Palestine daily herald. [volume] (Palestine, Tex.) 1902-1949, 1904-10-19
GREEK PLAY OUTDOORS
1t Will Be Given by Students at
Berkeley, Cal.
ANCIENT MUSIC Is PRESERVED.

The "Ajsr" of sophocies Is Beinp
Rehearsed by Students In GreeL
Department of California Universi.
~ In Preparation For nm Open All
Presentation of the Famous TraK-
edy In Americas Greek Theater.
The fine eucalyptus and cypress trees
which look down into the beautiful
Greek theater at Berkeley. Cal. are tO
see something new under the Ameri-
can sun-a Greek tragedy given in the
open air. just as it might have been
given thousands Of years ago among
the hills OF Greece, says the New
York Herald
The opening of the theater year ago
was celebrated by the production OF
1.-The Birds" under the direction of the
classical department. 1t is more of an
undertaking to give a tragedy and to
assist the students in this effort. Pres
ident Wheeler of the University Of
California and the department of
Greek invited Miss Mabel Hay Bar
rows of New York to some TO Califor-
mia and take the direction of the
Ajax" of Sopbocles. She is in Berke-
ley, and the work is well under way.
The story of Ajax makes its appeal
today as much as ii did when it was
played before the old Athenians, 400
years before Christ 1t is as follows:
The arms of Achilles had been awarded.
after his death, to Odysse,ls though Ajax
was generally considered second to Achil-
les among heroes of that day. Ajax was
angry with thwarted ambition and vowed
vengeance on the men who had voted
against his claims In the dead of night
he went out to kill these foes. or at least
the chief Of them, Agamemnon, Menelaos
and Odysseus. Athena, who loved him
none too well, turned his blind fury
against the cattle which had been brought
in as booty. When morning dawned and
reason returned he was overwhelmed with
remorse and determined to end his own
life.
He bids farewell to wife and child and
friends, his warriors and sailors from
Salamis and, seeking a secret spot on the
seashore, buries his sword hilt in the
sand, falls on the point and dies. His
WIG llDuS lut DOuys pul Dt-
fore II can be removed Agamemnon and
Menelaos arrive in anger. declaring that
the body OF the would be murderer must
be left a prey for birds of carrion. Teu-
GER, half brother of Ajax. demands decent
burial for the dead chieftain and. through
his persuasions, backed up by the uneX-
pected approval of Odysseus, permission
IS granted to Teucer and his friends to
deal with the body according to usage.
pnda Wi ha fInaral
sion. the little child leaning his hand
upon his fathers bier, warriors and
sailors following, with Tecmessa, the
stricken wife. a picture of sorrow and
desolation.
The chorus, made up Of fifteen men,
SO distinctly feature of Greek trag-
edy, plays an important part. The
-6sbn- -saasalaaa- written spe-
for the play. The composer, Will
4 Peck Kent, of New York. made q
study of all the scraps of Greek music
that have survived to the present time,
including the famous hymn to Apollo
which was unearthed at Delphi ten or
a dozen years ago. The voices are &C
companied by quartet of clarinets.
The simplicity of this drama, with
its unity OF thought ana action, is its
main charm. 1t is rich in beautiful
lines and interesting in grouping. II il
a masterpiece that moves the heart OF
those who see il acted even though
they may not understand word of
Greek.
The training Of the students Is left
for their academic instructors. They
are required TO read and rrread a good
English version Till they are familiar
with the story 81 the play. the action
II demands and the emotions that are
excited. After some competition for
parts they are assigned in accordance
with the material that offers, certain
having to be considered.
Ajax must he the largest and tallest OF
all; Odysseus shorter: AgamemnOn tall
and handsome; the messenger fleet: the
attendants strong enough to shoulder
Ajax after the death scene; Tecmessa
pathetic and slight; her attendants
pretty and graceful. These physical re
quirements have been fairly met
among the students and graduates at
Berkeley. Miss Barrows herself takes
the part of Tecmessa.
Then comes the learning of the lines, |
no small task when 100 or more lines
must become so thoroughly familiar |
that they trip from the tongue with |
,ase and fiuency. sounding like poetry. |
Added TO this difficulty is the fact that |
the modern Greek pronunciation Is
Used In this production. The accepted |
Of the university\is the
I'D Erasmian. but on account Of it's |
superior musical quality, especially for
singing, Miss Barrows prefers the llv-
ng pronunciation.
II was the JOY OF giving play in an |
outdoor setting that induced Miss Bar
-ows TO cross the continent In the heat /
II summer and spend two months |
irilling the students in their lines
iances and singing Every day and all
lay long she may be found in the
beautiful theater training the actors
~ ones and twos or I'm larger groups
n spite Of the hundreds Of wayfarers.
odd Fellows and ordinary
ourists who wander mp the hill TO see
his new California wonder nestled
lmong the trees. which are even In