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Trojan Women.
"Looking at it with a twenty first century consciousness was
an interesting experience," says State Theatre Company Artistic
Director Rosalba Clemente with what seems considerable understatement,
when she considers Euripides 'Trojan Women', one of the most
famous pieces of theatre ever written, and one which she has
just adapted to "the 21st century", as she puts it.
"We're grappling with it," she explains of the recurrent themes
of war and humanity which lace this most powerful piece of theatre,
written by the Athenian in a time when Ancient Greece repulsed
an invasion by the Persian Empire, nearly two and a half thousand
years ago. "From what we know of Euripides, he was very brave
at the time, just in writing this play about the invasion of
a country and potential genocide of another race. The amazing
thing is that it seems so ornate even today, there's such truth
and integrity in the story."
Clemente and her team's adaptation has involved something more
than a little translation - she's been using our own language
for this century and drawing on wars of the last century for
her poetic images: locales such as Kampuchea, Bosnia-Herzegovina
and Iraq spring to mind. On the question of the appeal of 'Trojan
Women' she is forthright. It's been a feature of Clemente's
programming for the company over the past years that she has
studded the seasons with pointedly political and personal theatre
performances. In fact, when she became a mother for the first
time a few years ago she began building elements of the personal
into her political agenda.
In a way, it all comes together, fittingly, in this piece, Euripides
having worked together themes of warfare and destruction with
motherhood and survival under adversity..... "For personal and
political reasons I really believe theatre has a duty to make
us think, and this is a challenging piece of theatre. It's powerful
and compelling and a very physical and challenging night of
theatre." She pauses, and quotes: 'We've found moments when
you can look into the heart of the enemy.' [Hecuba, in 'Trojan
Women'] "Part of the karma of the evolution of the human species
is this descent to war, I feel, and so to the cycle and the
perpetuation of violence. I just see that it needs to be talked
about, and that there's this potential for forgiveness and global
reconciliation.
"One has to celebrate theatre in its purest form as entertainment,
but to also embrace its deeper form, and its messages in order
to put together an exciting season for the public."
By and large she's happy she has achieved that careful balance
in the programming of State Theatre's seasons under her stewardship.
Fairly enough, then, she cites the increasing subscriptions
as evidence of the well being of the company and its appeal
to the populace at large.
I ask her a question I fully suspect she won't answer, and I'm
somewhat taken aback when she unhesitatingly nominates her proudest
moments in the job and her favourite State Theatre production
over the last five or so years. "I'll always think of 'Holy
Day' [Andrew Bovell's stunning work of a few years ago], without
a doubt... and potentially 'Trojan Women', which at this stage
is coming along as well as any theatre piece I've ever been
involved in," she says firmly. "I'm very happy to answer that
as a question, because you know as a director - or just from
being involved in a show - that there is that special thing
which sets some shows apart. You just know it's going to be
good."
The logical follow up question, then, is directly about 'Trojan
Women', and why she feels the 'potential' is there...? "I think
you've got the A list working on this production on every level,"
she considers. "The extraordinary thing is how many elements
have to combine to make it all work on the night. We've got
such a range of abilities at State [Theatre]. When there's a
fusion of those energies there's still the potential to be swept
away, and it's the greatest feeling."
I'd pointed out the great strength of the cast and crew working
on 'Trojan Women'; from Mark Shelton and Gaelle Mellis, and
music from Phillip Griffin and Mark Daly... "It's a 100% South
Australian cast," she says, aiming directly at one of her firmest
stances on behalf of the theatre community in the state. "The
only cast we're using in this show from interstate are a few
of the musicians, so I think that's a good place to finish,
with 'Trojan Women', it's got a really strong home ground feel.
It's unfair to ask her about her replacement at State Theatre,
but I do nonetheless. Adam Cook takes up his post as Artistic
Director from 1st January, but has already begun easing into
the role, including taking the helm for the launch a few weeks
ago of the season programme for 2005. "He's an open and intelligent
and thinking and feeling kind of a person. He seems very willing
to embrace Adelaide," says Clemente warmly, who makes it clear
she's happy to bow out on her terms since she's leaving the
company in such good hands.
Alex Wheaton
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'Trojan Women' is now in the Playhouse - until Sat 27 Nov.
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