Nudity ‘vital part’ of play

Press, 24 March 1980, Page 6

Nudity ‘vital part’ of play

The only obscene thing about “Statements,” a play performed almost entirely in the nude, is the South Afrirl can Immorality Act on which it is based. Thi-s is how Olive Bodill and Anthony Wheeler, who play the white woman and Coloured man who fall victim to South Africa’s racial laws, view the play. ' In spite of its controversial form and content, “Statements” was first and foremost a love story, they said. Those who went to the play for thrills and voyeurism woulld be disappointed. “It took a year to decide to take part in the play,” said Olive Bodill, who in private life is married to Anthony Wheeler. “For someone in middle age who had never appeared on stage in even a bra and pants before, it was a hard decision to make,” she -said. " “It is terrifying to be out

in the wings, waiting to go on stage completely naked with a fully dressed audience in front-of you,” said Mr Wheeler.

But it was the play itself that made them decide they had to do it. The nudity was a vital part of the play, they said. “It is an essential element of the play. It works on a psychological level, showing the vulnerability of people,” said Mr Wheeler. However, the play was not just a political lecture, either, he said.

The play’s full title, “Statements After an Arrest under the Immorality Act,” could be misleading, Mr Wheeler said. It was . not a documentary or a political lecture. “It is a beautifully written play about the effect such a law has on a relationship,” he said. The impact of “Statements’’ lay in. the way it personalised the love affair of two very

ordinary, suburban, middleclass people, the actors said. As South Africans who left their country seven years ago because they disliked the system, they do support the play’s political point.. The author, Athol Fugard, who has been imprisoned and is kept under surveillance by security police because of his ideas, wrote the play after he saw photographs which were used as evidence in a case under the Immorality Act.

“We have found that people don’t realise that the Immorality Act still exists in South Africa and that it can affect people very much,” said Mr Wheeler.

But the play has wider implications because it shows the end result of racialism. The couple spent most of 1979 touring Australia with the play. They have just finished a very successful two weeks in Auckland. With no interval, no set,

and no costumes “State 5 meats” was a very demanding and intense play, they said. “Fugard leaves the onus entirely on the actors. There is nothing to hide behind.” The only element in the play that does not come'from the actors is lighting, which is used with stunning effectiveness.

An Australian actor, Perry Quinton, whose South African accent has been carefully coached, plays the part of the policeman. • The play has been brought to New Zealand by the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust.

After the six-day run at the Ngaio Marsh Theatre, Olive Bpdill and Anthony Wheeler will return to their Sydney home. They look forward to the relaxation of working in their lunch-time theatre, “The Anzac House,” and training drama students.