IN THE WORKSHOPS

DRAMA "INDIANS"

This year's major drama production was "Indians" which was staged in the Little Theatre from June 28 to July 2. Written in 1970 by the American playwright, Arthur Kopit, it is a chronicle of 19th century American history.

The plot traces the life of William Cody, or Buffalo Bill, as he is better known to history. However, as the title suggests, the real focus is on the American Indians.

Cody's life becomes immortalised in his Wild West show, but beneath the surface the glamour is seen to be sham and the government's genocidal policies are exposed for what they are. As the characters re-enact their parts in the conquest of the West, the legend of the Western hero bravely taming a savage land, is revealed to be a fraudulent myth.

Upon entering Cody's head and experiencing his confusion, the audience is charged with the need to reexamine an historical myth. The main stage is the arena of the circus legend which has become our popular version of what happened, while on the forestage, interspersed between the other scenes, is the dismal reality of the Indians' degradation and demise.

"Indians" is a play which entertains with action, spectacle and fun, and it also challenges the audience to think about major human issues.

Participation, without the sacrifice of artistic standards, was the corner-stone of our production. The cast numbered 47. The value here lay in the fact that a wide range of senior boys were able to take part in an activity they might otherwise have not considered. The 1st XV for example, was well-represented.

Auditions began almost as soon as the school year began, and rehearsals were soon under way. The interpretation of character and situation, the learning of lines, and the mastering of movement and gesture were all achieved remarkably quickly.

Third Row: M. Templeton, W. Verhoeven, H. Hayman, C. Grimshaw, C. Gulley, A. Holthausen, P. Manase, M. Cook, S. Nicholls, P. Dukes, S. Walters, P. Dyne, T. Maunder.

Second Row: E. Stevenson, A. Markham, B. Carpenter, M. Turner, S. Eyles, H. Guthrie, A. Simes, N. Wiffin, T. Blackmore, P. Swallow, A. Buick-Constable, A. Frusin.

Front Row: M. Wu, A. Miller, T. Etuata, M. Heron, Mr L. Gardiner, Miss J. Eastgate, Mr R. Meldrum, C. Duncan, B. Peleti, C. Siers, R. Kan.

The prompt was the least worked member of the team — although on the last night, two lines were deliberately butchered (“I am Uncas, Chief of the Pawnee Indians” and “Ahorita no mas”) and the cast laughed more than the audience. On the whole, though, very few things went wrong, and this is not the place to embarrass Mr Pallin about sound problems one night.

Special tribute must be paid to David Ireland who played Buffalo Bill. His quiet, disciplined approach to acting made him every inch a professional. He had a massive part and he set a cracking pace which inspired and lifted the whole production right from the first rehearsal. On stage he captured the totality of a character whose personality ranged from the vigour of the over-confident showman to the confusion and insecurity of the man who occasionally glimpsed the truth.

Anatoly Frusin was similarly powerful as the grand and solemn Chief Sitting Bull. He very successfully held the great dignity of this character who stood in the place as a monument to decency and whose words undercut the lies and pretence. The conflict between Buffalo Bill and Sitting Bull lies at the heart of the play, and David and Anatoly brought that conflict to life with an explosive intensity.

Other characters are worthy of a special mention: Michael Heron gave a hearty performance as the crass clown, Wild Bill Hickok; David Austin, Philip Maunder and

Tim Launder made an excellent trio of uncompromising, inscrutable senators; Judith Eastgate was a delightfully drawling First Lady; Steve Lau Young gave a savage performance as Geronimo; Darin To’o played the incongruous German playing an Indian (there’s a greater irony there somewhere!). The list could go on: all the cast deserves applause for a sterling performance.

A life-sized horse was built and created for the Wild West Show scenes. Although he moved on wheels and was not very agile at taking corners, he looked magnificent. The set and props were simple, but as always there was that artistic panache that Mr Markham inspires. Sound effects were produced by TVNZ, and when the lighting was added the result was a fine physical dimension to our production.

Drama at Wellington College is synonymous with Mr Laurie Gardiner, who retires this year as Deputy Principal. Although he is not leaving the Drama Club. (He can’t — no-one else understands the eccentric quirks of the Little Theatre!). We defer to his masterful grasp of all the ingredients of stage drama and his energetic enthusiasm as a producer and director. Thank you Laurie, for your time, patience, expertise, drive and encouragement.

Finally, congratulations to all those on and off-stage, who shared this year’s production. It was a team effort, and that’s what made “Indians” such a splendid success.

Ray Meldrum