FESTIVAL OF DRAMA.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 223, 20 September 1935, Page 3

FESTIVAL OF DRAMA.

COWARD AND SHAKESPEARE. TWO NEW ZEALAND PLAYS. The fourth, night's programme in the British Drama League's festival of community drama was attended by a splendid audience last evening in the Town Hall Conceit Chamber. The festival will be continued to-night, to-morrow evening (with a children's matinee in the afternoon") and on Monday night, when cups and certificates will be given and winning teams will present special performances. Last evening's first play was a thoroughly amusing skit on spiritualism by Noel Coward, entitled "Weatherwisc," done with an excellent sense of farce by the Mount Albert Grammar School Dramatic Club, Mr. J. W. Bailey producing. Feminine members of the audience were highly amused at the mannerisms, both affected and unconscious, of boys dressed to represent women. The adjudicator, Mr. Kenneth Brampton, mentioned that this play was entered in the juvenile section, but was nevertheless splendid adult entertainment.

The second presentation of the evening was a "Midsummer Night's Dream" extract by the "As You Like It Club," who staged two scenes from "Hamlet" on Tuesday. The adjudicator commended the splendid lighting effects secured by Miss Joan Edwards, the producer, which, he said, were the best he had seen since the festival started. He referred to a fine silhouette effect secured for Oberon and Puck. Miss Edwards took the former role at a few days' notice and she did remarkably well. Puck (Joan Airey) was perhaps the finest performance in the piece. Hermia was played by Joan Mackav, Helena by Margaret Lee. Lysarider by Audrey Penty and Demetrius by Hcla® Speary. Mrs. M. M. McCalium produced one of the best New Zealand plays seen during the festival. Ethel Sehmitt's "Maw o£ the Amber" gave members of the Lyceum Club Drama Circle opportunities for deep emotional expression. In this respect, Miss Edna Craig as Mrs. Barbara Drummond, in the words of the adjudicator, "played the role to perfection. The whoie play, he said, was an even and smooth performance. The other players were Miss T. Clark, Mr. Max Robertson and Master John Mackenzie. A remarkable study of the evils of racial intermarriage was splendidly brought out, in Mr. Brampton's opinion, in The Optimists' production of Violet Spurlings play, "The Parting of the Ways," which, closed the programme. Mr. Brampton added that it was difficult to believe that the players were inexperienced, since they had done so well in bringing out _ the meaning of the piece and in emphasising the emotional climax. Miss June Holmes was excellent in the role of the faithful half-caste girl married to an Englishman, who no longer saw romance in her or her people. Desmond Locke was a most colonial type of Englishman, and appeared to dream for his Cotswold hills and Kentish hop fields without having ever sot them. A difficult role was carefully delineated by Hilda Phillipson. Albert Alarshall was cast as the heroines fullblooded brother. The adjudicator praised the company's enterprise and ability, but noted lack of perfection in make-up, mechanics and stage movements.