【英语听和读】戏剧的教育意义

Yvonne: When we think of the theatre, many of us simply think about being entertained.
But actress Pauline Moran, explains how a play can often deliver much more
as she tells us about her role in a South African play called “Bones”. That’s all
in today’s Entertainment from bbclearningenglish.com!
I’m Yvonne Archer 1 – hello.
“Bones”, a play that was written and directed by Kay Adshead, is set in postapartheid
South Africa – a time when it became illegal to treat people unfairly
simply because of their colour. In the play, Pieter is a harmless and very ill old
white man, but when he worked as a senior policeman, many of the local black
people he questioned simply disappeared.
Pieter’s wife, Jennifer, loves him very much and believes that he’ll be cured by
magic if she reveals the gruesome secret of what happened to all those people.
But will she? Before we find out, let’s hear from Pauline Moran, who plays
Jennifer. She explains why the audience begins to feel sorry for her…
Pauline Moran
Yes, yes – well you do realise that Jennifer is also a victim – at the end you do, because her
misplaced love has kept her in a loveless marriage for thirty-seven years and she’s been loyal
and she’s kept it a secret. She should never have done such a thing, you know, having
witnessed such an atrocity 2.
Yvonne: During the play, the entire community watches as the bones of friends and
relatives are dug up from the couple’s beautiful rose garden. But Jennifer
seems to be more upset about her roses and the noise than she is about all those 
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lost lives. Surprisingly, the audience does begin to feel sorry for her because as
Pauline says, she’s ‘a victim’ – someone who’s suffered and has been hurt - in
this case, by Pieter’s cruel and shocking actions. But Jennifer’s also suffered
because despite 37 years of marriage, Pieter hasn’t returned her love. She’s
suffered what Pauline calls ‘a loveless marriage’. As we continue, try to catch
the noun Pauline uses to describe Pieter’s cruel, shocking actions…
Pauline Moran
She’s been loyal and she’s kept it a secret. She should never have done such a thing, you
know, having witnessed such an atrocity. But in the end, she confesses and I think, in a sense,
is redeemed 3 because she’s laid bare all the true facts. But as to whether Pieter is forgiven,
that’s another matter entirely 4 and it’s probably up to each audience member to take away and
form their own opinion.
Yvonne: Did you manage to catch the noun Pauline used to describe Pieter’s cruel and
shocking actions? Yes, she calls them ‘an atrocity’ – a noun that’s often heard
during reports about war - so do listen out for it again after today’s programme.
Jennifer’s love and loyalty 5 to her husband made her feel that she couldn’t tell
anyone about the atrocities 6 she’d ‘witnessed’ – what she’d seen. But as Pauline
put it, she is ‘redeemed’ - forgiven and has put right a serious wrong by telling
the entire truth about what happened… Jennifer has ‘laid bare all the true facts’.
Pauline Moran
In the end, she confesses and I think, in a sense, is redeemed because she’s laid bare all the
true facts.
Yvonne: Of course, the same cannot be said for Pieter so the audience are left to decide
whether he will ever deserve the same consideration. 
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Yvonne: A play like “Bones” can be important in ‘raising awareness 7’ about the
apartheid years - bringing what happened to the attention of more people and
helping 8 them to understand more about that period of time. But who, in
particular, does Pauline think needs to be more aware of apartheid?
Pauline Moran
It’s definitely raising awareness because it’s surprising how little young people today do
know about the apartheid years. They haven’t any idea – it’s surprised us – even talking to
people after the play. They may have a very superficial knowledge of the things – that the
atrocities that went on. But I don’t think they teach it in schools as part of courses at all so
there’s a great deal of the pit of ignorance about it.
Yvonne: Pauline Moran has been very surprised at the tiny amount of knowledge – the
'superficial knowledge' - that young people have about the apartheid years. As
she put it, ‘there’s a great deal of the pit of ignorance’ about it - but fortunately,
the play is helping to change that.
Do you feel that plays are a good way to help raise awareness of important
issues? Perhaps you think they’re an entertaining way to teach history? Or,
maybe you think they give an audience too much drama and not enough facts.
Why not try to discuss that in English after today’s Entertainment from