Staging the Construction of Place in Two Antarctic Plays
One of the worlds most unusual degrees is the Postgraduate Certificate of Antarctic Studies (PCAS). This summer course, run by the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, includes a fieldtrip to the Ross Sea region of Antarctica, where New Zealands polar activities are concentrated. At the end of t...
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ftunivtasecite:oai:ecite.utas.edu.au:134642 2023-05-15T13:59:46+02:00 Staging the Construction of Place in Two Antarctic Plays Nielsen, HEF 2020 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-47388-4_2 http://ecite.utas.edu.au/134642 en eng Palgrave Macmillan http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-47388-4_2 Nielsen, HEF, Staging the Construction of Place in Two Antarctic Plays, Performing Ice, Palgrave Macmillan, M Delbridge, E Leane and CJ Philpott (ed), London, pp. 27-54. ISBN 9783030473877 (2020) [Research Book Chapter] 9783030473877 http://ecite.utas.edu.au/134642 Creative Arts and Writing Other creative arts and writing Other creative arts and writing not elsewhere classified Research Book Chapter NonPeerReviewed 2020 ftunivtasecite https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-47388-4_2 2021-05-03T22:17:04Z One of the worlds most unusual degrees is the Postgraduate Certificate of Antarctic Studies (PCAS). This summer course, run by the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, includes a fieldtrip to the Ross Sea region of Antarctica, where New Zealands polar activities are concentrated. At the end of the fieldwork, and before departing Antarctica, a PCAS ritual is to perform a skit about the groups on-ice experiences for the staff of New Zealands Scott Base. Preparing scripts and rehearsing with classmates in December 2011, I was keenly aware that we were feeding into a long tradition of performing in Antarctica. As fifteen of us took to the stage in the dining hall and dramatized such events as the forgotten boots, the sunbathing incident, and the lost pencil, we not only parodied contemporary safety and environmental regulations and reporting mechanisms we also added another layer to Ross Islands performing history. Those performances have taken many guises: Heroic Era explorers transformed the chilly confines of Discovery Hut into the Royal Terror Theatre (Leane 2003; Pearson 2004) and staged the 1862 farce entitled Ticket-of-Leave in the winter of 1902 (Scott 1905, p. 376); Australasian Antarctic Expeditioners performed an original opera called The Washerwomans Secret in Commonwealth Bay in 1912 (Mawson 1915, p. 208); and Jenny Coverack brought the story of Antarctic explorer Robert Falcon Scotts wife Kathleen to Scotts Terra Nova Hut in a site-specific performance of A Father For My Son (2000) in 2006. That stations such as Scott Base have entire rooms dedicated to costumes is testament to the ongoing popularity of performance. Antarctic expeditioners have long recognized the power of theatre to entertain and transport audiences to familiar places back home. Book Part Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Discovery Hut Ross Sea eCite UTAS (University of Tasmania) Antarctic Ross Sea New Zealand Jenny ENVELOPE(-68.417,-68.417,-67.733,-67.733) Scott Base ENVELOPE(166.766,166.766,-77.849,-77.849) Commonwealth Bay ENVELOPE(142.500,142.500,-67.000,-67.000) Skit ENVELOPE(44.400,44.400,66.200,66.200) Kathleen ENVELOPE(172.800,172.800,-83.767,-83.767) 27 53 Cham |
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eCite UTAS (University of Tasmania) |
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ftunivtasecite |
language |
English |
topic |
Creative Arts and Writing Other creative arts and writing Other creative arts and writing not elsewhere classified |
spellingShingle |
Creative Arts and Writing Other creative arts and writing Other creative arts and writing not elsewhere classified Nielsen, HEF Staging the Construction of Place in Two Antarctic Plays |
topic_facet |
Creative Arts and Writing Other creative arts and writing Other creative arts and writing not elsewhere classified |
description |
One of the worlds most unusual degrees is the Postgraduate Certificate of Antarctic Studies (PCAS). This summer course, run by the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, includes a fieldtrip to the Ross Sea region of Antarctica, where New Zealands polar activities are concentrated. At the end of the fieldwork, and before departing Antarctica, a PCAS ritual is to perform a skit about the groups on-ice experiences for the staff of New Zealands Scott Base. Preparing scripts and rehearsing with classmates in December 2011, I was keenly aware that we were feeding into a long tradition of performing in Antarctica. As fifteen of us took to the stage in the dining hall and dramatized such events as the forgotten boots, the sunbathing incident, and the lost pencil, we not only parodied contemporary safety and environmental regulations and reporting mechanisms we also added another layer to Ross Islands performing history. Those performances have taken many guises: Heroic Era explorers transformed the chilly confines of Discovery Hut into the Royal Terror Theatre (Leane 2003; Pearson 2004) and staged the 1862 farce entitled Ticket-of-Leave in the winter of 1902 (Scott 1905, p. 376); Australasian Antarctic Expeditioners performed an original opera called The Washerwomans Secret in Commonwealth Bay in 1912 (Mawson 1915, p. 208); and Jenny Coverack brought the story of Antarctic explorer Robert Falcon Scotts wife Kathleen to Scotts Terra Nova Hut in a site-specific performance of A Father For My Son (2000) in 2006. That stations such as Scott Base have entire rooms dedicated to costumes is testament to the ongoing popularity of performance. Antarctic expeditioners have long recognized the power of theatre to entertain and transport audiences to familiar places back home. |
format |
Book Part |
author |
Nielsen, HEF |
author_facet |
Nielsen, HEF |
author_sort |
Nielsen, HEF |
title |
Staging the Construction of Place in Two Antarctic Plays |
title_short |
Staging the Construction of Place in Two Antarctic Plays |
title_full |
Staging the Construction of Place in Two Antarctic Plays |
title_fullStr |
Staging the Construction of Place in Two Antarctic Plays |
title_full_unstemmed |
Staging the Construction of Place in Two Antarctic Plays |
title_sort |
staging the construction of place in two antarctic plays |
publisher |
Palgrave Macmillan |
publishDate |
2020 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-47388-4_2 http://ecite.utas.edu.au/134642 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-68.417,-68.417,-67.733,-67.733) ENVELOPE(166.766,166.766,-77.849,-77.849) ENVELOPE(142.500,142.500,-67.000,-67.000) ENVELOPE(44.400,44.400,66.200,66.200) ENVELOPE(172.800,172.800,-83.767,-83.767) |
geographic |
Antarctic Ross Sea New Zealand Jenny Scott Base Commonwealth Bay Skit Kathleen |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic Ross Sea New Zealand Jenny Scott Base Commonwealth Bay Skit Kathleen |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Discovery Hut Ross Sea |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Discovery Hut Ross Sea |
op_relation |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-47388-4_2 Nielsen, HEF, Staging the Construction of Place in Two Antarctic Plays, Performing Ice, Palgrave Macmillan, M Delbridge, E Leane and CJ Philpott (ed), London, pp. 27-54. ISBN 9783030473877 (2020) [Research Book Chapter] 9783030473877 http://ecite.utas.edu.au/134642 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-47388-4_2 |
container_start_page |
27 |
op_container_end_page |
53 |
op_publisher_place |
Cham |
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1766268553249423360 |