Religious Plays By Church Groups

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30274, 29 October 1963, Page 2

Religious Plays By Church Groups

Thought-provoking plays, with special application to many aspects of modern life, will be presented on two evenings this week by young wives’ groups of the Mothers’ Union in the Christchurch diocese. The object is to show the value of religious drama in parish life and in Young Wives’ Groups.

“Religious drama is often used in our programmes to promote discussion on pre-sent-day problems,” said Mrs H. J. Eaton, chairman of the Young Wives’ groups in the Christchurch diocese. The diocesan drama secretary, Mrs V. B. Foxon, said they were not Biblical plays, but a means of reaching those outside the church who might be interested in drama.

The plays will be presented at St. Mary’s Merivale on Wednesday and Thursday evenings. The proceeds will be used to send delegates from Christchurch to a Dominion Young Wives’ leaders’ school at Marton in February. The first play will be presented by the St. David’s ecumenical group comprising Methodists, Anglicans and Presbyterians. The theme of their play, "God in Great Britain," is the questioning by radio interviewers of persons in queues and in the streets.

An all-woman cast from the Shirley Young Wives group will present "Closed Windows,” portraying the conflict between old and new concepts of religion. The group’s first entry in the religious drama festival gained second place’ An active country group, the Mayfield Young Wives, will travel 60 miles to pre-, sent the last play on Wednesday evening, “From Five •to Five Thirty.” Members of this group are so widely scattered that it takes a great deal of time and effort to do this work. The first play on Thursday evening will be “The Guilty Generation,” by the St. Paul’s Papanui drama group. A new group, it represents men and women of all ages. The play is set in the year 2000 A.D. and depicts a small group of bomb survivors. The St. Bartholomew’s

Kaiapoi drama group, who will present “The Notice,” stems from a few members of the Mathers’ Union and Young Wives’ Group. Established for three years, it has entered in Religious Drama Society festivals, and puts on one-act plays, for the parish. "Celestial Error” will be presented by the St. Thomas’ drama group, comprised entirely of women. This play was placed second in last year’s religious drama festival.