More Grants Wanted For Dramatists

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31763, 21 August 1968, Page 2

More Grants Wanted For Dramatists

New Zealand would have a greater chance of developing talent in the theatre if more grants were available for gifted dramatists, a well-known personality in amateur theatre, Mrs Nancy Russell, of Hawera, said yesterday. Playwrights would be able to learn their craft if they had the leisure to develop their talent and if their plays were presented in New Zealand. Mrs Russell mentioned the work done by James K. Baxter under a Bums Fellowship. It was produced by Patrie Carey, of the Globe Theatre, in Dunedin. A life member of the Brit-

ish Drama League (New Zealand branch), Mrs Russell la an experienced drama judge, tutor, producer, actress, and critic. She is in Christchurch to conduct a junior drama school and to judge the South Island divisional finals of the B.D.L. national one-act play contest, on Friday and Saturday.

Reaping Benefits

The British Drama League was doing a great deal for New Zealand dramatists, she said. It encouraged the writing of plays and, in the last year or two, had started to reap the benefits, in the form of work by such dramatists as Warren Dribble (Hawera) and Wayne Tourelle (Dunedin). She would like to see more help given to the amateur movement, however. “It has been proved that we cannot tour professional companies, so help should be given to the amateurs, for from them will come players who will be good enough to be professionals in the future.”

What was needed, also, was greater public interest to encourage the players, for a play came to life only in front of an audience, whose mood greatly influenced the acting, Mrs Russell said. She thinks the number of young people taking part in plays now is “a tremedous indication of the future of drama in New Zealand.”

A group from Craighead School has reached the divisional finals of the national B.D.L. festival and

will perform the third act from“ The Insect Play," by the Brothen Capwk, on Saturday evening.

Drama Education Drama was becoming much more prominent in education in other countries and good work was also being done in New Zealand, Mrs Russell said. Classes were not aimed principally at training actors; they were valuable for developing self-confidence and Imagination and for making many lessons, other than literature, more graphic and memorable.

In Hawera, Mrs Russell works as a teacher of speech and drama. She Is the national vice-president of the New Zealand Association of Teachers of Speech and Drama and edits the association’s journal. She has been teaching since before her marriage, although she spent about three years working as a journalist 10 years ago. Mrs Russell has judged speech competitions throughout New Zealand for a number of years, as well as producing and acting in amateur theatre in Hawera. She also writes reviews for newspapers. The members of Mrs Russell’s family are interested in drama, although her husband and son do not take an active part One daughter has done a considerable amount of amateur work and the other, married to an Australian actor, is at present touring secondary schools jn Australia with a professional company.