Salient: An Organ of Student Opinion At Victoria University College, Wellington, N. Z. Vol. 24, No. 4. 1961
Eye-Opener to Aspiring Producers
Eye-Opener to Aspiring Producers
At a recent meeting of the Classical Society, Richard Campion gave a graphic description of the extensive research required by a producer for the performance of Greek Drama.
The main problem is to select a translation that will express most clearly the idea of the author, in a way that will also be intelligible and natural to the present day audience. Of course, said Mr Campion, the selection would differ greatly for different audiences. A producer could assume that an average audience would be vaguely familiar with Greek myths and legends, but that proper names and unfamiliar words tended to act as a "wall" to the immediate understanding of the play.
The principal interest of most audiences, however, would be in the human story—in the thoughts and beliefs, especially religious, of the ancient Greeks in a pre-Christian era. The Greek plays deal extensively with the superstition or fear of the Unknown, which, Mr Campion believes, is rooted somewhere in the minds of all men. Because this is so, the handling of the play needs very great care, as some audiences will retreat from the Unknown, or at least will feel antagonism towards the past.
Mr Campion expressed a regret that the Greek theatre has become to be regarded as "scholastic" and that this is eliminating from audiences people who would otherwise enjoy it immensely.
Mr Campion gave some lively illustrations in his talk, making his listeners realise how interesting, but how exacting, is the task of a producer about to tackle a Greek play.