Theatre Australia 1(1) August-September 1976

A u g /S e p t 1976

Raymond Omodei

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Theatre -A ustralia

ISSN

A U S TR A LIA 'S N A T IO N A L TH E A TR E M A G A ZIN E

EDITORS: Bruce Knappett Robert Page

0313 - 2080

A u g -S e p t 1 9 7 6

Asst: Lucy Wagner

CONTENTS THEATRE G U ID E ......................................................................................................................................... 3 QUOTES AND Q U E R IE S ............................................................................................................................ 4 R E V IE W S ........................................................................................................................................................ 6 John Smythe A C /D C ......................................................................................................................... 6 Leonard Radio Othello ...................................................................................................................7 Richard Fotheringham Savages.............................................................

Collin O'Brien H a m le t.................................................................................................................... 12 Katharine Brisbane Habeas C o rp u s ..............................................................................................13 Rex Cramphorne Are You n o w o r have you ever been?

M ad Bad and Dangerous to K n o w .............................................................. 15 Ron Blair Cycle S lu ts ....................................................................................................................... 17 Bruce Knappett E q u u s ....................................................................................................................19 G uthrie Worby Otherwise Engaged..............................................................................................20 Peter Ward The New Opera Season .............................................................................................. 22 PLAYSCRIPT Jennifer Rankin Bees: A c t 1...........................................................................................................24 THEATRE BUILDING S Raymond Omodei The Drama Theatre....................................................................................... 30 A U S T R A L IA N CURRENTS Nigel T r if f it t F o llo w the Yellow Brick Road S h o w s ............................................................34 Richard W herrett A n In te rvie w w ith Anna V o ls k a ............................................................... 36 Lindzee Smith Pushing the P r a m .................................................................................................38 IN T E R N A T IO N A L Alan Seymour Languishing L o n d o n .......................................................................................... 41 A M ATEU R S David Goddard The A r t o f A m a te ur A c tin g ............................................................................43 F IL M , TE LE V IS IO N & R A D IO Brian Bell Australian T V — A Messy Com prom ise?................................................................. 44 D R A M A IN EDU C ATIO N Margaret Leask TIE-ing Up A u s tra lia .......................................................................................... 46

Editorial T H E A T R E -A U S T R A L IA , the firs t national m on th ­ ly theatre magazine to be published in Australia, has been launched to answer an urgent and ever growing need fo r comprehensive com m ent and in ­ form ed criticism . The magazine is broadly based and w ill be o f interest to a wide range o f people; theatre goers, theatre practitioners, amateur play­ ers, students, educationalists and T .I.E . groups, film and television enthusiasts and indeed anyone concerned fo r the developm ent o f the arts in Australia.

T H E A T R E -A U S T R A L IA gives a national listing o f professional productions, sound criticism o f last m onth's productions and in depth articles on cu r­ rent concerns. The magazine also concerns itself w ith theatre-in-education, new technical trends and reviews new theatre books; theatre news appears in Quotes and Queries and w riters abroad give a round up o f trends in th e ir co u n try fo r the In te r­ national section. A Casebook series w ill map o u t the production process o f selected plays and in the Film Television, and Radio drama section p ro ­ 10 fessionals w ill be giving sim ilar behind-the-scenes analysis.

T H E A T R E -A U S T R A L IA exists solely on sales.

W ith o u t the general support o f the theatres the magazine would not exist. Our especial thanks go to the Hunter Valley Theatre Company, N im rod Theatre Company and the Australian Perform ing G roup fo r giving benefit nights to ensure a success­ fu l launching, and to Edgley's, E quity and the Theatrical and Amusement Employees Association fo r practical help and support. T H E A T R E -A U S T ­ R A L IA now depends on yo u r support if it is to continue its task o f chronicling and consolidating our national theatre culture.

This month This m onth we feature Raym ond Omodei's article on the Drama Theatre at the Opera House, a theatre which has never ye t been c ritic a lly examined in p rin t by those who have worked in it. The playte x t is the controversial Bees by Jennifer Rankin, and Anna Volska reveals the pleasures and p rob­ lems o f being a w ife and actress in a personal inter­ view w ith director, Richard W herrett.

I.T .I. N E W S ................................................................................................................................................... 47 T E C H N IC A L Ian McKenzie, Darryl W ilkinson Toward an A lternative Theatre Technology.............................................................. 48

SUBSCRIBE

OPERA David Gyger Sydney Opera S eason..............................................................................................50 BOOKS Helen van der Poorten Pictures and P la y s ................................................................................. 52 C L A S S IF IE D ................................................................................................................................................ 52

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IN D E X TO A D V E R T IS E R S .......................................................................................................................52

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PROMOTIONS A D V IS O R Y BOARD Ellen Braye Katharine Brisbane W.A. Enright Linda Gray Jack Hibberd

Sue Manger

(02) 456-2068

•

Ken Horler Robert Jordan Phil Noyce Raymond Omodei Philip Parsons Julian Pringle John Romeril

Ken Southgate Damion Stapleton Elizabeth Sweeting John T im lin A n th o n y C. Trench G uthrie Worby Richard W herrett

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T H E A T R E -A U S T R A L IA is published by Theatre Publications Ltd., 7 President Place, New Lambton Heights, New South Wales 2305 (Tel 049 525976) on the 19th o f every m onth. It is distributed by subscription and through theatre foyers etc., by Theatre Publications and to newsagents throughout Australia by Gordon and Gotch (A'asia) Ltd ., M ELBO URNE SYDNEY. , Advertising rates on application. Printed by Newey & Beath Printers Pty. Ltd., 10 Belford ■ Street, Broadmeadow, 2292, Newcastle, New South Wales.

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To Australia's firs t tru ly national and com p­ rehensive theatre magazine.

For nationw ide reviews and a fu ll range o f articles on Australian theatre practice.

To a magazine which has the fu ll support o f the co u n try's leading theatre companies.

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Page 2 T h e a tre -A u stra lia A ug-S ept, 1976

THERE IS NO THEATRE WITHOUT AN A U D IE N C E .........

The simple truth is, THE AUSTRALIAN ELIZABETHAN THEATRE TRUST needs your support to continue to bring to the nation the finest local and overseas artists and companies.

In short, we'd like you to become a Trust Member.

Here's the story: Members get advance notice of all Trust and Trust associated presentations. You get preferential bookings for all attractions which the Trust brings to your city.

You get preferential treatment for new subscriptions to The Australian Ballet and The Australian Opera.

A n d here's the best part: You get a price concession on seats for all Trust attractions as well as concessions at other theatres and cinemas throughout Australia. (As a rule of thumb, if you attend the theatre 4 or 5 times a year, your concessions will cover your membership fee of $10.)

If you are under 26 years of age, you can become an Associate Trust Member. The only difference is you pay $2 instead of $10.

You also receive preferential booking for The Australian Opera and Ballet Youth Series (these tickets are not renewed auto­ matically each year) and concessions for performances which are not sold on subscription.

Fact is, the shortest cut to great entertainment is around our coupon.

The Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust is a non-profit organization which was founded in 1954.

Since then it has played a leading role in the development of the performing arts in Australia. The Trust has been instrumental in the establishment of: The Australian Opera, The Australian Ballet, The Marionette Theatre of Australia, The Elizabethan Trust Sydney and Melbourne Orchestras, The Old Tote Theatre Company, The South Australian Theatre Company, The Queensland Theatre Company, The National Theatre at the Playhouse in Perth and The National Institute of Dramatic Art. In addition, the Trust continues to import world famous attractions as well as providing stimulus to Australian artists and companies.

2 5

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Theatre Guide NEW SOUTH WALES: ACTORS COMPANY (660 2503) Play it Again Sam by W oody A llen Directed by Rodnet Delaney (to Sept. 18th)

D ow nstairs: The Elocution o f Benjam in Franklin by Steve J. Spears Directed by Richard W h e rre tt (from Aug 25th)

SOUTH AUSTRALIAN THEATRE COMPANY (51 5151) M a jo r Barbara by G.B. S haw Directed by G eorge O gilvie (to Sept 11th)

OLD TOTE (663 6122)

The Last o f the Knucklem en by John Powers D irected by David W illia m so n (from Sept 16th)

W aiting for G odot by Sam uel Beckett Directed by Rodney Delaney (from Sept. 22nd)

Drama Theatre: The Shoem akers Holiday by Thom as Dekker D irected by Peter C ollingw ood (to Sept 7th)

BONDI PAVILION (30 7241)

The Dolls House by Henrik Ibsen (from Sept 15th)

VICTORIA

S am e D ifferen ce by M o rris S w e rd lin Directed by John Derum (July 2 9 th - Aug 31 st)

Parade Theatre: O therw ise Engaged by Sim on G ray (to Sept 21 st)

COMEDY

CAPITOL THEATRE (21 2 41 99)

Q THEATRE (92 5011)

S am e Time N e x t Year by M o rris Sladen Directed by G ordon Hunt (to Sept 11th)

Jesus Christ Superstar R ice /W e b b e r Directed by Stefan Haag C h o re o g ra p h e d

by C h r is t in d K o lt a i (continuing)

Joan by A lu n O wen Directed by Adam Salzer

THEATRE ROYAL

MELBOURNE THEATRE COMPANY (645 1100)

ENSEMBLE (929 887)

Black Theatre o f Prague (Aug 23 rd to Sept 4th)

Russell Street: Othello by W. Shakespeare Directed by John S um ner (to Aug 31st)

Com edians by Trevor G riffith s Directed by Hayes Gordon (continuing)

S am e Time N e x t Year by M orris Sladen Directed by G ordon Hunt (From Sept 15th)

A H and ful o f Friends by David W illia m s o n D irected by Rodney Fisher (no dates available)

HER MAJESTY'S (212 1066)

THE STABLES (31 1111)

St. M artin s: S o m e o f M y B est Friends are Women by L.M. Radic Directed by Ray Law ler (to Sept 14th)

M a n o f La M ancha Directed by Betty Pounder (no dates available)

Bees by J e n n ife r Rankin Directed by Nigel T riffit (Prem iere) (No dates available)

The Nuns by Eduardo M an e t Directed by Ian Giles (no dates available)

HU N T E R V A L L E Y T H E A T R E COMPANY, NEWCASTLE (26 2526) B edfellow s by Barry Oakley Directed by M ichael Rolfe (from A ug 6th)

G ra n t S tre e t: The F o u rs o m e by E.A. W hite h e ad Directed by Sim on Hopkinson (to Aug 21st)

QUEENSLAND

D ia ry o f a M ad m a n by Nikolai Gogol Directed by A n d re w Ross (from Aug 24th)

HER MAJESTY'S

A Happy and H o ly Occasion by John O 'Donoghue Directed by Terence Clarke (Prem iere 10th Sept)

Black Theatre o f Prague (From Sept 28th)

On Tour: Kid Stakes by Ray Law ler D irected by John S u m n e r (Albury, M ild u ra - Aug 23rd to Sept 8th)

Sale,

LA BOITE (36 2296) PRAM FACTORY (347 7133)

INDEPENDENT (929 7377) The S h ifting H e a rt by Richard Beynon D irected by David Goddard

MARIAN STREET (498 3166) Cole (Cole Porter) Directed by A lis ta ir Duncan Choreographed by Karen Johnson (to 21st)

Black Theatre o f Prague (from Sept 14th)

W hat's M a d e M ag d elan e by Peter W eston Directed by Rick B illin g h u rs t (Prem iere) (To A ug 2 8th)

A C / D C by Heathcote W illia m s Directed by Lindzee Sm ith (con tin u in g )

H a p p y B irth d a y W a n d a J u n e V on n e g u t (From Sept 3rd)

Knuckle by David Hare D irected by A lan Robertson (to Sept 1 1th)

by

K u rt

QUEENSLAND THEATRE COMPANY (21 3861) Aug

In Praise o f Love by Terence Rattigan Directed by A lis ta ir Duncan (From A ug 2 6th Oct 2nd)

MUSIC HALL THEATRE RESTAURANT (909 8222) The Beast o f Belgrave Square by Stanley W alsh Directed by S tanley W alsh (continuing)

The D e p a rtm e n t by David W illia m so n Directed by Joe M cColum (to Sept 4th) A Toast to M elb a by Jack Hibberd Directed by A lan Edwards (from Sept 15th)

TWELFTH NIGHT THEATRE (52 5889) D and y D ick by A.W . Pinero Directed by Joan W ha lle y (no dates available)

NIMROD (69 5003)

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

U pstairs: The Recruiting O ffic e r by George Farquhar Directed by Ken Horler (to Sept 25th)

HER MAJESTY'S Black Theatre o f Prague (from Sept 28th)

The O vercoat by Jack Hibberd Directed by Tim Robinson (no dates available)

WESTERN AUSTRALIA HOLE IN THE WALL (81 2403) The Trial and A n im a l Farm Adapted and Directed by M alcom Keith (from Aug 8th) The Ride Across Lake Constance by Peter Handke Directed by Sally Holmes (Sept 15th - 18th)

PLAYHOUSE (25 3344) Habeas Corpus by A lan B ennett Directed by A a rn e Neeme (to Sept 4th)

AUGUST 1976 SEPTEMBER -

7

Page 4 T h e a tre -A u stra lia A ug-S e pt, 1976

p

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The P la yw rig h t's Conference is hoping to move in to a second stage of operations a fte r fo u r N ational Conferences. This stage may take the fo rm of assistance w ith readings and short p ro d u ctio n s of n e w plays th ro u g h o u t the year, and is aim ed at giving co n tin u a l enco ura g e m e n t to A u stra lia n p la yw rig hts, w ith th e C onference as th e focal p o in t.

Helen van der Poorten, Australian National Playw right's Conference.

JJ

^ ^R e tre n ch m e n t of some of J.C .W .'so p e ra tio n s is n o w inevitable because of the gove rn m e nt decision to reject o u r sh o rt te rm a p p lication to the I.A.C. We are very disappointed and w ill be m aking the detailed cuts in th e lig h t o f th is at our A u g u st board m eeting. The long te rm w ill rem ain un ce rta in u n til th e report on th e atre s, deferred u n til November, is published.® I Alastair M itch ell, M anaging D ire c to ro f J .C .

W illiam son's ******

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^ ^R oger Chapm an, one of England's leading T.I.E. experts, has rece n tly jo in e d S.A.T.C. as D irector of Youth A ctivitie s, fro m M onday A u g u st 1st. He is not only w o rkin g w ith but p e rfo rm in g fo r ch ild ren as w e ll as holding special w o rkshops fo r teachers o f creative dram a for p rim a ry schools. He has replaced H elm ut B akaitis.J S Adrian Baum, S .A .T .C . ** ** **

® ^The change in life -style involved in s h iftin g over from being a fu ll-tim e te a ch e r to being a fu ll-tim e w rite r shook the old psyche a bit. I rea lly liked th e experience of d ire ctin g Dim boo/a fo r the A.P.G. in 1973 and any chance I get to involve m yself in close social contact, to relate to a group o f people, by d ire ctin g I ju m p at. Its a situ a tio n I really enjoy.

A nd I've alw ays loved th e play ... its bloody g o o d .I ® David W illiam son, p la yw rig h t, w h o is d ir e c t in g J o h n P o w e r s ' L a s t o f t h e K nuckfem ert fo r the South A u stra lia n Theatre Com pany in Septem ber

If Perth was London, Brisbane w o u ld be Siberia from th e QTC N ew sletter

...I J

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A

m

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The Stables is ge tting a lot of good crits, a lot of good audiences, is losing m oney hand over fis t and should survive u n til next M arch.

Lu n chtim e and six o'clock w e re a proud fo lly, late n ig h t cam p show s a d isq u ie tin g success, and o rig in a l A u s tra lia n tra d itio n . Eight o 'clock show s evenly divided betw een affable n e a r­ m asterpieces (Down U nder and The G ift) and e gocentric turkeys (Tatty H o llo w and Bees). We are s till in business but deeply bruised by co lo u r TV and the tw e n ty fo u r o th e r live professional th e a tre s s till brazenly fu n c tio n in g ro u n d Sydney® ®Bob Ellis and Anne Brooksbank, owners of The Stables. * ** ** *

Rodney Fisher's norm al d ire ctin g load w h ils t Associate D irector fo r the South A u s tra lia n Theatre Com pany w as tw o plays per season — and th a t's ju s t as m any as h e 'll be doing w h e n he retu rn s to us as a free la n ce next m onth. R esponsibilities of a d m in istra tio n w i l l be r e p la c e d w it h th o s e o f th e w rite r/a d a p to r: one s h o w w ill be his ow n S ca rf a n d Strise, a docum ented h isto ry of the U nA m erican A ctiv itie s Com m ittee in th e '40s and '50s — fore the Theatre-G o-R ound program m e w h ic h takes perform ance out into th e A delaide com m unity; and the o th e r w ill be M a/fi, his o w n adaption of the W ebster play — a sh o rte r and m ore accessible version fo r the Playhouse audience I ®

^ look fo rw a rd to re tu rn in g to freelance d irectin g and acting. Since it became generally know n th a t I w as leaving (in November) I have been co n sta n tly questioned about th e Tote by people w hose o n ly in te re st has been w h a t dam n in g ta le s I m ig h t have to te ll. They m ight as w e ll save th e ir breath. M y association w ith th e Com pany has been a happy one. Of course w e have had our disagreem ents — generally about th e type of play to be done — but they have been h e a lthy and necessary ones. There is so m e th in g to kick against in any job w o rth doing; m any of th e th in g s I have w a n te d to do ha ve n't m ate ria lise d but these fru s tra tio n s are due to fin a n cia l not personal obstru ctio n s and I believe I may have paved the w a y to th e ir rea lisatio n in the fu tu re .

I came hom e to live in A u stra lia , accepting its w a rts and all, and co n tra ry to reports I am alw ays receiving, I have no in te n tio n of leaving. I love w o rkin g w ith the actors here and w o u ld stay fo r th a t reason alone. ® ® Bill Redm ond, Artistic Director, Old Tote Theatre Com pany. (Bill Redmond w ill be looking at th e w ay fo rw a rd fo r A u stra lia n th e atre in the next issue.) ** ****

® ^P rior to Robin Lovejoy's re tire m e n t in Decem ber 1974 from the position of A rtis tic D irector of th e Old Tote Theatre Company, the com pany had a policy of re ta in in g a perm anent a rtis tic d ire cto r plus resident d irecto rs on e ith e r one or tw o year contracts.

W hen th e tim e came to a p p oint a successor to Robi n Lovejoy th e co m p a n y's directo rs decided th a t the policy used fo r th e resident d irecto rs should be adopted in re la tio n to th e post of A rtis tic D irector pro tern. e.g. a short term co n tra ct w ith an option fo r a fu rth e r extension of a p p ointm e n t.

This w as im p le m e n te d upon th e a p p ointm e n t of W illia m Redmond w hose tw o year te rm of office expires in Novem ber 1976. By doing th is w ith o u t prejudice it was fe lt th a t th e com pany w o u ld be be tter able to m eet the changing co n d itio n s th a t th e th e a tric a l profession m ight have to face. It w o u ld be possible to introduce n e w ideas and n e w d irectio n s m uch more q u ickly should these be necessary. The qu e stion of c o n tin u ity of the com pany's a rtistic o p eration w as also exam ined closely and it w a s d e c id e d th a t by s ta g g e r in g th e a p p ointm e n t of th e a rtis tic d ire c to r and the reside n t directors, su ita b le overlaps w o u ld occur th a t w o u ld m a in ta in a cohesive policy.

A su p p le m e n ta ry d e velopm ent th e com pany is co n te m p la tin g in the near fu tu re is the in tro d u ctio n of a n o th e r fo rm o f co n tra ctu a l d ire cto rsh ip . The com pany a n ticip a te s being able to fo rm a co m m itm e n t w ith local and overseas d irecto rs on a ro ta tin g basis. It is hoped th a t by in tro d u cin g a tw e lv e m onth co n tra ct spread over tw o or fo u r years we w o u ld be able to entice d irecto rs to fo rm a re la tio n sh ip w ith th e c o m p a n y th a t w ill be both s tim u la tin g and exciting fo r a rtis ts and the th e a tre going public. By th is la tte r move, the com pany w o u ld be able to co n tra ct them fo r a fu ll tw e lve m onth or tw o year period w h ic h w o u ld rem ove th e m com p le te ly fro m the sphere of operations in w h ic h th e y w o rk in e ith e r Europe or Am erica.

This m ethod is n e w to A u stra lia in th e drama fie ld (though custom ary in the fie ld s of opera, b allet and orchestral w ork) as the custom has been for the long term a p p o in tm e n t of an a rtis tic director, but it is fe ltth a tth e inn o va tion is w o rth co n sid e ra tio n if it m eans a more in te re stin g and viable fo rm of p re sentation for our audiences and the extension of th e s kills of o ur a rtists by th e in tro d u ctio n of ne w th in k in g and the la te st m ethods in use overseas.® ® Ken Southgate, General M anager of the Old Tote Theatre Com pany

How does the situ a tio n arise w h e re live th e a tre and th e A u stra lia n Opera are starting to run sh o rt of fu n d s — no increases, m any cutbacks and consequent th re a t of partial or co m plete closure — w h e n the Film and TV Board of th e A u stra lia n C ouncil can still, it w o u ld seem, give out as m uch as e v e ra n d even launch out into n e w projects? W itn e ss Lilian H o rle r's tra n s fe r from Nim rod to Paddington Town Hall A rts Centre to establish an access ce n tre e n tire ly (and sub stan tia lly) funded by th e Film and TV Board. Is th is a leftover W h itla m titb it, or does it sh o w a s h ift in em phasis w ith th e c u rre n t G overnm ent? Does Harry M ille r's move refle ct m ore th a n the in s tin c t of one e n tre p re n e u r- ^ *** ** *

T h e a tre -A u stra lia A ug-S ept, 1976 Page 5

500 Elizabeth St., Surry Hills 2010 Phone: 69-5003

Nimrod downstairs

Would you believe GORDON CHATER in The Elocution of Benjamin Franklin by Steve J. Spears. He's fat, fifty and quite content with his Mick Jagger fantasies and his stockbroker mate till his 12 year old elocution pupil tries to seduce him and the forces of light descend on the Transvestite Terror of Double Bay. Director is Richard Wherrett, designer Larry Eastwood and it opens August 25th.

Nimrod upstairs.

. . . a big, lively production of George Farquhar's very modern late Restoration piece about wenches, war, women's roles, whoring and recruiting — The Recruit­ ing Officer. It's warm and w itty and the first play ever performed in Australia — in 1789 by convicts "in a rude hut fitted up for the occasion". The all star cast includes PETER CARROLL (The Christian Brothers and Benedick in Much Ado) IVAR KANTS (The Duke in Much Ado and the Lavinia's brother in Mourning Becomes Electra), LYNETTE CURRAN (Martello Towers), CAROL BURNS (The Match­ maker) and JOHN GADEN (Travesties). Director is Ken Horler and it plays until September 25th.

THE RECRUITING OFFICER

Page 6 Theatre-AustraUa Aug-Sept, 1976

Review s

AUSTRALIAN PERFORMING GROUP

A C /D C John Smythe

A C /D C by Heathcote Williams. Director, Lindzee Smith.

Maurice, RICHARD MURPHETT; Perowne, PHIL MOTHERWELL; Sadie, CAROL PORTER; Gary, LARRY MELTZER; Melody, JANE CLIFTON.

"G ive a kid a ham m er and suddenly e ve rth in g needs h a m m e rin g ."

Tune in and clam p your in te r-lo ckin g brainbuzz receptors on th a t one Dodos because it's one of th e very fe w unscram bled n o n -sta ticriddled sta te m e n ts uttered in /b y th e trip le re a lity m u ltip le frea k-o u t m ind blast o th e rw ise kn ow n as a play called A C /D C w h ic h was w ritte n by Heathcote W illia m s in the late 1 9 6 0 's firs t produced at the Royal Court Theatre London in 1970 and is n o w b e a m in g in on A u s tra lia for the firs t tim e having been program m ed by the A u s tra lia n Perform ing G roup to play th ro u g h J u ly at th e Pram Factory w h e re fin a l o u tpu t splits in tw o u tilisin g the back part of the fro n t th e atre (AC) and the back th e atre (DC) — w h ic h w h e n you make the m istake of th in k in g a b o u t it m ust m ean Theatre Projects is w a itin g fo r godot on th e oft m entioned c lito ris w h ic h is probably n e ith e r here nor there but if it gives you a b u zza nd yo u w a n t to pick up on th a t trip man th e n do it like you kn o w w h a te ve r tu rn s you on rig h t but stay cool dig and d o n 't w aste energy d o n 't b lo w a trip th e re 's so m uch around to get in to ...

A C /D C is a p o w e rfu l, pola rising , highfrequency, som etim es m agnetic, som etim es shocking, even re-vo ltin g , co n sta n tly sparking th e a trica l charge w h ic h scans and picks up on phenom ena th a t w ere especially c u rre n t, or at least came into sharp focus, a ro u n d th e tim e it w as w ritte n . References to The Beatles and Kennedys date it a bit but a lth o ug h w e m ight not be so readily taken nowadays w ith acid rock strobe lig h t and super a m p lifie d sound show s as once we w ere, m uch of w h a t rem ains m ore than half a decade la te r is very m uch th e sam e only m ore so.

The kids w h o have got hold o f e le ctro n ic media te ch no lo g y and, m ore im p orta n tly, the

p o w e r-so u rce co n tro lle rs w h o have got hold of th e m and are not kidding one bit, co n tin ue to ham m er rele n tle ssly at our already fla tte ne d and du lle d se n sib ilitie s. The m u lti-m illio n m eg a w a tt m anipulators. Purveyors fo r p ro fit of prophets of bigger and better b ra in -b la stin g experiences. Peddlers and p o pularisers of cerebral cum cosm ic cop-outs: psycho­ analysis and therapy, sex, speed, sp iritu a lism , the su p e rn a tu ra l, se nsational .... Their neatly packaged re a lity fla sh e s — po-faced reports of in h u m a n a tro citie s popped in som ew here betw een a n tise p tic com edy show s, p o litical w h ite w a s h exercises and th e latest sports results — serve la rge ly to a ttra ct us to th e ir antidotes. W illia m s calls th e m "p sychic c a p ita lis ts ".

A ll th is has created a bizarre su b -cu ltu re w h e re being a frea k is a strategy fo r survival.

Sadie (Carol Porter) needs to keep spaced out so she can fo rg e t all th e sh it-p ile s (eg: South Africa). She is in to a n yth in g a n d e ve ryth in g if it prom ises so m e th in g new. Since she believes th a t no e m otion is w o rth h a v in g tw ic e , hers is a relentless, upw ard, o n e -w a y search fo r u ltim ate , p u re se n sa tio n . M elody (Jane C lifton) and Gary (Larry M eltzer) seem to be th e kids of th e piece. G ood-tim e groupies w ith tons of energy looking fo r dynam ic experiences to trip fa r o u t on. They are a zap-happy tria n g le ge tting a blast from an am u se m e n t arcade — u n til Sadie breaks the th re e -w a y buzz by tu n in g in on M aurice the m aintenance m ech a n ic's vibes. Threatened, alienated, out of th e ir o rb it, M elody and G ary leave. They d o n 't make it fro m AC to DC. M au rice (Richard M u rp h e tt) is, am ong o ther th in g s, co n sta n tly paranoid about people stealing his e le ctricity. He used to have a physical re la tio n sh ip w ith a guy called Perowne (Phillip M o th e rw e ll) but n o w th e y are heavily in to each o th e r's heads. Perowne su ffe rs badly fro m s e n s o ry o v e rlo a d . M a u ric e se e m s dependent on Perowne and seems to w a n t to make Perowne dependent on him .

In DC, Sadie sets out to help Perowne.

Having got rid of M aurice (sm ashing in te r­ personal hypes is part of her trip ; she reckons he had a Christ Complex; he says she hollow ed him out), th e quest fo r "a co m p le te ly out fro n t life style th a t no-one e lse 'll be able to copy or d e va lu e " goes in to its fin a l phase. She perform s a tre p a n n in g operation on Perowne, ie: bores a hole in th e back of his skull.

C a rol P o rte r (Sadie) in A.P. G. 's A C /D C A p p a re n tly Aztecs, Cornish m in ers, Dutch and Greeks used to do it to relieve pressure on the brain or release evil spirits. In Sadie's hands it is th e u ltim a te m ind fuck.

It is an a stounding play. And th is production of it (directed by Linzee S m ith) is in te llig e n t, dynam ic, co m m itte d and th o ro u g h . Very fe w a u d ie n c e m e m b e rs c o u ld becom e e m p a th e tica lly involved but th a t is as it should be: it w o u ld be hypocritical fo r it to m in d -fu c k us as w e ll. N evertheless, w e do get bom barded a lot w ith to rtu re d tech no lo g ica l ja rgo n and e so teric references. That the a ctors have made sense of it all fo r the m se lve s is a great achievem ent. No doubt th a t raises our receptive tolerance level w e ll above w h e re it m ig h t have been. But some observers w ill still fa il to make m uch contact at all. O th e rs m ig ht pick up on so m uch so fa st th a t th e y to o w ill su ffe r sensory overload. For m ost of us a so rt of scan and pick up on bits here and there o p eration is the best th a t can be achieved in one s ittin g , and I, at least, fo u n d a great deal to in te re st me th a t way.

But bum m er, buzz or blast, w h ic h e v e r w ay it goes fo r in d ividual audience m em bers, the APG m ust be co n g ra tu la te d fo r ta k in g th e risk and fu lfillin g th e ir part of th e task so w e ll.

R ich a rd M u rp h e tt (M aurice). C arol P o rte r (Sadie), L a rry M e ltz e r (G ary) a nd J a n e C lifto n (M elody) in A.P. G .'s A C /D C _______________________________________ ____________ _____

T h e a tre -A u stra lia A ug-S ept, 1976 Page 7

Michael

Edgley

International Pty. Ltd.

^

presents for 1976/77 THE BOLSHOI BALLET (in association with Col Joye Enterprises and The Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust) DISNEY ON PARADE (in association with Bullen Bros, and TVW Channel 7 Perth) New Zealand Tour THE GREAT MOSCOW CIRCUS (in association with Bullen Bros.)

A CHORUS LINE (in association with Aztec Services Pty. Ltd.) THE LENINGRAD KIROV BALLET (in association with Col Joye Enterprises Pty. Ltd.) THE LONDON FESTIVAL BALLET BERIOSKA DANCE ENSEMBLE (in association with Col Joye Enterprises Pty. Ltd.) THE GREATEST CIRCUS ON EARTH RUSSIA’S OLYMPIC GYMNASTIC TEAM THE RED ARMY CHOIR (in association with Col Joye Enterprises Pty. Ltd.)

Page 8 T h e a tre -A u stra lia A ug-S ept, 1976

«

<9

South Australian Theatre Com pany at the Playhouse presents

SEASON T W 0 1976 G eorge B ernard Shaw

MAJOR BARBARA D ire c te d by G eorge O g ilv ie A ugust 19 - S eptem ber 11 John Powers

THE LAST OF THE KNUCKLEMEN D ire c te d by D avid W illia m s o n S eptem ber 16 - O c to b e r 9 Paul Z in d e l

AND MISS REARDON DRINKS A LITTLE D ire c te d by G eorge O g ilv ie O c to b e r 14 - N o v e m b e r 6

MALFI an a d a p ta tio n o f W ebste r's DUCHESS OF MALFI by R odney Fisher D ire c te d by R odney Fisher N o v e m b e r 11 - N o v e m b e r 27 M ich a e l C ove

HAPPY LANDINGS D ire c te d by G eorge O g ilv ie D e ce m b e r 2 - D ece m be r 18

For further information or booking arrangements please write to the Subscription Department for a colour brochure.

South Australian Theatre Company, Playhouse, Festival Centre, King W illiam Road, Adelaide, S.A. 5000.

T h e a tre -A u stra lia A ug-S ept, 1976 Page 9

M ELBO URNE

THEATRE

COM PANY

OTHELLO Leonard Radie

OTHELLO by William Shakespeare at Russell Street Theatre (opened 29.vi.76). Director, David Myles; Designer, Malcolm Munro.

Othello, S IM O N CHILVERS; Brabantio, EDWARD HEPPLE; Cassio, DAVID DOWNER; Lago, PHILLIP HINTON; Roderigo, ADRIAN WRIGHT; Duke of Venice, DAVID RAVENSWOOD; Montano, PETER STRATFORD; Gratiano, LLOYD CUNNINGHAM; Lodovico, BRUCE KERR; Guard, LEON COSAK; Herald, Official, JOHN GIBSON; Guard, Messenger, Gentleman, JOHN LEY; Servant, Gentleman, Attendant, ROSS SKIFFINGTON; Servant, Sailor, Gentleman, Attendant, BILL STEVENSON; Desdemonia, CATHERINE WILKIN; Emilia, JENNIFER HAGAN; Bianca, LOUISE RUSH.

If there is one th in g th a t stands out in th is p a tc h y M e lb o u rn e T h e a tre C om pany production of O thello, it is Sim on C hilvers' M oore.

I had th o u g h t of M r. C hilvers as being basically a com ic actor. This perform ance

proves o th erw ise .

It is sound, w o rkm a n like and in its more passionate m om ents, fo rce fu l. It is also a perform ance th a t grow s th ro u g h o u t the evening.

Behind th e layers of m ake-up and sooty bodypaint, th e re is a M oor w hose fits and jealous rages at the end are all the starker because of the w a rm , loving M oor, besotted w ith his young w h ite bride, th a t M r. Chivers has projected e a rlie r in th e evening.

He has w o rked hard at the role, deepening his voice, le a rn in g a n e w style of w a lkin g and new gestures. It is a fin e perform ance, m arred only by a te n de n cy to lapse back into m annerism s to w a rd s th e end.

C a th e rin e W ilk in 's d re a m y , g e n tle Desdemona adds stren g th and presence to the production. It is nicely judged, as is David D o w n e r's Cassio and Edward Hepple's brief but m em orable Brabantio.

I w is h I could say the sam e fo r Phillip H in to n 's lago. His villa n y is too lo w key and su p e rficia l. Instead of h atred o f O thello, he projects rese n tm e nt. The perform ance sim ply lacks persuasion.

David M yles' production is w e ll b elow the standard of his R evenger's Tragedy. It flo w s je rkily â&#x20AC;&#x201D; p a rtly the resu lt of some clum sy editing.

Helen G iffo rd 's m usic strikes the rig h t atm o sp h e ric note, w h ich is m ore th a n can be said fo r A d rian W rig h t's flo w e ry Roderigo, a p e rform ance w h ic h ja rs badly.

Even m ore ja rrin g is M alcolm M u n ro 's greypainted box and rostru m set, on to w h ich slides of Cyprus and Venice are flashed all night.

The set (w ith an ugly arch ju ttin g out in the m iddle) is a m a te u rish , w h ic h is bad enough.

But it also forces th e actors in to a variety of a rtific ia l and d istra ctin g poses.

As fo r th e slides and back p rojections, Mr. M yles should be told to pack th e m aw ay and to let th e text and the actors do the w ork.

R eview by co u rte sy o f the M e lb o u rn e A ge

S im o n C hilvers production.

as

O th e llo

in

M .T.C .'s

Page 10 Theatre-A ustraH a A ug-S ept, 1976

QUEENSLAND THEATRE CO M PANY

SAVAGES Richard Fotheringham

SAVAGES by Christopher Hampton, (opened 21 .vii.76.)

Director, Murray Foy; Design, Peter Cooke; Choreography, Bev Nevin.

Alan West, ALAN EDWARDS; Mrs West, KATE WILSON; Carlos Esqueredo, PETER KOWITZ; Miles Crawshaw, DOUGLAS HEDGE; General, IAN DYSON; Attorney General, JOE JAMES; An Investigator, PHILMOYE; Ataida Pereira, BRIAN COX; Major Brigg, REG CAMERON; Indian Servant, GREG GESCH; Rev Elmer Penn, JOE JAMES; Kumai, PHIL MOULE; Indians, IAN DYSON, GREG GESCH, MARK HEMBROW, HAZEL HOWSON, MICHAEL M cCa f f r e y , r ik k i M c D o n a l d , w a r r e n m e a c h a m , PHIL MOYE, BRUCE PARR, GAYE POOLE.

In 1973 th e B ritish c ritics applauded tw o m ajor n e w plays: Peter S h a ffe r's Equus and C hristopher H am pton's Savages. The fo rm e r has become the m ost popular play o f the seventies, w ith s e ll-o u t seasons from Bangkok to Brisbane. Savages, w h ich beat Equus in m a n y o f th e "N e w Play of the Y e a r"a w a rd s has hardly been perform ed at all.

The reasons fo r th is are not d iffic u lt to guess at. Equus is a m aste rly piece of psychological th rille r w ritin g on a sm all, tig h t subject, c a re fu lly planned and executed to hold and build audience a tte ntio n . Savages is a heterogeneous episodic n a rra tive w h ich cla w s m ig h tily at huge issues: th e o ve rt and covert a ttem pts by in d u s tria l n a tio ns to kill o ff indigenous 'savages' w h o get in the w a y of progress; th e aim s and a ctivitie s of th e urban g u e rrilla m ovem ents w h o are fig h tin g on behalf of th e starving and oppressed masses of the Third W orld; and th e oppression by overseas (p a rticu la rly A m e rican ) Capitalists w h ic h is causing th a t m isery and starvation.

The play has th re e s tru c tu ra l e lem ents w h ic h are in te rw o ve n w ith dra m a tic but not ch ronological logic. The firs t is a series of scenes in w h ic h an English d ip lo m a t stationed in Brazil narrates various m yths w h ic h he has c o lle c te d fro m th e fa s t-d is a p p e a rin g c iviliza tio n of th e Am azon Indians. These n a rra tio n s are accom panied by the e nactm ent of m yths, ritua ls, and dances by actors rep resenting th o se Indians. The second elem ent concerns co n se rva tio n s w h ich the diplom at, A lan W est (played in the QTC production by th e ir a rtis tic d irecto r, Alan Edwards), has w ith various a u th o ritie s he co n su lts in his quest fo r in fo rm a tio n about the Indians and th e ir p lig h t. He learns of th e policy of genocide w h ic h is being vig o ro u sly pursued by fo re ig n com panies w h o w a n t to make a

q u ick quid exp lo itin g th e Am azon. The Indian P r o t e c t io n S e r v ic e , a n t h r o p o lo g is t s , m issionaries, and th e W orld Press, have fa ile d to do a n yth in g about the massacres. The Brazilian G overnm ent, one of the most savegely repressive m ilita ry dicta torsh ip s in th e w o rld , is actively encouraging the genocide.

The th ird , and core ele m e n t of the play involves th e kidnapping of W est by a group of urban g u e rillas. Carlos, one of th e ir leaders, is assigned to guard W est, and th e tw o strike up an a cquaintance. Carlos is fond of q uoting Camus, Fanon, Che, and the dead Brazilian g u e r illa C a rlo s M a r ig h e la . W e s t, s t ill preoccupied w ith Indians, cou n te rs w ith Rousseau. Carlos is not p a rticu la rly interested in Indians, fo r his m ovem ent has larger aim s: se cu rin g th e release of p o litica l prisoners; o ve rth ro w in g th e fascist regim e; and lib erating the m illio n s of peasants and w o rkers w hose standard of livin g is d e clin in g daily under the o n sla u gh t of fo re ig n p ro fite e rin g and 'aid'.

W est, th e bourgeois and poetic dream er, accepts Carlos's frie n d sh ip but is unable to fo llo w him in a rg u m e n t about these larger realities. If the g u e rilla s have no special in te re st in th e fate of the Indians, then he cannot accept th e ir rem edies.

For th e a u th o r, C h ristopher Ham pton, w ritin g th e play w as cle a rly a personal voyage of discovery. He began by reading a new spaper account of h o w paid e xte rm in a to rs had bombed a trib a l cerem ony, and from th is and oth er in d ire ct sources fa sh io ne d m ost of strands one and tw o of his story. The th ird e lem ent em erged o n ly a fte r he had visited Brazil, and it is here th a t both the politica l and dra m a tic w eakness of his scrip t lies. Not kn o w in g enough about it by H am pton's ow n adm ission, is w h e re th e problem s — both in scrip t and p ro duction — start.

Mr. H am pton's problem is th a t his play in vite s p o litica l discussion and concern, and is going to a ttra ct people (m yself included) w h o

are m ore concerned w ith his observations on re a lity th a n w ith the n ice tie s of art; more concerned w ith th e facts of life in latin A m erica today th a n w ith th e personal fate of his characters. A nd by having the ch a ra cte r of Carlos ably and co n vin c in g ly open up the d im e n sio n s of th e play by te llin g us of fa r more pressing and w id espread social evils, Mr. H am pton opens a w in d o w on re a lity w h ic h he is unable to close, and w h ich upstages his play.

The fin a l im age of th e play is a perfect exam ple. Carlos shoots W est, and w o rld press h e adlines an n ou n ce th e fa ct as his body lies in a sp o tlig h t. S im u lta n e o u s ly a pile of Indian bodies (bombed in th e m assacre m entioned above) are sh o w n — unreported. It's a fin e image, a te llin g one, and q uite w ro n g . The m assacre w as reported. The tru e unreported group is th e livin g w o rke rs and peasants of la tin A m erica, su ffe rin g un d er m ilita ry d icta torsh ip s, to rtu re , Death Squads, ram pant in fla tio n , m u lti-n a tio n a l com panies, and the W orld Bank. Carlos shoots W est and run s out of th e door and out of th e play, and Hampton opts fo r a com pleted tragedy, a balance of art, ra th e r th a n a sta te m e n t of tru th and of co n tin u in g struggle. I saw the QTC production, directed by M u rra y Foy, at both the pre vie w and o p ening n ig h t perform ances.

Basically, I suppose its s illy fo r a statesupported plush bourgeois th e atre — w h ic h exists p rim a rily because o p e ning night audience m em bers are those seeking to e stablish an A u stra lia n aristo cra cy of ta ste as w e ll as w e a lth and pow er — to a tte m p t a play w h ic h if played w ith in te lle c tu a l and p o litica l guts w o u ld co n fro n t th a t audience w ith th e ir ow n ta cit co m p licity in m a ss-m u rd e r and oppression. That th e QTC can do so w ith o u t im p e rillin g th e ir state subsidy is a m easure p a rtly of M r. H am pton's ow n a d m ission of his play's inadequacy, but m ainly o f th e QTC's a b ility to a lte r th e fo c u s o fth e p la y fro m p olitics to psychology; to tu rn a sta te m e n t about how th e w o rld w ags at present in to a stu d y of

T h e a tre -A u stra lia A ug-S ept, 1976 Page 11

A la n E dw ards (A la n W est) a n d P e te r K o w itz (Carlos Espueredo) in Q.T.C.'s Savages

d eviant and obsessive be h aviou r; to tu rn Savages into a poor im ita tio n o f Equus.

For the play, w ith all its fa u lts, is still gutsy s tu ff w ith occasional gem s of observation and argum ent. C arlos's a rg u m e n t, w h ic h opens th a t w in d o w I alluded to e a rlie r and a llo w s us to escape from th e boundaries of tragedy, is one such gem: A ll your lib e ral hearts bleed at the th o ug h t of those poor naked savages fading away, but it never begins to dribble across your apology fo r a m ind th a t half a m illio n ch ild ren un d er five starved to death in Brazil last year.

Said straight, it's a devastating statem ent; but th e QTC puts it in ano th e r context. W est trea ts m ost of C arlos's p ronouncem ents w ith co n tem p tu o us disregard, interspersed w ith restless fo o t-s h iftin g and tug ging at his ha n dcu ffs — a level of co m m u n ica tio n m ore appropriate to the A rt of Coarse A ctin g than to an in te lle ctu a l exchange of ideas. Add to th is a portrayal of Carlos as a hea vilya cce nte d , naive and u n convincing youth w h o stam m ers u n ce rta in ly w h e n e ver challenged on a p oint of political dogma, and a general te ndency by all the actors to seek an e m otional sub-text by pauses and odd in fle xio n s, and w e end up w ith

a production w h e re th e ch aracters are not m erely fa n a tics — fo r fa n a tics have an u n fo rtu n a te te ndency to say th in g s th a t are tru e — but n e urotics w h ose every sta te m e n t has a su b je ctive rath e r than objective m eaning. W est alone com es across as re la tive ly 'n o rm a l', and it a llo w s his point of v ie w — urbane, sm all-m in d e d, and incapable of action — to become th e voice of the play.

T h e n e x t s te p in t h e p r o c e s s o f dep oliticiza tion is the choice of a n a tu ra listic m edium of presentation w h e re b y actors pretend to be people they kn o w n o thing about.

It made possible th e one m om ent in the production w h ich is deeply o ffensive to any in te llig e n t hum an being. It occurs in the scene w h e re W est visits the A m e rican m issionary and m eets 're a l' detribalized Indians. For m ost of the play the Indians are rem ote and d im ly lit.

But in th is scene ten in su lts to any oppressed person sh u ffle on to th e stage, and in d ulge in a n tic s o f a su b -h u m a n variety. M y b la ckfrie n d s fo u n d th is racist, offensive, and deeply in su ltin g . Not m ore than a m ile fro m the S.G.I.O. T heatre live m em bers of th e ir oppressed race w h o could be (and have been by o th er th e a tre com panies in th e past) called upon to play those roles. The production w o u ld

3 0009 03283149 2

th e n have taken on a d ig n ity a llo w in g itto m a k e clear th a t real su ffe rin g , real oppression, takes place now, today, in Brazil — and in A u stra lia .

The parallel is not m etaphoric, but real. W h a t th e m u lti-n a tio n a ls fo u n d in the Am azon w as bauxite. T he com panies involved are Alcan, Rio T into Zinc and Kaiser (the Comalco partners), and B illito n (part of Shell Oil). Exactly th e same th re e com panies th e Q ueensland governm ent has allow ed to m ine bauxite in Cape York Peninsula, w h e re th e M apoon aborigines w ere kicked off th e ir land and th e ir houses burnt, w h e re W eipa w as desecrated and th e blacks tu rn e d into dispossessed frin g e dw ellers, and w h e re th e A u ru ku n controversy n o w exists.

In te re stin g ly enough B illito n, the m ajor partner in A u ru ku n Associates, w as m in in g tin in Brazil in 1963 — in the sam e area and in the sam e year th a t the bom bing m assacre took place. It n o w has prospecting rights in the Indian Reserve w h e re th e survivors w e re sent.

In 1972 g unm en w e re hired (by w h o m is unknow n) to m assacre th e rest of th e tribe.

Reality th e n, is w h a t the Q ueensland politicans, p ublic servants, and ca p ita lists in th e opening n ig h t audience h a d to be protected from , and the QTC rose successfully to the challenge.

Page 12 T h e a tre -A u stra lia A ug-S e pt, 1976

H ole In the Wall Theatre

HAMLET Collin O'Brien

HAMLET by William Shakespeare (June-August 1976) Director and Designer, Raymond Omodei.

Claudius, BILL DUNSTONE; Gertrude, JENNY MAcNAE; Hamlet, MALCOLM KEITH; Fortinbras, Voltemand, Ghost, 1st Player, Gravedigger, TWEED HARRIS; Polonius, Clergyman, NEVILLE TEEOE; Laertes, Guildenstem, Francisco, ANDY KING; Ophelia, BARBARA DENNIS; Horatio, Bevan Lee; Rosencrantz, Cornelius, Reynaldo, DOUGLAS THOMPSON; Ostic, Bernardo, 2nd Player, Sailor, Gravedigger's Boy, GLENN HITCHCOCK; Marcellus, 3rd Player, Norweigian Captain, JAMES HAGAN.

M a lco lm K e ith (H am let) a n d B arbara D e n n is (O phelia) in th e H o le in the W all's H am let.

B ill D u n sto n e as C laudius

W h ile th e N ational Theatre at th e Playhouse spent Ju n e doing its duty by th e schoolkids w ith A arne Neem e's p ro duction of Robert Bolt's post-m edieval po tbo iler A M a n fo r a ll Seasons, Perth's sm a lle r professional theatre, th e Hole in th e W a ll, presented us w ith a tru ly stu n n in g Ham let.

The p la y w a s d ire c te d by e x p a tr ia te W e stra lia n Raymond O m odei, especially reim p o rte d fo r the purpose. M r. O m odei's a c h ie v e m e n t w a s based on a p e rfe c t adaptation of the scale and style of playing H a m le t to th e th e a trica l e n viro n m e n t in w h ich he and his eleven players w e re w o rkin g. The Hole in th e W all seats only one hundred and fifty people, w h o press onto the acting area on th re e sides. In such in tim a te circum stances sonorous effects are unco m fo rta b le ; w h a t we w e re given instead w as lo w key but s w ift delivery, and great in te n sity of playing in lie u o f breadth of attack. The e ffect w as rivetting.

As program m e notes M r. Om edei gave us so m e q u o ta tio n s fro m The P o litic s o f Experience by R.D. Laing. Personally, I have recently abjured program m e notes on the ground th a t th e y all too easily become a stick w ith w h ic h critics attack d irecto rs. However in th is case the references to Laing's ideas were very m uch to the purpose. The Laingian point w h ich Omodei applies to H a m le t h a s to d o w ith the idea th a t w h e n our experience is destroyed, w e lose the sense of our ow n identity. In th e w o rld of th is H am let, the m urder and its results have destroyed the coherence of the universe as th e characters see it. Claudius cannot live w ith his gu ilt, and his m oth e r's m arriage and the discovery of the m urder destroys the w o rld as Ham let knew it.

It is th is vision of th e w o rld of H a m le t w h ich is made e xplicit in th is production. It is not ju st H am let's tim e w h ich is "o u t of jo in t": the m urder has corrupted th e w h o le society.

A nyone w h o know s Ray Omodei is aw are of his love for G reektragedy, s o th a t if o n e 's th o u g h ts d u rin g th is production tu rn e d to not m erely the

personal trag e d y of a prince but to th e House ot A tre u s, it is a trib u te to the depth of the d ire cto r's vision and his skill in m aking it come to life onstage.

Claudius, fo r instance, w as not your usual nasty version of the Laughing Cavalier. I have a lw ays held the com m on notion of C la u d iu sa s being beefy and lecherous, so doubted in advance the casting in the role of leaner and m ore severe-styled p e rfo rm e r Bill Dunstone.

But th is perform ance in the p resent context w as a b solutely convincing. T his Claudius could not live w ith his g u ilt; he w as not besotted w ith G ertrude, but had obviously m arrie d her to secure the kingship. Taking the prayer scene as a key, I have a lw a ys seen Claudius as a draft fo r M acbeth, and Mr. D un sto ne 's ch illin g p e rform ance reinforced th is view . Je n n y McNae as G ertrude gave a fin e study of a w om an w h o , u n til th e closet scene, refused to face even the p o ssib ility of th e m urder; a fte r th a t she w as h e rs e lf on the p oint of collapse, hovering b etw een the hysteric and the catatonic.

W h ich brings me to th e ce n tra l perform ance, th a t of M alcolm Keith as Ham let. F ro m th e firs t tim e I sa w him act â&#x20AC;&#x201D; as th e e n te rta in m e n ts o ffice r in John Rom eril's The F loa tin g W o rld â&#x20AC;&#x201D; I have been im pressed w ith M r. K e ith 's attack as an actor, and I kn e w th a t he w o u ld make a vig ourous and th ru s tin g H am let. But I was pleased w ith an extra d im ension; M r. Keith never fa ile d fo r a m om ent to convey w h a t was happening, te x tu a lly and s u b textu a lly. It was not o n ly a fin e em o tio n a l perform ance, but one of great inte llig e n ce.

I w ill d w e ll no fu rth e r on in d ividual perform ances at length, o n ly say th a t the w h o le com pany acted w ith great skill and co m m itm e n t. There w e re fin e doubles by Tweed Harris, Glen Hitchcock, Andy King, Douglas Thom pson and Jam es Hagan. We even had N eville Teede, w h o played an a stutely p o litica l and foxy Polonius, reappear as the p riest in th e graveyard scene. But th e re w as no

T h e a tre -A u stra lia A ug-S ept, 1976 Page 13

overt a tte m p t at academ ically m ea n in g fu l doubling, alth o ug h there were some nice g ra tu ito u s ones: Tweed Harris as the Ghost, the Player King and Fortinbras fo r instance. I also liked Bevan Lee's steady and th o u g h tfu l Horatio (he never looked as th o ug h th e part could have as w e ll been played by a w e lltra in e d Labrador dog), and a nicely-paced Ophelia by Barbara Dennis.

And a nu m b e r of b rillia n t in te rp re tive coups rem ain in the m ind: H am let pressing his 'rich g ifts ' back into O p h elia ’s hands at th e end of th e n u n n e ry scene; her then a rrivin g at the play-scene in his colour, black, only to fin d him in a lig h te r-co lo u re d sh o rt jacket, h a lf his face m ade up as an actor and a ja u n ty gallow s hu m o u r; Polonius not ju s t neatly stabbed, but th e blood-spattered corpse H am let's fu rio u s stabbing of the arras suggested; G ertrude, near bre a kin g -p oin t, te llin g of th e d ro w n in g of O phelia in tears th ro u g h w h ic h broke from tim e to tim e n e a r-h ysterica l laughter; Yorick's skull not your usual clean m edical student e xh ib it, but h a lf eaten away; and fin a lly a design touch: the firs t appearance of Claudius and G ertrude at court in leprous o ff-w h ite brocade, c h illin g ly still, tw o w h ite d sepulchres.

I could go on in d e fin ite ly reco u n tin g the fe lic itie s of th is production, fro m th e clear, th o u g h tfu l d irection to the fin e ensem ble acting, and even the spare c u ttin g of th e text (the sheer pace of perform ance allo w e d less c u ttin g than usual). But w h a t fin a lly rem ains as m y trib u te to an unforgettable evening in the th e a tre is th a t fa m ilia rity w ith the te xt le ft not one d u ll m om ent to sit th ro u g h , w a itin g for so m e th in g exciting to happen; w h a t happens in H a m le t was not the point — h o w it happened w a s a com pelling and fin a lly c a th a rtic experience. ______________________________Collin O 'B rien

OLD TOTE THEATRE COMPANY

HABEAS CORPUS Katharine Brisbane

HABEAS CORPUS by Alan Bennett, at the Parade Theatre, Kensington. (Opened 9.vi.76.) Director, Alexander Hay; Design, Jane Hipsley; Musical Direction & Composition, Sandra McKenzie; Choreography, Michael Fuller; Pianist, Sandra McKenzie; Drummer-Percussionist, Cecil Longhurst.

Arthur Wicksteed, BRUCE BARRY; Muriel Wicksteed, DOROTHY VERNON; Dennis Wicksteed, ROBIN BOWERING; Constance Wicksteed, RUTH CRACKNELL; Mrs Swabb, GWEN PLUMB; Canon Throbbing, RONALD FALK; Lady Rumpers, JUDI FARR; Felicity Rumpers, DENISIE OTTO; Mr Shanks, GORDON McDOUGALL; Sir Percy Shorter, KEITH LEE; Mr Purdue, ROB DALLAS.

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PHONE (03) 6 3 -7 5 0 8 I firs t saw A lan B ennett's Habeas Corpus — c u rre n tly a triu m p h a n t box office success for th e O ld T ote T h e a tre C o m p a n y — on S haftesbury A venue in 1973 w h e n it was proving th e hit of th e to u ris t season w ith Sir A le x G uinness in th e lead. I c a n n ot rem em ber m uch about it now; but I do rem em ber the a rg u m e n t th a t fo llo w e d on the footpath outside about w h e th e r the play w as a triu m p h of B ritish com edy skills or w h e th e r it w as ju st plain stupid.

A lan Seym our had taken me to see the play.

He had gone to some trou b le to book ticke ts in advance because he fe lt th a t such an e legantly executed portrayal o f m iddle-class B ritish h a ng-ups w as essential to my education.

(H ow ard B renton's essay in anarchy — assassination, M ag n ifice n ce . I rem em ber he put top of the list). David W illia m so n and his w ife w e re also there — w e had all com e to London fo r the opening of The Rem ovalists. It w as David's firs t visit to London and he w as fe e lin g he had been gypped by th e W est End m yth.

"They dare call me n a iv e ," he said ste rn ly re fe rrin g to his recent press reception. 'T h is is the m ost undergraduate rubbish I have ever h e a rd ." He w as right, of course, from the A u stra lia n angle. David is, of o ur p la yw rig hts, the m ost se n sitive of all to his audiences.

I, fe e lin g m oth e rly fro m the distance of London visits dating from th e 50s, trie d hard to explain th e rapt a tte n tio n of th e audience of w h ich w e had ju s t been part. The great pleasure fo r me — and fo r David n o w too — as a to u ris t, is to observe such an audience and a p la yw rig h t sharing a com m on ground.

Habeas Corpus p e rfe ctly com bines the B ritish d e lig h t in se lf-ca stig a tio n w ith the to u ris t's pleasure in recognising B ritish cliches.

G w e n Plum b as M rs Sw abb in the O ld Tote's O th e rw ise Engaged.

Page 14 T h e a tre -A u stra lia A ug-S e pt, 1976

B e n n e tt's play is a jo lly rom p of G ilbert and S u llivan — "com e o u t” into th e perm issive society as Ben Travers has rece n tly w ith his success The B ed B efore Yesterday. Husband and w ife cast about in all d irectio n s before se n sib ly re tu rn in g , business like, to the m arriage bed. The sp in ste r dream s of bosoms and lasciviousness and a fa iry g o dfather grants them both; the son's success in love hangs on his having a fa ta l disease; and in a fin a l discovery scene the p u rita n ica l w id o w of the Colonial Service fin d s the lost fa th e r of her ch ild — the product of a chance e n co u n te r in an air raid.

Over all presides M rs Swabb, th e u b iq u itou s cleaning lady, a veritable Puck in th e ju n g le of the Home Counties.

G etting back to A lan S eym our, he w as m uch taken w ith Dr A rth u r W icksteed's p u t-d o w n of his son: A rth u r: Trevor?

Felicity: I th o u g h t his name w as Dennis.

A rth u r: Then I'm sure y o u 're right.

This becomes a run n in g gag, as does the com m ent: "I suppose th is is w h a t is kn ow n as the perm issive so c ie ty ", w h ic h accom panies each com prom ising s itu a tio n.

The Dennis joke was, n a tu ra lly enough, in co m prehensible to David W illia m so n . Only som eone w h o had lived in B ritain, said Alan, could see w h a t a q u in te s s e n tia l d e fin itio n th is w as of generations of m iddle class pare n ts' loa th in g of th e ir ch ild ren . I passed.

But despite its huge success w ith the to u ris t trade it did seem to me to be very m uch of an injoke of the B ritish about them selves; and B e n n e tt’s style has a pe cu lia r voyeur q u a lity r e s o n a n t o f an in h e r e n t t im id it y — undergraduate indeed, as W illia m so n said. It is Bruce B a rry (W icksteed) a n d D e n ise Oho (Felicity) in Habeas Corpus

K e ith Lee (S ir Percy Shorter), B ruce B a rry (W icksteed) a n d D e n ise O tto (Felicity) in the O ld Tote's Habeas Corpus one of those plays about h o w M oth e r Britain has gone over the h ill w ith o u t having any fun on th e way. Every ch a ra cte r is obsessive, his eyes rivetted on the trivia of life like death, sex, bosoms and respectability. Is B ennett saying th a t it is not th e decline of th e B ritish Empire but the rise of th e m iddle classes th a t has made Britain a second-class nation?

Be t h a t a s i t m a y , a g a i n s t m y p ro g n o stica tio n s Habeas Corpus has arrived in Sydney at the Parade Theatre and not only has been playing to capacity houses th e re but w ill tra n sfe r on Ju ly 28 to th e Theatre Royal. At present th e re is no sign of its box office p o p ularity w a n in g , but th e y d o n 't laugh much at the Dennis joke.

It is an e xtravagant race -a ro u n d production

by Alexander Hay, w ith a Luna Park kind of set

by Jane Hipsley and a firs t-ra te cast. Bruce Barry plays A rth u r W icksteed w ith a sm ooth elegance, looking u n ca n n ily lik e th a te m in e n c e grise of th e Old Tote, Robert Q uentin. As his w ife D orothy V ernon is a ric h ly com ic partner in sp le n d id ly English style. Robin Bow ering is a cham eleon actor w h o gives me great pleasure and his Dennis is the very model of a m odern m ajor fa ilu re . G wen Plumb as M rs Swabb and Ruth Cracknell as the bosom less Constance; and indeed Ronald Falk as the repressed se n su alist Canon T hrobbing and Judi Farr as th e fo rm id a b le w id o w , Lady Rumpers, play in im a ta b ly roles th e y have been playing all th e ir professional lives. To th e m are added Keith Lee as th e head of the BMA, Gordon M cD ougall as a false-bosom s salesm an, Denise O tto as a nubile virg in and Rob Dallas as a suicid a list.

It w a s v e r y e n jo y a b le a n d as inco m p re h e nsib le in d ire ctio n to me here as it w as in London. I puzzled over its success.

M uch of it lies in its th e a tric a lity . The average audience likes to se e th e m e c h a n ic s o fth e a tre , to be required to use th e ir im a gina tio n , to recognise, as w ith the M ajor G eneral in The P irates o f Penzance, th a t he is de m o n stratin g great skill in singing so fast and dancing too. It is d e m o n strative th e atre : like the horses in Equus w h ich make the play a fo o lp ro o f hit

w h e re ve r it is perform ed. W hat su b tle ty of local context a play m ay have — as indeed David W illia m so n discovered th a t tim e w ith T he R em ovalists — is lost irrevocably in the sea change forced upon it by success. W hat we have here in Habeas Corpus is a harm less poking of fu n at th e cliches of B ritish sexuality, m aking the sam e points th a t are alw ays made in a w h im is ic a l, ribald m anner. But th e play has u n d ou b te d ly fo u n d its rig h t home w ith the Old Tote's u n a sham edly m iddle-class and largely m iddle-aged audience, and th a t is the secret of success. How m any of us have in h e rite d th o se B ritish hang-ups too?

The Old Tote has had a rem arkably good year at th e box-office and it refle cts th e o ffice s of the present a rtis tic d irecto r, Bill Redmond, w h o reg re ttab ly, is leaving th a t post in November.

He w ill s till be w o rkin g w ith th e com pany as a f r e e - la n c e d ir e c to r . M r R e d m o n d w a s appointed, according to th e Board, fo r his know ledge of the co m m ercial th e atre in B ritain, it being seen, pra g m a tica lly, th a t the Drama T heatre at the Opera House was in e vita b ly a house fo r to u ris ts . In h e ritin g a program m e from his predecessor, it has taken him some tim e to s h o w th e public h is fo rm ; and it seem s so m e th in g of a disa ste r th a t th e Tote is to lose h im ju st w h e n he is at last sh o w in g us w h a t he can do. W h e th e r th e Tote should be run on such co m m e rcia l lin e s is a qu e stion for th e pu b lic and th e A u s tra lia Council; but c e rta in ly success w ith in those w a lls has a lw ays been equated w ith th e seats sold rather th a n th e q u a lity achieved. Sydney has alm ost no le g itim a te com m ercial th e atre these days, n o w th a t J C W illiam so n has a lm o st shut up shop; and th e Old Tote ¡stakin g th e cream . And good luck to it. Despite the cut-backs, fro m the fro n t sta lls th e Tote is looking b e tte rth a n it has for years. W ho w ill accept th e hot seat is now the question. One ru m o u r is th a t it w ill be nobody; but th a t those w h o really pull the strin g s in th a t m ario n e tte of a th e a tre w ill com e out fro n t and sh o w th e ir hand. W hen w ill th e Tote board stop cu ttin g o ff its nose to spite its face? It has n e ve rkn o w n h o w to g e tth e best out of its employees.

_____ T h e a tre -A u stra lia A ug-S ept, 1976 Page 15

NIM RO D UPSTAIRS AND DOWNSTAIRS

MAD BAD AND DANGEROUS TO KNO W ARE YOU N O W OR HAVE YOU EVER BEEN? Rex Cramphorn

MAD. BAD AND DANGEROUS TO KNOW by Ron Blair. At Nimrod Upstairs. Director, Richard Wherrett.

Lord Byron, JOHN BELL.

ARE YOU NOW OR HAVE YOU EVER BEEN? by Eric Bentley. Director, Ken Horler.

Cast: ALAN BECHER, PAT BISHOP, ROBERT DAVIS, DREW FORSYTHE, MARTIN HARRIS , LEX MARINOS, BOB MAZA, BARRY OTTO.

Nim rod is c u rre n tly m aking a cautious but tw o -fis te d attack on th e co n ve ntio n a l notion of w h a t constitues an evening in th e th e a tre :tria l tra n s c rip ts D ow nstairs, le tte rs U pstairs and in te ra ctio n of fic tio n a l ch aracters now here.

This is not intended as a c o h e re n t review of e ith e r production, but ra th e r as a series of th o u g h ts and qu e stion s related to w h a t they have in com m on.

Of course, the c o u rt-ro o m dram a and the one-m an sh o w have been w ith us fo r some tim e, but rarely w ith such alm ost (and it's w ith th e 'a lm o s t' th a t th e q u e s tio n s a ris e ) un q ua lified dependence on th e in te re st of the m aterial. For both A re you n o w or have you ever been? and M ad, B a d a nd D angerous to /C n o w d ra w th e ir m aterial from real life and aim to present the people w h o lived it w ith o u t m uch in the w ay of tra n s la tio n into w h a t w e know as dram atic fo rm — an aim w h ich may be characterised loosely as do cu m e n ta ry rather than fictio n a l. In th e fo rm e r w e are show n a range of real people reacting to a ch a lle n g ing situ a tio n, in the la tte r w e are sh ow n a single, vivid reaction to life in general. In both cases those actual hum an beings are presented for our co n sideration as 'art'.

W ith o u t a b ility or desire to pursue th a t into sem antic or aesthetic theory, I'd ju st like to note practical consequences. The Eric Bentley abridgem ent from records of the House UnA m erican A c tiv itie s Com m ittee has the advantage of a co u rt-ro o m situ a tio n , w h ic h is generally conceded to be d ra m a tic: in Ken Horler's production e ig h t actors play some tw e n ty - fiv e r e a l p e o p le ( a t t o r n e y s , investigators, co m m itte e m em bers and the sho w -b u sin e ss victim s of th e Investigation).

Now Mr. Bentley has chosen a nice range of people and reactions to the co m m itte e 's demands, to g eth e r w ith som e lin kin g m aterial

in th e fo rm of a voice over'. Ken Horler has cha ra cte rise d the 'voice over' as a ch e e r­ leader and equipped her w ith a large scorec a rd w h ic h p r o v id e s a n e a t v is u a l rep re se n ta tio n of such term s as 'to b la ck-list' or 'to w h ite -w a s h ’. It's in th e area of the p ro p rie ty of those eight actors representing those tw e n ty -fiv e real people in th a t th e trica l situ a tio n th a t my anxieties about A re You N o w ... developed. First of all, to w h a t extent is the actor 'p la yin g' the real person? If Drew Forsythe s tu tte rs in his presentation of som eone's w o rds is it because he has studied a ta p e-re cord in g of the tria l and im itated th e voice? W hen I asked Ken Horler he explained th a t vocal in te rp re ta tio n s came from the m aterial itse lf as w e ll as from research. But w h e re does it stop? Is the su it he is w e a ring copied from photographs? Is he made up to look like th a t person? For the actors do w e a r '5 0 'sstyle suits, th e m icrophones in fro n t of them do look like the real '5 0 's a rticle and the space has a vaguely c o u rt-lik e feel alth o ug h the cheer­ leader (Path Bishop in te n n is w h ite s and m a rch in g -g irl m anner) keeps th e w h o le th in g in a n o n -n a tu ra lis tic context. The fa ct that D rew Forsyth is also playing th re e o th e r real people com plicates the problem but does not change it — even if there w e re an actor for each real person the question of degree of realism w o u ld rem ain.

So far it's o n ly an a rtis tic question: w h e n yo u 're playing a real person h o w fa rs h o u ld you go in the d irectio n of im personation? In theory, m y o w n response w o u ld be th a t it's a case for detailed m im icry, far beyond a rough stab at costum e and voice, or n o thing at all. But n o th in g at all w o u ld m ean not even an A m e rican accent, and w e 're far too fa m ilia r w ith th e re a lity of A m erican voices to accept m a te r ia l w it h A m e ric a n r e fe re n c e in

A u s tra lia n voices. And that question co ntinues in to a w id e r fram e of reference: ho w do w e do an A m e rican play in A ustralia? Perhaps w e can accept th a t an adapted A u stra lia n verson of an A m erican voice is a th e a trica l mask, a co n ve ntio n a l representation th a t alludes to so m e th in g w ith o u t reproducing it.

To leave th e im personation question for a m om ent, th e re is also a m oral one. No one can doubt th a t w h a t the tria l shows — persecution because of a p o litical opinion — makes a trave sty of dem ocratic ideals; the anguish of th e victim s of the investigation, forced to choose betw een the o fficia l voice of dem ocracy and th e ir ow n un d ersta n d in g of it, springs clearly from the m aterial. They were trapped in a situ a tio n in w h ich th e y co u ld n 't w in — appearing e ith e r as co m m u n is t sym pathisers or stool-pigeons, and e ith e r w ay in crim in a te d and ruined. But w h a t is o ur position as an audience now? We adm ire those w h o stuck it out, invoking th e Fifth A m e n d m e n t doggedly, and deplore those w h o gave in and betrayed th e ir frien d s, w h e th e r from m otives of selfin te re st or gen uine conviction th a t it w as the rig ht th in g to do. W e tick o ff goodies and baddies on the scoreboard of a change in histo rica l perspective. Yet these are real people, m ost of them s till alive. For me, then, the play had, fa in tly , the q u a lity of a secondgeneration w itc h h u n t — w h o am ong these real people came out w e ll, w h o badly? w he n , in fact, th e situ a tio n itse lf w as the evil. I'm not suggesting th a tth is last po in t is n o td is c e rn ib le in A re You N o w but sim p ly th a t the other, ta lly-kee p in g one struck me m ore forcibly. The shaping to w a rd s th is m ust lie in Eric Bentley's selection, but I th in k the choice to 're a lise ' the score-keeper and move the production in the d irection of im p erso n a tio n does com pound the problem .

J o h n B e ll as Byron, Photo by P eter H olderness

Page 16 T h e a tre -A u stra lia A ug-S e pt, 1976

fill!

zf

Barry Otto, Martin Harris, Alan Becher and Robert Davis in Are you Now or Have You Ever Been? Photographer, Mike Giddens Am I saying, th e n , th a t the production w ould have been better, m orally or a rtistica lly, w ith o u t character voices, w ith o u t period c lo th e s , w it h o u t v iv id a nd in te r e s tin g perform ances like, for exam ple, Robert Davis's 'Abe B urrow s'? C ertainly a part of the e ve n in g's in te re st seem s to lie in the abilitie s of the actors to give ind ivid u a l, d iffe re n tia tin g q u a litie s to each of th e people th e y represent.

A nd c e rta in ly it w o u ld be fo o lh ard y in a d irecto r to in sist on co n fin in g the a u d ie nce 's a tte ntio n to th e m aterial itse lf, at the expense of the th e a tric a liz a tio n w h ic h can give it the very shape and acce ssib ility th a t it m ay need. But h o w w o u ld the real Abe B u rro w s feel if he w e re in the audience? In a p a ra lle l situ a tio n the Father in P irandello's S ix C haracters in S earch o f an A u th o r says: '... how ever m uch of his art th is gentlem an puts into absorbing me into h im s e lf ... how ever m uch he w ills it ... even if he makes h im s e lf up to look as m uch like me as he can ... it w ill be d iffic u lt for it to be a perform ance of me ... of me as I rea lly am. It w ill ra th e r be ... le a v in g a s id e th e q u e s tio n h is appearance ... It w ill be ho w he in te rp re ts w h a t I am ... ho w he sees me ... If he sees me as a n ything at a l l ... And not as I, deep dow n w ith in m yself, feel m yself to be. And it c e rta in ly seems to me th a t w h o e ve r is called upon to critic is e us w ill have to take th is into account'.

Given an actor of his ow n and an evening to h im self, U pstairs, Byron has cause to feel better served. A nd w h e re a s Eric Bentley's selection is fire d w ith re trib u tiv e zeal and the

desire to expose an in fam ous w ro n g , Ron B lair's flu e n t and persuasive selection from Byron's prose seem s designed to recreate the m an and give him a c h a n c e to s p e a k d ire c tly o n his ow n behalf, in a w a y th a t w as never p e rm itte d him in his ow n life tim e.

To apply th e same q uestions Upstairs as D o w nstairs: ho w far have John Bell and his director, Richard W h e rre tt, gone to w a rd s im personation? I th in k to about th e ir lim it — appearance, voice, clothes, w alk, expressions are all based on research. And, although w ith o u t the ready-m ade situ a tio n of a recorded tria l, th e m aterial has been chosen so th a t Byron speaks d ire ctly to us (except on one or tw o s lig h tly ja rrin g occasions w h e n he assum es the presence of persons in visible to us and speaks to them ) ra th e r as if he had been called upon to give account of h im se lf to posterity. The com bined ta le n ts of w rite r, actor and director, to g e th e r w ith the more selfrevelatory n a ture of the m aterial, enable Byron to render th is account in a m ost sym pathetic and co n vin cin g light. Perhaps, then, the p ro p rie ty of im p erso n a tio n depends to some extent on degree, q u a lity and in te n tio n — I was glad to m eet th e man in th is m anner.

But I w as not unconscious of the m echanism of im personation. I found m yself th in kin g alm ost as m uch about Ron B lair and John Bell as I did about Byron. W hat sort of em otional id e n tifica tio n had enabled the fo rm e r to make such a p e rsonal-seem ing apologia fo r Byron?

And ho w did the la tte r feel about 'absorbing into h im s e lf' such an alien being? W here, again, does the im personation stop? At Byron's d re ssin g -g o w n, his ch a ir, his carpet, his room...? Maybe if th e set (designed by Kristian

Fredrickson) had re a listica lly represented his room it w o u ld have been easier to accept his packing a tru n k in it. But th is w as a room in w h ic h a large sheet of m aterial b rie fly achieved ele m e n ta l sta tu s as abstract ru ra lity , flam es and w a te r — c learly not ju st a room at th e Casa Saluzzi. M y fe e lin g is th a t if John Bell can co n vin cin g ly im personate Byron, he w o u ld be best placed in a space w h ic h can achieve the same level of realism , or a ne u tra l space w h ich makes no attem pt at all to c o n trib u te to the im p erso n a tio n. Perhaps I'm being unduly sim p listic.

Perhaps w e accept th a t it's so m e th in g like B yron's room, th a t John Bell is so m e th in g like Byron and th a t the accents in The M a tch m a ke r are som ething like A m erican — sym bolic, as it w ere, not real.

And, as I asked of A re You N o w ..., w h a t is the alte rn a tive ? Am I saying th a t in the interests of som e kind of in te lle ctu a l fid e lity the evening w o u ld be be tter w ith o u t im personation? W ould John Bell, in his ow n person, q u o ting these s e le c tio n s fro m B y ro n , r e je c tin g a n y th e a tric a liz a tio n and sim ply fo cu ssin g our a tte n tio n on the m ate ria l make a better evening in the theatre? M ost people, I th in k , w o u ld a n sw e r 'No', fe e lin g th a t the result w o u ld be so m e th in g like a lecture and out of place in a th e atre . Personally, I'm not sure. I'd like to see such an evening — it w o u ld req u ire great fa ith in the im portance of th e m ate ria l and th e open-m indedness of th e audience.

S urely our no tio ns of th e scope and fu n c tio n of th e a tre should be expanded enough to to le ra te such a use of the m edium ? Or is th e re an irre d u cib le m in im u m of th e a tric a liz a tio n beyond w h ic h it is not la w fu l fo r our d o cu m e n ta ry a sp ira tio n s to take us?

Theatre-A ustraH a A ug-S ept, 1976 Page 17

ERIC DARE

CYCLE SLUTS Ron Blair

CYCLE SLUTS at the New Arts Theatre, Glebe.

Cast: MAM M A GODDAM, WANDA WEST COAST, RUBY JEAN DUBOIS, GLORIA HOLE, LOLA LOIN, RACINE JO H N S O N , GINA KOWALSKI, ARLENE ALLURE, ROSSANA PAPARAZZI, CARLOTTA.

is absent in so -ca lled d e ca d e nt art, a s th e Cycle S luts m ig ht claim to practise, th e n it is m erely try in g to flo u t th e m ores of th e day, as m uch as the green ca rn a tio n m ig ht have done.

The d iffe re n ce is th a t today, it is harder to m ount a scandal. John W aters, the Baltim ore King of Sleaze, seem s to have succeeded to a ce rta in extent; he makes film s o f his tw e n ty stone boyfriend e ating dog sh it on camera.

W hen pleasure is com bined w ith greed and idleness, th e re su lt is conspicuous w aste and as pleasure seeks s tim u la tio n in crue lty th e n decadence is the result. The killin g s reported

by Trum an Capote in In Cold B lo o d w e re co m m itte d by bru ta l, stupid men but those described by Emlyn W illia m s in B e yo n d B e lie f — th e M oor m urders — have a signal com pound of indolence, lu st a n d c ru e lty w h ich h ith e rto have o n ly been associated, in lite ra tu re anyw ay, w ith th e decadent Eastern courts of a n tiq u ity. Incases like these, th e how l of one m an 's pain feeds a n o th e r m an's lust.

In a d is c u s s io n I had re c e n tly , th e M a ra t/S a d e play w as cited as an exam ple of a w o rk of art w h ic h dealt w ith decadence. This is of course not true . H owever, th e re are aspects of the play w h ich touch on decadent behaviour.

The very business of th e bourgeoisie seeing a p la y p e r f o r m e d by m a d m e n as a n e n te rta in m e n t is a heartless one and the speech w h e re De Sade recalls Casanova's w itn e s s in g an execution w ith his hand up a w o m a n 's dress is also reportage of decadent behaviour.

How has decadence been tre a te d in art, or m ore p a rticu la rly in poetry, prose and on stage? The sa tirists have had th e best of it.

Petronius d istille d th e fo u l breath o f Nero's Rome and Ju ve n al's invectives s till carry th e ir w e ig h t. But these m en, along w ith V oltaire, Pope and w h o e ve r else you care to m en tio n , The Cycle S lu ts

C y c le S lu t s is t h e c u r r e n t d ra g e n te rta in m e n t at th e New A rts Theatre, Glebe (Sydney). This fu lly im ported revue (why?) fe a ture s ten h irs u ite chaps dressed in chrom e and leather ladies u n d erw e a r w h o seem to have been chosen on th e ir a b ility to be u tte rly resistible and co m pletely repulsive. Fine. The o n ly trou b le is th a t the sh o w w h ich m ight have made an am using five m in ute s in g drag revue clu b do e sn't w o rk in a th e atre w h e re the th in gags are w h ip p e d and driven fo r nin e ty m inutes.

For all the m ordant delivery of the M aster of Cerem onies and his cast's d rillin g a n d fre n zie d dancing, the rou tin e s are sim ply not good enough to hold an audience fo r long. W h a t else can one say about an evening w h e re the w ittie s t line is "L e t not the sands of tim e get in to your V a se lin e ."

This se lf-style d "p an o p ly of sleaze and ra u n c h " has a sim ple gospel: 'T h e w o rld co ntinues to d eteriorate. Give u p .” In lieu of giving up, it w o u ld seem to recom m end sodom y as an am using w a y to pass th e tim e.

Perhaps sodomy is th e ir objective correlative.

Som erset M augham , w h o made hum an d e terio ra tion his o w n special study, said in his last years that nothing could shock him any m ore except cruelty. I w o u ld argue c rue lty is an essential in g re d ie n t in decadence and w h e re it

w e re m oralists. W hat about th o se w h o w ere co n ten t to describe, or at least h in t at sordid pleasures? It is cu riou s h o w harsh tim e has been on such studies. Oscar W ild e 's Salom e is rath e r a bore today and Flaubert's Salam bo is g e n erally conceded an in te re s tin g flo p in spite of th e fa sh io ns it inspired at th e tim e. And if Dorian Gray w e n t in to th e perfum ed sin business a fte r rea d in g A Rebours, w h o can read H uysm an's novel today w ith o u t being attacked by a very d iffe re n t kind of ennui.

Decadence is not an easy th in g to evoke on stage. Recently w e 've seen Lindsay Kem p's frag ile , hushed hot house variety. The Jacobeans did it so m e w h a t b e tter and made th e stench of decay th e ir ow n special skill. It com es b e lching out of T ou rn e ur and W ebster as ta n g ib ly as a tu rd slapped fro m a corpse.

Luxury, indolence and pain are all in te rw o ve n in th e plays of th e se tw o and to a lesser extent in Ford w h e re th e voltage is lo w e r.

The m odern stand on decadence can be fo u nd stated in A rta u d 's Theatre a n d It's Double: "O n the level of perform ance, the th e atre of cru e lty has n o th in g to do w ith th a t sort of cru e lty w h ich w e can use against each other: sa w in g each o th e r apart or te a rin g each oth er lim b from lib ... th e sort of c ru e lty I'm ta lkin g about is m uch m ore te rrib le : c ru e lty w h ic h th in g s can b ring to bear upon us because w e are not free. The heavens m ay indeed one day cave in on us and th e th e atre is th e re to sh o w us th a t."

"The w o rld co n tin u e s to deteriorate. Give u p ." This is the firs t co m m a n d m e n t of the Cycle Sluts. They d o n 't a tte m p t to show us how , w h ic h is w h y it's bad theatre, nor do th e y attem pt to say it in an even fa in tly a m using fa sh io n w h ich is w h y th e y are not being patronised by even th e m ost vacuous th rill seekers.

Page 18 Theatre-A ustraH a A ug-S e pt, 1976

TH E OLD TOTE THEATRE COMPANY DRAMA THEATRE Sydney Opera House

m erry, conceited com edy ’ GRAHAM ROUSE & M AGGIE DENCE in

PARADE THEATRE Kensington

4scathingfy fun ny the new trip le aw ard winning p la y by the author o f B utley

th e sh o em ak eR S teoLfOc^y

by Thomas Dekker Directed by Peter Collingwood Designed by Hugh Colman

JULY 28-SEPT. 7 N ightly at 8.

Sat. matinees at 2.

FITZPATRICK ROBYN NEVIN,KEVIN M I RALPH COTTERILL

‘OTHERWISE ENGAGED’

by Simon Gray Directed by W illiam Redmond Designed by Allan Lees AUGUST 4—SEPT. 21 N igh tly at 8. Sat. matinees at 2.

B O O K IN G S : Parade T heatre (663 6122); Opera House Box O ffic e ("S hoem aker's H o lid a y " o n ly ); and all agencies.

A L L SEATS $6.90 (eves.) $ 5.90 (mats.) E X C E L L E N T CO NCESSIO NS FOR P A R T IE S , S T U D E N TS A N D PENSIO NERS.

T h e a tre -A u stra lia A ug-S ept, 1976 Page 19

HUNTER VALLEY THEATRE COM PANY

EQUUS Bruce Knappett

EQUUS by Peter Shatter. Director, Designer, Terence Clarke; Designer, John Woodland.

Martin Dysart, MICHAEL ROLFE; Alan Strang, TONY SHELDON; Nugget, Young Horseman, RODNEY REAY; Nurse, JACQUELINE SIMON; Hesther Saloman, KERRY WALKER; Frank Strang, ROBERT ALEXANDER; Dora Strang, ELIZABETH KIRKBY; Harry Dalton, MICHAEL TAPER; Jill Mason, LINDA RAPSON-COE; Horses, JONATHAN GIBBINS, DAMIEN LEE, MICHAEL RUNDLE, STEPHEN TUCKER.

The H unter Valley Theatre Company is n o w fo u r fu ll pro d u ctio n s old, and the tim e has come no longer to ta lk about it in those term s.

Equus m arks a m a tu rity a gainst th e odds th a t does cre d it to d irecto r Terence Clarke.

For th e m o s t p a rt th e p r o d u c tio n 's w eaknesses are e xte rn a lly im posed: the th e a tre itse lf, fo r instance (the C.A.E.'s G riffith Duncan Theatre, cavernous and un yie ld in g; w h y do b u reaucracies bu ild houses fo r a rt w ith such m o n u m e n ta l in s e n sitivity to the sim ple co m m u n ica tive re q u ire m e n ts of art?) and fin a n cia l resources. These com bined to deny Clarke th e chance to present th e play ringed by its spectators. W ay up th e re on an educational in s titu tio n 's p la tform it w as d iffic u lt fo r actors to break the one w a y tra ffic of a lecture. Given th e d id a ctic puzzling at th e core of th e play, perhaps th a t’s not alto g eth e r inappropriate; but lectures like serm ons s e n d th o se equivocal about being th e re in to oblivion. It w as in te re s tin g to note th e n u m b e ro f people during in te rva l w h o said they w e re having d iffic u lty hearing.

They w e re reacting to th e space ra th e r than c ritic is in g perform ances, I suspect. John Dexter's o rig in a l setting fo r the play (e.g. as used fo r th e Old Tote production) in evitably d ra w s spectators in to th e u n folding of rem em bered and repeated action s o th e y m ore easily can share the queries posed by th e ru n n in g com m entary. U p-there staging, as here, had th e e ffect of dem anding people fo llo w th o u g h t processes firs t then w itn e ss d e m o n stra tio n s — so m e th in g like a slide lecture.

A nd yet, a lth o ug h th e p la y s th e a tric a lity was perforce played dow n (the actors w h o sat on th e p e rim e te r of the stage area and w h o in an arena se ttin g became spectators a w a itin g cues to ch a ra cte risa tion , w ere denied any real th e a trica l fu n ctio n ) I fo u nd th is Equus m uch m ore deserving of a tte ntio n than th e Old Tote's p roduction last year. It w as pervaded w ith a sense of cu rio s ity w h ic h at tim es carried desperation. It w a s rarely if ever (and th is is h o w th e e a rlie r p ro duction struck me:) pat.

Tony S h e ld o n (Alan) a n d M ic h a e l R olfe (Dysart) in H. V. T.C. 's Equus

Tony S heldon (A la n )a n d R o d n e y Reay (N uggett) in H. V. T. C. ’s Equus.

Equus has been a rem arkable box-office success in a n u m b e r of co u n trie s over the past fe w years — not least in A u stra lia w h e re every State com pany has done it, some offe rin g a re tu rn season by popular demand. The p o p u la rity of the story of th e Strang boy w h o gallops w ild ly by n ight yet m adly gouges out th e eyes of five horses stem s from an ing e n io us and w e ll-w ro u g h t co m b in in g of th e m e s and te chniques. We have, as 'tw e re , th e T V d o c to r,th e best in to w n ("Please M artin .

It's vital. You're the boy's only ch a n ce") skilled both because of and despite his soft hum ane heart. We have th e co n flict of generations, the fa m ily u n it under th re a t. We have sex and relig io n — som etim es one as a su b s titu te for th e lack of the oth er, som etim es both strivin g, in th e u n w ittin g Strang, to com bine.

The d o c to r D y s a rt's c o n s u ltin g ro o m provides se ttin g and stru ctu re fo r the play.

Rather th a n progress th ro u g h co n ventional narrative, Equus moves s im u lta n e o u s ly back and fo rw a rd . It advances by piecing to g eth e r the past. Under Dysart's hand action is reaction, re-e n a ctio n, reportage and com m ent.

Thus a story w h ich m ight o th e rw is e m erely sw am p us w ith s e n tim e n t and h o rro r is, w ith o u t being any th e less e xcitin g , distanced: re-enaction moves to ritu a l; ce rta in characters exist a lte rn a te ly as others regard th e m th e n in th e ir o w n right; past and present are e pisodically ju m bled , linked by Dysart's progress reports and his ow n anxious soul searching.

C la rke has ta k e n no ris k s w ith h is pro d u ctio n : fo r w h a t w as necessarily lost by the rem ote staging he sought no s u b stitu te — the production could tra n s fe r to a more a p p r o p r ia t e s p a c e w it h v i r t u a l l y no ad ju stm e n t. That m ay be a critic is m , but I do not o ffe r it as such.

Page 20 T h eatre-A ustralia A ug-S ept, 1976

Tony S heldon (A la n ) and Lin d a Rapson-Coe (Jill) in H. V. T. C.'s Equus

SOUTH AUSTRALIAN THEATRE CO M PANY

OTHERWISE ENGAGED Guthrie Worby

OTHERWISE ENGAGED by Simon Gray. At the Adelaide Festival Centre (opened 17. vi. 76) Director, Leslie Dayman.

Simon Hench, EDWIN HODGEMAN; Dave, GEORGE SZEWCOW; Stephen Hench, JOHN DICK; Jeff Golding, JOHN PAISLEY; Davina, ANNE REDIN; Wood, DENNIS OLSEN; Beth, DAPHNE GREY.

The horses w e re there, credible, and, w ith lig h tin g changes, easily suggestive of both the dom estic and the w ild . Perhaps th e y did not w o rk w ith fu ll m agic — w h e n th e y intru d e d on th e nude scene th e y m ight not have evoked w ild and te rrib le gods, yet th e naked m ortals looked th e n on th a t stage so sm all, fra il and cold th a t S tra n g ’s reaction of desperate shame s till made sig n ific a n t sense.

A ll w a s in effe ct a little m ore lo w key, a little m ore m onochrom e, and so the m ind had to fo llo w m ore alertly. W hat m ay have been lost in bravura w as made up fo r in seriousness.

Part of m y response w as, I recognise, a reaction against d issa tisfa ction w ith la stye a r's Old Tote production. I le ft th a t w ith an im pression of display ra th e r th a n substance.

C larke's production largely rig hte d that balance.

The m ost s ig n ific a n t fa cto r here was M ichael Rolfe's Dysart. The danger w ith Dysart is perhaps th a t he appears not on ly th e fastest gun in th e w est but also th e m ost sensitive. He talks a lot — to us, to h im se lf, to his stage fe llo w s. The role of ta lka tive didactic expert invites generalised actorly gesture, and Ron Falk's e a rlie r perform ance I fo u nd m annered to an irrita tin g degree.

Rolfe's Dysart w as ever so little dow n at heel (I co u ld n 't te ll fro m w h e re I w as sittin g , but I suspect he h a d n ’t cleaned his shoes). His lines often cam e out w ith m ore rush than organised and m odulated polish. Hands w ere often in c o a t p o c k e ts — a nd w h e n o n e ha n d g e sticu la te d to make or m ark a p oint it seemed his sh o u ld er shrugged a little apologetically w ith it. He w as often both confused and cu riou s: w h e n he entered on the area w h ich served as his co n su ltin g room but now doubled as th e Strang household his eyes darted round to take it in w h ils t his body played cautious 1 975, it w o u ld seem, w as not ju s t a bad year for the pound S te rlin g ! If Sim on Gray's O th e rw ise Engaged really w as England's best ne w play of the year then th e bottom m ust also have fa lle n out of the cu ltu ra l stock-m arket — fo r lack of reserves. In a sense the play says as m uch. It says it covertly th ro u g h scru tin y of a group of the m iddle-class Educated, w h o cavil and scratch at one ano th e r and celebrate, or perhaps cerebrate, Phyrric victories. They can't leave each o ther alone.

A ll th e characters, except one, are in the w o rds b u sin e ss-p u b lish in g , education, lite rary crea tio n and criticism . A ll of th e m except, Sim on Hench, are fie rce ly engaged in life 's petty p u rsu its. Hench is o th ew ise engaged... he th in ks. He w a n ts to be qu ie t and alone w ith W agner's Parsifal, to be rid of the su rfe it of co m m u n ica tio n from w h ic h he suffers.

The in te re st w h ic h the play generates rests la rg e ly on th e w a y s in w h ic h H ench endeavours to avoid co m m u n ica tin g . His frie n d s and fa m ily w ill not let him be, and his " fo x y " skill at laying false tra ils so th a t he can slip aw ay on his o w n is taxed and tested by the baying pack w h o h u n t him in lieu of som ething m ore im p orta n t, but less fin ite .

They run him to earth in his livin g ro om lair, at a tim e , th e play's title suggests, w hen he is y e a rn in g fo r an o p p o r tu n ity fo r to ta l im m ersion, for an em o tio n a l laving. They catch him 'in fla g ra n te d e licto ' w ith Parsifal. Each tim e the opening bars w ash over him he is in te rru p ted , his in te llig e n ce is beaten up and his w its begin th e ir ha b itua l dodging and backtracking over fa m ilia r ground in order to protect and preserve his dise n g ag e m e nt and also to defend these people fro m th e ir own m ental blunders. W ords are his decoy and his w eapon.

diffid e nce .

Habit guided him at appropriate tim es — the developed and e ffic ie n t bedside m anner: one never doubted he kn e w his s tu ff — but alw ays it seem ed a cover over a cu rio u s insecurity.

T hrough Rolfe th e play's jo in t search fo r some e x te r n a l m e a n in g s u f f ic ie n t to a b s o rb p assionately, and for an in te rn a l sense of re sp o n sib ility s u ffic ie n t to guide actions and choices w a s m ost e ffe ctive ly com m unicated.

As Strang, Tony Sheldon came closer to su g g estin g so m e th in g profound besetting his role th a n he did e ith e r as th e Comic in F loating W o rld o rth e bro th e r in Glass M e n a g e rie — tw o e a rlie r H.V.T.C. productions. Yet it was so m e tim e s fra c tio n a lly d iffic u lt to accept th a t th is boy w as fo rcin g Dysart to c o n fro n t the la tte r's second-hand soul. The obdurate silence w as m ore peevish th a n trau m a induced. His jin g le s w e re a sm a rt alec attack m ore th a n a defence.

T h e r e w e r e p e r s u a s iv e f la s h e s — so m e tim e s it seem ed, yes, th is boy has galloped — yet w h e n he clim axed it w as w ith a rep e titio n of sparks ra th e r th a n a consum ing fire . Sheldon is perhaps too b rittle an a c to rfo ra role th a t th e re m ust su re ly be very fe w c a p a b le of piaying.

No list of 'a lso -d e se rvin g -o f-m e n tio n 's ' to round off — but Robert A le xa n d e r m ust be m en tio n e d . His perform ance as S trang's fa th e r had th e sam e a rre stin g q u a lity I have ascribed to Rolfe's Dysart. As fa th e r-th ro u g h -th e -e y e s of-son, and w h e n S h a ffe r gave him an in d ivid u a l voice, A le xa n d e r m anaged to blend u n p le asa n tn e ss w ith d ig n ity and pathos. It was a pe rfo rm a n ce to ju s tify a w h o le play being w ritte n a ro u n d his character, y e to n e th a ts to le no lim e lig h t. A lexander has sh o w n h im self an e xce lle n t com pany actor w ith th e H.V.T.C. in a range of im a g in a tive ly handled parts.

G eorge S ze w co w (Dave) and E d w in H odgem an (S im on H ench) in S A T .C .'s O th e rw ise Engaged.

The ce n tra l d ra m a tic m o tif is clear: a so lita ry man re lin q u ish e s his so litu d e to in tru d e rs, in order to keep some of it fo r h im s e lf — but at w h a t cost? As a m etaphor in action fo r m iddle class, educated, effe te B ritain of 1 975, it is doubtless apt. But are th e characters im p o rta n t enough to w a rra n t our undivided a tte n tio n for tw o hours w ith a tw e n ty m in u te interval? The a n sw e r is in the playing-and in th e playing the a n sw e r w as so m e w h a t equivocal.

Sim on Hench w a s most w o rth y of a tte n tio n w h e n Edwin Hodgeman show ed him to be a victim of his in te llig e n ce. This occurred p a rtic u la rly in the sequence w ith W ood — w h o is n e ith e r frie n d nor fa m ily to Hench — but becom es s om ething m ore in tim a te th a n e ith e r , a kind of to rm e n ted conscience. For th e firs t tim e, a stron g sense of p e rfo rm e r in te rp la y a llo w e d th e characters depth and am b ig u ity.

T h e a tre -A u stra l ¡a A ug-S ept, 1976 Page 21

Dennis O lsen's skilfu l blend of apparent calm cu rio s ity and in n e r m anic jealousy, revealed only by fra n tic fin g e rs w h ich incessantly tw is te d and pulled at an em pty sherry glass, made W ood's in tru s io n a g e nuine c h a lle n g e d a co n tro lle d and h ith e rto in vu ln e ra b le Hench.

A s im ila r sense of m om ent to m om ent hum an e n tan g le m e n t w as achieved betw een Diane Cham berlain and Mr. Hodgeman in the p e n u ltim a te in terchange of th e play in w h ich Hench declares h im se lf overburdened w ith co m m u n ica tio n and Beth declares he rse lf pregnant. Here again Mr. Hodgeman s chosen persona - cooly precise and se lf-p ro te cte d w a s th a w e d a little by the w a rm th of a con vin cin g passion.

The production also sparked in the closing m om ents. Hench, ta u nte d by, screw ed by, the m em ory of W ood's recorded telephone m essage, as it in sin u a tes a bizarre suicide — a reprisal for H ench's schooldays in d iffe re n ce to him , and recent liaison w ith his fiancee — and stung by G olding's accusations of disloyalty, th ro w s his w h s ik y in the C ritic's face. W hat sort of a man do you th in k I am ?", he demands.

G olding's response is doubtless sig n ifica n t. " C h r is t " , he e x p lo d e s , as th e w h is k y m om e n ta rily blinds him . It is doubly a name taken in vain.

W ith H ench's flu te d yet adam ant last w ords: "I ow e you m ore th a n I can say. Thank yo u ." to Jeff, th e y set them selves to listen to W agner.

Golding, a brash but s o m e w h a t bedraggled co ck-sp a rro w as played by John Paisley, occupies H ench's chair. Hench sits im m obile in fig u re and features, wedged in to the corner of the settee, stage centre, arm s by his side, no lo n g e r g u a rd e d ly c ro s s e d , an ic o n of separation, of so litu d e w ith o u t solace. "D o n 't th ro w me out eh! I've got n o w h e re to go and I d o n 't feel like going th e re y e t", says Golding — a sad and fu n n y line. But Hench has a greater problem . He is in his place, tran sfixe d , yet he belongs th e re now , even less th a n Golding. He sits, held by the m usic, forced to to le ra te the in tru sio n s, im m obilized and silenced by the know ledge of his w ife ’s pregnancy fo r w h ich he is doubtless th o ug h d o u b tfu lly responsible.

In o ther encounters, how ever, th e cast and

d irecto r Leslie Dayman w ere hard pressed to cover tw o -d im e n sio n a l m ate ria l. The play has its w eaknesses, contrivances, and in-jokes.

The g ra tu ito u s bare-breasted scene, early in th e piece, in w h ich G o lding's g irlfrie n d Davina, the lite ra ry dem i-rep, takes her s h irt off after G olding has th ro w n w h isky over her, is im possible to avoid and hard to salvage. A nne Reddin strips o ff and handles and th e c u ltu ra lbitch role w ith fo rtitu d e .

George Szewcow, as Dave the "p e t" student, sets in m otion th e chain action of attem pted engagem ent as he firs t bursts in on Hench. His m onotone w h is tle to the " tu n e " of P a rsifa l is ja rrin g and tru c u le n t, and gives fa ir w a rn in g of th in g s to come. But by th e tim e Dave has confronted Hench in a posture of outraged violence the character is bereft of substance, a patsy fo r a couple of th e play's fu n n ie s t lines.

S te p h e n H e n ch , th e s c h o o l-te a c h e r, occasionally com es close to ca ricatu re in th is production. John Dick fin d s the man behind th e m ou th in g s most co n vin cin g ly in the b lo w ­ up, coo l-d o w n sequence in w h ich Stephen in sists on g e tting back at his bro th e r by te llin g ta le s about Beth's in fid e lity.

In addition, there are u n co nvincing passages fo r w h ic h perform ers, designer and d irector m ust take equal resp o n sib ility. These reveal a veneer of u rb a n ity w h ich often em erges w h e n A u s tra lia n actors are being "typ ica lly m iddleclass E n g lish ". They e xh ib it a trifle too m uch vocal and physical e m b e llish m e n t to ring be h aviou ra lly true.

In th is case the decorative e lem ent w as abetted by Shaun G u rto n 's lam inated and dressed wood set. 'T h e livin g room of Sim on H ench's house in Is lin g to n ” was a n ything but lived in. Spacious, im peccably arranged and spotless it w as sim ply a pleasingly sculptured space th ro u g h and about w h ich the actors moved. In no sense w as it S im on's place, his refuge. C onsequently, he w as often too easily dispossessed of it by the succession of in tru d e rs w h o stalked, talked, and sat about the set w ith g ra tu ito u s ease. This, despite Mr. Hodgem an's atte m p ts to ju s tify H ench's claim

to possession th ro u g h in tim a tio n s of the ch a ra cte r's obsessive preoccupations w ith order.

A fu rth e r com plication in the space-action re la tio n sh ip arose w ith th e decision to perform the play in the m u lti-fu n c tio n a l Space rather than in the Playhouse w h e re it belonged. The resu lt w as a p ro scenium set w ith o u t the arch, w h ic h distanced the o b liquely seated audience fro m the perform ers in a w ay th a t u ltim a te ly disadvantaged both groups.

The in-jokes of th e play are its m ost puzzling and question a b le fe a ture . They revolve around Public Schoolism s, O xbridge snobbery, mild Xenophobia (pa rticu la rly w ith reference to A u stra lia n s), and a preoccupation w ith m astu rb a tion . These are presum ably the pleasures of such so lita ry souls.

In te llig e nt and a rticu la te as they are, the men are in some w a y regressive or ju ve n ile .

W anker Strapley, alias Wood, the W undale "p lo p " (drip), w ith his m astu rb a tio n -m a rria g e m onogam y regim e; Golding w ith his nipplednagling p re d ilections and anal rete n tive te rm in o lo g y; Dave w ith his penchant for the express fuck; Stephen (an eater of n u t cutlets and d rinke r of pansy w in e ) w ith his five ch ild ren argum ent to prove th a t he is not a "la te n t pederast"; and even Sim on w ith his guarded and flip ju s tific a tio n s for an array of casual liaisons, and no children, are all sexually im m ature.

The w om en , Davina and Beth, abandon them to th e ir inadequacies. They see clearly th a t th e ir men expect to be beaten, deserted or deceived, and leave th e m — tw o h o lie r-th a n th o u fools liste n in g to a recording of an opera about a w ise and holy Fool.

The stren g th of the play lies in its in te llig e n t, hum orous and precise use of language. The value of th e production lay in the fact th a t the S.A.T.C. has actors of th e calibre of M essrs.

Hodgeman and Olsen, and a d ire c to r in Leslie Dayman, w h o in va riab ly ca pitalise on the play's stren g th s. However, th e policy of sh o w in g th e " b e s t" from overseas m ust be called in to question w h e n th e best is apparently o th e rw ise engaged.

John Paisley (Jeff), Edwin Hodgeman (Simon) and Anne Redin (Davina) in S.A. T.C.'s Otherwise Engaged

Page 22 Theatre-AustraU a A ug-S ept, 1976

NEW OPERA SOUTH AUSTRALIA

NEVER THE TW AIN IG N O R A N C E IS BUSS? FESTINO Peter Ward

Daphne Harris, Patsy Hemmingway and Norma Knight in Festino NEVER THE TWAIN Text by Bertolt Brecht and Rudyard Kipling, Compiled by John Willett, Music by Weill, Eisler, Dessau, Cobb, Dalby, Druce et al. (opened 2.VÜ.76.) atthe Playhouse, Adelaide. Director, Wal Cherry; Accompanist, David King.

Cast: ROBYN ARCHER, DAVID BRENNAN, JOHN GADEN, HOWARD SPICER._____________________ IGNORANCE IS BLISS?

BY Emmanuel (jnabrier.

Director, Justin McDonnell; Accompanist, David McSkimming; Set Design, James Coogan and Cynthia Jones.

Dr Pausanias, J O H N W O O D ; H elen e , PA TSY HEMMINGWAY: Robert. DENNIS O'NIELL. FESTINO D y Adriano Bancmeri. Director. Chris Winzar; Conductor, David King; Designer, Axel Bartz.

Cast: Tenors, DENNIS O'NIELL, HOWARD SPICER Sopranos, DAPHNE HARRIS, PATSY HEMMINGWAYAlto, NORMA KNIGHT; Basses, DAVID BRENNAN, KEITH HEMPTON.

New Opera South A u stra lia is a s u rp risin g com pany. Firstly because it exists at a ll, since it cannot do so w ith o u t G overnm ent support, and th e conventional w isdom of G overnm ents has tended at least in South A u stra lia alw ays to argue th a t 'opera' is at best expensive and at w o rst d o w n rig h t extravagant. But th e re you are, here it is, th re e years old, supported by the State and Federal G overnm ents, and by sponsors in the co m m u n ity, and very h ig h ly regarded.

Secondly it is s u rp risin g because its achievem ents are n o te w o rth y and regular. It has, of course, had some sp e ctacu la r m isses — the 1976 Festival o ffe rin g s w e re both em barrassingly fo rg e tta b le , even th o ug h S itsky’s F iery Tales w as in its v u lg a rity and boisterousness fa r more acceptable th a n the undergraduate nonsense presented as The L a m entable Reign o f K ing Charles the Last to D re yfu s’s Looney Tunes. H ow ever, its last short season in the Festival Centre Playhouse indicated th a t it had recovered fro m such bouts of gaucherie.

T h e r e w e r e t h r e e w o r k s , in t w o program m es. The firs t w as N ever the Twain, w h ic h is a kind of th e sis piece th a t sets out to illu s tra te ho w Rudyard K ip ling 's verse, som e of his notions, and a little of his style, influ e n ced Bertolt Brecht in th e developm ent of some of his them es. The text is com piled by John W ille tt, a Brecht scholar and dram aturge, and th e stru c tu re is basically a series of alte rn a te sung recita tio n s by a cast of fo u r, th re e men and a w om an, w h o also act o u t various

appropriate or p e rtin e n t characters.

It is illu m in a tin g m ate ria l, w ith th e choice ranging from , fo r instance, "The Ballad of East and W e st” (Kipling) and th e "B a lla d of The Girl and the S old ie r"(B re ch t) th ro u g h to "Surabaya Johnny" ( B r e c h t - H a u p t m a n n -W e il l ) , " M a n d a la y " ( K ip lin g ), "T h e S ong of M a n d a la y" (B rech t-H a u p tm a n n -W e ill), and w o u ld n 't you kn o w it, 'T h e R ecessional" (Kipling-Dykes). There w ere 24 item s in all.

But having noted th a t, and having been in trig u e d by the su p e rficia l paradox of an im p e ria list in flu e n c in g an a n ti-im p e ria lis t, one should also say th a t apart from th e lite ra ry in te re st and a rg u m e n ts th u s engendered or joined, one w o u ld ra th e r have one's Brecht in an u n d ilu ted fo rm , especially u n d ilu te d by the nostalgia of Empire. The p o in t is th a t K ip ling 's a nice old poet and Brecht is a great old poet, and th e y d o n 't p e rfe ctly m atch.

The production w as directed by W al Cherry in his very m a tte r-o f-fa c t w a y: a sparsely decorated stage, each prop having some point to make or jo b to do, and a perform ance th a t in its g e n e ra lity w as d rivin g, incisive, and in te lle ctu alised . And long live th e in te lle ct, if th e cast can keep up w ith it.

U n fo rtu n a te ly th e y could not. W hat was needed w as effe ctive experience of Cherry's m ethods, to g e th e r w ith a capacity to fro n t up w ith sw a g g e rin g barrack-room bravado.

Robyn A rch e r achieved it, as a m oll, a camp fo llo w e r, and sim ply as a firs t class perform er.

She should be trea su re d by th e com pany and be regarded as an especial (Wal Cherrydirected) gift to A u stra lia n th e atre .

John Gaden, David Brennan and Howard Spicer, by con tra st, c o u ld n 't m ainta in the req u isite dash. Gaden lacked robustness; Brennan and Spicer w ere flabby; a n d so Cherry and A rch e r stole th e show , w h ic h is a proper w ay to describe th e production. Further, the excellence of th e m otiva tio n sta rtle d one into rem e m be rin g C herry's o u tstan d in g q u a litie s as a director, n o w m atu re and assured, and h o w w ro n g it has been th a t A delaide has so co n siste n tly tended to ignore him . It has been A de la id e 's loss, S.A.T.C. take note.

New O pera's second o ffe rin g in th e season w e re tw o w o rk s o f r a d ic a lly d iffe r e n t te m p e ra m e n t, both of w h ich illu stra te the g ro w in g te ch nical stren g th of the company, but w h ic h te n d to suggest th a t it does not yet

kn o w w h a t it really w a n ts to do. (One notes, w ith a ce rta in sin kin g fe e lin g , th a t New O pera's next production is La Bohem e: W hy, fo r G od'ssake? Is th is th e fir s ts ig n o f delusions of grandeur) Ig n ora n ce is B lis s is a sm all piece by E m m anuel Chabrier m a in ly concerned w ith Robert's (D ennis O 'N eill) ignorance about w h a t to do w ith , or to, or about, his new w ife , Helene. Robert's tu to r (John Wood) is consulted, but he too is b lis s fu lly and d ru n ke n ly ig n o ra n t, 0 Freud! The problem is solved w h e n a storm breaks and the couple are, so to speak, th ro w n to g eth e r.

It is a s lig h t w ork, a kind of operatic d iv e rtis e m e n t, a n d J u s tin M c D o n n e ll's d ire ctio n gave it th e kind of effe te style it required and deserved. There w a s a very elegant, decorative set by Jam es Coogan and C ynthia Jones — a kind of w h ite bird cage set out w ith n o tio n a lly lavish fu rn itu re — and the c o stu m in g of th is late 19th C entury w o rk was, w o u ld n 't you kn o w it, 'tw e n tie s . In short, in general and so to speak, it w as an em asculate conception.

There w as m ore substance in th e second w o rk, Festino. This is a co lle c tin o of m adrigals

by A n d ria n o B anchieri, w h o w as a la te r-1 6 th c e n tu ry Tuscan poet, org a n ist, com poser and m u s ic a l t h e o r is t. The m a d rig a ls are d e lig h tfu lly tran sla te d by M urray Copeland, and th e y w e re presented w ith eno rm o u s brio and good h u m o u r in a kind of garden of psychedelic de lig h ts, it being a garden of m ushroom s. It is hard to tre a t th is production on any m ore serious plane; it w as a good s h o w w h ic h th e audience enjoyed. It w a s dressed w ith great flam boyance and dash and if Axel Bartz's m ush ro o m s did not b lo w one's m ind, th e y a llo w e d fo r high sp irits and good hu m o u r, w ith an occasional touch of Italianate g a lla n try and passion.

Finally, one has to ask, w as it all w o rth it?

Probably yes. Each production indicated a capacity fo r style and nuance th a t m usic th e a tre in A u stra lia to o o fte n lacks because it is too ofte n in search of a 19th c e n tu ry and irre le va n t dream . Perilous days are ahead for N ew Opera; if it can reject th e g la m o u r of the G rand it m ay in its ow n rig h t discover th a t m usic dram a is not nece ssarily m useum th e atre .

T h e a tre -A u stra l ¡a A ug-S ept, 1976 Page 23

TH E AUSTRALIAN OPERA Neil W arren-S m ith

presents

world famous New Zealand soprano

KIRI TE KANAWA as Amelia in Verdi’s

Simon BOcennEGRR Sydney Opera House September 2, 7 and 11 at 7.30 p.m.

John Shaw G reg ory Y u ris ic h R e gina ld Byers

New Zealand born soprano Kiri Te Kanawa makes her very welcome debut perform ances with The Australian Opera as Amelia Grim aldi in V erdi's Simon Boccanegra for the com pany’s 1976 W inter season at the Sydney Opera House.

Miss Te Kanawa in recent years has made a m eteoric rise through the ranks of the w o rld ’s leading sopranos. Her appearances at Covent Garden and other m ajor w orld opera houses since 1971 have been greeted with overwhelm ing critical and popular acclaim . She took New York by storm in February, 1974, when she made her M etropolitan Opera debut as Desdemona in V erd i’s Otello.

In that year she also made a sensational “ sell ou t" concert tour of A ustralia under the auspices of the A.B.C. In these three special perform ances Miss Te Kanawa is to appear with famous Australian baritone John Shaw as Simon Boccanegra, with Neil W arren-Smith as Fiesco, Reginald Byers as Adorno, Gregory Yurisich as Paolo and Alan Light as Pietro.

This 1975 production was directed by Tito Capobianco, with designs

by Mario Vanarelli.

The Australian Opera is indebted to the N.S.W. Friends ol The Australian

Opera for their sponsorship of Simon Boccanegra.

SEATS STILL AVAILABLE

at the Sydney O pera House Box Office.

Prices: September 2 (Gala Night) $10, $15, $22, $30/September 7 and 11 $8, $15, $20, $25 Enquiries: (Sydney) 241 2416 26 2976

THEATREGOER'S DIARY The Sydney Opera House MONTHLY DIARY contains all Opera House programme details, up todate news about the facilities and services of the House and an eight page magazine section.

The Diary is published and posted monthly.

TO ORDER: Please send your name, address and phone number and enclose a cheque for $5, (made payable to the Sydney Opera House Trust) to: Diary Subscriptions, Sydney Opera House, Box 4274, G.P.O., Sydney, 2001.

Further enquiries: Miss Thomas, 20588, ext. 419.

Page 24 T h e a tre -A u stra lia A ug-S e pt, 1976

P I ay script /

T he a tre-A u stra lia presents Bees, a play by Jennifer Rankin. The first act o f Bees is published in this issue of the magazine and the second and last act w ill appear in the S ep tem ber-O ctob er issue.

The Stables production of Bees m et w ith strong critica l response w h ich ranged fro m the o u trig h t hostile to the e n th u sia stic, y e tth e very a m ount of c ritic a l smoke th e play provoked show s th a t as a piece of th e a tre it did not lack provocative fire . Critics w ere p a rticu la rly aggressive about the ch a ra cte ristatio n w h ich m any th o u g h t w as sim p ly sexist stereotyping (partly, perhaps, because of the $ 7 ,00 0 grant from the N ational A dvisory C om m ittee of I n t e r n a t io n a l W o m e n s Y e a r f o r th e production), fo r exam ple, Romola C onstantino: The subject m atte r of Bees is not e n tire ly su rp risin g , co n sidering th a t the production has been sponsored by the A d v is o ry C o m m itte e o f W o m e n 's In te rn a tio n al Year.

The tw o m en in her life are h e r husband, a m ale c h a u vin ist pig and a man called Brook, a n o th e r m ale c h a u vin ist pig in disguise. and fe w w ere sensitive to th e play's subtle sym bolism . Viki W rig h t w as one of th e fe w : A lth o u g h the tig h tly packed audience found m any o p p o rtu n itie s to burst out laughing, the play is a pretty serious m a t t e r , a s t u d y in n o n - v e r b a l co m m u n ica tio n .

O r, p e rh a p s , b e tw e e n th e lin e s , co m m u n ica tio n w o u ld be m ore apt.

It is a strange play w h ich flu ctu a te s betw een true life and su rre a lism as though th e re w e re a system of a lte rin g lenses betw een the w a tch e rs and the action.

J e n n ife r Rankin has w ritte n a play w h ic h lingers in the m ind.

M any people objected to Kate leaving her husband, Max, dying, but as J e n n ife r Rankin points out, th e re is sym pathy fo r M ax at the end, but m ore fo r Kate, fo r w h o m to rem ain w ith her husband in th e ir u n it w o u ld be sp iritu a l death. There w as little effective d is tin c tio n made by critics betw een the production and th e play itself: m erits o rd e fe cts w ere not ascribed to e ith e r p a rticu la rly;

Jennifer Rankin is a poet and dram atist, born in Sydney in 1 9 4 1 Jennifer graduated in Arts from Sydney University in 1 9 6 2 after w hich she w orked a variety of jobs including w orking for the Australian Journalists Association.

Over the past three years, Jennifer's poetry has been published in Aspect, N e w Poetry and P oetry A u stra lia , and has been broadcast on B.B.C. radio's "P oetry N o w â&#x20AC;? .

R id u a l S hifts, her first book o f poetry was re c e n tly p u b lis h e d by M a k a r Press, Queensland as part of their Gargoyle Series.

Bees was w ritten in 1 9 7 4 , and was w orkshopped for the M elbourne Theatre Com pany under the direction of Simon Hopkinson. In the same year the Theatre in Education Com pany of the Melbourne Theatre Com pany produced her playFaders Out. The D a rlin g 's Been Done was produced by the M elbourne's A .B .C . Radio Education D epartm ent in 1 9 7 5 .

Bees w as aw arded a grant fo r a Sydney production at the Stables Theatre by the N a tio n a l C o m m itte e fo r In te rn a tio n a l W omens Year and has been accepted for p ro d u c tio n by A .B .C . R adio D ra m a 's "S ound S ta g e â&#x20AC;? later this year.

perhaps a calm er and m ore balanced response w ill em erge from the p u b lica tio n of th e text, separate from the heady atm osphere of th e a trica l perform ance.

Sim on Hopkinson told the p la y w rig h t after th is co n fu sin g storm broke: "In a fe w years tim e it w o u ld be nice to do a season of sem inal A u s tra lia n plays w h ich , w h e n firs t done, w e re u n favo u ra b ly done or m isunderstood. Bees w o u ld c e rta in ly be one of t h e m . " ______________________________ "B e e s is a fu n n y yet serious play that becom es in crea sin g ly surreal.

"I suppose it could be loosely described as a play about d iffe rin g perceptions of life. This to me seem s a better d e scrip tio n th a n the n a rro w e r v ie w of Bees as a play concerned c h ie fly w ith sexual co n flict, th o ug h th e re is th a t too. " K a t e is m a r r ie d to a s u c c e s s f u l businessm an and she also has a lover. Both husband and lover believe th a t Kate is u n fu lfille d and both th in k th e y have the a n sw e rs to w h a t th e y see as her em pty life.

Kate how e ve r does not relate to life on the sam e level as th e tw o m en. A lth o u g h seen by th e m as u n fu lfille d Kate is in her ow n rea lity very m uch involved w ith th e physical universe, w ith plants, w ith the pa ttern s and shapes that occur and reoccur in her physical and em o tio n a l en viro n m e n t.

"The bees are not only a sym bol o f Kate's fle x ib ility but th e y are m ore a sym bol of life itself. They have a Taoist q u a lity. Tao: the an cie n t Chinese b e lie f in th e unbroken, everflo w in g rh yth m s and patterns of th e physical universe as being an expression of th e e ternal life -b re a th ('chi'). Kate is concerned to see these patterns. She has com passion fo r the bees.

"A n d of course it is th e bees w h o sh o w the w a y to th e 'o th e r' w om an. I like to see h e r as perhaps a part of Kate h e rse lf ... th e part of h e rse lf th a t she goes to m eet ... th a t she is in tu n e w ith w h e n she leaves th e u n it to cross the va lle y to th e na tura l w o rld .

"The bees are a sym bol of th e n a tura l physical w o rld and also they have fo r me pe rso n a lly an in n e r sp iritu a l value, as in the ta o ist a n im is tic s p iritu a lity . They free Kate.

They lead her back across the m etaphorical V3^ey

Jennifer Rankin

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T h eatre-A ustralia A ug-S ept, 1976 Page 29

CURRENCY METHUEN THE AUSTRALIAN DRAMA PUBLISHER Series Published: * Contemporary Plays General Editor: Katharine Brisbane A series designed to make available the best of contemporary Australian writing for the theatre in all its variety. * Currency Double Bills General Editor: Frank Bladwell Selected pairs of one-act plays, old and new, in which many facets of our Australian society spring to life.* * The National Theatre General Editor: Philip Parsons Important plays from our colonial and more recent past in soundly edited and annotated texts with critical, biographical and social comment.

* Documentary Specials and Collections.

New Titles: FOR VALOUR

by Ric Throssell The story of an Anzac introduced by Manning Clark

$3.00 CROSSFIRE by jennifer Compton The status of women in Australia edited by Meghan Morris

$3.00 Recommended retail prices only

Currency Methuen Drama, 301 Kent Street, Sydney 2000.

Write for a free catalogue now

Page 30 T h eatre-A ustralia A ug-S e pt, 1976

■

The Sydney Opera House is magnificent. Its visual glories are manifold. The arrangement of lines, mass and space and its relationship to its surroundings are at once an expression of aspiration and achievement. There is a restless soaring desire counterpointing serenity, dignity and confidence. Inspiring in its freedom, exciting in its abandon and celebration it reaches beyond itself and is wonderful. One is overwhelmed by its cyclopean mass only when standing on the concourse close to the lower walls. "What the Opera House demands, remorselessly, is greatness", wrote Katharine Brisbane in 1973. It is "a battleground for great ideas."

Few would disagree.

Whatever ones quarrels may be about the design of their in­ teriors, both the Concert Hall and the Opera Theatre main­ tain the feelings of expectation and excitement aroused by the exterior. These are not diminished as one moves through the entrances and foyers to take ones seat. Auditoria are spacious and generally relate to the soaring whole. One is conscious of being part of an audience, gathering in a great space, lifted but not overpowered by the surroundings. Each visit is an occasion. Generous glass hung foyers and promenades with breathtaking views of the harbour stay with one and support the heightened mood.

Under these halls of music, song and dance there is a dark b u n k e r. . .

THE OPERA HOUSE AT SUNRISE

T h eatre-A ustralia A ug-S ept, 1976 Page 31

Theatre Buildings — /

THE DRAMA THEATRE "Y ou find it on the Quay side of the Opera House at the concourse level. The entrance is unobtrusive — a cave crouching under m ountains of masonry; no magic casements here. The foyer, though spacious, seems low -ceilinged and oppressive, w ith no concessions — except a decent long bar — to rom ance. This is the bargain basem ent o f the Opera House.

"The auditorium preserves the mood ... this som bre, antiseptic b o x " So it was greeted by H.G. Kippax. He continued.

"In this box w ith its straight rows of s tr a ig h t - b a c k e d s e a ts o n e h as th e atm osphere of the university lecture room ... there is little of the intim acy w hich I hold to be essential in a playhouse — no sense from the straight lines o f seats of an audience gathered around or near a stage and its occupants, not much sense o f the others in the audience. It w ould m ake a good c inem a: there in the darkness, audience inter­ relationships and audience-player affinities d o n 't m a tte r." " A sort of tradesm an's entrance compared w ith the foyers and public circulation areas o f the Concert Hall and Opera Theatre, "s a y s designer Ian Robins. "B efore entering one is a w a r e of t he m a s s i v e bul k and understructure of the m ajor part o f the building and this feeling o f im m ense w eigh t is carried through into the oppressively low and claustrophobic foyer and auditorium .

Surely a foyer should encourage free circulation and m ingling by spectators! It takes com paratively fe w people to turn this foyer into an uncom fortable crush. One has to fight ones w ay to the bar and clockrooms and join a bottleneck to the auditorium d o o r."

Concert Hall

N O R TH W E S T H A R B O U R SID E

From th e coldness and disco m fo rt of the foyer one file s w ith a cu rio u s fe e lin g of d iso rie n ta tio n in to the a u d ito riu m to be co n fro n te d by black concrete w a lls huddled under a m en a cin g ly lo w ceilin g w ith its m e ta llic bands of cold strip lig h tin g . No fe e lin g of expansion, w a rm th or w o n d e r here w h e re th e on ly hum an focus is often the d isq u ie tin g ly close anonym ous fig u re s in the ele ctro n ics booths.

A n o th e r focus m ay be the Curtain of the Moon if designer and d irecto r have come to te rm s w ith it and decided its use w ill not adversely affe ct th e ir w ork. It is m uch avoided.

I have alw ays fo u n d th is a u d ito riu m a fo rb id d in g ly oppressive experience — dark w ith o u t m ystery, close w ith o u t intim acy, its rigid row s of w h ite and v e rm illio n seats u n w e lco m in g and s tiffly fo rm a l. There are virtues. The seating is room y and reasonably com fortable, sig h tlin e s are e xcellent and the acoustics, provided care is taken in placing the action, a llo w fo r p ianissim o utterance.

Everything can be seen and heard.

Since its opening in O ctober 1973 the Drama Theatre has been occupied by Sydney's p re stig io u s Old Tote Theatre Company. This com pany presents some tw e lve p ro ductions a year (over tw o seasons), six at the Drama Theatre and six at the Parade T heatre in Kensington.

"For m any years, w hile it w as being built, I used to think h ow marvellous it w ould be to w ork there at the Opera H ouse," says Ann Fraser, Head of Design fo rth e Old Tote. "W hen it finally happened it w asn 't as exciting as I'd hoped. O ne reason for this w as the absence of theatricality. There was no feeling of theatre about the place. This w as partly due to the understandable lack of tradition in the

S"d

new theatre, but mainly it w as the result o f the public service cum factory feeling th a t w as everyw here.

"Perhaps tradition and atm osphere are not essential but one certainly misses them when they are not there. This is sad.

Strangely enough the new Theatre Royal does have the feeling of theatre about it.

"There are physical problems. Flying fa c ilitie s , e s p e c ia lly d o w n s ta g e , are inadequate. A full fly-o u t is impossible, unless one goes to the expense o f 'topping and tailing' (folding) the pieces to be flow n.

"To the poor flying arrangem ents are the additional problems of inadequate w ing and backstage space for storage. Because o f this one is tem pted to use the revolves as much as possible to effe c t scene changes. It's a m atter of econom ics — one man can change the set by pressing a button whereas additional staff are required to w ork the flying system and thus operating costs increase. " O f course the revolve system does have a variety of uses but there is a danger of w orking this device to death. There is a lim it to the num ber of ways it can be em ployed.

"The proportions of the proscenium o p e n in g are n ot a tt r a c t iv e . One can overcom e the great w idth of the opening by creating a strong focal point in the design for exam ple the great tree in Love's Labours Lost.

"B ut the biggest problem is w ith the lighting. There are not enough lamps and the equipm ent there is not as versatile as it should be. For exam ple, if one lights the forestage one cannot adequately light the rest — particularly if w orking tow ard s the full depth of the s ta g e ."

1. C once rt Hall 2. R ecording Hall 3. Dram a Theatre

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Dram a Theatre Stage M ain Rehearsal Room H arb our Foyer A d m in is tra tiv e O ffices A d m in is tra tiv e O ffices R ecording Hall G allery Foyer E xhibition H all & M usic Room Foyer 12. Car C oncourse 13. Bennelong Restaurant S O U TH E R N APPROACH

Page 32 Theatre-A ustraU a A ug-S ept, 1976

T h e D ra m a T h e a tre — R a y m o n d O m o d e i The S iem ens' lig h tin g w ith w h ich the th e a tre is equipped is a co n stan t source of a nguish. It is outm oded, unsu itab le and inadequate.

Developed in G erm any for c o n tin e n ta l tra d itio n s of a ctin g , design and directio n , it has little to do w ith o ur ow n tra d itio n s , d irectio n s and developm ent. I have m yself sat fo r long hours w h ils t lig h tin g designer and te c h n ic ia n s strug g le d w ith those vague pools of m urky, stran g e ly ye llo w ish , foggy light, longing fo r the fle x ib ility and sharp d irectio n a l q u a litie s of the Strand e q u ip m e n t w ith w h ic h w e have all g ro w n and w h ic h has gro w n w ith us.

"The German theatre lights from all four sides of the stage, all round the a c to r," suggests Ian Tasker, th e Old Tote's Stage Director. "U n fo rtu n a te ly the Dram a Theatre is equipped only w ith enough lamps to light from one or tw o sides. One could say th a t there is alm ost a Strand set-up but it's equipped w ith Siem ens m aterial.

"N o r are the facilities sufficiently related to one another. For instance if the forestage apron is lifted into use itis im p o s s ib le to light it adequately. It can be lit fro m the fro n t of course but essential side lighting isou t of the question. Problems can be overcom e of course, but it is not a versatile th e a tre .”

W h ilst th e stage is vast in area and w id th , and lib e ra lly equipped w ith traps and lifts, tw o g ig a n tic c o n c e n t r ic r e v o lv e s a n d com prehensive fly in g system , these e lem ents do not e ffe ctively relate to each o th er. The stage area is handicapped by th e hideous p ro portions of th e pro sce n iu m arch. K atharine Brisbane saw th is as a serious problem "w ith its aperture like a letter b o x ." The top of the arch is p ro p o rtio na lly very lo w (about level w ith th e e yeline from th e back row) and th e ya w n in g w id th evokes the feeling of cineram a. The o u ter revolve alm ost touches th e rear w a ll and tw o s tru c tu ra l pro tru d in g w a lls in th e w in g s, ren d e rin g th e already m eagre backstage storage space useless if th e revolve is

employed. The revolve is noisy. T h e g rid fo rth e flyin g system is too low.

An audience once seated and involved has sm all if any idea of the enorm ous a e sthe tic and te ch n ica l spectres w ith w h ich p ro ductions are co n fro n te d and fo r th is reason th e Drama T heatre w ill I kn o w and hope co n tin u e to a ttra ct th e public. It is part of th e p e rfo rm in g a rtis t's n ature to m eet, even to greet, challenges but w h e re th is th e a tre is concerned the problem s fa cin g a rtist and te ch n icia n are not overcom e by ca llin g them s tim u la tin g c h a lle n g e s . H e re, g e n e r a lly , th e y are re strictin g lim ita tio n s of o ve rw h e lm in g m agnitude.

For its opening season at th e Drama Theatre the Old Tote presented th re e co n tra stin g pieces, Shakespeare's R ich a rd th e Second, the B r e c h t / W e ill T h re e p e n n y O p e ra and Wi 11i a m s o n ' s Wh a tifY o u D ie d T o m o rro w P T h e th re e m arkedly d iffe re n t pro d u ctio n s between them explored and exploited th e theatre.

D irection and design w e re consciously geared to make best use of its virtue s and vices to serve th e in te rp re ta tio n s. It w as in every w a y a m am m oth season. Success and fa ilu re w ere, fo r me, te rm s less applicable to in d ividual pro d u ctio n s than to elem ents, m om ent by m om ent w ith in them .

An im p orta n t legacy from th e season is th a t for every p ro duction since the th e atre has been approached w ith exh a ustive reappraisal by everyone involved. G row ing fa m ilia rity has bred n e ith e r c o n tem p t nor a fe e lin g of security.

The d e lig h ts and d is a p p o in tm e n ts o fth e firs t season have not been m uch exceeded e ith e r way. The w o rks th a t have fared best in the Drama T heatre have been those w h ich by nature, p re se n ta tio n and perform ance have

(R ig ht)A udience at the D ram a Theatre fo r the O ld Tote's M ou rn in g Becomes Electra (B elow ) G o u nd p la n o f O pera House sh o w in g D ra m a Theatre layout.

D R AW IN G A — G R O U N D FLOOR 12' LEVEL 1. Car Concourse 2. Stage D o o r 3. Central Services Passage 4. E xhibition Hall 5. C in e m a / C ham ber M usic Hall Foyer 6. C in e m a /C h a m b e r M usic Hall 7. C atering Stores 8. R ehearsal/R ecording Hall 9. Dram a Theatre Foyer 10. Dram a Theatre 11. Dram a Theatre Stage 12. A d m in istra tive O ffices 13. Dressing Rooms fo r Dram a Theatre 14. Staff Areas 15. Set Storage and Scene Change Area 16. O pera Theatre B elow Stage 17. Rehearsal Rooms 18. B roadw alk Restaurant

SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE STAGE 3 ARCHITECTS HALL TODD & LITTLEMORE

tk A

T h e a tre -A u stra lia A ug-S ept, 1976 Page 33

been big and bold or ly ric a lly intense — W h a t if you D ie d T om orrow ? Love fo r Love, The Playboy o f the W estern World, O f M ice and M en, P eer G ynt and M o u rn in g Becom es Plectra. In m any cases im p o rta n t ele m e n ts in the plays w e re com prom ised by the steps taken to make th e th e a tre w o rk but, w h a te ve r qu a rre ls one may have about production and in te rp re ta tio n , these p re se n ta tio n s succeeded w ith audiences. They reached, e n tertained, made dem ands, illu m in a te d and excited. Each overcam e and in som e cases triu m p h e d over th e u n sym p a th e tic natuer of the venue.

I have restricte d com m ent to the physical nature of th e b u ild in g and to production elem ents. A cto rs' a ttitu d e s w o u ld be the subject of a nother article. M y im pression is th a t actors, like the rest of us, enjoy the co m fo rts of th e q u ite splendid greenroom and are relaxed by th e know ledge th a t th e y can be both seen and heard w ith o u t strain or undue effort. Backstage fa c ilitie s and co n d itio ns in th is c o u n try are g e n era lly p re tty appalling and here th e Drama T heatre provides a w elcom e change w ith w e ll appointed if so m e w h a t pokey dressing rooms.

The a rc h ite c tu re o f th e th e a tre dom inates. It defines itse lf b ru ta lly and in so doing, in sists itse lf upon th e p e rform ance experience.

D uring my years w ith th e Old Tote I was d irectly or in d ire c tly concerned w ith the com pany's e ffo rts to make the th e atre work; to bend and break th e m assive concrete grip of th e place. M eticu lo u s th o u g h t and painstaking e ffo rt, constant re th in k in g , se lecting and discarding, going back to scratch, occupied a rtis ts and te c h n ic ia n s w h o approached each p ro d u c tio n w ith re n e w e d v ig o u r and d e te r m in a tio n n o t o n ly to re a liz e th e in te rp re ta tio n of th e play in question b u tto fre e

th e w o rk from the a lie n a tin g in flu e n ces of the b u ilding Three con stan ts exist th a t are not in ha rm o n y — th e atm osphere of the w h o le t h e a t r e , t h e p o o r s ta g e / a ud i t o r i u m re la tio n sh ip and fin a lly the stage e q u ipm ent itse lf w h ic h ge n era lly serves w o rs t th e m ost effe ctive p e rform ance position, th e area dow nstage centre.

S o lu tio n s have been fo u n d fo r ce rta in p ro ductions but th e y are not su ita b le fo r a w ide range of in te rp re ta tio n s or styles.

This th e a tre is in h u m a n , alm ost a n ti hum an and w ith o u t h u m a n ity and s p irit th e dram a cannot flo u ris h .

"This is not home for a perm anent com pany. IMor, even w hen the teething troubles are cured, can I see th a t it can b e," w as H.G. Kippax' conclusion on the venue in a re vie w of th e firs t season in 1973.

It w as fittin g th a t the presence of th e Old Tote, th e sta te 's p rincipa l dram a com pany, should grace and be graced by th e ca pital's celebrated te m p le for th e p e rfo rm in g arts.

However, fo r the sake of its w id e r and rich e r a rtis tic g ro w th th e com pany m ust fin d itse lf a m ore benign and fle xib le theatre.

A t th e root of the Drama T heatre's tro u b le s is th e dism aying tru th th a t in basic design concept, it is obsolete proscenium arch th e atre . W ith in th is obsolescence even the fe lic itie s of th e fo u rth w a ll are cancelled by a proscenium opening of abnorm al w id th sp ra w lin g across the darkness under a lo w e rin g ce iling. No am o u n t of ta rtin g up w ith c o lo u rfu l cu rta in s, m echanical co n tra p tio n s and co n tin e n ta l lig h tin g can su cce ssfully disguise the uneasy evidence th a i in th is edifice fo r th e living arts, th e dram a has been relegated to a hole in the fo u nd a tio n s.

•

Drama Theatre Specifications STAGE approx 3,800 sq. ft.

Total stage area approx 2,900 sq. ft.

Main stage area approx 1,600 sq.ft.

Revolving stage floor area approx 900 sq. ft.

Moveable forestage area PROSCENIUM OPENING fixed 16' 1" Height Width (variable by means of from 36' to 48 8 portable towers) 33 ft.

Grid Height Turntable (comprised of two concentric revolves) 45' 6'' Outer diameter 30' 0" Inner disc diameter Revolves can be used together as one, or singly in the same or opposite directions at the same or different speeds.

550 Audience capacity

RAY OMEDEI has recently completed three years as a resident director with the Old Tote and the A.T.Y.P. directing some eight productions. Priorto settling in Sydney in 1973 he was ass. director of the National Theatre Co., Perth. He has just returned from directing and designing Hamlet for Perth’s Hole in the Wall Theatre (see review page 1 2 .)

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Page 34 Theatre-AustraUa Aug-Sept, 1976

Australian Currents

FOLLOW THE YELLOW BRICK RO AD SH O W S Nigel Triffitt

NIGEL TRIFFITT; Now directing for the Tasmanian Puppet Theatre; recently administrator of Stables Theatre, Sydney; began at N.I.D.A.; 1971 -72 resident director at St. Martin's Theatre, Melbourne, then Director of Student Theatre at Monash University. In 1974, led a three state, student company tour with ten productions including Fortune and Men's Eyes. Increasing involvement in T.I.E. and alternative theatre led to the Yellow Brick Road Show which he describes below.

As 1 w rite th is , a team of stage hands is b u ild in g a large and elaborate set, tw o of the best available lig h tin g men in Sydney are hanging and plugging, our Chris Jacovides sets hang, stored w ith the John Olsen p rints specially com m isioned fo r the play, in the dressing room. I am th e d irecto r, th e designer and th e a d m in is tra to r of the th e atre p u ttin g on th e play.

Three m onths ago, I hung, precariously, on a tig h t rope of e m otional endurance w ith m otley group of people, clin g in g desperately to the th re a d s of a rem em bered experience and tryin g , eq u ally desperately, to reconcile the in c o m p le te e c o n o m ic and e x p e r ie n tia l p o ssib ilitie s of tw o years of my life co n fro n tin g a societal brick w a ll. A brick w a ll th a t we knew w as com ing, a brick w a ll of p o litics and p o ssib ilitie s, polem ic and panacea, poverty and a ce rta in paranoia.

Y e llow Brick Roadshows lasted exactly 25 m onths, covered over 1 0 0 ,0 0 0 K.m. of constant to u rin g , played to a round 8 0 ,0 0 0 people of all ages, engulfe d the lives of the people involved and u ltim a te ly com pleted itse lf inau sp icio usly at Sydney's S eym our Centre in May, '76. S e lf-destructed because the green castle of hope at th e end of th e y e llo w brick road w as one of o ur o w n m aking, and w e ran out of gas. M oney too, but m ore th a n money; a reason fo r existing.

Our th e atre w as for the people, by the people, taken to the people, of th e people. Not polem ic, not neat c o u n te r-c u ltu ra l cosm ic double talk, but th e a tre th a t related to the fu tu re , to the choice of fu tu re , o r/a n d to the fu tu re of choices (vain hope, or calculated naivete). Crass, crude, vulgar, agressive reality. Here it is, whaddya think? W anna change? Laugh at yourself? T hink it out a bit m ore? Great ... but w h e re 's th e solution?

W h a t's your answer?

Yellow Brick Roadshows w as our answ er.

There w as a n o th e r w ay to live, a n o th e r w ay to relate. Leave th e base and th e possessions behind, sm oke a lot of dope, live w ith fla ir, adventure, reckless spirit. Take A u stra lia in your stride, travel, see the co u n try, m eet the people, shock 'em , surprise 'em, m ake 'em th in k ... get it? get the picture? And w h a te ver you do, d o n 't stop to th in k. Live it, be it, go w ith it, do it fu lly ...

Brave old w o rds in the W h itla m era; the governm ent w as behind us so, therefore, were th e people ... th e real ones, n o tth e professional deform ations. Prove it could be done ... and I suppose w e did. We did it fu lly :d u tifu lly bought our one w ay ticke ts and set o ff, no looking back, and, in cid e n tally, no tu rn in g back. Gave up the jobs and the courses, took o ur salary, w h e n it came, from ourselves, of $ 2 5 .0 0 a w e e k fo rth e firs t six m onths, $ 5 0 .0 0 for the second, and, as th e bookings came in an average o f $7 5 .0 0 a w e e k for the next year. Pay your o w n food and accom odation and you w e re left w ith around $2 5 .0 0 clear, a w e lte r of used m otel units, roaches and g e n u in e ly e n th u sia stic audiences behind you.

The e xtra o rd in a ry became so com m onplace th a t w e searched fo r even m ore e xtra o rd in ary adventures ... at firs t it w as th e great fla ir of a to u r to Tasm ania, (early days, sure, but fla ir at th e tim e); fo u r of the com pany w e re arrested fo r conspicuous use of a m ild e u p h o ric â&#x20AC;&#x201D; w e 're still paying o ff th e ir fines. Seasons in M elbourne, Canberra (A u stra lia 7 5 ), Sydney, Canberra and M elbourne again, V ictorian and New South W ales co u n try areas fo llo w e d before the next great flair. A ccid e n ta l, but fla ir.

A com plete to u r of N orthern New South W ales w as cancelled. A w ave of outraged public opinion stirre d and p rom ulgated by a g e ria tric co u n try elite of co m m u n ity leaders anxious to spare th e ir school or th e ir to w n w as picked up by the media and plastered, fro n t page and hoarding, from M u llu m b im b y to Arm idale.

Bookings w ere cancelled, audience and actors le ft s tra n d e d o u ts id e lo c k e d th e a tr e s .

Education departm ent b a nning fo llow ed.

Police action th re a te n e d ... and thousands of people talked over w h e th e r or not fifth and

sixth fo rm pupils should be exposed to the w o rd 's h it', be presented w ith plays about m a stu rb a tion , m arriage breakdow n, racism and, h o rro r of horrors, a b a llerina w h o pooped her pants. T he a tre-in -E d u ca tio n pu rists w ere h o rrifie d : 'in s u ffic ie n t c u ltu ra l standard', 'protect th e m orals of th e young'. M ake them like us.

The North Coast adventure made us political f i g h t i n g in d iv id u a ls . . . a n d e n e m ie s .

Perform ance became a de lib e ra te act of d is c r e e t s u b v e rs io n , s u b v e rs io n o f th e m indless ca tch -2 2 of the fam ily, the job, the sexual and c u ltu ra l morays. The c u ltu ra l m orass th a t makes going to th e th e a tre a ritua l act of homage to some u n sta te d a n d a rtific ia lly in se m ina te d notion th a t cu ltu re is good fo r you.

M ost c u ltu re is very boring.

M erely stating the problem is not enough, w e had to provide some fo rm of so lu tio n ... and th e so lu tio n w as us, as people, a group that could live to g eth e r w e ll and e ffic ie n tly , produce and perform , operate ou tsid e the kn o w n th e a trica l structu re , tra il-b la ze , train , th re a te n . Take th e audience to the c u ltu ra l boundaries, state the lim its, let th e m fin d th e ir ow n w a y home. Privately the gro u p was pressured, harrassed, unhappy, lonely, alone, poor and m ostly scared. Publicly th e brave new w o rld w as ju st around the corner.

So n e w fla ir fo llo w e d , D arw in took us on. We got banned th e re too. W e played instead in pubs, sem i-destroyed houses, cyclone ravaged h um pies ... to people. People unencum bered by a false notion of theatre, u n e ncum bered in fact, by any notion of theatre. Real people w ho shouted, joked, talked out aloud, d id n 't care ... the best audiences in the w o rld . Audiences w h o gave, took, gave back, jo in e d in th a t basic th e a trica l equ atio n : actors, audience and in te ra ctio n . No shit.

The sin g le constant ele m e n t of o u r on-stage th e a tric s w as the sim p lic ity of th is equation.

Find an actor; go to an audience; dem arcate a stage area; add a fe w lig h t bulbs so th a t the audience could see the actors; add a red c u rta in so th a t actors had a chance to not be seen; play fo r pace, punch and energy; based c o n t in u ity on e m o tio n a l a nd th e re fo re th e a trica l logic, and play fo r, by and w ith the re su lta n t in te ra ctio n . S tart w ith the basics and o n ly add w h e re necessary. E m bellishm ent w as planned razz-m a-tazz, staging and sequencing c a lc u la te d c o n fu s io n , lin e s o f r e a lity d e m a r c a tio n d e lib e r a te ly d e m o lis h e d , audience a tte n tio n track deceived a n d cou rte d , choices fla u n te d , anarchy th re a te n e d ... all to th e single, u n a ltera b le purpose of p u tting a group of people in su ffic ie n t state of being th a t th e y could respond honestly and in a giving w a y to a set of stim u lu s th a t w as, in fact, the m se lve s put th ro u g h some sort o f th e a tric a l th re s h in g m achine. " The fastest show on e a rth" o f Jacqui Stolz, A n d re w Hansen, Louise Sanders, and G eoff Dan.

T h e a tre -A u stra l ¡a A ug-S ept, 1976 Page 35

Over th e course of the tw e n ty five m onths th e repertoire g re w fro m a tig h t group of fifte e n short plays (Pinter, Beckett, the Italian Futurists, H a lliw e ll, Kopit, w ith a couple of o rigina l scrip ts culled from past th e atrica l oddities of my ow n) to over 150 short pieces, w it h a 7 5 % o r ig in a l c o n te n t, w r it t e n , rehearsed and refined th ro u g h a constant process of perform ance re s tru ctu rin g to suit, or define, th e dem ands of both the venue and type of audience — be th e y upper or low er secondary students, u n iv e rs ity audiences or general public. G radually th e content g re w to be less im p orta n t, once established, and linkage from one piece to the next more so.

Beginnings and ends of pieces g re w to be less defined. S tru c tu rin g over and above the content w as established. Speed and attack b e ca m e d o m in a n t, c u lm in a tin g in one sequence of Italian F uturist plays introduced as “ th e fastest sh o w on earth; fifte e n plays in fifte e n m in u te s ". Ideas w ere developed expanded and m ixed w ith con tra d icto ry concepts. Sequences w e re s h u ffled .

paper, the agents, th e auditions, th e sh ow ing ... and a co n ce ntra tio n on the private self, w ith a preparation to sh o w it if necessary, slam it out th e re and sh o w it, laugh at it, define it in public.

This is a process n o rm a lly reserved for w rite rs , shielded from the im m ediate hit by a s m o ke s c re e n o f d ir e c to r s , d e s ig n e rs , m a n a g e m e n ts , p u b lic ity a n d a c to rs . A com pany crea tin g its ow n m aterial is not shielded. N ightly th e equation is there, n ig h tly the response is there, rig h t or w ro ng . It's clear in sta n tly th a t audiences respond success or fa ilu re — w ith a d istin ct possib ility of e ith e r at any one m om ent. The razor's edge of revelation, the fo rbidden areas, the secret bits, the fears and foibles th a t bind us all together, the com m on e lem ents of the hum an condition.

Yellow Brick Roadshows fin ish e d because w e w e n t too f a r ... a re h e a rs a ltrip to M arrakech

seemed a little m eaningless. So did the product of our heads to th e audience. Some called it a paeon to the n o w defunct co u n te r-cultu re , others a m eaningless, trivia l, expensive wank.

I choose th e form er, if only because if w e had been je rkin g o ff it should have been more pleasant.

A fte r five weeks being conned in M arrakech w e began to ask w h e th e r w e had been conned, or w ere perp e tratin g a th e a trica l version of the same process. The hassler, th e q uintessential hassler started to fig u re heavily in the perform ance. Caveat Emptor. The problem of survival seemed to achieve an e ith e r/o r situ a tio n ... e ith e r em bark on th e S .L .A ./P a tty Hearst equ atio n or begin w o rkin g again, stop, regroup in te rn a lly in term s of th e se lf and re­ exam ine. The tim es had changed. The Frazer age had begun and the enem y w as com ing out from it's m ound of cosmic double ta lk laid on it

The aim w as to cram as m uch data, analysis and com m ent, th e a trica l w iz a rd ry and surprise in to the shortest possible tim e span. The fortyfive m in ute lu n ch tim e s h o w became th e forte, p a rtly because w e got m ore bookings, partly because that w as all th e audience could take at any one s ittin g . The notion o f the s in te s i — a synthesis of ideas com pressed into as fe w m om ents as possible developed d irectly from th e m anifestos and w ritte n pieces of th e Italian F uturist theatre; a sense of daring, o utw ard fearlessness, th e a trica l an a rch y and attack from m onths I spent observing th e Living Theatre in London in 1969; a sense of anger and drive as a reaction to th e m indless and so u l-d e stro yin g rigours of th e so-called professional th e atre in th is country, a profession based p rim a rily on th e dem ands of c h ild - lik e e g o c e n tr ic ity and c a lc u la te d m ediocrity, a m id d le -o f-th e -ro a d profession, scared to offend lest the next g rant should not com e through, scared to co n fro n t the basic n ature of its craft fo r fe a r th a t it be engulfed by the pow er of its ow n creation — a deep rooted fear of the unknow n.

The unknow n brings great success and great fa ilu re in equal m easure. To co n fro n t the un kn ow n means to co n fro n t th e fu tu re , and to co n fro n t one's personal fe a r of the fu tu re one m ust firs t co n fro n t the nature of one's past.

Honestly, d irectly and w ith no blam e attached.

The fo u nd a tio n s of our behaviour m ust be re ­ exam ined and qu a lifie d , from the most m undane to the m ost e xiste n tial areas of our past. The path is one-w ay. Once em barked on th e jo u rn e y there is no tu rn in g back w ith out a p rofound sense of giving up th e struggle. And so to the brick w a ll. Remove the foundations, propel or free w h e e l to your fin a le , but move fo rw a rd at all costs.

The costly lesson is sim p ly not to overreach the lim its of p o ssib ility ... the lim its of probability, yes, but recognise the lim ita tio n s, and recognise th e be g in ning fo r w h a t it is: believe in it (calculated naivete if you w ish ) but never believe th a t you've found the answ er.

Just one of them th a t is relevant personally or p rofessionally to the m om ent ... the precise m om ent in tim e th a t an actor and audience sit dow n together and play. And then, to m o rro w , w ork out another one if necessary. And if you b lo w it one day, th e re 's a n o th e ro n e to m o rro w , and it'll be better if you a llo w yo u rse lf to learn from the past. Just learn, not w o rry. And som ew here in the m idst of all th is comes an abrogation of the public self, th e name in the

G e o ff Dan, A n d re w H ansen (Rear) a nd Louise S a n d e rs p r e s e n t " t h e b a s ic th e a t r ic a l e q u a tio n ." in January th is year tu rn e d us onto the real fear and the real fo ib le ; th e fo ib le of pride and prejudice, th e fe a r of death, the problem of staying alive. The trip to M arrakech tu rn e d us onto the re a lity of the existance of m ost of the p e o p le o u t th e re , w h e re q u e s tio n s o f existential rea lities w ere irrelevant, w h e re considerations of w h e re to get th e next meal w e re of far m ore im portance, w h e re the survival in stin ct w as param ount. And w e c o u ld n 't cope.

W hat little m oney w e had was spent on our '76 project, the ill-fa te d 'Le Roadshow Cafe', w h ic h in v o lv e d s e ttin g up a c o m p le te re s ta u ra n t/c a b a re t providing su m ptuous food for the audience w h ile the com pany w a ite d to eat the left overs. At th a t point it all seemed a little irrelevant. Two years into the process, w ith the prospect of another tw e lve m onths of little m ore than living costs to sustain us, it all

by w e ll- m e a n in g b u t s o c ia lly u n a w a re co u n te r-cu ltu ra ls and b e g in n in g to re a lis e th a t perhaps it had been conned. We had lost sight of the end and caught our ow n m yth reflected in the m ake-up m ir r o r ... w e had started to take o u rs e lv e s s e rio u s ly ; su c c e s s or s e lfd e stru ctio n w ere in the air. Success m eant e verything w e had w orked against. Selfd e stru ctio n w as ultim ate ly, conceptually, w h a t w e had been w o rkin g for. S e lf-destruction as a w o rkin g unit. Our tim e w as over. No-one p a r tic u la r ly n o tic e d .

P ro b a b ly n o -o n e p a rticu la rly cared ... but w e did.

Little com panies have been fo rm in g and disbanding w ith great rapidity, to u rin g right, le ft a nd c e n tre , b oth p o litic a lly and geographically since w e Ljegan. God hope they co n tin ue to do so. The fu tp re of the nation's th e atre is in th e ir hands ... but by th e tim e the nation notices th e re w ill be a nother group of people w o rkin g hard to open up w h a t we have been, and c o n tin u in g to create. And th a t's th e w ay it should be.

Page 36 T h e a tre -A u s tra lia A ug-S ept, 1976

A N N A VO LSKA IN INTERVIEW WITH RICHARD WHERRETT R.W . In the six years you've been back in A ustraHa you've p la ye d a g re a t variety o f roles: you w ere in the op e ning p ro d u ctio n s at both O ld a n d N e w N im ro d Theatres, w h ich were Biggies a n d The Bacchoi, a n d th e re you've also p la y e d Isabella in M easure fo r M easure, A n g e la in A le x B u zo 's Tom, Sara in M ic h a e l Cove's Jesters, O phelia in Ham let, B eatrice in M uch Ado About N othing, Q ueen E lizabeth in Richard III, N in a in The Seagull, Becky Lou in The Tooth of Crim e, a n d A n n a in The Ride Across Lake Constance; o u tsid e o f N im ro d you've p la y e d M a jo r Barbara a n d th e P rincess o f France /'Love's Labour's Lost,/ fo r th e O ld Tote, m ost re c e n tly A n n i in Le Chateau at the Ja n e St. season, p lu s th e lo n g ru n n in g series The G odfathers a n d th e a w a rd w in n in g H elena R u b in s te in fo r television. / w o u ld like to begin b y a sking you th re e q u e stion s — w h ich o f these do you th in k w as yo u r best role, w h ich d id you e n jo y m ost, a n d w h ic h was th e g re a te st

challenge?

A .V . I enjoyed p a rticu la rly playing in Lake C o n s ta n c e , p ro b a b ly b e c a u s e o f th e p o ssib ilitie s of th e play. W hat I fin d most in te r e s tin g a b o u t a c tin g is o b s e rv in g , analysing, und ersta n d in g people. A nd the m ost e xtra o rd in ary th in g about people to me, and I w o u ld guess Peter Handke, is th e ir illo g ica l behaviour — w h a t C onstance did was make th a t th e a trica l. To understand an a u th o r's concept and to act it is te rrific a lly exciting. That pleasure w as o ffset by the d iffic u lty m any of the audience had in grasping it.

R.W . That im p lie s you do fe e l the ne e d to com m unicate.

A .V . Yes, absolutely. But it is also im p orta n t to c o m m u n ic a te b e y o n d an e x p e c te d in te ra ctio n — to surprise, to provoke deeper perception of behaviour, to add m ore to an au d ie nce 's u n d erstanding than th e y entered

th e th e a tre w ith .

R. W. Your best role?

A .V . I th in k A n n i and Beatrice. I understand Beatrice, and it m eant a lot to me. I sym pathised w ith her, and I h a d th e equipm ent w h ic h th a t p a rticu la r production required. Not th a t th is m eant I w as co n fid e n t as a result.

R.W . W hy not?

A .V . Because of the pressure on th e role, th a t it's a fa m o u s role w h ich has been played fa m o u s ly before, and because John was d irecting.

R.W . Then w h y w as it your best?

A .V . S im ply because, I suppose, th a t my id e n tifica tio n w ith her co m m u n ica te d its e lf to th e audience.

R.W . The g re a te st challenge?

A .V . Nina. Or O phelia. Because of th e passion th e y dem and. I fin d it e xtre m e ly d iffic u lt to let go, to abandon m yself to m om ents of high fe e lin g , as in O p helia's m adness and Nina's

T h eatre-A ustralia A ug-S ept, 1976 Page 37

despair.

R.W . D id p la y in g the roles assist the p o s s ib ility o f doing so?

A .V . Yes, but I s till may not be able to do so next tim e. I've learnt th a t I'm not " frig id " in a role, th a t I can do it, but it w o n 't be any easier ge tting there.

R.W . N ot Becky Lou, in th a t she seem s to me to be the fu rth e s t aw ay fro m you?

A .V . No. She required only posturing.

Though the singing w as a m o rtifica tio n nightly.

R.W . By "p o s tu rin g " do you m ean it m ade no e m o tio n a l dem ands?

A .V . Yes. R.W . You've been a ctin g fo r fifte e n years.

A re th e re roles you m ay n o t ever p la y w h ich yo u 'd like to have?

A .V . Ju lie t. I played Nina and Ophelia ju st in tim e. Sm all th e atre s as w e have here are a virtu e m ostly, but are lim itin g in th is w ay for actors — it's easier to see the lin e sl I'd also very m uch like to do so m e th in g Jacobean — th e y 're grand and shouty. Extravagant. People livin g in a w ay im possible fo r us now . Am oral.

The c o lo u rfu ln e ss of th e s itu a tio n as opposed to the greyness of n a tura lism .

R.W . A re you a m bitious?

A .V . Not often. It h its me every no w and then.

A fru s tra tio n in w o rkin g here is th a tth e c h a n c e to do certain kinds of plays comes up so rarely.

Before another Jacobean is done it may be too late for me. The value of b e in g a sta r is th a to n e w o u ld be more able to m ake th in g s happen.

R.W . Does film a ttra c t you?

A .V . Yes, I'd love to. I th in k I'm d iffic u lt to cast, I'm not anybody in p a rticu la r. A u stra lia n film s are m ostly about m yths. I'm to o in d ividual to play any of the kind of heroines com ing out now. i hope my tu rn w ill come.

R.W . A re you s a tis fie d to stay here then?

A .V . Yes. One set of fru s tra tio n s gets replaced by a nother w h e re v e r you go.

R.W . W hy was it a p re ssu re w o rkin g w ith Jo h n ? Is it always?

A .V . I'm already preparing the ground for next tim e - A H a n d fu l o f Friends. N atalie Wood says to Robert W agner in Bob a n d C arol and Ted a n d A lice, "You alw ays te ll me w h a t to

fe e l". T hat's h o w I feel, it's a double burden, firs tly ju st having to be good coping w ith his predisposition of th e character. M y concept of th e ch a ra cte r is n 't allow ed to g ro w b u t is pitted against his. They rare ly coalesce. Secondly, he vents w h a te ve r a n xieties he feels on me. A crude exam ple w o u ld be th a t if a scene is not responding it is u su a lly my character he w ill sieze on to w ra n g le w ith . He forces my ch a ra cte risa tion to fu ll g ro w th before others because he know s m y capability, and he knows me so w e ll he can ignore o rd in a ry social niceties. Me organised, he can then more easily tu rn to others. It's the resu lt of both his m anner of directin g and o u r relatio n sh ip .

There are rew ards as w e ll of course. I feel m yself to be a w a te rco lo u r actress, n a tu ra lly fa irly delicate, and understood and appreciated fu lly on ly by those w h o understand the m edium . He appreciates th a t and encourages me.

R.W . You've been m a rrie d eleven years — A .V . Together fourteen.

R.W . Do you fe e l yo u rs e lf in any w ay to be the w o m an b e h in d the m an?

A .V . Yes a bit. He's very good at concealing his w ounds. He alm ost never loses his tem per in rehearsal and h a sto have som eone to retu rn to and recover w ith .

R.W . Do you envy h is em inence?

A .V . Only in th a t he's able to make his career in an active way; I have to sit passively.

R.W . H ave you ever w a n te d to direct?

A .V .

I 'v e t h o u g h t o f i t , b u t I 'm te m p e ra m e n ta lly unsuited. I'm tactless. And bossyR.W . W hat do you do w h e n passive?

A .V . I enjoy analysing o th er people's w ork. I sew, read, knit. I'm a dom estic person. I have a phantasy of being s e lf-s u ffic ie n t, of being able to make e verything I need. I'd like to acquire all possible m anual skills. But I hate being a housew ife. There is a point at w h ic h I stop — I refuse to repair th e gutters.

R.W . The tensions in h e re n t in the p ro fe ssio n d o n 't w o rry your relatio n sh ip ?

A .V .

W e som etim es w o n d e r th a t it is so good. We take care of course. One has to tread

a nd as O phelia in R ich a rd W h e rre tt's p ro d u ctio n o f Ham let

Anna Volska as Beatrice in N im rod's Much Ado A bout Nothing.

w a rily in any relationship.

R.W . W hat am uses you?

A .V . John does.

R.W. And? A .V . (Long pause) I d o n 't know.

R.W . W hat em barasses you?

A .V . So m any th in g s I d o n 't know w h e re to begin. Coping socially. A ctin g before you kn o w w h a t yo u 're doing. Im provising. D isastrous d inner parties. O ther people acting badly.

Failing people's expectations — bills unpaid and letters unansw ered. Masses of th in g s. It's my m ost predom inant em otional state.

R.W . W hat em barasses you in others?

A .V . O bserving people playing games w h e n they d o n 't know th e y're being w atched.

Coyness. Lack of self-aw areness.

R.W. Do you fe e l understood?

A .V . I feel socially inept. I c a n 't conduct a conversation w ith a stranger. I do lock m yself in bathroom s and hide in gardens till crow ds dissipate. I never go to cocktail parties, and avoid large dinners. I realise others see it as a lo o fn e s s , b u t in fa c t it s p rin g s fro m em barassm ent and lack of confidence. I struggle forw ard, usually to fa ll back and hide.

R.W. Is there a n ything you’d like m e to ask you?

A .V . I already feel like leaky toothpaste.

Perhaps I'd like to say this. That at th is stage of th in g s, w ith the ego as w e ll as the blind en thu sia sm gone, I do feel I'm le ft w ith an in te re stin g job.

Page 38 T h eatre-A ustralia A ug-S e pt, 1976

PUSHING THE PRAM Lindzee Smith

L IN D Z E E S M IT H director fo r and collective m e m b e ro f the Australian Perform ing Group, the country's best know n and longest living Alternative Theatre com pany.

W hat fo llo w s is a c o lle ctive record in d ia ry form of w h a t one or any nu m b e r of A.P.G. collective m em bers m ay have seen or participated in d u rin g several days in A pril.

Sunday. This afte rn o o n w e n t off to the m on th ly co lle ctive m eeting, w h ic h happened to be the A n n u a l G eneral M eeting. Forty fu ll collective m em bers present, several associate m em bers, som e observers. Extensive reports and discussion about P rogram m ing, Finance, Theatre M anagem ent, A ctors and W rite rs Agency, C om m unity Theatre, C om m unity Radio and the Film Production Unit. Later attended a perform ance of S tasis in the Back Theatre. This is a group-developed sh o w w o rkin g w ith "a num ber of im ages, some fa irly abstract, even vague, some areas yet to be unravelled but th e ir p o ten tia l w ill be fu rth e r explored as the production goes o n .â&#x20AC;? (from the

program s). Four actors in an evening of im p ro visa tio n s, songs and the poems of Sylvia Plath. This project g re w out of w o rk done by some AP.G. m em bers in th e voice w orkshops of Rowena Balos from N ew York. A t th is p a rticu la r perform ance, th e Pram Factory video u n it w as taping th e s h o w adding to the already large collection of video taped records th e AP.G. has of its syows.

M onday. Travelled w ith th e C om m unity T heatre G roup to the G overnm ent Clothing Factory to see a lu n ch tim e p e rform ance of th e ir ne w piece The Tim or Show . A group of m usicians, actors, ju g g le rs, acrobats and singers e xp la in in g the e ffe ct of c o lo n ia lis m on The H ills F am ily ... Fay M o ko to w , Rob M e ld ru m , Tony Taylor, S ue Ingleton, M ax G illies, Tootle, a n d (in fro n t) E ve lyn K rape and Bob Thornecroft.

Theatre-AustraU a A ug-S ept, 1976 Page 39

East Tim or. Their own d e fin itio n of th e w o rk: "T rilin g u a l p o litica l circus w ith visual parables and lots of s o n g s." This p a rticu la r to u r supported and organised by the A .M .W .U . The group perform s tw ic e in the canteen to several hundred people ... a d iffic u lt and dem anding p e rfo rm a n c e b u t it w o rk s v e ry w e ll, in fo rm a tio n and e n te rta in m e n t; it urges support fo r FRETILIN. This evening attended a supper sh o w in the Front Theatre. There is a constant and g ro w ing use of th e Pram Factory by groups and people from outside th e collective proper. Bands of all persuasions, m usicians, m agicians, poets, cabaret artists, political and c u ltu ra l groups often fill th e space d u rin g lay off nights ... on days or weeks. On th is p a rticu la r n ight Eric Beech a young poet w as presenting some of his recent w o rk supported by jazz sin g e r Judy Jacques.

T uesday. Attended a rehearsal of Peter Handke's S e lf A c c u s a tio n w h ic h is to be part of a sh o w called The A m a z in g D isco u n t S h o w w h ic h opens later th is week. W ith the move to take Jack H ibberd's A Toast to M e lb a to the N ational Theatre in St. Kilda, th e collective has q u ickly created a program m e to fill the gap w h ic h M elba w o u ld n o rm a lly have occupied.

Phil M o th e rw e ll's P ecking O rders and The A m a z in g D isco u n t S h o w fo llo w one a nother in th e Front Theatre. A n o th e r production of a ne w A u stra lia n play M ish ka a n d Nanagava by G raham e Sim m onds w ill begin a season in the Back Theatre at the same tim e .

Looked in on the People's Lounge b riefly in th e afte rn o o n to fin d the Theatre M aintenance Group discussing the q uestions Can we colle ctivise the role of th e a tre m anager? and W hat can we do w ith the rapidly d isin te g ra tin g Chryl Chrysler ute?

This evening attended th e opening of P e c k in g O rd e rs a d a p te d fro m G e n e t's D e a th w a tc h by M e lb o u rn e w r it e r P h il M o th e rw e ll. Notes from th e program m e say “ P ecking O rders is the tw in of my firs t play The W e ig h t — both de m o n strate a change of consciousness w ith in the c rim in a l underclass d u rin g a social upheaval. A ty p ic a l h ie rarchical set of relatio n sh ip s is seen as a 'ce ll' of the outside w o rld and a s trug g le fo r pow er w ith in it becomes a d e m o n stratio n of the forces th a t have polarised society at large. The social upheaval in Pecking O rders is a series of unsuccessful m u tin ie s on board the prison hulks in Port P hillip Bay d u rin g the gold ru s h ."

W ednesday. Attended the w e e kly Executive M eeting. The usual discussion of salaries — A.P.G. people d e term in e th e ir ow n salaries — plus o th er w e e k to w eek problem s o fke e p in g a th e atre collective operating. A nu m b e r of people representing o utside bands or other acts w e re present to negotiate fo r space to hold "su pp e r s h o w s ". These have become regular w eekend events at the Pram and feature d iffe re n t rock groups and oth er diverse acts.

An in te re stin g item of correspondence w as a request from the A u stra lia n Embassy in Peking fo r th e rig h ts to perform D im boola by Jack Hibberd.

Late th is afternoon caught a screening of the Pram Factory film Supersm oke at th e Carlton Film co-op — a M arx Bros, type in d ictm e n t of sm oking and the m u lti-n a tio n a l corporations w h o control th e industry. The film was conceived, w ritte n , acted and com piled by A.P.G. collective m em bers w ith a little help from th e ir friends. This evening th e re is an early m eeting of Pram Factory Pictures, a project g roup set up to investigate sm all budget collective m ovie m aking — a group of actors w rite rs and film m akers from both inside the

collective and outside.

T hu rsd a y. Spent th is m orning w a tch in g a rehearsal of the th ird e dition of The H ills F am ily S h o w in preparation fo rth e ir fo rth co m in g to u r of V icto ria n co u n try areas — a fo u r w eek ve n ture of great com plexity. The Hills w ere busy ne g otia tin g details of th e to u r w ith the A rts Council of V ictoria. Rehearsal acts in cluded — ju g g lin g , ve n trilo q u ism , an am azing acrobatic fig h t, m ind reading, sim u la ta n e o u s dancing, b e llrin g in g and a short play in vintage C.J. Dennis style The A c c id e n ta l Poke by John Rom eril.

V isited th e Thursday afte rn o o n collective p rogram m ing m eeting. People m eet to discuss crite ria fo r program m ing w h a t p la ys/e ve n ts should th e A.P.G. present. Why? How? How can w e balance our program m e to include all the areas of in te re st — co m m u n ity theatre, popular th e a tre , e xp e rim e n tal ensem ble, puppetry, e n viro n m e n ta l th e atre , m usical events and so on. The m eeting concluded w ith a prepared reading of D udders a new play by John Rom eril and John T im lin about the invasion by th e A m erican m ilia ry in the fo rtie s and its subsequent effect on our cu ltu re . Other recent readings Hades in the S p rin g by M ichael Byrnes, Fanshen and K nu ckle both by David Hare, S iste rs by Robin Thurston.

Scoffed up a bit of tu cke r in th e Tavern kitchen and m anaged to catch th e A.P.G. puppets Cheepo Puppets on te le visio n in a recent gig th e y did w ith rock group Skyhooks at th e ir fa re w e ll concert at th e Palais in St. Kilda.

W h ile the 'Hooks played Lygon St. Lim bo the qu a in t puppets appeared to com plem ent the m ise en scene — Sam ard Janet, th e O w l, the M oon and all th e old fa vo urite s from H o w High w as m y Noon, The O w l and the Pussycat, The E le p h a n t C a lf and H o w G rey was m y Nurse.

T onight is opening n ight of The A m a zin g D isco u n t Show . A tin y open space tucked aw ay in a co rn e r of th e fro n t th e atre next to Peter C orrigan's Pecking O rders set, seating about sixty or seventy. This show starts at about 9.15 after P ecking O rders fin ish e s. The program m e — soup, Bob and Joe m eet Sam uel Beckett, and S e lf A c cu sa tio n by Peter Handke. The soup is great. Bob and Joe's adaptation of A c t w ith o u t W ords / and // is very fu n ny, the set of S e lf A c cu sa tio n tw o m icrophones, speakers and a m egaphone. Self A ccusation is a "tig h tly organised guided to u r using th e spoken w ord.

P ow erfully, in cisive ly and sym pa th e tica lly it traces th e w ay society processes th e in d ividual and h o w the developing in d ivid u a l reacts back." There are n o w five show s run n in g s im u lta n e o u s ly u n d e r A .P .G . a u s p ic e s , another, S iste rs by Robin Thurston, is in rehearsal and yet ano th e r group prepares the g ro u n d w o rk for a fo rth co m in g production of A C /D C by Heathcote W illiam s.

Friday. Dropped in at an e a rly rehearsal for Sisters. Notes on the production — " A project g ro u p o fte n A.P.G. m em bers is w o rkin g on the play; th e re fo re th e rehearsal of discovery and decision involves the e n tire cast. They are using a variety of approaches in order to understand and com m unicate the m any styles of perform ance the play d e m a n d s." About the play — "th e central section of S iste rs deals d ire ctly w ith an attem pt by e ig h t w om en prisoners to organise group resistance by them selves against the prison a u th o ritie s.

They barricade them selves into th e ir cell and th e n face the pressure of m a in ta in in g group stren g th d u rin g the long n ig h t u n til th e ir action is discovered but the d a y do e sn't rem ain a "p u re ly c rim in a l/s o c ia l"d ra m a w ith a passive (even if "co n ce rn e d ") audience: Acts 1 and 3 o p e n th e a c t io n o u t to b r in g th e

K e rry Dwyer, J e n n y Jo n e s a nd J a n e C lifto n in re h e a rsa l fo r Sisters. p riso n e rs/a ctre sse s into d irect c o n fro n ta tio n w ith the people. They e n te rta in , entice, shock, th re a te n and accuse the audience of co m p licity in the crim es being perpetuated against them .

In the process of doing th is th e y fin d a s o lid a rity th e y are unable to achieve in th e ir rebellion in th e c e ll."

This afternoon a co n su ltatio n w ith the build in g com m ittee of the n e w V ictorian A rts centre to discuss the possib ilitie s of the projected studio space there, the nature of events to be staged there, how it w ill be used, problem s of seating and e n viro n m e n ta l staging. Later a m eeting of Pram Factory Productions a project group, w ith in the collective w o rkin g o u t th e d etails fo r the m aking of larger budget film s of w orks like Hibberd's D im boola (re w ritte n fo r th e screen), the group developed H ills F am ily S h o w and O akley's Bedfellow s.

Off to th e 11.30 supper sh o w to n ig h t. This, a fte r all th e atre events have fin is h e d fo r the night - (M ini bum p out, bump in). A n e w band S tiletto. Unique band in th a t boss player, lead guitar, vocalist and so n g w rite rs are w om en.

They perform three sets (an accoustic bracket in the middle) Some songs "W om an in T rouble'' "Pre M en stru a l B lu e s," "The M a n ", "N ig h ts in the Parlours "(a bout massage parlours), "You Don't Own M e ."

S a tu rda y. An early m orn in g casting m eeting fo r A C/DC. The project group m eets to discuss the p o ssibilities before deciding the cast.

Casting is com pleted after exercises and open

Page 4 0 Theatre-A ustraH a A ug-S ept, 1976

discussion about capabilities, w o rk m ethods, etc — a d iffic u lt and e xhausting process but necessary.

Out to St. K ild a to s e e .4 Toast to M elba at the N ational Theatre. A m ajor event fo r all at the Pram Factory — a very ne w experience firs t in te rm s of audience volum e (160 at th e Pram and 7 0 0 at the National) and second in te rm s of staging — proscenium staging presents a w h o le range of n e w problem s to be solved by actors d irecto r and designer. The move to the larger space, the drive fo r a mass audience seem s central to Hibberd's desire to create A u s tra lia n popular theatre. In his w o rds "a th e a tre of a ccessibility ... A u stra lia n in them e and s u b stan ce " w h ic h "d ea ls w ith legendary fig u re s and events ... m yth ic a lly planted in the n a tio n 's conscio u sne ss."

Raced back from St. KiIda to enjoy th e M a y D ay S upper S h o w at the Pram. A celebration and preparation fo r the M ay Day m arch to m o rro w . A w ild , extravagant, in sp iratio n a l evening. Perform ance by th e C om m unity Theatre Group of The Tima S h o w anti its band th e Vipers, Brecht songs by collective m em bers, Italian p o litica l songs (Bella Ciao ne a rly lifts the roof of th e place) poems by Eric Beech.

Sunday. May Day M arch — m em bers of the collective gather w ith th e C om m unity Theatre G roup and m usicians to m arch to th e Yarra bank. On the m arch w e jo in w ith F.I.L.E.F. (Union of radical Italian im m igrants) to sing partisan songs and m usic from B recht's The M o t h e r . A t t h e Y a rra b a n k a n o t h e r perform ance of The Tima Show. Returned to Carlton and decided to go off to La Mama fo r a n ig h t off. M ichael M cLures G argoyle Cartoons — good fun. A n o th e r w eek in the th e atre comes to an end.

T o m o rro w ........

S h u vu s (G reen Eyes), P h il M o th e rw e ll (Le Franc) a n d Rod B irc h e ll(M a u ric e ) in A .P .G .'s Peekina Orders.

A is for AYR B is for BOURKE C is for CEDUNA...

X • |

8

W ritten & D irected by STANLEY WALSH Starring ALFRED SANDOR BARRY LOVETT

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T h e a tre -A u stra l ¡a A ug-S ept, 1976 Page 41

International THE B RITISH SC ENE

LANGUISHING IN LO N D O N Alan Seymour

ALAN SEYMOUR is perhaps the best known of our still expatriate playwrights. His play The One Day of the Year (1961) has now classic status — not only does it find its way into our subsidised theatres' repertory (the QTC produced it last year) but it is also widely set as a school text. Apart from a number of years in Turkey, Seymour has worked during the past decade in London, both as a writer (stage and T.V.) and as a highly respected critic.

The single m ost decisive fa cto r in English th e atre in the past six m on th s has been the great B ritish heatw ave. T em peratures of up to 9 5 ° every day fo r w eeks on end are so unusual here as to have stupefied th e local populace and to leave even m ore th o usa n d s of em pty seats than ever. "F o r the firs t tim e ," said an English friend, "I understand w h y you've had such a problem esta blish in g a viable living th e a tre in A u s tra lia ." W ith th e long sum m er evenings there is little in c lin a tio n to rush to on e 's frien d ly n eighbourhood th e atre to see th e RSC m an fu lly sw e a tin g its w a y th ro u g h the latest Gorki revival, The Zykovs, or O 'N e ill's epic fiv e -h o u r trudge, The Icem an Cometh, or an ad hoc com pany, fu n de d by a fam ous p erfum ier, and w ith such sta rry ta le n ts as Glenda Jackson, Jack Shepherd and Frances de la Tour, w iltin g in W e b ste r's W h ite D eviI in a la ck-lustre m odernisation (su rp risin g ly by Edward Bond) m asterm inded by a u sually resourceful te le visio n and film director M ichael Lindsay Hogg.

One London th e atre , at least, is airconditioned: the Lyttleton, th e only one of the National T heatre's th re e au d itoria to be fu n c tio n in g so fa r. On th e South Bank of the Thames, the N atio n a l's vertical and horizontal sw eeps of concrete, at firs t s ig h t unappetising, prove dram atic, s tim u la tin g and designed to a llo w broad, spacious foyers w ith bars, b uffets, e xhibitions, bookstall and room fo r a cham ber m usic group or jazz ensem ble to p la yto w a itin g theatregoers. The odiously hypocritical poster "The N ational Theatre is YOURS", w ith its s e lf­ consciously " p rim itiv e " p rin tin g and layout to suggest a sim ple g ra ffito on a brick w a ll, may m ake one sq u irm w h e n set against the rea lity of h ig h ly-p rice d seats and th e total lack of any a ttem pt to involve the huge w o rkin g-cla ss and lo w e r-m id d le -cla ss population of South London.

The L yttle to n ’s opening season has been a charm less a ffa ir, a disgraceful le t-dow n after a c e n tu ry 's cam paigning fo r a National Theatre.

A lb e rt Finney's Ham let, done "s tra ig h t” w ith no e m p h a t ic d ir e c t o r i a l t w i s t s of

in te rp re ta tio n , is im pressive enough th o ug h u n n ecessarily dour in design and poorly cast in some of th e su pporting roles, especially by A ngela Lansbury, Sim on W ard and Dennis Q uilley w h o shall be nam eless ...

John O sborn's W atch It Come D o w n is ano th e r sad exam ple of his m iddle-aged m iddle-class paranoia, badly and baldly expressed in heavily "s y m b o lic " language and presented in a heavily "s y m b o lic " set w h ich has all th e su b tle ty and delicacy of a forzen ham burger, 9 0 -ye a r-o ld Ben Travers, cu rre n tly fa sh io na b le a fte r a g eneration of neglect, is represented by Plunder, an unfun n y, snobbish, ju ve n ile exam ple of the English th e atre of the 193 0 s w h e n it w as at its lo w e st level fo r th re e hundred and fifty years. M ichael Blackem ore's d ir e c tio n se e m s u n d e c id e d as to h o w conscious or unconscious the a u th o r's n astiness is, som etim es playing off th e top of th e text as th o ug h its face value had not plu m m e te d as lo w as ste rling , and som etim es seem ing to suggest a touch of m alevolent h indsight.

In th is context the firs t n e w pi ay by one of the younger English p la yw rig h ts makes an a s to u n d in g im p a c t. H o w a rd B re n to n 's W eapons o f Happiness is a n o th e r of his teasing studies in co n tem porary politics, fo llo w in g w o r th ily u p o n M a g n ific e n c e , B rassneck and The C h u rc h ill Play (the tw o la tte r w ritte n in co llaboration w ith David Hare) and his te le visio n play The Saliva M ilkshake, a stu n n in g ly econom ical version o f th e last part of Conrad's U nder W estern Eyes. M r Brenton m ake s h is p o in t a b o u t th e c ra s s n e s s , im m a tu rity and bourgeois se lf-ind u lg e n ce of so m any of th e W est's com fortable young p o litical idealists. But th e p la yw rig h t, here as

in M agnificence, seen a fe w years ago at the Royal Court, is h im se lf a m bivalent, seeing the de e p ne e d o f c h a n g e , n e rv o u s o f th e repressions th a t change may bring. This am bivalence makes fo r a rich ne ss in his response. As alw ays, th e language is terse, econom ical, charged w ith urgency, and com passion for his characters com es th ro u g h w ith o u t heavy-breathing sym pathy but w ith understanding tem pered by c ritic is m of th e ir sh o rtfa ll of hum anity. The Lyttleton stage, previously the subject of som e controversy, comes into its ow n in David Hare's e xcitin g and a u th o rita tive production, deploying its depth, height, m echanical resources and creative a d ju n c ts s u c h as s o u n d a n d lig h tin g e ffo rtle ssly and to dazzling effect.

This th e a tre season w as also th a t suddenly prom ising period w h e n th e new er d ra m a tists — from w h a t used to be called th e Fringe but is no w m ore a ccurately referred to as the A lte rn a tive Theatre — have been allow ed by m anagem ents in to th e W est End. Such e n terp risin g m anagers as M ichael Codron and M ichael W h ite have risked tra n s fe rrin g plays from th e tin y Bush Theatre, from N ottingham or Liverpool Rep, in th e hope th a t at last th e y w o u ld fin d a larger audience ready fo r them .

Alas, the hope th a t 7 6 w o u ld be the pivotal year in w h ich A lte rn a tive Theatre broke th ro u g h to a w id e m etro p o lita n and — th a nks to th e to u ris t in flu x — w o rld audience and the decaying W est End w o u ld be refreshed and reinvigorated has not been realised.

Com edians (Trevor G riffith s ) had a short, h ighly-praised but none too se a ts -fillin g run at W yndham s, David Hare's Teeth 'n ' S m ile s at th e same address closed even m ore rapidly despite a volcanic perform ance from Helen

R ich a rd B eckinsdale a n d J u lie W alters. Photo: D o n a ld Cooper.

Paye 42 T h eatre-A ustralia A ug-S ept, 1976

M irre n as the alcoholic, ne u ro tic rock singer M aggie, Stephen Poliakoff's C ity Sugar, in spite of th e Frank M arcus review h a ilin g it as the m ost b rillia n t debut by a young (23-yearold) p la y w rig h t in h a lf a century, played to in d iffe re n t h o u s e ; -nd r \ ^ e d a fte r about six weeks, Ted W hite h e ad 's fo llo w -u p to his m ysog in istic A lp h a Beta, the sexual comedy O ld Flames, could not hold an audience even in th e m uch sm alle r and tra d itio n a lly q u a lity ­ conscious A rts Theatre. O nly M ike S to tt's farce, F u n n y Peculiar, w a rn in g ly advertised as "o u tra g e o u s ” . Is s till run n in g , a fte r success at Liverpool, th e n th e M erm aid, and n o w in the W est End. Stott can w rite superbly am using dialogue and create characters at once fu n n y and pathetic. He is n o tab ly u n in tere ste d in considerations of "good ta s te ", resisted those im presarios w h o offered to b ring the play into London if th e fin a l scene w e re cut, and w as rew arded by having Codron b ring it in uncu t, so th a t its n o w fam ous clim ax, a bandaged and bedridden young m an receiving a m ultiple b lo w job from his w ife and a n o th e r girl, devastates audiences nightly. Harold Hobson, veteran 'S unday Tim es' c ritic soon to retire, m ad e it re s p e c ta b le fo r r ig h t- m in d e d th e atre g o ers by p o in tin g out th a t th e young h u s b a n d ( w in n in g ly p la ye d by R ic h a rd Beckinsale) is to rn betw een d e lig h t and agony as his fo rm e rly repressed w ife gives him w h a t he has alw ays insisted he w a n ts fro m her — and som e w h a t shocks him in th e process.

D isappointing th o ug h the public response has been to G riffith s , Hare and Poliakoff (though in m y vie w he is as yet very m uch a prentice p layw right), one c a n n o td is m is s these ve n ture s as fa ilu re s. A play has only to be done at the Royal Court (and now, one assum es, the National) m uch less th e W est End fo r queries to come p o u rin g in from th e atre s all over W estern Europe and som etim es the U.S.A. M ost English p la yw rig hts, in fact, earn more fro m E u ro p e a n ( m o s tly G e rm a n , Scandinanvian and Dutch) royalties than th e y ever do from th e ir ow n country.

An inve stig a tion into w h y W est End th e atre s cannot be fille d fo r m ore th a n a fe w w eeks by th e often exciting w o rk of ne w and n e w ish p la yw rig h ts is overdue and has not been properly begun in the B ritish press. Is it th a t older th eatregoers are dying o ff or a re too old to be bothered m aking the trip fo r so m e th in g w ith w h ic h th e y sense they w ill be out of sym pathy?

M iddle-aged th e atregoers may stay aw ay because th e te rm s of reference and even the te rm in o lo g y of some of th e younger w rite rs is b a fflin g to th e m . A n in t e llig e n t and sym pa th e tic couple I kn o w sim ply did not understand some of th e slang and idiom of Teeth ‘n Sm iles, a play about a rock group d isin te g ra tin g , and could fin d no point of s y m p a th y w it h th e a s p ir a t io n s or d is a p p o i n t m e n t s o f t h e c h a r a c t e r s .

"C o m e d ia n s " lam basts those rough com ics w h ose "jo k e s ", standard fa re in e n d -o f-th e pier su m m e r theatres, va riety houses, w o rkin g m en's clubs and on te le viso n , are based o n racial and sexual stereotypes and, by extension, criticise s the audience w h ich laughs at them . The m etro p o lita n theatre audience, how ever, is, like it or not, m ainly m iddle-class and u n like ly to have been to a pier th e atre , a clu b or even w a tch e d the rubbishy program m es on te levision. The play makes a d ig n ifie d and s tirrin g d is tin c tio n betw een false com edy w h ich fla tte rs audience prejudice and tru e com edy w h ich prods open a tru th . Its m eans, how ever, probably alienate most audiences except those already approving the a u th o r's postulate. His p o w e r and eloquence are undeniable, his a ssu m p tio n s a rrogant and e sse n tially a n ti-d ra m a tic.

If th e tra d itio n a l th e a tre -lo ve rs, th e older and m iddle-aged, largely refra in from sam pling fresh produce, w h y is there not a n e w young g eneration re p la cin g th e m , as has happened in every previous generation since th e literate audience developed? An a n sw e r may lie in th a t very Fringe th e a tre w h ic h th re w up the new English p la yw rig h ts and o th er ta le n ts in the firs t place. Since the m id -'6 0 s a g en era tio n has fo u nd th e sm all, em erging, often h a lf-a m a te u r

N a tio n a l Theatre C om plex on th e S o u th Bank o f the Thames

com panies s p rin g in g up in basem ents and a ttics and room s b e hind pubs, o ffe rin g ideas it shared in a fre e -flo w in g fo rm th e relaxed '60s mood w as a ttu n e d to. For a decade now , th a t audience has freq u e n te d such in fo rm a l venues and has not acquired th e habit of going to th e th e atre in the old sense. W hat is u n kn ow n is suspect. M uch of th is g e n era tio n 's vie w has been a rticu la te d by th e w eekly m agazine and c u ltu re guide, 'T im e O u t", w h ich , w ith a kind of inverted snobbery and even perhaps a n e w kind of p h ilis tin is m , never ceases to pour scorn on plays produced by co m m e rcia l m anagem ents in the W est End th e atre s, th e ir g ilt and plush and crow ded little lobbies and p ro sce n iu m -a rch stages keeping actors and audience at a ce rta in distance seem ing to sum up all th a tth e new iconoclasts have m ost hated. It is also cla im e d th a t w h a t has com e to be called th e "Tim e O u t" audience ca n n ot affo rd W est End prices. But th is is th a t sa m e la te -te e n s th ro u g h to e a rly - 3 0 s g e n era tio n w h ic h buys records in th e m illio n s, goes to th e latest m ovies (cinem a prices are high), buys reproductions, pictures and tren d y gear, ru n s not inexpensive cars (n o c a r is now), and eats out at h ig h ly-p ric e d W est End resta u ra nts. And how m uch th e se days is h a lf an ounce of hash?

In a ll th is c o n s p ic u o u s e x p e n d itu r e so m e th in g has to go and it seems to be the th e atre . And yet th e "c o m m e rc ia l” , n o w rap id ly becom ing the u n co m m e rcia l (and ready its e lf to yelp fo r subsidy) th e a tre has changed, become less starchy. Nobody dresses fo rm a lly, everyone goes as th e y w is h to, and a really good m ixed audience at a good play is one of th e rare experiences of a re a lly dem ocratic g a th e rin g one can have in old England. Some of th e m issing generation m ig h t a c tu a lly enjoy th is th e a tre if th e y could o nly b ring them selves to go.

But th e cool generation, oddly passive and private, a fte r all th e public h u g ge r-m u g g e r of th e '60s, is denying itse lf th is age-old ageless pleasure. It cannot be o n ly fo r econom ic reasons. W hy? W ill som ebody te ll us w hy?

Theatre-A ustraU a A ug-S ept, 1976 Page 43

A m ateu r

THE ART OF AMATEUR A C TIN G David Goddard

DA VID GODDARD is a free lance director and actor. For the Arts Council (NSW) he has adjudicated at a number of amateur festivals and conducted workshops and directed for many amateur groups. He most recently worked with the Independent Theatre and is currently working as an actor with Migrant Education T.V.

M any years ago I w as in an am ateur production o f a play w ith a friend called Askew . He is a man pathetically anxious to do w ell on the am ateur s ta g e w ith o u t a n y in te n tio n o f w orking to im prove him self, ... and to tally lacking in the first principles of the business. He is one o f those people w ho w henever he w alks on seems to be w earing stilts inside his trousers.

Together w e have w recked m any a carefully planned production.

So w rite s M ichael Green as he leads us into th e joys and fru s tra tio n s of The A r t o f Coarse A ctin g . But w h a t rea lly is A m ateur Theatre?

For m any decades n o w w e have all laughed at plays and film s a s th e y presented us w ith the sig h t of little m iddle-aged ladies, clergy, and hapless youths (all from cosy little villages) as th e y bicker and squabble — w h ile consum ing endless num bers of sandw iches, sponges and cups of tea — and ravage m ake -sh ift 'Dram a'.

This p ictu re is not a lto g eth e r too fa r rem oved fro m th e reality.

The Oxford D ictionary in fo rm s us th a t “ a m a te u r" is a noun, m eaning: “ one w h o is fond of; one w h o cultivates a thing as a p a stim e ". Surely th is is w h a t w as intended by those s ta rtin g up th e ir a m a te u r dra m a tic societies?

A fte r the Second W orld W ar, how ever, we fin d the am ateur th e atre no longer th e subject of affe ction a te ribbing, but an object rapidly becom ing despised. Professional th e atre w as sta rtin g to become a business; no longer w as it the “ w o rld of e n te rta in m e n t", of gay rom ps and little slices of life th a t w o u ld n 't rea lly offend. It w as fa st becom ing raw , passionate, som etim es obscure (even, at tim es, obscenel), leaving th e happy little th e a tre -g o e r out in the cold and the happy little a m a te u r a little em barrassed and c e rta in ly unprepared. Of course, un til the m id -fiftie s a n y w a y , th e y could still have a “ Q uiet W e e k e n d " or tw o , a fe w “ Seagulls over S o rre n to " could still be a little naughty, and so on. This is w h e re a lot of the

little a m a te u r groups w e re left, th is is w h e re th e re th in k in g has stopped. They have not yet been caught up in th e Real, No-LongerM agical w o rld of M odern th e a tre l For m any years the o u ter suburbs and the c o u n try areas w e re fed professional dram a from large and sm all-scale to u rin g co m p a n ie s.

These fe ll aw ay th ro u g h econom ic pressures, m ism anagem ent and th e lack of 'civilise d ' actors (representatives of th e 'so-called profession: if th a t's professional behaviour w h o w a n ts it?'). The "m a g ic ia n s ” w e re no longer prepared to venture aw ay from the n e a r-se cu rity o f th e capital cities, so leaving th e job to the apprentices w h o w e re unaw are of th e im portance of th e ir job, of th e ir re sp o n sib ilitie s to th e ir profession and th e ir m anagem ents; a fte r all "n o b o d y " w o u ld see them , so it d id n 't really m atte rl B ringing T heatre to these areas served a g re a t n e e d , b u t as th e s ta n d a rd s in p e rform ance and p re sentation fe ll, so did M AKE UP H IN T No. 1 — F R O M LE IC H N E R OF L O N D O N

Do N O T apply a film of 'cream ' under your "Leichn er" Greasepaint or other stage m ake-up.

Clean, wash and dry your face and neck — if necessary, close the pores a little w ith Innoxa Astringent or Skin Freshener — blend the required Leichner Greasepaint colour on your palm — apply sparingly to face, using both hands in a "w a s h in g " m ovem ent or fingers of other hand as applicator.

Apply normal m ake-up to rest o f face — w ith a Velour Puff, firm ly press Leichner Blending Powder (three shades are available) into the m ake-up, including the lips — brush o ff surplus pow der w ith soft cotton -w o ol pad.

If conditions are hot, set the m ake-up even more firm ly by dabbing the powdered surface w ith w a te r or Astringent soaked cotton -w o ol pad — remove perspiration by patting face w ith w e t face w asher — do not re-pow der.

attendances — q uite n a tu ra lly — and so fe ll respect. W hy should areas th a t can boast good hom e -g ro w n actors and productions w aste tim e, energies and m oneys on professional productions th a t w ere m ore or less in fe rio r?

This rejectio n of th e professional has caused a slum p, how ever, has left a void: no lo n g e rc a n sm alle r am ateur groups fin d a gauge; w ith no yardsticks to m easure th e ir progress they, too, m ust su ffe r. The ne w tren d s in theatre fashion can o n ly be read about, or at best discussed second-hand. A t a recent co u n try one-act dram a festival a sm all group w as criticise d for playing a 'm o d e rn' play in an 'o ld -fa s h io n e d ' way. A speaker fo rth e group, qu ite reasonably, asked "H o w Do W e Know w h a t is th e rig h t style to play? W e pick up a script, read it and do it th e w a y we kn o w h o w — if th is style has passed us by, H ow do w e k no w ?"

Surely, th is m ust be a problem facing m any am ateur groups and societies. There is no lack of ta le n t in such organisations; one has o n ly to attend festivals in W agga W agga, N ewcastle, and those once held by th e A rts Council in happier days, and so on, to see th e ability, the keenness and the potential.

But to revert to Mr. G reen's Coarse observation: "... anxious to do w e ll w ith o u t any in te n tio n of w o rkin g to im prove ...". Too often th e people involved are not prepared for change and developm ent; M r. A and M rs. B become m in i-d icta to rs and, th ro u g h lack of vision, im agination, exp e rim e n tatio n (possibly because th e y d o n 't w ish to lose parochial power), th e y sm other the developm ent of a group. “ W e 're only am achers, you know; in it for the fu n and frie n d s h ip " — b u t s till charging admission!

W hat needs to be faced is th a t am a te u r th e a tre m ust develop w ith the tim es, as do all o th e r a rt fo rm s ; a n d w h e re m o n e y is concerned, especially, it's the audience th a t has to be considered. So standards have to be set, to be m aintained and checked. This is w h e re Festivals are of vast im portance, not as co m p e titio n but as a m eans of exchanging ideas; of seeing w h a t is being done e lse w h e re and w h a t h ig h e rsta n d a rd s are being achieved.

The a m ateur gardener takes great pride and joy in his pastime; he nourishes the ground, pulls out the w eeds, th ro w s aw ay the poor plants, sprays fo r disease, tries the new season's an n ua ls and the n e w strain s of p errennial; he goes to flo w e r show s, talks fo r hours over the fence com paring notes; maybe h e 'll go in a co m p e titio n or tw o to see how he stands. But w h a te ver, he's delighted w hen som eone praises his display. “ Oh, it's ju s t a hobby; som ething I like to d o ."

Yes, But w h a t a lot o f hard w o rk has been put into it!_____________________________________ T-A in v ite s a m a te u r g ro u p s to re s p o n d to th is a rtic le , a n d g e n e ra lly to use th is p a g e as th e ir fo ru m . ____

Page 44 Theatre-Australia Aug-Sept, 1976 ______________________________________ _________________________________________

Film , Television and Radio

AUSTRALIAN TV - A M ESSY COM PROM ISE ?

Brian Bell

BRIAN BELL is an Executive Producer with the Australian Broadcasting Commission's television arm; a position involving both administrative and creative responsibilities.

He has a long list of programme credits for ABC TV, as an adaptor, producer and director, including many operas. He adapted and directed the serial drama Redheap, based on Norman Lindsay's controversial novel.

J u s t as the A u s tra lia n stage has been co n ce rn e d to establish an im age o f lessb o rro w e d -th a n -n e w , so too, argues B ria n Bell, sh o u ld the A u s tra lia n TV industry, in an a rticle w h ic h sets a basis fo r fu tu re discussion o f the process b e h in d the m e d iu m

M o s t o f th e te le v is io n p ro g ra m m e s tra n s m itte d in prim e tim e in A u stra lia are made fo r audiences in e ith e r G reat Britain or th e United States of Am erica.

The A m e rican s and the B ritish both approach te le visio n in a w ay th a t is related to th e ir c o n tra stin g ways of life, and both produce good program m es.

W hat about A u stra lia and A u stra lia n television? We drive on th e le ft — and spend m illio n s of d ollars a year to see A m erican film s.

Taping a scene o f A B C TV's Power W ith o u t G lory in which John West (M artin Vaughan) proposes to Nellie Moran (Rosalind Speirs)

We take a day o ff to celebrate th e Q ueen's Birthday — and encourage th e A m e rican s to build up th e ir forces in V ietnam and th e ir naval stren g th in th e Indian Ocean. We discuss co n ten tio u s issues — b u to n ly in te rm s of black and w h ite . We recognise and d e lig h t in our n a tura l resources — and d ra w on outside capital and expertise to develop them .

Television here, like so m any e lem ents in our society, seems to be a messy com prom ise betw een A m e rican and B ritish models.

On th e one hand w e set up long run n in g series like M atlock, C e rta in Women, and K in g 's M en, w ith o u t e ith e r th e background of m arket research and d e fin itio n of social a ttitu d e s th a t su sta in a pro g ra m m e 's success, as a co n tin u in g and p ro fita b le product, (M issio n Im possible) or the fa ith in a single, c re a tiv e c o n tr o lle r w h o can g ive th e program m e an im m ediacy, a provocative p a rticu la rity (Ca/lan).

On th e o th er hand we take a stim u la tin g idea, th e n lim it and q u a lify it u n til its teeth are draw n.

The n ig g e r in th e w o o d p ile is " th e C o m m itte e ". In A u stra lia th is m eans the Executives of a co m m e rcia l TV ch a n ne l — or a group of Public Servants at the ABC. For b etter or w orse, these co m m itte e s have enorm ous in fluence. They n o t o n ly assess program m e ideas but check and change scripts, production schedules and te ch niqu e s. Having no beforeth e -e ve n t m arket research, and only th e m ost general, and often conservative, d e fin itio n of

BRITISH T.V. • B ritis h te le visio n is a step in a lo n g m arch.

• S o cia l co m m e n ta to rs s tre tc h from Joseph A d d iso n th ro u g h S a m u e l J o h n s o n to A lis ta ir Cook; p u b lic stirre rs fro m B en J o n s on thro u g h O scar W ilde to A lf G a rn e t a n d J o h n Cleese; p o p u la r s o cia l s to ryte lle rs fro m Chaucer th ro u g h D ickens a n d Evelyn W augh to P h illip M a ckie a nd Ted W illis.

• D ebate has alw ays been a p o p u la r B ritis h sp o rt a n d te levison q u ickly becam e a fo ru m as w o rth y o f p re s e n tin g va rying shades o f o p inion as hardbacks, newspapers, a n d th e c o rn e r pub.

• In B rita in , debate has a lw a ys been m ore im p o rta n t than decision a n d action.

• (For instance, w hen P ro fu m o 's in te g rity was questioned, a ca b in e t m in is te r's h o n esty and v u ln e ra b ility becam e m a tte rs o f p u b lic debate.

P ro fu m o resigned, b u t debate continued, academ ically, h isto rica lly, m orally, p o litica lly, sociologically, p h ilo s o p h ic a lly a n d gossiply.)

• W hen an idea fo r a te le visio n p rogram m e occurs th e n o rm a l B ritis h p a tte rn is fo r senior m em b e rs o f a p ro d u ctio n org a n isa tio n to co n sid e r it a n d i f it is fo u n d acceptable, approach a w rite r or an e xp e rt w ith a co m m issio n a nd backing. The w rite r is expected to look at th e w o rld a ro u n d h im w ith c la rity a n d w rite a o n e -o ff p la y (D avid M ercer, A S u ita b le C ase fo r T re a tm e n t) or look w ith e q u a l c la rity at an e sta blish ed w ork a nd adapt it, (S im o n Raven, The PaUisers) o r to co n trib u te so m e th in g o f h is ow n a ttitu d e to an episode o f a ru n n in g series, (E lw yn Jones, B a rlo w a t Large). The e xp e rt is g ive n rese a rch s ta ff a nd a n u d g in g producer. K e n n e th Clarke tu rn s up w ith C iv ilis a tio n — B ro n o w s k i w ith The A sce n t o f M an.

• In B rita in the p ro d u ctio n com panies te n d to th ro w th e ir fa cilitie s, s ta ff and c a p ita l b e h in d an idea or an e xp e rt a n d hope th e re s u lts w ill be w o rth w h ile .

• A s B ritis h debate p ro d u ce s a m y ria d o f shades o f opinion, so B ritis h te le visio n p ro d u ce s a large n u m b e r o f p ro g ra m m e s co ve rin g a w id e ran g e o f experience.

O ve r a p e rio d o f 14 years, th e B B C p ro d u c e d 6 0 e p iso d es o f S teptoe a n d S on — th a t w a s a ll th e w rite rs , G a /to n a n d S im p s o n , h a d in th e m to w rite .

T h eatre-A ustralia A ug-S ept, 19 76 Page 45

th e audience, th e y rely on o p in io n atio n and overseas m odels for decisions. It w o u ld be in t e r e s t i n g to k n o w t h e n u m b e r o f program m es ideas — ideas w o rth th e te stin g — th a t in d ividuals and production com panies like C raw fords, have presented to these com m ittees only to see th e m disappear along w ith the scotch and th e claret.

The A m erican a ttitu d e of developing a solidly-based, m arket o rien te d product, and th e B ritish a ttitu d e of fa ith and hope in a program m e idea, seem to be alien. As H uw W heldon said in a recent lecture, “ No real program m e w as every made by a com m ittee.

AMERICAN T.V. • A m erican television m arch.

is a step in a long

• The a b ility to adapt, process and m arket the resources at hand stretches from th e pioneers th ro u g h Rockefeller, Edison and Al Capone to Desilu and Quin M a rtin : popular e n te rta in e rs stretch from M ark Twain th ro u g h W.C. Fields to M ary Tyler Moore.

• The basic target of A m e rican c u ltu re has alw ays been the w e ld in g to g e th e r of peoples d ra w n from all aprts of the w o rld — giving an e th n ic a lly divided nation a single aim , a single drive, a corporate identity.

• In Am erica decision and action have alw ays been m ore im portant th a n debate.

• (For instance, w h e n H aldem ann's in te g rity w a s questioned, public o p inion burst into a barrage of denials and te s tim o n ia ls refu tin g th e claim that a m em ber of the President's Executive w as d irectly involved w ith slush fu n d s and d irty tricks. On his in d ictm e n t public o p inion turned Haldem ann into an ugly man in an u n -A m e rica n situation.)

• W hen an idea fo r a te le visio n program m e occurs th e norm al A m e rican p attern is fo r the producers to get to g eth e r w ith advertisers and n e tw o rk men to te st th e idea, check its m arketability, develop it and set up the staff, fa c ilitie s and capital to g uarantee a long run.

"I'd like to help you Sonny, b u t like you can s e e . . . m y hands are tied You in su re yo u rse lf against fa ilu re by having one, but you also insure yo u rse lf against triu m p h ."

S e ld o m do A u s t r a lia n t e le v is io n program m es h it w h e re it h urts, or w h e re it tickles. Perhaps th is is inevitable. Perhaps our program m es lack precision and im pact because our society itse lf lacks d e fin itio n , lacks clear aim s, is a com prom ised am algam of a ttitu d e s and asperations in h e rite d from Great Britain and A m erica. W e like asking questions, but prefer com fortable, ra th e r than honest a n sw e rs — so th a t B illy and Percy, Essington, and P ig in a Poke d o n 't make m uch im pact.

We like n ational aim s being spelled out but d o n 't like being bound by th e m — so th a t cop show s o n ly w o rk w h e n crim es are bad, cops are nice and psychology is allow ed only a token nod.

But is it tru e th a t A u stra lia n te le visio n is

by courtesy EQUITY NEWSPAPER (pub 7.76) nothing m ore than a messy com prom ise of A m erican and B ritish models? Isn't there anything a n yw h e re on our screens th a t suggests p a rticu la r and in d ivid u a l them es, a ttitu de s and fo rm s th a t speak d irectly and provocatively to the audience, and th e re fo re develop th e ir ow n p a rticu la r production system s and styles?

Yes, w e ll ... N u m be r 9 6 and N orm an G u n ston have an in d ivid u a lity w h ic h kn it to g eth e r questions w ith o u t answ ers, problem s w ith o u t re su ltin g catastrophe; and all in an abrasive, in fo rm a l, vulgar w a y th a t is in tu n e w ith oth er popular A u stra lia n e n te rta in m e n ts ... the th e atre resta u ra nts ... Reg Liverm ore ...

Frank Hardy's novels ... David W illia m s o n 's plays ... The Legend o f K in g O 'M a lle y ... M o ...

Norman Lindsay's novels and cartoons ... C.J. Dennis, ... Henry Lawson ...

r*r1

• In Am erica an idea or scrip t is “ la u n d ere d " by the producers, the advertisers and the n etw ork, and is c a re fu lly supervised by those responsible for th e capital th ro u g h o u t the production — m in im is in g the chances of fa ilu re and a m xim ising th e chances o f profit.

• As A m erican k n o w h o w and capital produces a vast num ber of consum er goods w ith in a n a rr o w ra n g e , so A m e ric a n te le v is io n produces a vast num ber of products on a lim ite d num ber of them es.

• A fter the Am erican firm bought the form ula and turned it into S a n fo rd a nd Son, they produced 2 0 0 episodes in 5 years.

ABC TV film cre w sh o o ting a scene o f Certain W om en w ith Ron G raham as A la n Stone a nd Eric O ld fie ld as Steve.

Page 46 Theatre-AustraU a A ug-S e pt, 1976

Theatre-In-Education

TIE-ING UP AUSTRALIA Margaret Leask

MARGARET LEASK is the Information Officer for the Australian Youth Performing Arts Association and was Australia's representative at last year's International Young People's Theatre Conference in East Berlin. A former editor of the Elizabethan Theatre Trust's Trust News, she is the present Administrator of the National Playwrights Conference.

The A u s tra lia n Youth Perform ing A rts A sso cia tio n , w h ic h w as established in 1974, is a co -o rd in a tin g, resource and in fo rm a tio n body based at the A u s tra lia n Elizabethan Theatre Trust w ith branches and representatives in each state. The m ain purpose is to provide a c o m m u n ica tio n n e tw o rk fo r a ll people w o rkin g in the p e rfo rm in g a rts fo r yo u th — kids, teachers, d irecto rs, actors, w rite rs etc. At present w e have a co n su lta n t tra v e llin g th ro u g h o u t A u s tra lia ta lkin g to a m a te u r and professional groups and individ u a ls — th e aim being to fin d out the fa c ilitie s, problem s and needs in th is field. Em erging from th is is a basic need fo r scripts, m ate ria l fo r groups to w o rk on. W e are in ve stig a ting w ays of p u b lish in g scrip ts — by th is I m ean m aking them accessible. W e have to fin d inexpensive w ays of producing m u ltip le copies. AY P A A is a m em ber of th e in te rn a tio n a l association (ASSITEJ) w h ic h has s im ila r aim s to o u ro w n . I attended a Conference la s ty e a r in East Berlin nd w as made very aw are th a t m ost European c o u n trie s have an eno rm o u s a m o u n t of c h ild re n 's th e a tre s and plays. But th e ir scripts do not really relate to o ur audiences — partly because m any are based on fo lk tales and tra d itio n s alien to us and partly because the tra d itio n and experience of th e atre g o in g is d iffe re n t to ours. A u s tra lia n ch ild re n have a co n siste nt diet of te le visio n w h ic h in flu e n ces th e ir responses as a theatre audience. Also w e h a ve n't rea lly a heritage of c h ild re n 's lite ratu re .

I feel very stron g ly c h ild re n 's th e atre should be try in g to do so m e th in g film and te le visio n c a n 't do — o th e rw ise there is not m uch point in doing it.

M ost com panies w o rk in g fo r young people are involved in one or m ore o f the fo llo w in g a ctivitie s: firs tly , the w o rksho p situ a tio n w ith kids a n d /o r tu to rs devising th e ir ow n scripts, w h ic h m ay not be acceptable in co n ventional th e a tr e te rm s b u t th e y a re re le v a n t statem ents. They tend to be largely im provised and ofte n not w ritte n dow n w ith all th e ir variations.

Secondly, holiday, w eekend, pan to m im e type p ro d u ctio n s and it seem s th a t o n ly

am a te u r th e a tre s do th a t n o w as fe w m ajor com panies fin d it w o rth th e ir w h ile . It can be very expensive to m ount a fu ll production w h ic h o n ly ru n s at w eekends or school holidays.

A nd th ird ly . T heatre in education. The do cu m e n ta ry and social com m ent style seems at present th e m ost e xcitin g fo rm and is probably, as is th e case in England, tru ly e xp erim ental th e atre . It appears in th is area at present, th a t u n til the a c to r/te a c h e rs have w o rked to g e th e r fo r a w h ile , th e y need a w rite r to pull to g e th e r th e ir research, ideas and a ttitu d e s and th e th e a trica l elem ents, to make it a live ly and in fo rm a tive statem ent.

T.I.E. is fa irly n e w in A u stra lia — u n til rece n tly o nly Pageant T heatre w ere w o rkin g in th is area and as yet th e re are on ly a fe w p e o p le experienced at p re se n tin g th e a tre in a relevant w a y to school audiences.

There is a need fo r w rite rs and actors w ith a co m m itm e n t to th is area and a w illin g n e s s to research h isto rica l and social m aterial to be able to w o rk w ith a com pany. It's no good, how ever, m aking a p e rform ance in schools like a s lig h tly illu stra te d lecture — it has to be d iffe re n t from w h a t th e te a che r can do w h ile at th e sam e tim e being a w are of h o w th e teacher can extend th e experience in fu tu re lessons.

M any com panies prepare fo llo w -u p m aterial fo r te a che rs as a w areness g ro w s th a t a th e a trica l sta te m e n t is not very effective in isolation from th e past and fu tu re experiences of th e audience for w h o m it is intended.

I d o n 't w a n tto c r e a te th e im pression th a t I'm d isregarding th e fo rm a l th e a tre experience for young people — it should go hand in hand w ith th e dram a and th e a tre in education experience — as long as it's relevant and d o e sn't cheat on the m agical, th re e d im en sio n a l e lem ents of th e a tre — and th a t's the problem at present — very fe w plays fo r ch ild re n (m ostly from overseas) are relevant, and in th e a trica l term s th e re is still th e a ttitu d e th a t second best is okay fo r c h ild re n — th a t th e y d o n 't kn o w the d iffe re n ce — but I th in k th e y dol The fo llo w in g is a b rie f de scrip tio n of some of th e groups w o rkin g in A u stra lia — its not possible to include them all but its obvious th a t a lot of a ctivity is going on, m ostly carried out by a sm all n u m b e r of com m itted e n thu sia sts — so m e w h a t out of the m ainstre a m of th e a trica l activity. There is as yet little reco g n itio n in th is co u n try th a t people w o rkin g in the p e rfo rm in g arts for young people are e ffe ctive ly a c o m b in a t io n o f c r e a t iv e a r t i s t s a n d e d ucationalists.

In W e ste rn A u stra lia ch ild re n 's A ctivitie s Time Society offe rs a com b in a tio n of creative a rts a ctivitie s and th e y also v is it schools o c c a s io n a lly . L ittle P a tch T h e a tre do perform ances fo r ch ild re n in holidays. The National Theatre at the Playhouse conduct

yo u th w o rksho p s and have taken productions in to schools and co u n try areas. The W estern A u s tra lia n In stitu te of T echnology have a stu d e n t g ro u p — T h e a tre-g o -ro u n d — w h ic h to u r productions.

In N.S. W. there is th e A u s tra lia n Theatre for Young People attached to th e Old Tote Theatre com pany. For som e tim e th e y did holiday p ro d u ctio n s of th in g s like The O w l a n d the Pussycat but th e y fo u nd it to o expensive and a u d ience appeal has lessened. N ow th e y have tw o T.I.E. team s w o rkin g in schools and also c o n d u c t w o rk s h o p s fo r y o u n g p e o p le reg u la rly. Pageant Theatre has been to u rin g

A sch o o l audience w a tch in g th e Tasm anian T.I.E. team p re s e n tin g a h is to ry o f A u s tra lia n Trade U n ions c a lle d ... schools fo r about 11 years w ith program m es devised e specially fo r the com pany. They w o rk w ith e ith e r sh o rt scenarios w ith th e actors e n co ura g in g co n trib u tio n s fro m th e audience or th e y d ram atise and m usicalise poetry and prose being studied by students. The scenario form sets up ce rta in logical steps to w a rd s a possible e n d in g w ith th e kids fillin g in the details. The Independent Theatre presents r e g u la r S a tu rd a y m a tin e e s fo r y o u n g audiences. In pro d u ctio n s of th is kind m usic plays an im p o rta n t part — ofte n fa m ilia r tu n es w it h n e w w o r d s add v a r ie ty to th e perform ance. M aria n S treet Theatre is s im ila r to th e Independent — th e y c o n d uct w o rksho p s and classes and have h oliday seasons — often of puppet show s. Kids A c tiv itie s at N ew to w n w o rks in th e creative arts area and Seym our Student T heatre began re ce n tly at th e ne w Seym our Centre in Sydney w h e re students w o rk fo r tw o to th re e m on th s a tth e e n d o fth e ir

_____ T h e a tre -A u stra lia A ug-S ept, 1976 Page 47

Joyce Sanders and are atta che d to the Tasm anian Theatre Company.

In Tasm ania besides the Tasm anian Theatre academ ic year on e xp loring a script — ending in Education team attached to th e Tasm anian in a production.

T heatre Company, th e re are a n u m b e ro f Youth In South A u stra lia th e A delaide Festival Theatres w h o conduct w orkshops and present Centre has a TIE team as does the South youth productions.

A u stra lia n Theatre Com pany based at the In V icto ria C h ild re n's A rena T h e a tre to u rth e Playhouse. A n o th e r TIE team is Troika, based s c h o o ls w it h a u d ie n c e p a r t ic ip a t io n at a p rim a ry school, but to u rin g w id e ly. Patch program m es and plays for young people.

T heatre is a puppet th e atre w h ic h uses live The A u stra lia n C h ild re n's T heatre run by p e rfo rm e rs as w e ll, as does the Paperbag Joan and Betty Rayner w as the pioneer in Company.

A u stra lia in th is fie ld . The Rayners n o w m ainly e n tre p re n e u r program m es — such as Richard Bradshaw 's Shadow Puppets. The M elbourne Theatre Company has a nu m b e r of TIE team s and conducts youth w orkshops. O ther groups in V icto ria w o rkin g in TIE include the Drama Resource Centre, the M agic M ushroom M im e Troupe and Carshop.

In Q ueensland there are some very active groups. The Q ueensland Theatre Com pany has presented some e xcellent TIE program m es; T w e lfth Night Theatre recently appointed a Youth D irector and th e y conduct w orkshops, present m atinees and run a TIE project called Early Childhood Project fo r young school students. They are involved in a p ro je c tto bring a C h ild re n's Theatre d irector fro m G erm any to d irect a production there later th is year.

(Besides being sh o rt on w rite rs w e also lack d irecto rsl in th is field).

The m ain am a te u r theatres. A rts Theatre and La Boite also present ch ild re n 's plays and in th e N orthern T erritory th e re is an active th e a tre in e d u c a tio n /d ra m a in education group based at B ro w n 's M art C om m unity A rts Centre.

T hroughout A u stra lia th e re are groups w o rkin g fo r young audiences seeking relevant scripts, ideas and people com m itted to t h i area. However, the a ttitu d e in A u s tra lia to C hildren's Theatre has largely been th a t it is the poor co u n try cousin. Actors, th e atre com panies, directors, fu n d in g sources and tra in in g schools usu a lly see c h ild re n 's th e atre as a stepping stone in to ad u lt th e atre or as a fill-in job u n til yo u 're noticed! A ttitu d e to w ritin g is s im ila r — th e re are little fin a n cia l or critica l rew ards — so w h y bother!

I do believe if yo u're going to have an audience to m o rro w you have to give them in te re stin g th e a tre experiences now — before they fin d a lte rn a tive leisure activities. W rite rs m ust be encouraged — w ith o u t being led to th in k th a t a good w a y to learn the craft is by knocking out a fe w c h ild re n 's plays. It m ust be as good as ad u lt th e atre , if not b e tte r!"

AUSTRALIAN CENTREINTERNATIONALTHEATRE INSTITUTE The Inte rn a tio n al Theatre In stitu te w as chartered by UNESCO in 1948 to "P rom ote the exchange of know ledge and practice in th e T h e a tre A rts ."

E le ve n n a tio n s w e re represented at th is firs t m eeting in Prague, Czechoslovakia. Today, I.T.I. Centres exist in seventy co u n trie s around the w o rld , w ith a ce n tra l office at UNESCO headquarters in Paris.

The I.T.I. in A u stra lia is situated at 153 D ow ling Street, Potts Point, on th e second flo o r of the Elizabethan Theatre Trust building. It o ffe rs th e use o f a s m a ll b u t q u ite com prehensive th e a tre lib ra ry w h ich includes plays (m ostly A u stra lia n ), m agazines from all over th e w o rld and te ch nical books on stage design, lig h tin g , etc.

Every three m onths it lists and p rin ts in "A u s tra lia n Theatre Landscape" all A u stra lia n

Prem ieres and A u stra lia n plays presented around A u stra lia .

Once every six m onths th e Sydney O ffice sends in fo rm a tio n about A u stra lia n Premieres to Paris fo r in clu sio n in th e magazine 'In te rn a tio n a l Theatre In fo rm a tio n s 'w h ic h has a w o rld -w id e circu la tio n tw ice a year. For th is reason w e send a 'green fo rm ' to all th e atre s presenting prem iere perform ances w h ich they com plete and re tu rn fo r th e filin g and reference necessary. In th is regard w e are also endeavouring to keep a file fo r h isto rica l reference on th e developm ent of A u stra lia n th e a tre and its w rite rs.

The Sydney o ffice is authorised to present ITI cards to p ractising professionals from the various areas of th e th e atre arts fo r th e ir convenience w h e n tra v e llin g abroad. This assures th e m of im m ediate contact w ith

people in the th e a trica l scene in any of the seventy co u n trie s they may w is h to visit. W ith th is card is also given an address list of all the ITI Centres — w h ich makes it possible to w rite ahead and fin d out any in fo rm a tio n w h ic h may be required re perform ance, fe stiva ls, schools etc. By th is same token w e, in Sydney, extend the same courtesy to overseas trave lle rs, in tro d u cin g them to th e atre s, A u stra lia n plays and people. The ITI has representatives in each of the States w h o are in constant contact w ith th e Sydney office and are w illin g to be involved in all th e a trica l events, p a rticu la rly those w h ich include the developm ent of A u stra lia n theatre. They are: in M elbourne — Garrie H utchinson, South A u stra lia M argaret Day, Tasm ania Diana Large, A.C.T. Solrun Hoass, Q ueensland A lrene Sykes and W estern A u stra lia M argo Luke.

Page 48 Theatre-Australia Aug-Sept, 1976

Technical

TOWARD A N ALTERNATIVE THEATRE TECH N O LO G Y Darryl Wilkinson Ian McKenzie

IAN McKENZIE has been a member of the Australian Performing Group since its inception. A photographer, lighting designer, and the Pram Factory’s general technical expert, he was originally with Wal Cherry's Emerald Hill Theatre in the early '60s.

DARRYL WILKINSON is a drama teacher and a free-lance director for Alternative Theatre groups. He scripted and directed a dramatically highly effective piece of theatrical reportage, The Train, in 1971 for La Mama

The trek to w a rd s th e discovery of A lte rn a tive Theatre Technology is litte re d w ith th e legacies of Proscenium Arch practices. W h ils t n orm ally w e w o u ld be w a ry of p ra ctitio n e rs supplying s o lu tio n s to th e problem s of a lte rn a tive th e atre , it seem s at th e m om e n t th a t

experience of its problem s is lim ite d to these people. Those tra d itio n a l th e atre people th ru s t in to th e e n viro n m e n t of a lte rn a tive theatre often do not u nderstand its m any staging problem s.

A lte rn a tiv e th e atre is not fle xib le by nature, but m ust become so in order to be accessible to th e a u d ie n c e . The d iffe re n c e b e tw e e n a lte rn a tive th e a tre and proscenium arch is e sse n tially p ro xim ity so th a t th e perspective of the p roduction is REAL and not a rtific ia lly enhanced, e.g. raked stages, na rro w in g borders, and Elton J o h n /V e llo w Brick Road cycloram as.

There is a m ovem ent aw ay from the old th e atre of illu sio n to w a rd s a th e atre of honesty, w h e re th e m ach in e ry of p ro duction is unasham edly exposed. The tra d itio n a l roles of those involved have to be re-exam ined — for exam ple, th e role of the d e sig n erch a n ge s from th a t o f p ro d u c in g an e s s e n tia lly tw o d im en sio n a l "p ic tu re fra m e " se ttin g to th a t of creating a th re e -d im e n sio n a l e n viro n m e n t w h ich involves not only actor, but audience w it h a c to r, th u s h e ig h te n in g d ra m a tic

" Cherry p ic k e r” ' a^ s t s a la n te rn a t th e OPEN '

*

co m m u n ica tio n . Freeing the actor from the prison of th e pro sce n iu m arch, how ever, puts th e te ch n ica l sta ff in to th e ir ow n prison.

Because the scenic arm has been e ssentially rem oved, a lte rn a tive th e a tre relies more hea vily on Sound and Light to create atm osphere.

The tra d itio n a l prom pt co rn e r w ith its u n o bstru cte d and u n o btru sive v ie w of the stage is gone, leading to loss of stage contact and, th e re fo re , loss of stage co n tro l. For th is reason, everyone in an a lte rn a tiv e theatre p ro duction needs to re th in k th e ir role. Actors need to be m ore responsible fo r props and costum es and possible set changes, s o th a tth e pro sce n iu m arch d e m arcation lines of job re s p o n s ib ility is m uch less obvious. The role of th e Stage M anager can be converted into the "la n g u a g e " of proscenium arch th e a tre by the use of such th in g s as Closed C ircu it TV for o verall stage vision to cue actor, light and sound, but th is is perhaps an u n w a rra n te d expense. One a lte rn a tive practised a tth e Pram Factory is for th e lig h tin g and sound o p e ra to r/s to fo llo w th e sh o w th ro u g h all rehearsals as a

Ian M cK enzie d e m o n strate s the S tra n d SP20 re h e a rs a l c o n tro l desk to stu d e n ts at the S tate Colleae Vie

T h eatre-A ustralia A ug-S ept, 1976 Page 49

part of th e cast. So w e ll do th e y k n o w th e sh o w w ith th is total in volvem ent th a t if an actor drops a page of script th is is im m e d ia te ly reacted to. No place here fo r the cypher w h o presses Preset A on th e call and goes back to th e novel. A Stage M anager a tth e Pram is only used to fu lfil fu n c tio n s w h e re a high degree of m o b ility is required o rth e re is a la c k o ftim e fo r actors to perform these fu n c tio n s. The lig h tin g and sound o p e ra to r/s are q uite possibly part of th e audience, or at least in fu ll view .

As roles change, so do th e te ch n ica l needs.

Technical e q uipm ent m ust be fle xib le to cope w ith these needs, but w e have in h e rite d the e q u ip m e n t (and o ur o w n tra in in g ) from th e proscenium arch th e atre , and there is no sign of a ne w generation of equ ip m e n t, although th e re is, fo rtu n a te ly , a n e w g eneration of a lte rn a tiv e th e a tre te ch nical staff.

S o lu tio n s to these new problem s are rarely easy to fin d "o ff the s h e lf" and usu a lly involve large am o u n ts of im pro visa tio n a l tim e. This a rticle is th e re fo re an in e vita b le plea for som eone to re-design e q u ip m e n t fo r the a lte rn a tiv e th e atre stage.

Firstly, let us look at sound equipm ent. We need a QUIET tape deck, as reliable as the REVOX or FERROGRAPH, but w ith o u t the relay noises w h ich re q u ire soundproofing of co n tro l room q u a lity to s h u t th e m up! These m achines cannot, at present, be used in an audience area. Speaker system s also are an obvious problem fo r the a lte rn a tive theatre.

Instead of having perm anent, balanced speaker system s glued to th e proscenium arch w e have the perennial problem of w h e re to p la c e th o s e " p o r t a b le " s ix c u b ic fe e t e nclosures so th a t th e y d o n 't perforate p a tro n s' eardrum s w h o happen to be in the im m e d ia te vicin ity. The o th e r operative problem is the 14 m iles of speaker connecting w ire s w h ic h have been c a re fu lly taped to the lig h tin g grid over the last fo u r years' productions â&#x20AC;&#x201D; in e vita b ly left behind w h e n the speakers are shifted yet again to a to ta lly new location. W hat m ight perhaps be ideal w o u ld be a speaker patch system s im ila r to a lig h tin g patch system w h ic h could carry up to, say, 12 u n o btrusive but effective speakers on the lig h tin g grid w ith o u t audio p ic k u p o f unw anted th y ris to r buzz. For lo w budget theatre th is could be a couple of speakers and 12 patch points â&#x20AC;&#x201D; fo r the "S p a c e " in Adelaide it could

a sm all "ch e rry p ic k e r" h yd ra u lic hoist w h ich

be 1 2 BOSE 801 's p o in tin g D O W N fro m th o s e

tru n d le s h a p p ily a ro u n d th e th e a tre c a rry in g

p retty catw alks.

W h ich leads to a fe w co m m e n ts on lig h tin g and lig h tin g control. The p rim a ry fa cto r w h ich affects lig h tin g design on th e a lte rn a tive th e a tre stage is the re q u ire m e n t to light for audience on at least th re e sides, th u s requiring approxim ately th re e tim e s th e equipm ent needed to lig h t the same sh o w on the proscenium arch stage.

To put lig h t on any part of th e stage area w ith m axim um accuracy w e need a grid system to ta lly rem oved from the concept of FOFI 1 ,2 and 3 bars. Basically w e agree th a t a one m etre grid is absolutely necessary. We each have pet th e o rie s about the m ethod of rigging to such a one m etre grid, but w e are ce rta in ly agreed th a t the ca tw a lk concept in its present form is b o th a p p a llin g ly e x p e n s iv e and to t a lly in e ffic ie n t. It is not good enough to be boring holes in the wooden ca tw a lks of brand new "fle x ib le " th e atre s in order to be able to position la n te rn s properly!

An a coustically e ffic ie n t ceilin g w ith the grid im m ediately under it is needed at a height of approxim ately six m etres w h ich w ill stop actors voices vanishing in to some vast black yonder. Access can be obtained to th e grid from

one person and about 20 la n te rn s and is stopped on ly by flo o r o b stru ctio n s such as seating (w hich can, of course, be easily shifted).

A n o th e r system of access is to have a tra ve llin g "c a tw a lk " (as a tra v e llin g crane in a factory) w h ich run s on rails b u ilt into th e w a lls of th e th e a tre UNDER the grid, enabling the person rig ging to roll up and dow n and w a lk from side to side to reach any p oint in the th e atre , th e n to hang and aim the la n te rn at chest height. Lanterns w o u ld be stored on the handrails, th e tra ve lle r itse lf w o u ld be parked in a slot in th e end w a ll o fth e th e a tre w hen not in use. Heaven, not to have to focus a 264 or an e ffects p rojector on your guts in the dust! It could breed a w h o le generation of lig h tin g people w ith norm al length arms.

To back up the g rid, a com prehensive system of patch points te rm in a tin g in a perm anent patch panel, w ith neon in dicators to sh o w at a glance w h e th e r there is p ow er going into the lam p circ u it and th e re fo re w h e th e r th a t dead one is th e lamp or the fuse.

Lastly, a serve in th e d irectio n of lig h tin g controls. The soundly designed, and, for proscenium arch th e atre , hig h ly e ffic ie n t

Strand SP 4 0 -8 0 series is fa r too co n strictin g for ready application in the sort o f h ig h ly m obile theatre of w h ich w e are speaking. For the Pram, fo r exam ple, in itia lly m otivated by lack of money, but sub se qu e n tly by more id e a lis tic c o n c e rn s w it h f le x ib ilit y , w e constructed a 20 channel 2 preset board (2K per channel) w h ich has A and B m astering.

M aster blackout on each preset, th e a b ility to localise any channel and can s till be used from a seat in the audience. We are at present designing a 40 channel board w ith th e same sp ecifications, and because of m in ia tu ris a tio n the physical size should stay w ith in the audience area lim ita tio n s. It w ill have a capacity of 35 ch annels at 2K and 5 at 5K. The cost of production of the 4 0 channel board w ill be a p proxim ately $ 1 ,50 0 , in clu d in g labour costs. Surely th e re is an electronics m a n u fa ctu re r w h o can supply com parable d im m e rs in A u stra lia at a reasonable price.

The basic te n et of th e fle xib le alte rn a tive th e a tre m ust su re ly be th a t a nything is possible, for each tim e a n e w production is m ounted, a new th e a tre is constructed in the shell of the building, a body for the life w h ic h is th e play.

W e m ust have th e in g e n u ity to supply its life blood.

Page 50 T h e a tre -A u stra lia A ug-S ept, 1976

Opera AUSTRALIAN OPERA

SYDNEY OPERA SEA SO N

The days are long gone w h e n it w a s even rem o te ly apt to describe grand opera as an art form w h e re m usic is all a n d d ra m a a n d s ta g in g co u n t fo r next to nothing. M any of those w ho even today beat th a t long-dead horse, indeed, make the equally d rastic m istake of th in kin g th e reverse: th a t opera is m erely dram a w ith incidental m usic, and th e re fo re m usical co n sid e ra tio n s ought a lw ays to be subordinate to dra m a tic cred ib ility.

Both extrem es are, of course, h o rrib ly w ro ng : opera is a leg itim ate a rt fo rm in its ow n rig ht, and woe to the producer in th e 1970s w h o tries to ignore th e fact. The th e a tre -is -a ll people are quite rig h t to decry th e occasional m u s ic -is -a ll production th a t s till crops up today w ith all the tra d itio n a l a b su rd itie s — the fat, u n g ainly singers w hose "a c tin g ” consists of th ro w in g in a fe w u n co nvincing h istrio n ic gestures and those of the stu n ne d m ulle t school, w h o never move a n yth in g but a th ro a t m uscle; the obsession w ith tra d itio n a l works presented tra d itio n a lly ; the abhorrence of a n yth in g even rem otely n e w a n d o ff the beaten track. But on the o ther hand som e o f the w o rst opera disasters one could ever fe a rto s e e have em anated from th e atre d irecto rs — often w ith e xcellent established re p u ta tio n s — w ho produce an opera as if it w ere dram a pure and sim ple.

The classic bad exam ple is the m ythical

David Gyger

th e m ost cynical; R osenkavalier is ad m itte d ly lo n g -w in d e d and excessively static m ost o fth e tim e, but it fe a ture s some of the most in te re stin g o rchestral w ritin g , and some o fth e m ost g lo riou s ensem bles fo r fe m a le voices th a t have ever been com posed — in p a rticu la r, the fa m o u s trio of th e last act.

In no respect w as th is ye a r’s revival of D er R osenkavalier a patch, at opening, on th e 1972 o r ig in a l p ro d u c e d by B e rn d B e n th a a k , designed by Tom Lingw ood and conducted by E d w a rd D o w n e s . The f a u lt w a s p a rtly a ttrib u ta b le to Lingw ood, tu rn e d producer for th is restaging; and p a rtly to W illia m Reid's conducting, w h ich at opening at least w as far from as a u th o rita tive and m eticu lo u s as w as Downes'.

But far m ore of the tro u b le came because of th e d iffe re n ce s in casting; of the fo u r central ch aracters o n ly one was played by the same p e rfo rm e r w h o o rig in a lly sang the role. This w as the Baron Ochs of Neil W a rre n -S m ith , w h ich is even m ore effective th a n it w as in 1 9 7 2 : v o c a lly e x c e lle n t, d r a m a tic a lly

ap p ro p ria te ly rustic.

But on opening nig h t th is year A ile n e Fischer w as s till a long w a y fro m co n v e y in g th e regality and th e pathos of the M a rs c h a llin , a role so su p e rb ly created by Rosemary G ordon in the o rig in a l; M argreta Elkins w as fa r from co n vin cin g in the d iffic u lt lovesick puppy d o g /in c ip ie n t noblem an role of O ctavian, so d e fin itiv e ly created by Yvonne M in to n , though she sang very w e ll; and Rhonda Bruce's Sophie, th o u g h d ra m a tic a lly excellent, was ha rsh e r vocally here and th e re than Glenys F ow les’ o rig in a l. A fte r a m onth, all th re e had im proved m arkedly, as had the orchestral re a lisa tio n of th e score.

O nly a couple of days into th e season, Carlo Felice C illario proved the Sydney orchestra w as s till capable of d istin c tio n by co n d uctin g a fin e m usical perform ance of R ig o le tto sta rrin g Raymond M yers in the title role, June B ronhill as Gilda, Reginald Byers as th e Duke, Donald Shanks as Sparafucile and Lesley Stender as M addelena. But the fa u lts in John Copley's o rig in a l 1 972 production do not grate less w ith re p e a te d v ie w in g s : in p a r tic u la r , th e u n b e a u tifu l and in co n g ru o u s near-naked w re s tle rs of the opening scene and the a w kw a rd staircase of th e second scene that prevents Gilda from ru n n in g jo y o u s ly into her fa th e r's arm s as the m usic dem ands. But the fa m o u s q u a rte t of the last act has th is season, fo r th e firs t tim e, fo u nd s a tis fy in g realisation w ith the addition of M iss S tender to the cast.

Far and aw ay th e most su ccessful of the th re e n e w productions seen d u rin g the m onth is th a t of M ozart's A b d u c tio n fro m the Seraglio by producer George O gilvie and designer K ristia n Fredrikson of th e South A u s tra lia n T heatre Company. Unlike m any a dram a d ire cto r cu ttin g his teeth in opera, O gilvie conceded he w as dealing w ith a n e w art form ,

o p e ra p ro d u c e r w h o trie s to re q u ire a p rin c ip a l

to sing lying fla t on his back w h ile sm oking a c ig a re tte : it ju s t c a n 't be done. Nor is it always possible to pace operatic action as one m ight like: m usical co n sid e ra tio n s a lm ost always dictate h o w fast lin e s can be d elivered, and it is a sim ple fact th a t one can not sing w ords co m prehensibly as rapidly as one can speak them . Further: the com poser lays dow n the speed at w h ic h his m usic sh a ll be perform ed.

Som etim es one can get aw ay w ith ju d icio u s cutting, but one can never, say, speed up the action by playing the notes as w ritte n but tw ice as fast. M any operas, in p a rticu la r th o se of Richard W agner and Richard Strauss, are in trin s ic a lly w orks to be savored — even w a llo w e d in — rather than to be dashed th ro u g h or h u rrie d along so one can catch a tra in or avoid paying o v e rtim e to th e m usicia ns in the pit.

Five operas, in clu d in g th re e productions n e w to Sydney, w ere perform ed in the firs t m onth of the c u rre n t fo u r-m o n th , 100perform ance season of the A u stra lia n Opera at the Sydney Opera House. O n ly th e tw o revivals are of w o rks th a t have s u ffic ie n t in trin s ic m erit to have earned them selves unquestioned niches in the so-called standard repertory — V e r d i's R ig o le t t o a n d S t r a u s s ' D e r R osenkavalier. The plot of R igoletto may be as co rn y and m elod ra m a tic as th e y come, but it has some of th e m ost popular tu n es in all opera and a s u re -fire te a r-je rk in g last act fo r all but

A u s tra lia n O pera's The C unning Little Vixen by Janacek

Theatre-A ustraH a A ug-S ept, 1976 Page 51

The Australian Opera's The A b d u ctio n from the Seraglio (Mozart) not m erely drama w ith m usic; w h e re evidence could be seen of his hand at w o rk, it w as alw ays clear he w as a positive in flu e n ce and not m erely a m eddlesom e one. But he erred on the side of m aking th in g s too easy fo r the singers, th u s leaving some q u ite d u ll patches: if he lets his head go next tim e he tackles an opera, the results m ay w e ll prove to be superb.

O gilvie's p a rticu la r success in th is S eraglio w as w ith Donald Shanks (as Osm in), w h o seemed to unbend th o ro u g h ly fo r th e firs t tim e on stage and produced a th o ro u g h ly comic perform ance. He and th e tw o w o m en provided the vocal hig h lig h ts. Joan Carden in superb form as Constanze, and June B ronhill an effervescent Blonde, m ore than atoning in stagecraft and in fe ctio us good h u m o r fo r her slig h t vocal deficiencies. M usically, the production was under the firm yet sensitive control of Carlo Felice C illario.

Cillario also produced a m usically good version of Leos Ja n a cekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s The C u n n in g L ittle Vixen (new to Sydney but presented e a rlie r in th e year in M elbourne), a re-cre atio n by J o n a th a n M ille r o f h is re c e n t E n g lis h production (at G lyndebourne) using Rosemary Vercoe's o riginal costum es. Eilene H annan's Vixen and Robert A llm a n 's Forester w ere superbly sung and acted, as w as Ron Stevens' Fox and, on a s lig h tly lo w e r level, Ronald Dowd's S choolm aster and Dog; but the ch ild ren in the cast w e re not effective and it w as a m istake to telescope th e th re e acts and produce 9 0 m inutes of unrelieved exposure to an u n fa m ilia r, som etim es hard to grasp, w ork.

Despite its ecologically topical m essage, the Vixen is probably im possible to stage credibly in the 1970s because of its odd m ixture of

a n im a l a n d h u m a n c h a ra c te r s a n d its som etim es q u a in tly o ld -fa sh io n e d m orality; yet it deserves an occasional airin g fo r its fin e , subtle, m usical score.

W ith in th e lim its im posed by the nature of th e w o rk itself, th e prem iere of Norman A yrto n 's n e w production of Delibes' Lakm e on Ju ly 10 w as a success. Joan S uth e rlan d w as vocally s tu n n in g and d ra m a tica lly adequate in the title role, of course; but C lifford G rant's Nilakantha w as hot on her heels in te rm s of overall im pact â&#x20AC;&#x201D; m a g n ific e n tly a c te d a n d s u n g w ith a richness of tone th a t extended rig ht th ro u g h the range.

Henri W ild e n 's Gerald w as at its best w h e n blending vocally w ith M iss S uth e rlan d ; at oth er tim e s his tone w as too harsh and forced, his acting wooden. Huguette Tourangeau acquitted h e rse lf superbly as M allika in a little pre-season w a rm -u p fo r her debut as Carmen th re e weeks later.

Richard Bonynge had th e Elizabethan Sydney O rchestra under e xce lle n t control in th is too often musky, clin g in g score w h ich w as m irro re d superbly in Desmond Digby's exo tica lly evocative designs lite ra lly d ripp in g in essence of O rien ta l bazaar. Yet n o thing can disguise the in n a te w eaknesses o f Lakme, w hose plot is very th in and w hose m usic is all too often pedestrian and only rarely exalted; and th e re w e re a fe w notable production lapses, such as a disa stro u sly u n -In d ia n ballet in th e second act, a to ta lly u n convincing swan dive by G erald after he w as stabbed and the han dlin g of the breach of the bamboo stockade in act one, w h ic h required M iss S utherland to tu rn laborer and w re stle it back into position a fte r th e d e parture of the English intruders.

A u s tra lia n O pera's Lakme

Page 52 Theatre-A ustraH a A ug-S ept, 1976

Books

PICTURES & PLAYS Helen van der Poorten

The N ew York Stage, Famous Productions in Photograph, ed. S tanley A ppelbaum , Dover P ublications Inc. N.Y. 1976 Recomm ended reta il price $5.65 Australian Ballet,

by David Formby, Ure Sm ith, Sydney 1976 Recomm ended reta il price $ 8 .50 The Currency Lass, by Edward Geoghegan, ed. Roger Covell, C urrency M eth u e n Drama Pty Ltd, Sydney 1976 Recomm ended reta il price $ 4 .5 0

Considering th a t the "h e re today, gone to m o rro w " aspects of th e a tre are the main th in g th e art fo rm has going fo r it, it is cu riou s h o w m uch w e like to collect ta n gible evidence of illu s o ry m om ents in the th e atre . Several recent p u b lica tio ns atte m p t to do this.

One is David Form by's n e w p h o tographic co lle ctio n called A u s tra lia n Ballet. Concerned very m uch w ith th e th e a trica l m om ent of m ovem ent, Formby has photographed both co n tem p o ra ry and classical b a lle t dancers all over th e c o u n try fo r th e past tw o years. The resu lt is a collection of liv e ly photographs.

Formby w a rn s us in his in tro d u ctio n th a t his search fo r w h a t is v is u a lly e xcitin g w ill s o m e tim e s lead h im to w a rd s w h a t is "b a lle tic a lly u n s o u n d " and th a t good ballets m ay be at tim es photo g ra p hically b e lo w par. In fact th e spectacles of Don Q u iz o te and La F ille M a i G ardee are am ongst the d u lle st, w h ile his photographs of m ore d yn a m ic m om ents capture the in s ta n t of m otio n . The TetleyBaylis G em ini, Flier's Hi-Kyo, and D alm an's C h ild re n o f Time a lm ost move.

The body is Form by's main subject, so he includes some v is u a lly in te re stin g shots of Ballet Victoria. His m ajor recu rrin g them e is th a t of physical pain and to rm e n t caused to dancers by th e ir art. The photographs of K oltai's Phases and H e lpm ann's P erisynthyon go some w ay to w a rd s exp la in in g w h y he dedicates his book to those a rtists w h o have

CLASSIFIED ADS Paddy Madden Drama Lessons 12 week course 65 dollars call Sydney 90-3557.

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cabaret artiste, trained at the A ctors' Studio New Y o rk (and w ith Utta Hagen).

su ffe re d later in life from pain o rig in a tin g in th e ir e a rly dancing.

Sir Robert H elpm ann, in his Foreword to A u s tra lia n Ballet, d e n igrates the standards of co n tem porary dance c riticism , suggesting th a t Form by's p h otographic approach to th e art is a useful s u b stitu te fo r the c ritic 's com m ent. In fact if th e re is one m ajor fa u lt w ith th is book it is in the u n critica l, se lf-co n g ra tu la to ry tags to the photographs. John Butler gives us an abbreviated "m y life in A r t" , and M akarova te lls us th a t to dance to g e th e r you have to c o m m u n ic a te w it h e a ch o th e r. H a rd ly illu m in a tin g , and th e com m ents do not usually enhance th e photographs. Form by's reverence for im p o rta n t fig u re s in th e dance scene also leads him to e rr in giving so m uch space to the Russian dancers B arishnikov and M akarova.

The photographs of th e ir pas de deux are the least in te re stin g in th e book.

These are excusable fe a ture s of a book, how ever, w h ic h celebrates th e dancer in his m om ent of crea tive pain. Even the most hardened balletophobe w ill be moved by the visual beauty o fth e re p ro d u ction sth e m selve s.

Stanley A ppelbaum says in his in tro d u ctio n to The N e w York Stage, th a t people have been co lle ctin g d ra w in g s, p a in tin gs and p rints of p e rform ances since the th e atre began. He devotes his book to the w o rk of those more recent recorders, th e a trica l photographers, and reproduces 148 photographs of New York p ro d u ctio n s fro m 1883 to 1939. Theatrical photography at firs t served the qu ite u tilita ria n purpose of p ro viding p u b licity shots, so one can fo rg e t about buying th is book fo r th e a rtis try of the photos them selves.

As th e 56 year period roughly spans the d ecline of th e "P ic tu re -F ra m e " proscenium arch th e atre , Appelbaum has chosen fu lly fro n ta l shots of scenes fram ed by the proscenium . The point of v ie w is lim ited, so m any of th e scenes are static â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Sherlock Holm es lig h ts his pipe and M o ria rity glares, for

Next M onth Stanley Walsh looks at the Music Hall and the many actors who learned the ropes there.

Tom Markus points up the Catch-22 o f subsidy, beginning a debate to continue in fu tu re issues.

Bill Redmond takes a general view o f the way forw ard to Australian Theatre practice'.

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instance, in tw o -d im e n tio n a i ge sture s caught at th e very m om ent.

In spite of th is the book is a valuable one. The photographs are inexpensively reproduced, and fo r the student of th e atre -d e sig n , th e book illu s tra te s th e range and lim ita tio n s of th e p icto ria l stage. The record of ch a n ging styles w ith in th a t stage is also to be fo u nd th e re , and Appelbaum in clu d e s m ost o fth e m ajor O 'N eill pro d u ctio n s, fro m th e n a tu ra lis tic e a rly plays to m ore e xp e rim e n ta l and e xp re ssio n istic ones.

The sets fo r The E m p e ro r Jo n e s and Dynam o are esp e cia lly fa scin a ting .

As a source of pleasure th e book is adequate as it stands, w ith its ca re fu l dating of the photographs and b rie f captions about th e play, th e designers and th e actors, but as a serious sourcebook fo r th e stu d en t it could be more exploratory. The chro n o lo g ica l arra n g e m e n t of th e plays is the problem , as one keeps w a n tin g to kn o w m ore about, say, the p ro ductions of David Belasco and the designs of Lee S im onsen. Even so, one is g ra te fu l fo r having ready access to these photographs, w h ic h have h ith e rto rem ained in th e M use u m of the City of New York.

C urrency M ethuen Drama record the th e a tric a l past th ro u g h a n o n -visu a l m edium , m usic, in th e ir latest of the N ational Theatre Series. Roger Covell edits The C u rre n cy Lass, fro m w h ic h the publishers d e riv e th e irn a m e ,a com edy w ritte n by convict p la y w rig h t Edward G eoghegan and produced in 1844. T h is is w ith o u t doubt th e m ost b e a u tifu l of Currency M e th u e n 's p u b lica tio ns to date. W ith its co lo u re d rep ro d u ction s of e a rly Sydney, its d ra w in g s, ca ricatu re s and edited m usical score it is a pleasure to handle and read.

A ccused of plagiarism , Edward Geoghegan neve rth e le ss gained the re p u ta tio n of being th e firs t popular A u stra lia n p la y w rig h t, and The C u rre n cy Lass at least is o rig in a l. Even th o u g h , as Professor Covell a dm its, it is "n o m a ste rp ie ce ", the play is an a m u sin g m anner 19th C entury com edy w ith a c o lo n ia l flavour.

Revived at Jane Street T heatre in 1966, the play revolves around the m istake n n o tio n th a t "n a tiv e " A u stra lia n g irls are dark of skin, a subject w h ic h Covell observes m ay offend in 1976.

In its o rig in a l perform ances The C u rrency Lass aroused fe e lin g s of vio le n t p a trio tis m in th e audience, but it is hard to fin d m uch e xcite m e n t in it now. The Stage Irishm a n Lanty O 'L iffe y m ust be one of th e m ost te d io us of his kind, and th e role of th e C urrency Lass Susan dem ands v irtu o s ity u n like ly to be fo u n d in the a m a te u r groups w h ic h m ig h t take up th is play.

The na tio na l T heatre Series is co m m itte d to placing our dram a in its h isto ric a l context, and ce rtia n ly th e editor presents a live ly p ictu re of Sydney th e a tre in th e 1840's. His chapter on "E d w a rd Geoghegan and his A c to rs " is brief but e n te rta in in g as a piece of th e a tric a l recre a tio n .

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