Return to Representations of Antarctica Homepage  
 

DRAMA

The following bibliography documents published plays; published 'drama in verse form'; and plays performed but not yet published. Performances are listed under the play's title, and published plays are listed under the author's name, according to the MLA citation system.

Adebayo, Mojisola. "Moj of the Antarctic: An African Odyssey." Hidden Gems: Six New Plays by Black British Playwrights. Ed. Deirdre Osborne. London: Oberon Books, 2008.

Andrews, J.W. "Antarctica: A Narrative of the Bubble Nothing." Triptych for the Atomic Age. Boston: Branden Press, 1970.

Australis; or, The City of Zero. By J.C. Williamson. Music by Bernard Espinasse. Perf. Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney, 1900. Sydney: John Andrew & Co. 1900.

Brenton, Howard. "Scott Of The Antarctic: Or, What God Didn't See." Plays for Public Places: Gum & Goo, Wesley, Scott of the Antarctic. London: Eyre Methuen, 1972.

Endurance. By Louise Smith. Dir. Emmanuelle Chaulet. Perf. Andy's Summer Playhouse, Wilton Center, New Hampshire. 2–6 Aug. 2000. [This play was written for, and performed by, actors ranging from 9 to 15 years of age.]

A Father for My Son. By Jenny Coverack and Robert Edwards. Perf. Jenny Coverack at Royal Geographical Society headquarters at 1 Kensington Gore, London. 13 June 2001. [Adapted from Louisa Young's biography of Scott, and Scott's autobiography and diaries, this production premiered in Cotohele, Cornall in October 2000 and was performed in various locations around Britain in 2001, 2002 and 2003. It was also staged on the M/V Yubov Orlova during a trip to South Georgia and the Antarctic Peninsula in Jauary 2003. The June 13 performance was staged in support of the Royal Geographical Society's New Initiatives Programme.]

Great Scott! By David Burke. Composed by David Jensen. Perf. Great Hall, Parliament House, Canberra, 27 Oct. 1997; King's College School, Cambridge, 17 Nov. 2001.

Griffiths, Trevor. Judgement Over the Dead: The Screenplay of The Last Place on Earth. London: Verso, 1986. [This is the screenplay of The Last Place on Earth, a dramatisation of the race between Robert Scott and Roald Amundsen to be first to the South Pole. Dir. Ferdinand Fairfax. Perf. Stephen Moore, Sverre Anker Ousdal, Martin Shaw, Max Von Sydow and Susan Wooldridge. 7 episodes. Central Television and WBGH, Boston, 1985.]

Hoar, Stuart. Scott of the Antarctic. Wellington; Playmarket, 1987. [This short radio play has also been performed on stage.]

Ice Island: The Wait for Shackleton. By Marjorie Duffield. Dir. Lori Steinberg. Perf. Melting Pot Theatre New York City, 14 Nov.–19 Dec. 1999.

Karge, Manfred. Conquest of the South Pole. Trans. Tinch Minter and Anthony Vivis. London: Methuen, 1988.

Kathleen's Antarctic. Written/dir. Richard Huber. Research/concept creator Bronwyn Judge. Perf. Fortune Theatre, Dunedin. 8–16 March 2002.

Kushner, Tony. Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes. Part One: Millennium Approaches. New York: Theatre Communciations Group, 1993.

Meet the Real Ernest Shackleton: A Comedy About Antarctica. Written and directed by Michael Christian; choreographed by Ron Schwinn, music by Terry Radigan. Perf. Sande Shurin Theatre, New York City, 9–26 Sept. 2004.

Moore, Jason Kendall. "The Frozen Continent: An Antarctic Play." Polar Record 44.3 (2008): 278-80.

Nabakov, Vladimir. "The Pole (Polyus)". The Man from the USSR and Other Plays. 1924. Trans. Dmitri Nabokov. San Diego, New York, London: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1984: 267–83. [Also pubished in The Wide White Page: Writers Imagine Antarctica. Ed. Bill Manhire. Wellington: Victoria UP, 2004: 156166.]

Shackleton Out-Shacked. Perf. Concert Chamber, Town Hall, Wellington, New Zealand. 17 July 1909. [This work, "A Classic Sketch in Three Convulsions", was Act II of a concert in aid of the Unemployed Relief Fund.]

South Polar Expedition. Perf. Royal Victoria Theatre, Hobart, Australia. 3 May 1841.
[This theatrical extravaganza was reviewed in the Hobart Town Advertiser, 7 May 1841. Accounts of the play can be found in:

    Savour, Ann. "Hobart and the Polar Regions, 1830–1930." Tasmanian Insights; Essays in Honour of Geoffrey Thomas Stilwell. Hobart: State Library of Tasmania, 1992. 175–191: (177-178).
    Fleming, Fergus. Barrow's Boys. London: Granta, 1998: 350–351; and
    Woodward, F. Portrait of Jane: A Life of Lady Franklin. London: Hodder and Stoughton, 195: 230.]
Stewart, Douglas. "The Fire on the Snow." The Fire on the Snow and The Golden Lover: Two Plays for Radio. Sydney: Angus & Robertson, 1944. [First performed by the Australian Broadcasting Commission on 6 June 1941. Prod. Frank D. Clewlow.]

Sur. Written and directed by Ronald Weihs, based on the short story by Ursula K. Le Guin. Perf. Artword Theatre, Toronto, 27 Nov.–14 Dec. 2003.

Tally, Ted. Terra Nova: A Play. New York: Nelson Doubleday, 1981.

Ticket of Leave. Adapted version of a Victorian farce entitled A Ticket-of-Leave, by Watts Phillips [Clyde, Ohio: Ames & Holgate, c. 1862]. Perf. Gilbert Scott, Frank Wild, and Horace Buckridge. The Royal Terror Theatre, Ross Island, Antarctica. 25 June 1902. [Believed to be the first play performed in Antarctica, "Ticket of Leave" was presented on a makeshift stage in Discovery Hut (christened "The Royal Terror Theatre" for the occasion), Ross Island, on 25 June 1902. The cast included Horace Buckridge as Mrs Quiver, Frank Wild as Mr Quiver, and Gilbert Scott as Mary Ann the housemaid. The play was hailed as a "screaming comedy" and considered a "great success" by its enthusiastic (and captive) audience. Pages from the script were found in rubbish around Discovery Hut during its restoration in 1963-64. The programe for the evening is held in the archives of Canterbury Museum in Christchurch, New Zealand.]

Tom Crean -- Antarctic Explorer. By Aidan Dooley. Perf. Aidan Dooley at New York International Fringe Festival, August 2003.

Young, David. Inexpressible Island. Winnipeg: J. Gordon Shillingford Publishing, 2000. [First performed in Toronto, Canada, in 1997. The play was performed in the UK in 2001 under the title "Antarctica". First published by Scirocco Drama in 1998.]

Baby Weddell

Bibliography compiled as part of project undertaken by Dr Elizabeth Leane, School of English, Journalism and European Languages, University of Tasmania.

[ Acknowledgements ] [ Back to Top ] [ Home ]

UTAS Home