One hundred years ago
ON TUESDAY, a very successful per- formance of the Antigone of Sophocles was given at Bradfield College, near Reading. For the first time since the overthrow of the ancient world, a Greek play was produced under much the same physical conditions as pre- vailed at Athens. An accurate copy of an ancient theatre had been constructed out of a disused chalk-pit, the spectators sitting on broad, low steps, which rose tier above tier of semi-circle from the level of the orchestra. The blue sky of a perfect June day overhead, the scent of the incense burning on the altar round which the Senators chaunt in rhythmic cadence the strophes and antistrophes of the chorus, and the stately pageant of the stage beyond, combined to produce an impression which few of their audi- ence are likely to forget. The effect of the voices in the open air was excellent, the boys having been trained to make every word heard, and the occasional half-interruptions from a bird singing in the leafy borders of the rural play-house only increasing the charm of the whole performance. The acting throughout was remarkably good, and very unmod- ern, — the players wisely refraining from any attempt to copy the manner- isms of Mr. Irving and Miss Terry. The dresses and the stage arrangements generally left nothing to be desired. The Spectator, 28 June 1890
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