The Slaughter of St Teresa's Day
| The Slaughter of St Teresa's Day | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Peter Kenna |
| Date premiered | 11 March 1959 |
| Place premiered | Sydney |
| Original language | English |
| Subject | Catholicism families |
The Slaughter of St. Teresa's Day is a play by Australian author Peter Kenna.
Plot
Oola Maguire, a bookie, holds a party every St. Teresa's Day. The guests are the people she has quarrelled with in the past year, and there is only one rule – firearms must be parked in the hall. Her daughter Thelma is brought home from the convent she attends with two nuns.
Background
It won a National Playwrights Competition in 1958 and was produced in Sydney the following year by the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust.[1][2]
Kenna revised the play in 1972.[3]
1960 Australian TV Adaptation
| The Slaughter of St Theresa's Day | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Alan Burke |
| Written by | Peter Kenna |
| Starring | Neva Carr Glynn |
| Distributed by | ABC |
Release date | 23 March 1960 |
Running time | 75 mins |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
It was filmed by the ABC on 23 March 1960 at a time when local drama production was rare. The spelling of the title was "Theresa's Day" not "Teresa's Day" like the play.
Neva Carr Glyn reprised the role which Kenna had written for her.[4]
Cast
- Annette Andre as Thelma
- Alma Butterfield as Essie Farrell
- Neva Carr Glyn as Oola Maguire
- Gordon Glenwright as Charlie Gibson
- Nat Levison as Barney Doyle
- Mary Mackay as Sister Mary Luke
- Rodney Milgate as Whitey
- Moya O'Sullivan as Sister Mary Mark
- Wendy Playfair as Wilma Cartwright
- Walter Sullivan as Horrie Darcel
- Frank Waters as Uncle Paddy
Reception
The Australian Woman's Weekly called it "excellent entertainment."[5]
The critic for the Sydney Morning Herald thought the play "lost little of its waywardness and some of its liveliness in a television production" and had faults with the play ("Kenna seems unable to settle decisively on one theme and to develop it boldly enough to carry his admirable intentions and considerable ability") but felt it was a "very worthwhile production, organised with some tact and imagination by Alan Burke."[6]
1962 British TV adaptation
| The Slaughter of St Teresa's Day | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Peter Kenna |
| Produced by | John Jacobs |
| Starring | Susannah York |
Release date | 1962 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
The play was filmed by the BBC in 1962.
Cast
See also
References
- ^ Richard Waterhouse, 'Kenna, Peter Joseph (1930–1987)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/kenna-peter-joseph-12727/text22951, published first in hardcopy 2007, accessed online 3 April 2015.
- ^ "It seems to me". The Australian Women's Weekly. Vol. 26, no. 42. 25 March 1959. p. 12. Retrieved 11 June 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Drama in Paddo revitalised". The Canberra Times. National Library of Australia. 23 September 1972. p. 12. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
- ^ Martha Rutledge, 'Carr-Glyn, Neva Josephine Mary (1908–1975)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, published first in hardcopy 1993, accessed online 11 February 2017.
- ^ "Perry Masonnew honors". The Australian Women's Weekly. Vol. 27, no. 45. 13 April 1960. p. 66. Retrieved 11 June 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Teresa s Day" On Television". Sydney Morning Herald. 24 March 1960. p. 5.