New Zealand theatre in Amsterdam

Press, 7 March 1978, Page 14

New Zealand theatre in Amsterdam

Three New Zealanders in Amsterdam have started an English-speak-ing theatre that has attracted favourable reviews and full houses in its first five months. The English-speaking Theatre of Amsterdam grew out of the success of the actress, Cathy Downes, in her own show at the women’s festival in Vondelpark, Amsterdam, last year. Miss Downes, who played the lead role in “Buck House” and was a member of both the Court Theatre and Downstage Theatre in New Zealand, travelled to Europe in the middle of last year to gain some experience outside New Zealand. In Amsterdam she met Ralph McAllister, a New Zealand producer and director on an Arts Council fellowship in Europe, reports NZPA. Together with Jill Shand, an Australian, Ray Goodsir, and an English actor, Keith Greystoke, they formed the English theatre. “So many people in the Netherlands speak English that it seemed natural. We have prepared some school programmes* in English to help language students,” Miss Downes told NZPA. Performing in hired halls, the theatre group has presented “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf” and “Look Back in

Anger,” both of which have been received enthusiastically by Amsterdam newspapers. “The actors showed an excellent ability to empathise with their characters, and that means something, for the writer of this piece leaves no i holds barred,” one reviewer said of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf.” “If the English-speaking i Theatre of Amsterdam can manage to maintain the quality of this beginning, Amsterdam will be richer by one threatre company we will hear much of.” Miss Downes is in rehearsal for “Let Me Take the Case of Katherine Mansfield,” her own onewoman show about the writer. The production fol- I lows Miss Mansfield’s life from the age of 18 until her death 16 years later, and uses her own words, selected from her diaries, letters and stories. In June and July the company plans to present “A Streetcar Named Desire” and “Under Milkwood” with a New Zealander, Jean Betts, as director. “We still have some problems to overcome. We have to hire venues, and of course it would be ideal : if we could have a per- I manent. base. As things ■ are now we have to live I han d-to-mouth, which means living on personal savings at times,” Miss ■ Downes said. I