Bar and Ger

A two-hander by Geraldine Aron.

The original text

A hugely popular performance piece for young actors, this ode to Aron's brother, who had died in a motor-cycle accident, was originally written as a poem, but was reworked for the stage and is usually performed as a two-hander.

First adapted and performed at The Space (Cape Town) with Wilson Dunster and Yvonne Bryceland, under the direction of Walter Donahue, 1975. This was followed by performances at The Druid Theatre, Ireland; the Royal National Theatre (Cottesloe) London; the King's Head, Pentameters; The Lyric Studio, Edinburgh Festival, etc.

Also adapted for film (Ashley Lazarus, 197*) and radio (broadcast by BBC Radio).

First published in Modern Stage Directions (ed. Stephen Gray and D. Schalkwyk, pub. Maskew Miller, 1984), and subsequently in Seven Plays and Four Monologues, (pub. David Philip, 1985) and Play Spectrum (ed. H. Houghton-Hawksley, pub. David Philip, 1986). Many times reprinted in a variety of other collections as well.

The play received numerous awards , including the RAPS Best Play; Transvaal Drama Festival, Best Play; The Eileen Harper Memorial Trophy. Internationally it was voted an Edinburgh Fringe First and Variety Magazine’s Edinburgh’s Best Ten, and won the Salter's Cup UK, and the Kentucky State Thespian Award.

Translations and adaptations

Translated into Afrikaans as Bar en Ger twice, once by Danie Botha and once by Marielle Labuschagne respectively .

Performance history in South Africa

On stage

1975: First adapted and performed at The Space (Cape Town) with Wilson Dunster and Yvonne Bryceland, under the direction of Walter Donahue, 1975/8?*.

1977: Performed as part of a Triple Bill with Mr McConkey's Suitcase and The Shrinking of Alby Chapman in the Baxter Theatre Studio in 1977. Directed by Glynn Day, starring Pippa Duffy, Glynn Day, Rita Zazeraj, Lynn Banner, Dermod Judge, Chris McWilliams, Erica Benn.

As a film

Filmed by Ashley Lazarus in 197*.

[TH, JH].

Sources

Geraldine Aron. 1985. Seven Plays and Four Monologues

Brian Barrow and Yvonne Williams-Short(eds.). 1988. Theatre Alive! The Baxter Story 1977-1987).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geraldine_Aron

http://www.theagency.co.uk/clients/clientdisplay.html?viewListing=MTE3OQ==

Astbury, 1979

Gosher, 1988

Go to ESAT Bibliography

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