The Fire on the Snow
| The Fire on the Snow | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Douglas Stewart |
| Characters | Robert Falcon Scott |
| Date premiered | 1941 |
| Original language | English |
| Setting | Antarctica |
The Fire on the Snow is a verse play by Douglas Stewart about the Terra Nova Expedition to Antarctica by Robert Falcon Scott. It premiered on ABC radio on 6 June 1941 to great acclaim.[1]
The original production was produced by Frank Clewlow and was to have starred Peter Finch as Scott, but he joined the army only four days before broadcast, so Frank Harvey replaced him. Clewlow decided to employ a female actor, Ida Osbourne, as narrator to contrast with the all-male cast. No copy of this original production exists.[2]
The play has been performed on radio several times since, including a later production starring Peter Finch for Frank Clelow and one directed by Tyrone Guthrie for the BBC in 1951.[3] It has also been adapted for stage, and an opera based on the play will have its world premiere in 2012.[4][dated info]
Original radio cast [edit]
- Frank Harvey as Robert Falcon Scott
- John Tate as Edward Adrian Wilson
- Lou Vernon as Lawrence Oates
- Peter Bathurst as Henry Bowers
- John Alden as Edgar Evans
- Ida Elizabeth Osbourne as narrator
References [edit]
- ^ Leslie Rees biography at Live Performance Hall of Fame
- ^ 'Playing the 20th century - episode three: The Fire On The Snow', Radio National, 2 January 2011
- ^ Richard Lane, The Golden Age of Australian Radio Drama, Melbourne University Press, 1994 p 230
- ^ 'WORLD PREMIERE OF FIRE ON THE SNOW', Scott Marlowe website
