The Royal Hunt of the Sun

The Royal Hunt of the Sun [1] is a play by Peter Shaffer(1926-2016)[2].

The original text

The play that dramatizes the relation of two worlds entering in a conflict by portraying two characters: Atahuallpa Inca [3] and Francisco Pizarro [4]. The main action takes place in the Inca Empire from June 1529 to August 1533.

First performed by the National Theatre at the Chichester Festival and at the Old Vic in 1964.

Performance history in South Africa

1969/70: Staged by UCT in the Little Theatre in Cape Town from December 1969 to January 1970, directed by Mavis Taylor, starring Michael Atkinson as (Atahuallpa) and Ronald France as (Francisco Pizarro), with Michael Repham (Hernando), Allan Hopf (Miguel), Johan van Jaarsveld (De Candia), Duncan McBarnett (Diego), Bill Jervis (Old Martin), Christopher Prophet (Young Martin), Jos Gerson (Salinas), Denis Bettesworth (Rodas), Ian A. Peters (Vasca), Arnold Blumer (Domingo), Theunis Huisamen (Juan), Johan Bernard (Pedro), Limpie Basson (Fray Vincente), Norman Sergeant (Fray Marcos), Marko van der Colff (Villac Umu), Paul Slabolepszy (Challcuchima), Farouk Valley-Omar (A Chieftain), Vernon Beamish (Headman), David Fanning (Felipillo), Johann van Heerden (Manco), Aletta Bezuidenhout (Initi) and Dina Falkson (Oello). Costumes and props by Stephen Andrews, set designed by Mavis Taylor, lighting by Pip Marshall, movement by Tessa Marwick and musical direction by Michael Tuffin.

1981: Staged during the opening season of the Pretoria State Theatre, directed by Leonard Schach, starring Marius Weyers as (Atahuallpa) and Keith Grenville as (Francisco Pizarro), with David Horner (Hernando), Nigel Vermaas (Miguel), Ian Steadman (De Candia), Laurence Lurie (Diego), Michael McCabe (Martin Ruiz), Michael Maxwell (Young Martin), James Borthwick (Salinas), Ronald Wallace (Rodas), Richard Cox (Vasca), Michael Richard (Domingo), Vaughan Girdlestone (Juan), Alan Swerdlow (Pedro), Bill Flynn (Fray Vincente), John Hussey (Fray Marcos), Anthony James (Villac Umu), Kritch Krook (Challcuchima), Richard Carlsson (A Chieftain), Murray Woodfield (Headman), Marcel van Heerden (Felipillo), Andre Jacobs (Manco), Pamela Gien (Inti Coussi), Rika Sennett (Oello) and others. The production designer Chris van den Berg, music and sound effects by Marc Wilkinson, lighting by Jannie Swanepoel and movement by Fred Hagemann.

1988: Produced and directed by Nicholas Ellenbogen at the Grahamstown Festival 1988, starring Pieter Scholtz as Pizarro and Eckard Rabe as Atahuallpa. Some other members of the large cast were Stephen Gurney, James Irwin, Frantz Dobrowsky, David Muller, David Dennis, Madoda Ncaylyana, Ellis Pearson and Mark Graham.

Sources

Wikipedia [5]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Shaffer

Theatre programme, Little Theatre, 1969.

PACT theatre programme, 1981.

Review by Robert Greig in Cue, 10 July 1988.

Go to ESAT Bibliography

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