Internationalist Theatre

Renu Setna as Chaplain, Josephine Welcome as Kattrin, Margaret Robertson as Mother Courage, in Mother Courage and Her Children by Bertolt Brecht, 1982

Internationalist Theatre is the London theatre company founded by South African Greek actress Angelique Rockas in April 1981 to pioneer the performance of classical drama and contemporary plays with multi-racial and multi-national casts. The company was originally named New Internationalist Theatre.^[1]

The Stage in its Theatre News page in April 1981 announced the company's intention "to assert a multi-racial drama policy, with an even mix of performers drawn from different cultural groups ... including native British" in its forthcoming production of Jean Genet's The Balcony.^[2] Athol Fugard endorses the formation on "internationalist theatre" and accepts to be on the advisory board.^[3] Michelene Wandor in her preview for Time Out magazine of the company's performance of Griselda Gambaro's The Camp described the company's internationalist casting policy as an "exciting risk".^[4] Ann Morey in her BBC Latin American Service (now BBC Mundo) broadcast critique of The Camp observes "a theatre company that breaks cultural and racial barriers",.^[5] Madeleine Jay in her BBC French Service (part of BBC World Service ) review of The Balcony affirms the value of an internationalist theatre.^[6] Peter Hepple of The Stage describes the achievement of Internationalist Theatre's production of Brecht's Mother Courage and Her Children as "a significant piece of epic theatre with ... multi-national cast".^[7] Ann Morley Priestman of The Stage praises The Balcony not only for its "taylormade" multi-national casting but also for its artistic merits.^[8]

Angelique Rockas as founder and artistic director, has been interviewed about the main aims of Internationalist Theatre by Eleftherotypia, ^[9] The National Herald,^[10] Vogue Mexico,^[11] The South African,^[12] and on Hellenism.net.^[13]

Plays performed

Angelique Rockas as Yvette, in Mother Courage and Her Children, 1982

Plays performed by Internationalist Theatre include: The Balcony by Jean Genet (June 1981); the British premiere of The Camp by Griselda Gambaro (October 1981); Mother Courage and Her Children by Bertolt Brecht (March 1982); the British premiere of Liola by Luigi Pirandello (July 1982); the British premiere of In the Bar of a Tokyo Hotel by Tennessee Williams (May 1993); Miss Julie by August Strindberg (January 1994); and Enemies by Maxim Gorky, a production with Ann Pennington`s Richard Steel Theatre (March 1985).^[14]

Critical reception

Angelique Rockas as Carmen with Okon Jones in Genet's The Balcony, Internationalist Theatre

The critical reception of the company's productions was generally favourable. The Balcony captured "an atmosphere of sleaze, a quality that eluded the last London production of The Balcony by the RSC (Royal Shakespeare Company)", according to critic Michael Darvell,^[15] and Madeleine Jay of the BBC French Service enthused ``s`ils sont aussi vivants et revelateurs de jeunes talents que ..on ne peut que s`en rejouir.^[16]

The Camp was described as "brilliant, terrifying, ... relentlessly exposes and explores the psychology of fascism...powerful alternative to the marshmallow media we usually get fed" by Spare Rib,^[17][18] Christopher Hudson of The Standard lauded the serious, straightforward treatment by the Internationalist Theatre cast of Mother Courage and Her Children prepared to allow the play to "speak for itself", performed in the basement of the old Charing Cross hospital aka (Theatre Space).^[19] Peter Hepple of The Stage referred to production's achievement as "a significant piece of epic theatre with ... multi-national cast".^[20] Richard Ingham critic at Where to Go, observed that the cast of Mother Courage "is made from experienced actors from all over the world, and perhaps their very cosmopolitanism helps to bring out new textures from a familiar dish".^[21] Event Magazine remarked on the timeliness of the performance of this play about war "With the Falklands crisis and Women Live festival ... singularly appropriate to be presenting Brecht's drama of war and feminine resilience."^[22]

The "pleasures of the performance" of the first UK English language production of Pirandello's Liolà translated by the director, Fabio Perselli, according to Harold Atkins of The Daily Telegraph "lay in the vitality, the lusty folk element ... A very good evening of an unusual kind".^[23] Corriere della Sera observed : "Il successo e stato particolarmente vivo e le recensioni della stampa molto positivo". ^[24]

The UK premiere of Tennessee Williams's In the Bar of a Tokyo Hotel was "enjoyed" by Lindsay Anderson "as a very characteristic and vibrant example of ...Williams' writing. The whole performance was very fine...".^[25] The multi-national cast of In the Bar of a Tokyo Hotel added to the cosmopolitan ambiance so beloved of Williams.^[26]

Garry Cooper (Jean) and Angelique Rockas (Miss Julie), in Strindberg's Miss Julie (Internationalist Theatre, 1994)

Internationalist Theatre's production of Strindberg's Miss Julie prompted RB Marriot of The Stage to declare that "I have not seen a better production of Strindberg's Miss Julie than the Internationalist Theatre staging ... It is wild and raw, steeped in emotion and dramatic drive".^[27] Michael Meyer as the translator of Miss Julie from the Swedish text agreed with the "Deservedly excellent notices ... powerful and moving".^[28] This multi-national production of 'Miss Julie ' with a short Latin looking South African Greek Angelique Rockas in the title role broke casting cliches.^[29] Francis King of The Sunday Telegraph described Garry Cooper in the role of Jean as "a rare first edition ... with his sad stricken eyes, in an obdurate prize-fighter's face, is the perfect embodiment of the character".^[30]

Enemies by Maxim Gorky, a production with Ann Pennington's Richard Steel Theatre performed in March 1985 during the miners strike, struck a deep cord with audience and critics alike. Tom Vaughan of the Morning Star affirmed "this is a great revolutionary play, by a great revolutionary writer, performance with elegance and style, great passion and commitment".^[31] BBC Russian Service was no less complimentary.^[32] The multi-national casting of Gorky's Enemies with native Bulgarian, Madelena Nedeva, and South African Greek Angelique Rockas actresses in the major roles brought a duende of passion to the performance.^[33]

Negative reactions

The risks taken by Internationalist Theatre in casting actors with accents from various parts of the world in 1980s London were not well received by every critic. Malcolm Hay, drama critic of Time Out magazine, was scathing about this policy in his review of Mother Courage: "the casting only inspires a whole host of irreverent questions: what on earth, say, is an American sergeant doing in seventeenth century Europe? And how did a Pakistani {aka Renu Setna} chaplain get into the Swedish army?",^[34] for full review.^[35]

Rosalind Carne of the Financial Times found the policy of Liolà's multi-national casting problematic in "English, German, Sicilian, and Italian actors produce widely differing versions of the Latin lilt".^[36]

Political Prescience of Internationalist Theatre productions

Internationalist Theatre`s dramatization of Genet`s The Balcony , "a comment on power and political manoeuvre ", and depiction of " While the ruling classes,the icons and figureheads fiddle, society burns around them...", as described by John Leech (Where To Go) in the London of July 1981 ^[37] was mirrored in the actual world by the conflagration of Brixton riots spreading across London at the same time ; see report by The Guardian.^[38] The production of 'The Camp' by Argentinian Griselda Gambaro coincided with the publication by IADA, the International Association in Defence of Artists` of its report on over 100 artisans, many actors and directors who vanished without trace in Argentina, The Stage 22 Oct 1981.<sup>[39]</sup> Performing Brecht `s Mother Courage and Her Children at London`s Theatre Space in May 1982,right in the middle of the Falklands Crisis and during the ' Women Live ' festival was "singularly appropriate to be presenting Brecht`s drama of war and feminine resilience" by Internationalist Theatre (then New) declared Event Magazine, May 13.^[40] Theatre Space London celebrates 'Women Live Festival'.^[41]Tony Benn ,Harriet Harman , Rev Don Reeves organize the March for Peace on 23 May 1982, and call for the resolution of the Falklands Crisis by peaceful means through the United Nations.^[42] Maxim Gorky `s ' Enemies` exploring the disaffection of workers in pre-Soviet Russia and presented in association with Ann Pennington in March 1985 at the tail end of the Miners Strike was another politically prophetic stroke by Internationalist Theatre.^[43]

See also

• Angelique Rockas
• Political Theatre

Archives

• Internatiomalist Theatre File - Theatricalia.com
• Women In Entertainment organize 'Women Live Festival' in London, May 1982

References

External links

• Angelique Rockas/Internationalist Theatre at Scottish Theatre Archive (digital) at the University of Glasgow Library
• 'Ta Nea ` London Greek newspaper interview with Angelique Rockas about Internationalist Theatre
• Visual archive of Internationalist Theatre productions
• "Internationalist Theatre Miss Julie" in An International Annotated Bibliography of Strindberg Studies 1870–2005, Volume Two: The Plays by Michael Robinson, ISBN 9780947623821 (E12:1378)
• Charity Status of Internationalist Theatre
• Tom Vaughan,The Morning Star review of Internationalist Theatre`s Mother Courage