DRAMA FESTIVAL OPENED

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27427, 13 August 1954, Page 12

DRAMA FESTIVAL OPENED

Four One-Act Plays Presented GOOD PERFORMANCE BY BEDFORD ROW CLUB A most polished performance was given by the Canterbury Repertory Bedford Row Club with its production of “My Girl’s a Yorkshire Girl,” presented on the opening night of a festival of one-act plays at the Repertory Theatre last evening. The festival, held annually by the Christchurch and North Canterbury area of the British Drama League, has this year attracted 12 entries—six each in the A grade and B grade. The last play of the evening, “My Girl’s a Yorkshire Girl,” was writtenand produced by Harold Pointer, who also took a part. It is a comedy of deception, in which the daughter of a homely Yorkshire family, with some acting ability, at first deceives a prominent London producer into thinking she was a common and rough-spoken mill girl, only to surprise him with a brilliant speech from Bernard Shaw’s “St. Joan.” He is “affronted” by the deception, but later, by a little blackmail, also a deception on the part of the girl’s mother, whom he knew previously, the contract is signed. Very competent performances were given by all members of the cast, which comprised, besides Harold Pointer, David Law, Jessie Pointer, Isobel Provan, Richard Barlow, Graham Robinson, and Penny Giddens. Their Yorkshire dialdct was delightful, and their comedy acting racy and convincing. Commenting on the production, the judge, Mr P. W. Cousens, of Wellington, said that when he read the play he thought there would be great problems in it across” satisfactorily. But he was delighted with what he saw.

“The cast gave it pace and did not over-draw the characters. They made therh convincing, making a good contrast between the two social strata —the Londoners from the stage and the Yorkshire family,” he said. “What pleased me most was that they showed a real understanding of comedy requirements.”

Another play in the A grade was Charles . Thomas’s “Jenny in the Orchard,” presented by the Canterbury Repertory Theatre Society and pro- 1 duced by Frona King. This is the story of a dream by a woman who, after reading the obituary notice of a childhood love sees the scene of an orchard 26 years before and tells her younger self of the disappointment that awaits her, and of her life in later years.

Sound interpretations of their parts were given by two young actors, Judy Phillips and Eric Hooper, and of the same persons 26 years later by Audrey Barlow and Derrick Hancock.

The judge said that it was obvious that much work had been put into the production, and much had been achieved. The characters were open to widely varying interpretations and they had been given well. He criticised the lighting at the beginning of the play, but praised the simple set for the orchard. “The members of the cast might have used a wider range in their voices, in view of the contrasts in interpretation available.” he said. B Grade Section

‘‘Joanna and the Candles,” a play with a religious setting by Joyce Dennys,* was presented by the South Brighton Women’s Institute, with Beryl Windsor as producer, in the B grade section.

The atmosphere of a convent in the reign of King Henry VIII, evident in the setting, was well produced by the nuns in the cast and the best performance was given by the kindly but dignified Mother Prioress (Muriel Sloan). Lorraine ' Richards, although her voice was a little monotonous, also made a good portrayal of the difficult part of the young Joanna. “The production showed commendable skill by the all-woman cast but there could have been an easier flow and more variety in the voices, and more attention to detail,” said the judge.

Also in the B grade, the Darfield Drama Club presented “At the Golden Ram,” by L. du Garde. Peach, produced by Ken Wooster. A difficult sequence, set in an English pub, when time went back to 1670 with changes to period costume, was fairly soundly handled. John Montgomery in a comedy part and Joan McCracken showed most ability. In his comment, the judge said that the play required a lot more speed, vitality, and spontaneity but it was a good attempt. The production would have been improved if the flamboyant, aristocratic manner of the period had been more closely studied with more attention to detail. The festival was opened by the president of the area (Miss Beryl BiggWither) who said that the winners of each grade would take part in the finals of the southern section of the contest, to be held in Christchurch in five weeks.