Rival Productions Of John Bowen Play

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32064, 12 August 1969, Page 7

Rival Productions Of John Bowen Play

Drama will be a major attraction . in Dunedin next week at the annual universities arts festival, with six major productions from five universities. f Two of the plays are from Christchurch —Brian de Ridder’s production of John Bowen’s “After the Rain,” which has just completed its season in the Ngaio Marsh Theatre, and Mervyn Thomson’s production of Peter Weiss’s “Mart/Sade” which had an immensely successsful season earlier this year and is being revived this week. “After the Rain” will also be seen at the festival in a production by Pamela Hewes for Victoria University; and another play by John Bowen, “The Fall and Redemption of Man,” is being produced for Auckland University by Roy Hope, director of the Rothman’s Cultural Foundation. This play, an adaptation and modernisation by Bowen of the Wakefield, Chichester and York cycle of medieval mystery plays, is new to New Zealand audiences. It had a six-night season last week in the new Auckland Grammar School theatre, and has been

transferred to the Auckland University Hall this week for another four performances before Mr Hope takes his cast south. Rodney Kennedy is producing Paul Foster’s “Tom Paine” for Otago University, and the other offering is Bob McMurray’s production ’ for Massey of Witkiewicz’s “The Madman and the Nun.” As well as these plays, there will be at least four productions in the modernlanguage section of the festival. Otago will present Camus’s “Les Justes” and Buchner’s “Woyzeck,” Auckland Beckett’s “Fin de Partie,” and Victoria the Moliere play, “Amphitryon.” To round off a busy week for students interested in drama, there will be a series of discussion-workshops, with the well-known Wellington producer, Nola Millar, as critic-tutor; and a seminar on theatre. On the Friday there will be a workshop of experimental and one-act plays, which are expected to include “The American Dream” (by Edward Albee), “Shouting Head of Prophet John” (Bob Burleson), "The Inhabitants” (Olwyn Wymark), and “The Telephone Box” and “The

Cheeky Monkey” (Mai Smith). About 500 visiting students —plus the Otago students—are expected to attend the week-long festival, which has been divided into 14 sections, with a total of about 100 events.

These will include folk music, chess, debating, bridge, jazz concerts, modern dance, films, a “Beatles night” by music students from Canterbury, impromptu poetry readings, and open-air concerts. On the opening night Mr Alexander McLeod, editor of the “Listener,” will give his views on the state of the arts in New Zealand; and there will be frequent discussions on this subject during the week. The film section will include films made by New Zealand students—including students from the Ham School of Arts—and three Australian student films. Three prize-winning photographs by Australian students will also be displayed in the festival salon. The festival will come to a grand finale with a folk music concert by singers and instrumentalists from all over New Zealand.