Miss Nola Millar, Theatre Producer

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29744, 10 February 1962, Page 2

Miss Nola Millar, Theatre Producer

Working with people, seeing and helping them improve to create a play was the most rewarding aspect of being a theatre producer, said Miss Nola Millar, one of New Zealand’s leading professional producers, last evening. Miss Millar was in Christchurch to hold auditions for the Phoenix Theatre’s production of “The Pohutakawa Tree,” by Bruce Mason, which she will produce.

The Phoenix Theatre applied to the Arts Advisory Council for a grant to be used as a production fee for Miss Millar. Last December the council made available £125. It was one of the few grants made. Miss Millar, who produced a New Zealand play, “Flowers Bloom in Summer,” last year said she was looking forward to doing another. “Bruce Mason has given me permission to make any changes I think necessary for the improvement of the play. It is, I understand, 'the first time that an amateur company in New Zealand has put on this play,” she said. Three Maoris The main problem associated with the production was to find three Maori players for the leading roles. “The play is about the struggles of a Maori chieftainess to keep her old way of life intact against the erosions of pakeha culture, which attract and seduce her son and daughter. Hers is a strongly dramatic role, while those of her daughter. Queenie, and her son, Johnnie, have equal importance It is essential that they are played by Maoris,” she said Miss Millar has been producing plays since she left school and joined the old girls' association. "They wanted to pu* on plays but had no-one to produce. I

stepped in, found I liked it and have been producing since.”

Most of her production knowledge was learnt from entering plays in British Drama League festivals “There were some very fine adjudicators, who were extremely helpful in their comments. I was able to learn a lot from them.” Before becoming a professional producer. Miss Millar was a reference librarian with the Turnbull Library and later at the Victoria Unversity of Wellington. In 1948 she joined the Unity Theatre in Wellington and was its president for about seven years. Miss Millar is still associated with Unity, being a life member, and still produces plays for the theatre Insufficient Time What made her decide to become a professional producer? One contributing factor was receiving numerous requests from drama societies to produce their plays and not having enough time to do them.

"After spending 18 months with the New Zealand Players as manager, I returned to Victoria, but requests still came in and I decided to try and earn my living as a professional producer ” Miss Millar has become well known for her productions of both classical and

contemporary plays. “There is a strong demand in Wellington for contemporary plays. Brendan Behan’s "rhe Hostage, and Brecht's ‘Mother Courage’ are two of my recent productions which were well received by Unity’s audience.”

What is the future of theatre in New Zealand? Miss Millar considers that it will not develop in the form of a national touring company. “At the moment the costs of a professional company are too high to make it profitable. Instead, I feel that New Zealand will develop a semi-professional theatre.” Miss Millar said it was possible that the main cities could tach support a semiprofessional company. These could ’.our the provinces and make exchange visits.