Summit Conference

Summit Conference is a play by Scottish Playwright Robert David MacDonald (1929-2004). Summit Conference shows us a meeting between Eva Braun, companion of Hitler and Clara Petacci, mistress of Mussolini. The two main characters played their role in history but a meeting between these two formidable ladies never took place. Eva and Clara discuss Hollywood movies, fashion, sex and persecution. It sets out to be a gentle meeting of two kindred souls, but it evolves into a cockfight between two women who alternate between their own character and that of their powerful lover. Third person during this small summit is the Nazi soldier. The young soldier turns out to be the play-ball of the two who finds himself taking on the role of the rent-girl when the women get more and more drunk.

It was written for the Citizens Theatre in Glasgow where it premiered in 1978 and later moved to the West End in London and starred Glenda Jackson.

Performance history in South Africa

Produced in South Africa at the Baxter Theatre Studio in January 1981 as a Troupe Theatre Company production, directed by Richard Grant, starring Fiona Ramsay as Eva Braun, Grethe Fox and Ian Roberts. Costumes by Jeni Halliday. This production was presented at the Market Theatre in October 1981.

Sources

http://tusktheatre.net/?page_id=17.

http://www.curtainup.com/summitconference.html.

Summit Conference theatre programme, 1981.

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

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