NEW ZEALANDERS' DIALECT

Press, Volume LXXX, Issue 24270, 30 May 1944, Page 5

NEW ZEALANDERS' DIALECT

DIFFICULTY IN STAGE PRESENTATIONS VIEWS OF NGAIO MARSH The diMculty of trie New Zealand accent, from the point of,view of dramatic productions, was mentioned by Miss Ngaio Marsh, the novelist, when addressing the New Education Fellowship at Canterbury College last night, The dialect of the New Zealander. i>e- ' cause of slipshod pronunciation of consonants and avoidance of vowels, was., practically inaudible from the stage. Miss Marsh said, ■ ; The subject for discussion was The ~ Citizen iri the City,” and Miss Marsh dealt with the city’s cultural life, and,, confined her remarks in the main to the drama, which she described M “very much the Cinderella of the arts in New Zealand. New Zealanders, she. said, spent thousands annually, upon competitions, the cultural value Of which was at least dubious and‘debat- , able. Tens .of thousands of pounds were spent on the cinema, which had no cultural value at all. as important foreign films were rarely, if ever, exhibited in the Dominion. Millions were spent on horse-racing. > . “But as far as drama is concerned, we have a few people contributing either a guinea or half a guinea annually assisting groups for which the term repertory is often a courtesy title,” she continued. After recalling some of .the notable theatrical' productions in New Zealand of an earlier era. Miss Marsh said that with the advent of the talkies “one seemed to hear the desolate slamming of theatre doors” in all parts of the country. When the stage doors reopened, she added, it was not to admit professionals, but amateurs. As the work of the latter became more and more popular so did the quality of the work improve. With the assistance of professional producers a high standard of production had been achieved, and undoubtedly the presentation of good plays and stage presentations had a tremendous cultural stimulus. However, acting was a craft, and Miss Marsh believed that the standard attained could not very well be exceeded without additional professional help. “We are so isolated here, so very far from tha great centres, that if we are not careful we will grow into another lot of Pitcairn Islanders,” she concluded.