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Our Historical Archive
San Francisco Call Bulletin
October 15, 1904. This article is reprinted below.
Disclaimer: All newspaper articles are reprinted exactly as they appeared in the newspaper regardless of misspellings, grammar,
errors, or omissions.
Greek Play Proves a Success at Berkeley
Students of Greek Department Give Artistic Performance of "Ajax" of Sophocles at State University
OAKLAND OFFICE
The Bulletin, 1938 Broadway
BERKELEY, Oct. 15. - Despite the uncertainty of the weather and the postponement made necessary by the serious illness of Miss Mabel Hay
Barrows, who was to have taken a leading part in the play, quite a large crowd of people made made their way to the Greek Theater in
Berkeley this morning to witness the presentation of "Ajax" of Sophocles. The play was given in the original Greek by students of the
university under the direction of the faculty in the Greek department. From an artistic standpoint the play was quite a success, the
stately Greek theater under the open sky helping the audience immensely in its effort to imagine itself back in the golden days of the
Athenian republic come 400 years before Christ, when Sophocles held the stage.
Although the tragedy was given in the ancient Greek, the acting served to explain itself and numerous literal translations of the play
scattered among the spectators aided the understanding. The beauty of the costumes and the dancing of the children and the procession of
the Greek audience before the play began was an interesting part of the production. Altogether those who had charge of the play are quite
pleased with the result, and pronounce the first production of "Ajax" ever given in an American university a success.
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