The English language television single play in South Africa : a threatened genre, 1976-1991.
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Date
1993
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Abstract
The thesis takes the form of an investigation into the various causes leading to
the demise of the English language television single play in South Africa. It does
not position the genre within any particular theoretical framework, but argues
within the context of a liberal/critical discourse that the single play owes its
development and significance to the contribution of its many writers, as well as to
the creative input of the various producers, directors, from within and outside the
SABC. Furthermore, it evaluates the genre within the bureaucracy of the SABC
and the input of the various drama managers, among others, whose decisions
have affected the position of the single play.
The single play is seen as a development of drama having evolved from the stage
play, though moving progressively towards the production values of film.
Research will show that in the South African context, the creative practitioners of
the single play and technology have intersected with style, reflecting the dominant
form of naturalism, mainly evidenced during the early period when many single
plays were produced in the studios of Auckland Park. Within a wider sociopolitical
context, the single play has been evaluated as a negotiation among
writers, censorship, technology, naturalism and bureaucracy.
The investigation will show that the major cause for its demise was the SABC's
increasing commercialisation of TV -1, with the result that programmes on this
channel were evaluated in terms of their ability to deliver large audiences to the
advertisers. This placed the single play in competition for transmission space with
the more popular drama series and serials. Furthermore, the business principle
of cost-effectiveness applied to the single play made it more expensive to produce
than series and serials.
The author's own practical involvement in the production of video and television
programmes, including drama, together with primary source information gleaned
from some forty interviews with practitioners and those whose decisions impacted
on the genre, have been added to the body of the research.
Description
Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1993.
Keywords
Television plays, South African (english)--History and criticism., Television broadcasting--Social aspects--South Africa., Television programmes--South Africa--Rating., South African Drama (English)--History And Criticism., Theses--Drama and performance studies.