The Trojan Women
The Trojan Women by Euripides. (Also translated as “The Women of Troy”) A play often done (in Afrikaans and English) by drama departments because of the large female cast.
Performance history in South Africa
First production recorded in South Africa was produced by Muriel Alexander and performed in the Pretoria Town Hall in 1919. This was the first production of a Greek play in South Africa.****.
Many other productions in English followed over the years, including one by students of the University of Cape Town, first in May 1967 at the Little Theatre produced by Rosalie van der Gucht with Babs Laker as guest artist, and in 1984 at the National Arts Festival, directed by Shirley Ellis, set designed by Robert Finlayson, lighting by Ellis and Mark Fleishman, costumes Claire Berlein, stage manager Mark Hoeben, starring Hoeben, Robert Finlayson, Belinda Koning, Isadora Verwey and others.
In 1987 it was used for the opening production of the Adcock-Ingram Auditorium in Johannesburg, directed by**.
Geoffrey Hyland directed the play with students of UCT in 2000.
Translations and adaptations
In 1944 an Afrikaans version (Die Vroue van Troje, translated by J.P.J. van Rensburg) was done by the ADK in Cape Town, directed by Truida Louw, with Aletta Gericke as Kassandra, Ria Olivier, Fred le Roux, Dawid Fuchs, Minna Louw, Alida Gericke, Suzanne van Wyk. It was repeated in September 1945 by Volksteater, Pretoria, to mark their tenth anniversary, directed by Anna Neethling-Pohl and Jan Schutte, decor by Kobus Esterhuysen. **
In 1969 Hannes Horne directed a University of Pretoria drama department production with Anna Neethling-Pohl as Hekabe.
In 1976 a superb adapted version of the an Afrikaans text (by **) was done under the title Vroue van Troje in the Upstairs Studio at the Market Theatre (Dir Barney Simon), featuring Wilna Snyman, Sandra Prinsloo, ** and Marius Weyers. ** In 1987 an adaptation by Herman Pretorius of the text by Van Rensburg was directed by Marthinus Basson for Universiteitsteater Stellenbosch in the H.B. Thom Theatre starring Herman Pretorius, Sandra Temmingh, Veronica Lotz, Linda Pienaar, Illse Roos, Duncan Johnson and others.
The Afrikaans text by Van Rensburg published by Nasionale Pers in 1945.
Another translation into Afrikaans is included in the publication Die Antieke Drama. 1, Tragedie, by T.J. Haarhoff (1892-1971). Afrikaanse Pers, 1946.
Sources
Huisgenoot, 30(1224):3, 1945.
Trek, 8(23):15, 1944.
The Trojan Women theatre programme (Little Theatre, 1967).
National Arts festival programme, 1984.
UTS theatre programme
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