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Salient. Victoria University Student Newspaper. Volume. 34, Number 3. 1971

Drama

Drama

'no exit' Sartre

'no exit' Sartre

This year's orientation plays. Brecht's Lux in Tenebris and Sartre's No Exit. opened in a face-lifted Memorial Theatre. Grant Tilly's new colour-scheme although a bit muddy does at least separate the auditorium from the stage better than the former dark red.

Judith Dale's production of Lux in Tenebris attempted - with a good deal of success an effect of deliberate theatricality. The erection and dismantling of stage properties as well as all the scene changes were managed by the chief actor out of character. The Burden of dropping in and out of character fell on Bruce Kirkham as Paduk. Although he played the character with admirable Conviction, he seemed to find the moments between scenes awkward to fill with complete assurance. These pauses might well have been more obviously marked and a little shorter. As in music, even the rests must contribute to the rhythmic drive in the piece as a whole. Stuart Devinie clearly relished his multiple rules while Fiona Keith-Kirk brought a sense of crisp shrewdness to the part of Fran Hogge. The lively backdrop selling and particularly the music contributed greatly to this little study of hypocrisy, produced with purposeful intelligence.

Roy Middleton chose to set No Exit on a platform [unclear: jutting] out over the first few rows of the theatre to enhance the play's claustrophobic atmosphere. He also simplified selling and properties to the barest minimum. The acting area was inconveniently small so that a good deal of back-turning and masking was inevitable. However, the three main characters worked well in ensemble and each displayed a well developed sense of individuality. In particular, Penelope Skyrme sustained her part as the lesbian bitch Inez with some intelligent liming. Indeed the quality of delivery from all three (Tim Groser as Garem and Janet Sorensen as Estelle) gave the play's postulate: "Hell is other people" an exciting credibility.