A VERSATILE ACTRESS

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27308, 26 March 1954, Page 2

A VERSATILE ACTRESS

MISS PAMELA PAGE Miss Pamela Page, the English actress who will arrive in Christchurch on Tuesday to play in “Dial M for Murder,” is a remarkably versatile young woman who has studied many branches of stage work. Although neither of her parents was connected with the- theatre, they were anxious that she should choose the stage as a career.

She started at the age of five in “Alice in Wonderland” and while still a child took part in “Peter Pan” and in “Judgment Day," a nart she took over from Glynis Johns. She. has also acted in a film with Conrad Veidt, has done radio work and has danced in ballet before Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth when she was Princes Elizabeth. Anether interesting experience was playing in French for the Comedie Francaise, which had its headquarters in London during the war. Miss Page travelled through England with ENSA and then worked in 10 repertory companies. She has played with Jessie Matthews, Jack Hawkins and Alec Clunes, and in “The Barretts of Wimpole Street” she took over a part played by Sarah Churchill. Miss Page recently started her own company, Unicorn Players, Ltd. which plays for the spring season in Weston-super-Mare, and for the summer in Paignton, Devon. She is the managingdirector, the producer, the publicity even the box office and occasionally she is in the cast as well.

PARENTS’ UNION The first meeting of the year of the Christchurch branch of the Parents’ National Educational Union was held last evening at the home of Mrs George Francis, Desmond street, where the president (Mrs Norton Francis) presided. She welcomed new members and expressed pleasure that Mrs N. M. Peryer had undertaken the duties of secretary to the branch. Mrs W. J. Ramsay was appointed to the committee. Mrs George Francis and Mrs Janet Williams were hostesses. Mrs Francis read a letter from Lady Pamela Mountbatten, written from the Gothic, at Bluff, thanking Mrs Francis and members of the Parents’ Union for their kind letter of welcome to her and expressing regret that, in Christchurch, she had been unable to visit the Parents’ Union school, of which she had heard from her sister, Lady Brabourne. Lord and Lady Brabourne are joint presidents of the Parents’ Union in Britain. It was announced that members had contributed more than £7 to the National Council of Women’s Westminster Abbey fund and that they had sold £23 worth of health stamps in one day when the air race was claiming great public interest. Several remits from the National Council of Women were discussed and the delegate (Mrs Maurice Warren) directed how to vote on them. The speaker was Miss Lettice Loughnan, who outlined the life of Joseph Haydn, described some characteristics of his compositions and illustrated her points by playing some of his works.

Mrs Temple Smith thanked Miss Loughnan for her address.