JAMES CAIRD SOCIETY SHACKLETON NEWS

ANTARCTICA MUSICAL

The first Antarctic musical, Great Scott!, had its premiere performance in June at the King's School in Parramatta, Sydney, with an orchestra and 90 voices.

A theatrical presentation of Scott's tragic polar party, it is the work of composer David Jensen and writer David Burke. Frank Debenham and Griffith Taylor, scientists with Scott's expedition, were students of the school, and items associated with them were displayed at the theatre for the performance.

Extracts from Scott's diary, Antarctic slide scenes and a narration by Frank Debenham helped unfold the story of Scott's doomed march to the pole.

David Burke has made four trips to the Antarctic, and is the author of Monday at McMurdo, and more recently, Moments of Terror : The Story of Antarctic Aviation. It was hoped the musical Great Scott! would tour in eastern Australia, and a video may also become available. (Details from Polar Whispers, the newsletter of the New Zealand Antarctic Society, Issue 7, June 1996).