take place at th e S odra T e atern, Mosebacke T o rg 3, 116 4 6 S to c k h o lm , a b u ild ­ ing d a tin g fro m th e 1850s.

Th e six w o rk in g c o m m itte e s o f th e Congress are:General A ssem bly T h ird W o rld Theatre Dance S ection M usical Theatre S tu d y and P u b lic a tio n New Theatre

In accordance w ith the statutes o f IT I, th e w o rk in g languages are E nglish and F rench and p re p a ra to ry w o rk in g d o c u m e n ts w ill be issued and all proceedings in te rp re te d s im u lta n e o u s ly in these languages. The head th e m e o f th e Congress is " In te r a c tio n s " and general discussion them es w ill be " In te ra c tio n o f n a tio n a l and in te rn a tio n a l th e a tre c u ltu re s " and " In te ra c tio n o f th e a tre and m u s ic ."

A ll th e S to c k h o lm and som e S w edish guest com panies w ill give pe rform ance s d u rin g the Congress and all p a rtic ip a n ts w ill have free tic k e ts . On th e evening o f 3 rd June, a p e rfo rm ­ ance o f The C o ro n a tio n o f Poppea b y M o n te v e rd i w ill ta ke place at th e D ro ttn in g h o lm th e a tre , the fam ous eigh teen th c e n tu ry c o u rt th e a tre whose o rig in a l sets s till survive.

A n e x h ib itio n w ill be arranged o f item s th a t p a rtic ip a n ts m ay w ish to b rin g w ith th e m in o rd e r to give in fo rm a tio n a b o u t th e a tre in th e ir c o u n trie s , such as masks, d o lls , costum es, p h o to ­ graphs, in s tru m e n ts e tc, and these w ill be fa c il­ ities fo r those w a n tin g to show slides and film s .

One o f th e social excu rsions w ill be a " M id ­ n ig h t Sun A d v e n tu re " fly in g 6 0 0 m iles to K iru n a , th e ca p ita l o f Lapland in th e fa r n o rth o f Sweden a fte r w h ic h y o u w ill be aw arded a c e rtific a te v e rify in g y o u have flo w n across th e A rc tic C irc le ."

A n y o n e interested in a tte n d in g the Congress c o u ld receive a c o p y o f th e b o o k in g fo rm fo r th e M alm en H o te l and th e p re lim in a ry p ro ­ gram m e fro m th is o ffic e .

C O M M IT T E E OF T H E NEW T H E A T R E F o llo w in g th e 1975 IT I C onference in B e rlin , France was e n tru ste d w ith th e esta blishm e nt o f th e S ecre tariat o f th e C o m m itte e o f the New T h e a tre , presided over b y Peter James. A u th o r p ro d u c e r, Jean-M ichel Ribes received th e m a n­ date to ensure the ru n n in g o f th e S ecre tariat, w ith a standing c o m m itte e o f you ng cre ators and th e a tre w o rk e rs engaged in various fie ld s o f th e a tric a l a c tiv itie s .

The te rm " N e w T h e a tre " includes "e v e ry possible k in d o f th e a tre : e x p e rim e n ta l th e a tre , th e th e a tre o f research o f s itu a tio n , c o m m u n ity th e a tre , c u ltu ra l m in o r ity th e a tre , m en's o r w o m e n 's th e a tre , la b o ra to ry o r b o d y th e a tre e tc ."

The stan ding c o m m itte e p roduce d its firs t n e w s le tte r in Jan uary 1977 w ith lette rs and in fo rm a tio n fro m new th e a tre groups all over th e w o rld in c lu d in g a le tte r fro m Joh n T im lin o f th e A u s tra lia n P e rfo rm in g G ro u p . The purpose o f th e n e w s le tte r is " t o ensure a liaison betw een com panies and groups o f th e N ew T h e a tre ; to exchange precise fa c tu a l in fo rm a tio n (calendar o f p ro d u c tio n s , p ro g ra m m e schedule, to u rin g plans e tc ); to p ro vid e in d e p e n d e n t, speedy and u n re s tric te d in fo r m a tio n ." Th e c o m m itte e hopes to pro d u ce a q u a rte rly p u b lic a tio n b u t is solely de pend ent on in fo rm a tio n it receives.

So any N e w T h e a tre groups w a n tin g to receive th e n e w sle tte r o r have in fo rm a tio n p u blished s ho uld w rite to the S ecre tariat du C o m ité du N ouveau T h eatre, 7, rue du H e ld e r—7 5 0 0 9 Paris.

A U S T R A L IA N E L IZ A B E T H A N TH EATR E TR U ST W O R LD TO UR T here are s till places le ft fo r a special T ru s t to u r o f b a lle t, opera and m usic centres arranged b y S h irle y Hay. The 50-day to u r fro m 2 0 th M ay to 9 th J u ly w ill ta k e in centres o f N o rth L o n d o n , E urope and H ong K ong . T h e a tre lovers w ill see th e best o f dram a, b a lle t and opera as w e ll as tim e fo r sightseeing. The v is it to L o n d o n is tim e d to c o in c id e w ith th e Q ueen's S ilver Jub ile e C eleb ratio ns. Cost is $ 3 ,4 8 5 fo r a shared ro o m . F o r fu r th e r in fo rm a tio n te le p h o n e C heryl C a hill on 3 5 7 -1 2 0 0 o r S h irle y Hay d ire c tly on 4 4 9 -7 3 7 0 (S yd n e y).

P L A Y S C R IP T S The H ugarian C e n tre o f th e IT I has begun the p u b lic a tio n and d isse m in a tio n o f m a nuscrip ts o f fo re ig n plays in E nglish tra n s la tio n .

U p to to no w , th e A u s tra lia n C entre has received fiv e plays: O m p hale b y th e East G erm an p la y w rig h t Peter Hacks, M a tin g S parrow s b y th e D u tc h d ra m a tis t G erard Lem m ens,

P rivate F o k in e n 's M arriage Leave b y V e ijo Heri fro m F in la n d , A N ig h t's Tale b y K rz y s z to f C h io n ski fro m P oland, C herchez La C le f b y Istvan O rk e n y fro m H u n g a ry, w h ic h is tra nslate d in to French o n ly .

W ill any th e a tre inte reste d in th e p ro d u c tio n o f these plays please c o n ta c t th is o ffic e .

S E M IN A R : T H E T H E A T R E IN B R IT A IN Th e P rofessional A cade m ic R egional V isits O rg anisatio n in association w ith Th e C entral Bureau fo r E d u ca tio n V is its and Exchanges w ill h o ld an In te rn a tio n a l S u m m er S em inar fo r aca­ de m ics, advanced stu d e n ts and those w ith a special in te re st in th e th e a tre , e n title d "T h e T h e a tre in B r ita in " , fro m 1 st-1 5 th J u ly 1976, at M o re House, 53 C ro m w e ll R oad, L o n d o n , SW7.

E N G L IS H -L A N G U A G E S W E D IS H T H E A T R E D IC T IO N A R Y T h e N o rd ic T h e a tre U n io n , S to c k h o lm , is p la n n in g to issue a new, expanded e d itio n o f its in te rn a tio n a l d ic tio n a ry , T H E A T R E W O R D S. Th e firs t e d itio n , p u blished in 19 75, proved to be a p ra ctica l to o l in th e a tre w o rk , especially in c o n n e c tio n w ith to u rin g ensembles, v is itin g p ro ­ fessionals, and th e a tre conferences. The volum e includes 9 2 4 te c h n ic a l, a rtis tic , and a d m in is tra t­ ive w o rd s and phrases, m o st o f th e m illu s tra te d w ith d raw ings. Th e fir s t e d itio n in clu d e d the fiv e Scandanavian languages and English.

The new e d itio n , scheduled fo r p u b lic a tio n in th e spring o f 1977, w ill be sup plem e nted w ith tra n s la tio n s in to F rench and G erm an, thus b e com ing an eight-language d ic tio n a ry . The estim ated p rice is $6 , plus postage and handling.

T o calcu la te th e n u m b e r o f copies to be p rin te d , th e N o rd ic Theatre U n io n is inte reste d in hearing fro m p o te n tia l subscribers to th is second e d itio n .

Please w rite to the N o rd ic T h e a tre U n io n , E riksberggatan 1B, S-114 30 S to c k h o lm , Sw eden, and state th e n u m b e r o f copies yo u w ill re q u ire . Y o u r le tte r is n o t b in d in g o rd e r, b u t it w ill be o f great help to th e p u b lish e r in d e te r­ m in in g th e q u a n tity o f th e p r in tin g .—("T h e a tre N o te s " p u blished b y the U.S. C entre o f th e IT I Dec. 19 76).

V O IC E OF A U S T R A L IA In D ecem ber 1976, th e West G erm an th e a tre m o n th ly D ie D eutsche B uehne review ed the E uropean prem iere o f " N ig h t on Bald M o u n ta in " b y P a tric k W h ite , as pro d u ce d at H ildesheim u n d e r th e title " N a c h t a u f dem B erg ".

F o llo w in g the o rig in a l A d e la id e prem iere in 1 9 64, th is p ro d u c tio n became possible because th e H ildesh eim "C h e fd ra m a tu rg ", R o lf H e rke n ra th , o b ta in e d the rig h ts and th e actress R enate V o e lk e r, th e tra n s la tio n .

M e n tio n in g th a t the a u th o r, b o rn 1912 in fa r aw ay A u s tra lia is a N obe l p rize w in n e r and has been called " die S tim m e A u s tra lie n s ", the review er p e rc e p tiv e ly analyses th e p la y , w ritin g th a t th e title has s y m b o lic sig nifica nce as w e ll as re fe rrin g to tim e and place. E veryone crouches on his o w n "b a ld m o u n ta in ".

Theatre-A u s tra lia

FILMS Barry Lowe I t m ust be apparent to an yone w ith m ore th a n a passing inte rest in local p ro d u c tio n th a t o u r film s are developing th e ir o w n style , th e ir o w n am biance, th e ir o w n feel fo r o u r d is tin c tiv e landscape—the A u s tra lia n degor th a t makes us w h a t we "are. A n d th is local m ood is ap pare nt in film s a b o u t b o th c ity and c o u n try (p ro b a b ly th e biggest class d is tin c tio n s we have).

Th e c ritic s and p u b lic a lik e have been q u ic k to (m is ta k e n ly ) call th is am biance "slo w n e ss” , a w o rd th e y seem to use to cove r a palpable lack o f d ra m a tic h ig h ­ lig h ts and th e gradual u n fo ld in g o f psych ologica l nuances w ith w h ic h m any o f o u r film s seem o ccu pied.

The exam ple, P icnic a t H anging R o ck was condem ned b y m any c ritic s (and the p u b lic ) fo r its sur­ face "s lo w n e s s ": " u n d o u b te d ly slow m o vin g, especially in th e cen­ tra l sequences. One w ished it w o u ld com e to grips w ith its the m e instead o f w and erin g d re a m ily a b o u t." (Bev T iv e y , S und ay Telegraph, O c to b e r 26 , 19 75) b u t it s till w e n t on to becom e a re m a rk ­ able success.

T his p re o cc u p a tio n w ith being a b o u t som e th in g , having som e­ th in g to say, and la te ly , being te c h n ic a lly p r o fic ie n t seems a p e cu lia r obsession w ith o u r local press. A lm o s t every recent m o vie o f no te made lo c a lly has s u ffe re d .

P rom ise d W om an: " B u t C ow an's s crip t does n o t re a lly give her (Y elena Z ig on) enough to d o . . . fu ll o f good m o m ents arranged around w h a t is b a sica lly a c o n ­ triv e d the m e. I t lo o k s good b u t it lacks g u ts ." (Sandra H a ll, The B u lle tin , D ecem ber 11, 1 9 7 6 ).

The "s lo w n e s s " is o b vio u s in film s lik e Caddie, T h e D e v il's P lay­ g ro u n d , D on's P a rty , B reak o f D ay, S u m m e r o f Secrets to name ju s t a fe w . It is to o e a rly y e t fo r c o n je c ­ tu re as to th e reasons A u s tra lia n film -m a k e rs have disdained th e English and A m e ric a n schools o f heavy n a rra tiv e , th e p lo t-d o m in ­ ated con trivance s and instead forged ahead in a s ty le m ore in cha racte r w ith th e c o n tin e n ta ls in w h ic h p lo t takes a second place to th e characters and th e e ffe c t th e ir e n v iro n m e n t has o n th e m . M ost o f o u r b e tte r film s are less a b o u t events th a n th e y are a b o u t people.

F o r th is reason p lo t synopses o f o u r film s can be d e c e p tiv e ly sim ple and people m ay easily miss th e p o in t.

P.P. M cG u in n e s s in th e N a tio n a l Tim es (Ja nuary 17, 1977) takes a

sw ipe at o u r so-called "n o s ta lg ia " m ovies b u t seems to fo rg e t th a t film s set in a past era can say as m uch a b o u t c o n te m p o ra ry society as one set in 1977.

T h is is w h a t a lo t o f people have been missing w ith th e new Ken Hannam film , B reak o f D ay, w h ic h eve ryone agrees has been b e a u tifu lly ph oto g ra p h e d b u t " i t is a p ity . . . th a t it a m o u n ts to so little . . . th e re is a chance th a t it c o u ld do w e ll in c o u n try cinem as, w here some people, no d o u b t, s till get e x c ite d a b o u t G a llip o li. Or m aybe th e re is an R S L c lu b c ir ­ c u it . " (M cG uinness as above). Bev T iv e y th o u g h t " i t o ffe rs little to

th e tru e s p irit o f A nzac.

T o m is a cy p h e r, o f course, fo r all those men and w o m e n w h o go o f f to w ar o n ly to re tu rn to th e ir hom e to w n s , be it c ity o r c o u n try , to fin d th a t th e y have changed and ca n n o t f i t back in to th e niche th e y once o ccu p ie d . T h e ir re­ o rie n ta tio n back in to s o cie ty is d iffic u lt , th e m ore so fo r T o m w h o has p u t a b u lle t in his ow n fo o t as a result o f the h o rro rs he has seen at G a llip o li.

T o m 's tu r m o il is th a t he is s till c o u n try -b o y gauche, as w itness his feelings w hen A lic e 's c ity frie n d s go s k in n y d ip p in g in th e local river.

He is as m o ra lly c o n fro n te d as the

In g rid Mason as B eth, th e w ife in Break o f Day. listen to o r th in k a b o u t," (D a ily Telegraph, F e bru ary 1 1 ,1 9 7 7 ) and " b e a u tifu l to w a tch b u t ta k in g a long tim e to say very little . . . see it fo r its visual e n c h a n tm e n t and d o n 't b o th e r to listen to th e d ia l­ ogue—y o u w o n 't miss a th in g ."

(S unday Telegraph, F e b ru a ry 13, 19 77).

T h is, o f course, is nonsense.

Break o f D ay is an e x c itin g film th a t bears seeing m a ny tim e s.

Based on an o rig inal s c rip t b y C liff (P icnic a t H anging R o c k ) Green it co n c e rn s T o m ( A n d re w M cF arlan e) a soldie r d u rin g W o rld W ar 1 w h o has re turn ed to his hom e to w n o f T e tlo w , V ic to ria , p a rtly c rip p le d .

He is d is tu rb e d by th e s m a ll-to w n atm osphere and fin d s it d if f ic u lt to c o m m u n ic a te w ith his w ife , B eth, (In g rid M ason), and he spends as m uch tim e aw ay fro m her as possible, in p a rtic u la r v ic ­ io u s ly s h o oting ra bbits in a belated a tte m p t to exorcise his m em ories o f G a llip o li.

D urin g one o f his s h o o tin g e x p e d itio n s he meets A lic e (Sara K estelm an) a B ohem ian a rtis t w h o has tra velled fro m M e lb o u rn e to p a in t th e landscape. She is a c u rio ­ s ity to th e tow n sp e o p le w h o to le r ­ ate her w ith o u t u n d erstand in g her, in m uch th e same w ay th e y accept T o m a lth o u g h he refuses to f i t snugly in to th e ir c la u s tro p h o b ic n o rm . He and A lic e becom e lovers, he fin d in g in her th e lib e ra tin g fo rc e he has been unable to fin d in his w ife . His duties as husband and e d ito r o f th e to w n newspaper, whose su b -e d ito r M r. Evans (Ben G abriel) is a sym b ol o f th e pedan­ t r y and c o n v e n tio n th a t s tifle s T o m at every tu r n , are neglected fo r A lic e w h o sees in h im , iro n ic a lly .

to w n 's c itiz e n ry .

B ut th e to w n 's m o ra lity is am b iva le n t. T h e y ta lk and w h isp e r a b o u t T o m and A lic e , even th e sch o o lch ild re n make up crude rhym es, b u t w hen T o m com es to th e rescue o f his to w n 's c ric k e t team at the annual b re w e ry p ic n ic against a p a rtic u la rly vicio u s o p p o s itio n he becomes a hero. In th e pu nch up th a t ensues, T o m 's being h it in th e neck b y a d e lib e r­ a te ly aim ed ba ll fro m th e o p p o ­ s itio n , A lice 's c ity frie n d s jo in in and th e c ity /c o u n tr y b a rrie r is p u lle d d o w n —te m p o ra rily at least.

March-April, 1977 Page 55

I f T o m flo u ts th e to w n 's c o n ­ v e n tio n s he is s till, how ever, unable to fu lly accept those o f A lice 's frie n d s. T h e ir^ la c k ’ o f respect fo r his c o u n try values (th e ir allegiances d u rin g th e b ra w l have been super­ fic ia l at best) and fo r those w h o fo u g h t in th e w a r lead T o m to a c a th a rtic re livin g o f his b a ttle experiences. As a result he is able to accept h im se lf m ore h o n e stly b u t he is c o n fro n te d b y A lice 's am biguous sexual n a tu re and a lth o u g h he trie s he is unable to c o m p le te ly suppress his love fo r her.

W hen she leaves T e tlo w to re tu rn to M e lb o u rn e , T o m chases her in his car b u t stops at a cross­ ing as her tra in passes (th e freeze fra m e o f A lice 's w in d o w is p a rt­ ic u la rly e ffe c tiv e ) and he w atches it disappear in the distance. T o m w ill u n d o u b te d ly go back to th e sm a ll-to w n life , to w h ic h he no longer belongs, as y e t un read y fo r th e life o f th e c ity . It is his tra ged y th a t he is caught in th e n e ther w o rld o f his tw o existences.

The film is b e a u tifu lly and sen sitive ly made w ith superb per­ form ances fro m all con cerned.

A n d re w M cF arlane as T o m has th e rig h t c o m b in a tio n o f m a s c u lin ity and s e n s itiv ity to con vin ce and Sara K estelm an's u n co n ve n tio n a l good looks are an asset as th e a rtis t w h o brings T o m to th e fin a l real­ isa tio n o f his pre d ica m e n t.

K en H annam , late o f S und ay Too F a r A w a y , has ca p tu re d th e to w n e n v iro n m e n t w e ll b u t it is above all th e c lim a tic c ric k e t m atch w h ic h is u n d o u b te d ly one o f th e genuine m o m ents o f screen masterpiece. A t th a t m o m e n t T e tlo w is the cosm os. It is a sup­ reme m o m e n t in a f ilm o f unusual s u b tle ty and great h o nesty and beauty.

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Sara K estlem an (A lic e ) & A n d re w M cF arlan e (T o m ) in Break o f Day.

Page 56 T h e a tre -A u s tra lia March-April, 1977

BOOKS

•

Helen van der Poorten

—

CURRENCY DOUBLE BILL

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Bananas and The F o u rth W all, by R ichard Bradshaw, w ith The G u e rrilla , b y Joseph Musaphia.

C urre n cy-M e th u e n D ram a, S ydne y 1976.

F ro m th e jokes a b o u t g 'rilla s and apes in N ic k L a th o u ris ' p ro ­ logue to Joseph M usaphia's The G u e rrilla to th e d ire c tio n " e x it pursued b y a g o rilla " in R ichard Bradshaw's The F o u rth W all, C u r­ rency's latest D o u b le (o r ra th e r trip le ) B ill plays set o u t to e n te r­ ta in . C onsidering th is and th e fa c t th a t the e d ito rs have n o w chosen to place th e notes and c o m m e n t a fte r ra ther tha n b e fo re th e actin g te x ts , it is in te re s tin g th a t th e y c o n tin u e to pursue a w id e r p u b lic w ith the sociolo gical issues raised b y each play.

In a recent c o lle c tio n o f Bradshaw's Bananas and The F o u rth W all as w e ll as M usaphia's The G u e rrilla , the th e o re tic a l p o in t o f each p la y is conveyed th ro u g h p ictu re s and c o m m e n ts n o t nec­ essarily related to th e p la y at all.

W ith M usaphia's p la y , fo r instance, we are given a d e ta ile d a c c o u n t o f S ydne y's "G le n fie ld S iege" o f 1 9 6 8 —th e in c id e n t w h ic h suppos-

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N o rm and A h m e d , b y A le x a n d e r Buzo w ith The W om an T a m er, by Louis Esson. C u rre n c y -M e th u e n D ram a, S ydne y 1976.

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DOMINIE PTY. LTD. 8 Cross S treet, B roo kvale 2 1 00, Registered A u s tra lia n Agents fo r Samuel French.

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"1 " 1

these events have clear c o m ic p o t­ e n tia l, and in th is case I th in k C u r­ re ncy's approach pays o ff, as we have a chance to c o n tra s t th e p la y ­ w rig h t's e ffe c ts w ith th e re a l-life dram a. The iron ies o f M usaphia's 'g u e rrilla ' having to a tte n d to a c ry in g ba by and o th e r suburban p re o ccu p a tio n s w h ile h o ld in g the a u th o ritie s at bay, show up the incisive c o m ic q u a litie s o f th e p la y ­ w rig h t, whose w o rk s we are to o little fa m ilia r w ith in th is c o u n try (he is a N ew Z e alander). There is an especially sad to u c h o f co m edy w hen the siege p ro ta g o n is t's g irl­ frie n d adds 'one dozen eggs' to his dem anded lis t o f 'one A R -7 rifle , and a tho usan d ro unds o f a m m u n ­ itio n '. The package o f th is play, th e h is to ric a l ba c k g ro u n d to the d ram atize d siege, and N ick L a th o u ris ' h ig h ly th e a tric a l section o f c o m m e n t is an a ttra c tiv e one. I J j a v ^ m ^ d o u b ts . how ever, a b out

A ll Samuel French P layscripts available fro m

r 1

th e value o f the1971 press c ritic is m o f an Ensem ble T h e a tre p ro d u c ­ tio n o f the p la y , as it ten ds to te ll us m ore a b o u t th e c ritic s th a n th e p la y.

R ichard Bradshaw 's e n te rta in ­ ing and alre ady successful ro m p Bananas seems to me less w e ll served b y the essay on co m e d y as a serious business. In spite o f th e D a rw in ia n ove rton es o f th e pla y ( I t is set in th e hom e o f M r and Mrs D a rw in , w h o are upset w hen th e ir son C harlie brin gs hom e a g o rilla as a fiancee) and th e racial im p lic a tio n s . It is so p la in ly an e n te rta in m e n t piece w h ic h am a­ te u r and lu n c h -h o u r com panies sho uld snap-up i f th e y ha ve n 't a lre ady do ne so, th a t I fe a r th e 'serio us' c o m m e n ts m ig h t in tim id ­ ate pro sp e ctive d ire c to rs . I th o u g h t th e p ic tu re o f S id n e y P o itie r et. al. in Guess W ho's C om in g to D in n e r? made th e p o in t q u ite ad e q u a te ly and am u sin g ly. C e rta in ly it is

RELATIONSHIPS W e a re n o t m a rria g e b ro k e r s , a d a tin g s e rv ic e or a lo n e ly h e a rts c lu b . W e are s im p ly s o m e th in g e lse . . . a s e rv ic e f o r p e o p le w h o are in te re s te d in e s ta b ­ lis h in g re la tio n s h ip s w it h o th e r p e o p le o r a n o th e r p e rs o n .

W e a lso o f f e r c o m m u n ic a t io n w o r k s h o p s to p e rso n s in te re s te d in d e v e lo p in g t h e ir s e lf- a w a re n e s s , an d im p r o v in g t h e ir w a y s o f re la tin g and s h a rin g w ith o t h e rs .

C a n b e rr a e n q u ir ie s : p h o n e 8 1 - 2 0 8 6 S o u t h A u s t r a lia : pho ne 3 3 9 -1 9 9 4 Sydney : pho ne 3 1-1 6 20

Latest Catalogues Available O pen: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m . weekends

Y v o n n e A lle n & A s s o c ia te s H u m a n R e la tio n s C o n s u lt a n t s 6 3-6 5 C ro w n S tre e t, E a st S y d n e y

Tel: 930 201

S e n d $ 3 fo r e x p la n a t o r y c a s s e tte o r w r it e f o r in f o r m ­ a t io n . C o n s u lt a n t s in t e r v ie w in g in a ll s ta te s .

w o rth w ritin g a b o u t th e serious­ ness o f lau g h te r, b u t th e re is so m uch else in th e b o o k to ta ke in th a t th is m ig h t n o t be th e place fo r it. O f course th e tin y a fterpie ce The F o u rth W all, in w h ic h the actors (o r are th e y audience?) b a r­ ricade th a t w a ll against possible spectators does raise th e o re tic a l issues as w e ll as laughter.

The o th e r new d o u b le b i l l — B uzo's N o rm a n d A h m e d and Lo u is Esson's The W om an T a m er— is also jam -packe d w ith c o m m e n t, m uch o f it th is tim e on urban A u s tra lia n language.

Fascinating as is Professor R.D. Eagleson's a rtic le on th e language in th e plays, I am again in c lin e d to w o n d e r w h a t audience th e ed itors hope to appeal to w ith th is in fo rm ­ a tio n . The B uzo p la y , in p r in t fo r th e second tim e w ith C u rre n cy, is such a w e ll-k n o w n c o n te m p o ra ry classic th a t such e va lu a tio n m ig h t be a p p ro p ria te , b u t Esson, perhaps my fa v o u rite A u s tra lia n p la y ­ w rig h t, is so little -k n o w n in the 1970's th a t some th e a tric a l recre­ a tio n b e yo n d th a t in th e b rie f reviews at th e end o f th e b o o k m ig h t have helped spread his re p u ­ ta tio n .

B u t on re fle c tio n , all o f m y d o u b ts s im p ly re fle c t th e fear th a t prospective p e rfo rm e rs o f these d o u b ly -b ille d plays m ig h t n o t see th e w o o d fo r th e trees. The plays them selves are all su p e rb ly actable, and C u rre n cy's o u tp u t o f late has been so p r o lific th a t th e y have p ro b a b ly reached th e stage w here th e y can e x p e rim e n t in th e search fo r a w id e r reading p u b lic .

K ILLA R A 680 COFFEE THEATRE 680 Pacific Highway, Killara N.S.W. Proudly presents from March 31st HELLO LONDON A fun show to celebrate the anniversary of the Queen's Silver Jubilee.

Tues., Wed., Thurs., Fri., at 8.30 p.m.

Sats. 9.00 p.m.

Reservations: (02) 498 7552 Excellent theatre parties concessions available 4 9 8 .3 1 6 6 2, M arian S t., K illa ra

The Popular Theatre Troupe is a f u l l y professional ^ touring community theatre o m troupe. They have perforO med in prisons, fa c t o r ie s , schools, hospitals, clubs, and theatres.

In 1977 t h e O B j troupe w i l l be v i s i t i n g £ Queensland centres and ^ w i l l undertake a national tour in September-October.

Enquiries to: The Popular Theatre Troup, 12 Kent St. Red H i l l , Q.40S9. 0736174SB B

O P E N IN G M A R C H 31ST T O M CO LE 'S P o w e r fu l d r a m a M E D A L OF H O N O R RAG D ir e c te d b y H a y e s G o rd o n an d A L IS O N M A R Y F A G A N b y D a v id S e lb o u r n e d ire c te d b y M ic h a e l O ’ R e illy N ig h t ly at 8 . p .m ., S a t . 5 . p .m . an d 8 . p .m .

B o o k in g s at t h e a t r e , 7 8 M c D o u g a ll S t , ^ M ilsons P o in t —9 2 9 8 8 7 7 an d a ll a g e n c ie s.

ensemble

TH EATRE & R ESTAURANT Joan B ruce, R ic H u tto n , R ona C olem an and C o m p a n y in

S O M E T H IN G 'S

AFOOT

b y James M cD o n a ld , D avid Vos and R o b e rt G erlach A d d itio n a l m usic by Ed L in d e rm a n T U E S D A Y T O S A T U R D A Y 8 .1 5 , S U N D A Y 4 .3 0 D in n e r fro m 6 .3 0 Tuesday to S a tu rd a y O P E N IN G T H U R S D A Y A P R IL 14 at 8 .1 5 last yea r's successful West End th r ille r

D O U BLE

ED G E

D ire cte d b y Ted Craig.

Theatre-Australia March-April,

Theatre Guide

A.C.T. CANBERRA OPERA (47 0249)

Canberra T h eatre (49 1723) D on Pasquale (D o n iz e tti) in E nglish: A p r 27, 29 , 30.

P roducer, Ken H ealey; designs fro m W estern A u s tra lia n Opera C o m p a n y ; c o n d u c to r, James M cC a rth y. R o b in D ona ld as E rnesto; K e ith H e m p to n as D on Pasquale; C o lin S later as M alatesta; Fran B osly as N o rin a .

CANBERRA PLAYHOUSE The E lo c u tio n o f B e n ja m in F ra n k lin by Steve J. Spears. D ire c to r, R ichard W h e rre tt sta rrin g G o rd o n C hater (M arch 17th A p r. 2n d).

THEATRE THREE (47 4222) Canberra R e p e rto ry S ociety C h id le y by A lm a de G roen, d ire c to r Joyce M acFarlane; M arch 3 1 - A p r i l 2 3 , T h urs, F ri & Sat nights. Runs d u rin g Canberra Week.

NEW SOUTH WALES ACTORS COMPANY (660 2503) The C aretaker, by H aro ld P in te r, d ire c te d b y A la n F a u lkn e r (to A p r. 9).

AUSTRALIAN BALLET (357 3033) S ydne y Opera House (2 0 5 8 8 ) O pera T h e a tre : Les P atineurs, B illy the K id and M o n ke ys in a Cage (M ar 2 4 - A p r. 5. also A p r. 11) Giselle, (A p ril 9).

Serenade, N ew W o rk (A c t 3). (A p ril 15—2 2 ).

(u n title d ) ,

R aym o nda

AUSTRALIAN OPERA (26 2976) | S ydney Opera House (2 0 5 8 8 ) C once rt H a lllin association w ith A .B .C .): P arsifal (W agner) in G erm an: A p r. 2.

C once rt p e rfo rm a n c e c o n d u c te d b y C arlo Felice C illa rio . W ith R ona ld D ow d as P arsifal; D onald Shanks as G urnem anz; Joh n Shaw as A m fo rta s ; Lone K o p p e l W in th e r as K u n d ry ; S ydne y S y m ­ p h o n y O rchestra, S ydney P h ilh a rm o n ia C h o ir.

AU TR ALIAN (51 3841)

THEATRE,

Newtown

The T rip, w ritte n and d ire c te d b y V in c e n t W ren (Peregrine T h e a tre p ro d u c tio n ), (to A p r. 9).

F in d Y o u r W ay H om e b y Joh n H o p k in s , d ire c te d b y B ruce M. D a ly , designed b y V in c e n t W ren (fro m A p r. 23).

AUSTRALIAN THEATRE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (699 9322) A Toast to M elba, by Jack H ib b e rd , d ire c te d b y R a ym o n d O m o dei, designed b y Y oshi Tosa. (on to u r o f 16 centres in n o rth and n o r th ­ west N ew S o u th Wales to M arch 19). / Suppose I ' l l Have To ... by M ichael Cove, d ire cte d by R a y m o n d O m o d e i; The A dvance, b y John M u llig a n , and D oo la n , by R ichard T u llo c h , b o th d ire c te d by John Wregg; all designed by Y oshi Tosa (schools to u r o f n o rth and n o rth -w e s t N ew S o u th Wales fro m M arch 23).

BALM AIN

BIJOU

(827

1977 Page 57

3652)

W ond erw om an, by Reg L iv e rm o re , d ire c te d b y Peter B atey (c o n tin u in g ).

BONAPARTE'S THEATRE RESTAURANT (357 2555 or 357 2596) Cruise o f a L ife tim e , by R on Frazer and John M a cK e lla r. (c o n tin u in g ).

BONDI PAVILION THEATRE (30 7211 or 29 8335)

Ballet - Opera - Theatre MARCH - APRIL, 1977

in Orange (A p r. 1, 2) and Wagga Wagga (A p r.

1 5 ,1 6 .)

P roducer, K en H ealey, designs fro m W estern A u s tra lia n Opera C o m p a n y; c o n d u c to r, James M c C a rth y . R o b in D o n a ld as E rnesto; K e ith H e m p to n as D on Pasquale; C o lin S later o r J im Pope as M alatesta; Fran B osly as N o rin a .

ENSEMBLE (929 8877) C a lifo rn ia S u ite , by N eil S im o n , d ire c te d by Hayes G o rd o n , (to M arch 26 ).

M edal o f H o n o r Rag, by T o m C ole, d ire c te d b y Hayes G o rd o n ; and A lis o n M a ry Fagan, by D avid S elbou rne , d ire c te d b y M ichael O ’ R e illy , (fro m M arch 3 1 ).

GENESIAN (827 3023) She S toops to C onquer, by O live r G o ld s m ith , d ire c te d b y E liza beth Sarks, designed by C atherine L lo y d . (T o A p ril, 2 3 ).

MUSIC LOFT THEATRE RESTAURANT (977 6585) Once M o re W ith Feeling, b y Peggy M o rtim e r and Enzo T o p p a n o , d ire c te d by Peggy M o rtim e r, (c o n tin u in g )

NEW THEATRE (519 3403) Caucasian C halk C ircle, b y B e rto lt B rech t, d ire cte d b y D avid Cisek. (to e a rly A p ril).

The M e rry Wives o f W insor, b y W illia m Shake­ speare, d ire cte d by D avid M a rtin , designed b y D avid M a rtin , (fro m e a rly A p ril).

NIMROD (69 5003) U psta irs: Travesties, by T o m S to p p a rd , d ire c te d b y Ken H o rle r. (to A p r. 16).

T w e l f t h N ig h t b y W illia m Shakespeare, d ire c te d b y Jo h n B ell, designed b y K im C arpenter, (fro m A p r. 22).

D ow nsta irs: In n e r Voices, b y Lo u is N o w ra , d ire c te d by John Bell (to A p r il 2n d) Bananas by R ichard Bradshaw. d ire c te d by R ichard W h e rre tt (fro m e a rly M a y).

GILBERT & SU LLIVAN SOCIETY S ydney O pera House (2 0 5 8 8 ) Opera T h e a tre : The G on doliers, ^G ilb e rt & S u lliv a n ): M a r 19 (m at & eve). P roducer, Brian P h illip s; m usical d ire c to r and c o n d u c to r Bransby B yrne . R o b e rt H a th e rle y as th e D uke o f Plaza T o ro ; M ary B lake as the Duchess o f Plaza T o ro ; R oslyn Dansie as Casilda; D am on Beck as L u iz ; W illia m M u rra y as th e G rand In q u is ito r; Jo h n W irth as M arco; Roger H ow ell as G iuseppe; D oreen M o rro w as G ia n e tta ; Petah B urns as Tessa.

HUNTER V A LLE Y THEATRE COMPANY, Newcastle (26 2526) W hat the B u tle r Saw, by Joe O rto n , d ire cte d

by Terence C larke (opens M arch 2 5 th ).

On to u r o f schools: P a nte chnico n (u p p e r seco ndary), a n d K o d a ch ro m e K e tc h u p (lo w e r seco ndary). D ire cte d and w ith o rig in a l m usic

by M ichael C a u lfie ld (fro m M arch 2 8 ).

INDEPENDENT (929 7377) T ill Bed Us D o Part, by Louis Ife , d ire c te d b y R ichard B roo ks (to M arch 31 ).

B illy L ia r, b y K e ith W aterhouse and W illis H all, d ire c te d b y Ray A in s w o rth , (fro m A p r. 1.)

Y o u r're A G o o d Man, C harlie B ro w n , d ire cte d

by Hugh M u n ro (S a tu rd a y m atinees o n ly fro m M arch 12).

K IL L A R A 680 (498 7552)

COFFEE

THEATRE

M em ories - A T rib u te to Ten Years, devised b y John H o w itt. (to M arch 30 ).

H e llo L o n d o n (fro m M arch 31 st.)

M ARIAN STREET (498 3166) S o m e th in g 's A fo o t, based o n A gatha C hristie 's Ten L ittle Niggers, devised b y James M cD o n a ld , D avid Voss, R o b e rt G erlach and Ed L in d e rm a n ; d ire c te d by A la s ta ir D unca n; m usical d ire c to r, B everly M cM ahon ; c h o re o g ra p h y b y K aren Jonson. (to A p r. 9).

D o u b le Edge,

by Leslie D arbon and Peter W helan, d ire c te d by Ted Craig, designed by B rian N ickless (fro m A p r. 14.)

MARIONETTE THEATRE OF AU STR ALIA (357 1200) Roos, w ritte n and d ire c te d b y R ichard B radshaw ; and Hands, devised by th e com pany and d ire c te d by R ichard Bradshaw (schools to u r o f N ew castle and N o rth Coast o f N ew S o u th Wales; also at Orange Festival, M arch

OLD TOTE (663 6122) D ram a T h eatre, Opera House: The P lough an d the Stars, b y Sean O'Cassey, d ire c te d b y Hugh H u n t, designed b y A n n e Fraser, (to A p r. 12) Ceasar a n d C leopatra, by George B ernard Shaw, d ire c te d by W illia m R e d m o n d , designed b y Shaun G in ta ra n d M ike Bridges, (fro m A p r. 2 0 ).

Parade T h eatre: The F a ther, b y A ugu st S trin d b e rg , d ire c te d b y Euan S m ith , designed by Douglas Heap. (to M arch 2 9 ).

The A lc h e m is t, b y Ben Jon son, d ire c te d b y Joh n C la rk, designed by A lla n Lees, (fro m A p ril

6).

R IVER IN A TRUCKING Wagga (069 - 212134)

COMPANY.

The H o v e ll and H um e S h o w devised b y th e co m p a n y . Lu nch h o u r pe rform ance s (fro m M arch 2).

ROCKDALE MUNICIPAL OPERA COMPANY (587 4913) T ria l b y J u ry and The S orcerer (G ilb e rt & S u lliv a n ): A p r il 15, 16, 22 , 2 3 ).

D ire c to r, B rian P h illip s; designer, D oug K ingsm an; c o n d u c to r, C edric A sh to n . In T ria l B y J u ry , R o b e rt H a th e rle y as th e Judge, P a trick D o n n e lly as th e Counsel fo r th e P lain­ t i f f , D am on Beck as th e D e fe n d a n t, R o slyn Dansie as th e P la in tiff, Rhys Davies as th e Usher. In The Sorcerer, R o b e rt H a th e rle y as John W e llin g to n W ells, John W irth as A le xis, R o slyn Dansie as A lin e , M ary B lake as Lady Sangazure, D am on Beck as S ir M arm ad uke P o in td e x tre , B ro n w y n M o ore as Constance, K a th e rin e W atson as Mrs P artle t.

ST JAMES PLAYHOUSE

(232 8570)

N e x t, b y Terrence M c N a lly , d ire cte d by Peter W illia m s. (M o n . Tues. F ri. lu n c h tim e to A p ril 18).

SEYMOUR CENTRE (692 0555) Y o rk : G old berg and S o lo m o n , (c o n tin u in g ) D o w n S ta irs: A p iu s a n d V irginia , presented b y C artw heels, d ire c te d by R ex C ram pho rne (to M arch 31 ).

SPEAKEASY THEATRE RESTAURANT, Kensington (663 7442) Son o f N aked Vicar, b y B arry C re y to n , d ire cte d b y Gary R e illy , (c o n tin u in g ).

The H ills F a m ily S how , by th e A u s tra lia n P e rfo rm in g G ro u p , d ire c te d w ith th e assistance o f Bob T h o rn e y c ro ft. (to A p r. 2 3 ).

3 0 -3 1 ).

THEATRE ROYAL (231 6577)

CANBERRA OPERA

MUSIC H A LL THEATRE RESTAURANT 909 8222) L u s t fo r P o w e r: o r Perils a t P arram atta, w ritte n and d ire c te d b y M ichael B o d d y. (c o n tin u in g )

The Pleasure o f His C om p any, by Samuel T a y lo r assisted by C orn elia O tis S kin n e r; associated producers F re d e rick J. G ibson and

7 Pasquale (D o n iz e tti) in E nglish: On to u r

Page 58 T h e a tre -A u s tra lia March-April, 1977.

B ernard Jay. (to A p r. 9).

L a uder, a one-m an show on th e life and songs o f H a rry Lauder devised and presented b y J im Logan (fro m A p r. 13).

UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES OPERA (662 3412) Science T h eatre: Eraclea (S c a rla tti): (M arch 26, 29 , A p r il, 1). P rod ucer, B ernd B enthaak; designer, Fiona R e illy ; m usical d ire c to r, Roger C ovell.

QUEENSLAND ARTS THEATRE (36 2344) W ho's A fr a id o f V irg in ia W o o lf, b y E dw ard A lbee, d ire c te d b y George R obe rts (to A p r il 9, Wed. Sat. 8 .1 5 p .m .).

H o w the O th e r H a lf Lives, b y R oger A c k ro y d , d ire cte d b y K evin R adb ourne (opens A p ril.

W ed.—Sat. 8 .1 5 p.m .)

Hansel and G retel, d ire c te d b y K a th Sparks and Jay M cKee (opens 26 M arch, every Sat. 2 .0 0 p.m . t i l l fu r th e r n o tic e ).

LA BOITE (36 2296) Season o f Three Queensland P la y w rig h ts : In B e a u ty i t is Fin ish ed, b y George L. D ann ; The K ite and The B o a t b y J ill Shearer; T re a d m ill, b y L o rna B ol. (W e d -S a t at 8 p .m . Sun. 3 .0 0 p .m ., 5 .3 0 p.m ., 8 .0 0 p.m .. O pening M arch 25 w ith In B eau ty i t is F inished, th e re a fte r in reper­ to r y t i l l 2 3 rd A p ril E xcept M arch 29 and A p ril 9)

CAMERATA THEATRE (36 6561) A valon Theatre A W in te r's Tale b y W illia m Shakespeare, d ire c to r D avid G ittin s (fro m A p r il 7)

COMMUNITY THEATRE (356 9311 A/H 356 9936) H om e, b y D avid S to re y , d ire c te d b y La urie H all (M ar. 31 —A p r. 2 A p r. 5 & 6).

HER MAJESTY'S THEATRE (221 2777) D o c to r in Lo ve, b y R ich a rd G o rd o n (A p r. 1 6 M ay 7. M o n .—Sat. 8 p.m . M ats Wed. & Sat. 2 p .m j

POPULAR THEATRE TROUPE (36 1745) M illio n a ire 's H and icap and F a ll-O u t an d F o llo w M e are in th e re p e rto ire . D u rin g M arch in Brisbane; to 19 A p ril G ladstone, R o c k h a p to n and N ow ra . R ing above n u m b e r fo r details.

QUEENSLAND THEATRE COMPANY (221 5177) H obso n's Choice, b y H aro ld Brighouse, d ire c te d b y M u rra y F o y , designed b y Peter C ooke (to A p ril 2. Tues.—Sat. 8 p .m . mats Wed. & Sat) The M e rc h a n t o f Venice, b y W illia m Shakespeare d ire c te d by A la n Edw ards, designed b y James R id e w o o d (A p r. 1 3 - 3 0 . T u e s .-S a t. 8 p.m .

TWELFTH NIGHT (52 5889) Dangerous C orner, by J. B. P rie s tly , d ire c te d by Joan W halley (to 26 M arch.)

SOUTH AUSTRALIA AMP THEATRE (51 0451) G ro u p th e a tre (to M arch 2 6 th )

FESTIVAL CENTRE (51 2292) Plaza: Open a ir th e a tre (to M arch 22 nd) see also S .A .T .C .

HER MAJESTY'S (bookings 51 2292) The E lo c u tio n o f B e n ja m in F ra n k lin b y Steve J. Spears. D ire c to r, R ich a rd W h e rre tt, starring G o rd o n C hater. (A p r il 1 4 th -3 0 th ).

Same T im e N e x t Year w ith Graeme B lu n d e ll and N ancye Hayes. (M arch 1 5 t h - A p r il 7 th ).

LITTLE THEATRE, Adelaide University (223 8610) The Queen a n d the Rebels b y Ugo B e tti, d ire c to r, R o b e rt B ath fo r th e G lob e T h e a tre C om p any (to M arch 2 6 th ).

SOUTH AU STR ALIAN THEATRE COMPANY (51 5151) S c h o o l fo r S candal b y R .B. S heridan. D ire c to r, C o lin George (to A p r il 2 n d ).

The C h e rry O rch a rd b y A n to n C hekhov. D ir ­ e c to r, C o lin George (fro m A p r il 7 th ).

UNION H ALL, Theatre Guide (22 34333) M a b e tt b y Eugene Ionesco, D ire c to r, M a rtin C hristm as (to A p r il 2n d).

The Pleasure o f H is C om p any b y Sam uel T a y lo r w ith C o rn e llia O tis S kin n e r, d ire c to r Peter D enis; designer T e rry Parsons (F ro m A p ril 1 3 th )

CYRILS THEATRE RESTAURANT C o c k ta ils o f '7 7 ('co n tin u in g )

LA MAMA (347 6085) Ravages b y J o h n W ood (to M arch 27) A n event b y L lo y d Jones (M arch 31 - A p r. 4) A n event b y James C layden (A p r. 7 - 1 0 )

MELBOURNE (645 1100)

THEATRE

COMPANY

A th e n e a u m T h e a tre : S c h o o l fo r Scandal by S heridan, d ire c to r R ay L a w le r (to A p r. 23) Russell S tre e t: The F a ll G uy b y Linda A a ro n so n , d ire c to r M ic k R odger (fro m M arch 29)

M.T.C. T.I.E.

TASMANIA

C om p any A : S t. K ild a (to M arch 2 5 ), C a u lfie ld (M ar 28 - A p r. 15 ), M o o ra b b in (fro m A p r. 18).

THEATRE ROYAL (34 6266)

C om p any B: H a w th o rn (to M arch 2 5 ), B ox H ill (M ar 25 - A p r. 15 ), W averly / M onash (fro m A p r. 18 ).

S o u n d o f M usic D ire c to r, Jo h n U n ico m b e (M arch 1 8 th -A p r. 2 n d ).

Tasm anian B a lle t C o m p a n y (A p r. 4 th -1 0 th ) C o u n t D ra cu la D ire c to r, J o h n U n ico m b e (A p r. 1 9 th -3 0 th ).

PLAYBOX THEATRE (63 4888) H ats by and w ith C o lle tte C h a lle n o r (c o n tin u in g )

M ann and

R on

PRAM FACTORY (9347 7133)

VICTORIA AUSTRALIAN OPERA Princess T h e a tre (6 6 2 1355) M adam a B u tte r fly (P u ccin i) in Ita lia n : M ar 2 4 ,2 6 , 2 9 ; A p rl. 1,4 ,7, 13, 16 (m a t), 19.

P roducer, Joh n C o p le y; designers, M ichael S te n n e tt (costum es) and H e n ry B ardon (sets); c o n d u c to r. C arlo Felice C illa rio . M ie tta Sighele as B u tte rfly ; L a m b e rto F u rla n o r R o b in D ona ld as P in k e rto n ; R ona ld M aconaghie o r John P ringle as Sharpless; Lesley S tend er o r J e n n ife r B erm in gha m as S u zu ki.

L a k m e ('Delibes) in F re n ch : M ar 25, 3 0 ; A p rl 5, 14, 16 (eve), 29. P rod ucer, N orm an A y rto n , designer, D esm ond D ig b y ; c o n d u c to r, Peter R o b in s o n . Joan Carden o r R hon da Bruce as L a k m e ; H enri W ild e n o r A nson A u s tin as G erald; R o b e rt A llm a n as N ila k a n th a ; M argreta E lkin s as M a llik a ; Graeme E w er as H a d ji; John P ringle o r L y n d o n T e rra c in i as F re d e rick.

C arm en (B iz e t) in French : A p r. 2 ,6 ,2 1 ,2 3 ,2 5 27, 30 , (eve). P rod ucer and designer, T o m L in g w o o d ; c o n d u c to r, Russel C han nell. H eather Begg, M argreta E lk in s o r Suzanne Steele as C arm en; R on Stevens o r R eginald Byers as D on Jose; Isobel B uchanan o r D olores C am bridge as M icaela; R a ym o n d M yers as E scam illo.

F id e lio (B eethoven) in G erm an : A p r il 22 , 26, 28, 3 0 (m a t.) Designer, A lla n Lees; c o n d u c to r, C arlo Felice C illa rio . Lone K o p p e l W in th e r o r Nance G ra nt as L e onore; B eryl F u rlan o r C y th ia Jo h n sto n as M a rze llin e ; R ona ld D ow d as F lo re sta n ; Graeme E w er o r A nson A u s to n as J a c q u in o ; Jo h n Shaw as P izarro ; N eil W arrenS m ith o r D ona ld Shanks as R occo; R o b e rt A llm a n o r G ra nt D ickso n as D on Fernando.

COMEDY THEATRE (663 3211) The Tw o o f Us b y M ichael F ra y n ; d ire c to r Peter Lau; designer T e rry Parsons, (to A p ril, 9)

It's Cingalese fo r L ig h tn in g Y 'K n o w by Steve M astare; d ire c to r, Paul H a m p to n (to A p r. 24 ).

REGENT PALACE The R o c k y H o rr o r S h o w (C o n tin u in g )

ST MARTINS THEATRE (654 4000) L e a d in g L a d y w ith J ill P errym an (c o n tin u in g )

TO TAL THEATRE (662 4991) L e t M y People Come by Earl d ire c to r Peter B atey (c o n tin u in g )

W ilso n Jnr.

WINDSOR REGIS THEATRE RESTAURANT (51 6971) Son o f N a ke d Vicar, by T o n y S atley and G ary R ile y (c o n tin u in g )

FOR SCHOOLS P ilg rim P uppet T h e a tre : W endy a n d the M agic P ony, a m a rio n e tte p la y (M arch 19 & 26 S chool p e rfo rm a n ce each Tues & F ri. d u rin g M arch. 10 a.m . & 1 p.m .)

V ic to ria n S tate Opera: G e o ffre y G o o d so u n d m eets D r. W ron gnote a n d the H o rrib le H o n k y T onks b y Peter N a rro w a y (d u rin g 1 st te rm ).

WESTERN AUSTRALIA HOLE IN THE W ALL (81 2403) A t W ar w ith Shaw, a d o u b le -b ill o f G.B. Shaw on e-actors: M an o f D e s tin y and O ’F la h e rty V.C., d ire c te d b y Jo h n M ilso n . (M arch 16—A p r il 16).

PLAYHOUSE (25 3344) The D e p a rtm e n t b y D avid W illia m s o n d ire c te d b y A a rn e Neeme (M arch 2 4 - A p r i l 16).

O n to u r (sch ools): C u p id in T ra n sit b y S im on H o p k in s o n , d ire c te d b y A n d re w Ross (available fo r b o o k in g ).