The Homecoming

The Homecoming by Harold Pinter (1969)

In 1969, her first year as Theatre Director , Jennifer Blocksidge’s determination to challenge the membership with her play choices was evident, as was the good sense that made her refrain from too much change too quickly.

The one confronting play which upset some older members was Harold Pinter’s The Homecoming. “We regret their embarrassment” she wrote in her first Director’s Report, “but feel that if we are to grow as a Theatre of any stature, we must take our yardstick from world theatre – and not just ‘play it safe’ in our somewhat isolated corner of the country”. She emphasised that “our aim was not only to entertain but also to stimulate and to offer for discussion plays of artistic merit”. She was, in essence, returning Brisbane Repertory to its original mission of producing plays of literary or dramatic merit and educational value.

Writer: Christine Comans