Brian Pearce

Life copying Art: performance as a means of inverting social and racial stereotypes

As a lecturer in the Department of Drama Studies at Technikon Natal, I have undertaken a number of experimental productions of European plays. In each production, I have explored the possibilities of multi-racial casting in order to make the plays accessible within a contemporary South African social and political context. There are a number of possible ways in which one may approach the problem of multi-racial casting, such as casting in a way which conforms to stereotypical views, or casting in a way which provocatively undermines stereotypes, or even casting in a way which deliberately ignores racial stereotypes. I hope that the discussion that follows may be of value to other directors working within a similar context.

Fifty years of drama at the University of Natal

Each guest was handed a most interesting brochure compiled by Professor Mervyn McMurtry and his staff, which included photographs, essays and tributes to the department from former staff and students. One of the most engaging essays was by Ann Wakefield (a former lecturer of note), who gave a fascinating account of the struggle to develop a theatre space at the university, which culminated in the building of the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre. The brochure also included a tribute to Elizabeth Sneddon, and a similar tribute to Pieter Scholtz. I enjoyed reading Douglas Livingstone’s poem “Mesologue: for the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre”, written for the opening of the theatre in 1981.