The fall of the city by Archibald Macleish

As part of an ongoing research project, director Andrew Holmes presents Pulitzer Prize-winning poet dramatist Archibald MacLeish’s groundbreaking radio verse drama The Fall of the City for five performances only, at the ANU Arts Centre Drama Lab from October 26 to 29.

In the central plaza of a great city, a dead woman appears and delivers a prophecy: ‘the city of masterless men will take a master’. A great crowd has gathered, alarmed by the vision of the dead woman. A messenger appears to tell the crowd that a conqueror is coming. As hysteria increases, a series of powerful figures harangues the crowd: orators, generals, and priests. Written against the historical background of the rise of fascism in Europe in the 1930s, The Fall of the City explores the acceptance of tyranny and the ways in which humans give up their freedom.

The Fall of the City is the second production in a research project overseen by ANU PhD researcher Andrew Holmes investigating the possibilities for MacLeish’s verse drama in the 21st century. Following from the successful production of MacLeish’s Panic, Holmes will present The Fall of the City – originally performed by Orson Welles, it was the first American verse play written for broadcast radio – as a live performance for voices wedded to minimalist physical action.

“We want to allow MacLeish’s words to reign supreme and to weave their poetic magic whilst enforcing the ‘connectedness’ of live performance, of the embodied voice of the actors which we miss just by listening,” says Holmes. “Seeing how an actor’s face and body reacts to what MacLeish’s words describe creates an added layer of communication, of deciphering theatrical meaning and of decoding not just the performance but the play itself.”

With improvised lighting by Gillian Schwab and featuring charismatic performer Duncan Ley in the central role of the Announcer, The Fall of the City will create a poetic live performance within an immersive theatrical atmosphere.

Praise for Andrew Holmes’s Panic:
“Sound, rhythm and images swirl around, creating their own sense of chaos to suit the theme. There is something here worth attention for modern playwrights…” Frank McKone, Canberra Critics Circle

ANU School of Cultural Inquiry, College of the Arts and Social Sciences presents

The Fall of the City by Archibald MacLeish
Directed by Andrew Holmes

WHEN: Wed 26 - Fri 28 Oct @ 8pm. Sat 29 Oct 29 @ 2pm & 8pm.
WHERE: ANU Arts Centre Drama Lab.
COST: FREE. Seating strictly limited. Bookings essential.
TO BOOK: Email andrew.holmes@anu.edu.au for enquiries and bookings.