Plays And The Public

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31780, 10 September 1968, Page 9

Plays And The Public

Public taste—or at least Auckland taste—in plays is reflected in attendance figures released by the Mercury Theatre, the Auckland professional company, which announced recently that it had ended its first four months with a profit of several hundred dollars. There have 'been eight plays, and the attendances were: “The Admirable Crichton" (three weeks), 6750. “Dark of the Moon” (two weeks), 2000. “Alfie” (four weeks), 7750. “Fings” (three weeks), 5750. "The Merchant of Venice” (three weeks), 5750. “Winnie the Pooh” (two weeks), 6000. “A Flea in Her Ear” (three week), 5000.

Max Adrian (one week), 2000. Costs for the theatre have averaged $2500 a week. Box office receipts and sales., have accounted for all but lie in the $1 of the theatre's income. The balance is received in grants and subsidies. Several members of the company went from Christchurch to join it. They include Bruce Montagne, a leading actor in the ill-fated Canterbury Theatre Trust, and Neal and Jill Totty. Mr Totty, well-known in Christchurch as a jazz pianist and as a musical director of the students’ revue, is the trust's musical director; Mrs Totty is set designer. "The project was established in an atmosphere of some scepticism,” says Dr J. C. Reid, who has just resigned as chairman of the trust because he is to go on a 16-month trip’ overseas. “The fact that so much money was raised ($183,000). the theatre opened and the first season completed without loss has confounded the prophets of gloom, some of whom are now among the Mercury’s most active supporters. "But,” he says, “there is no room for complacency. “The continued success of the project calls for consistent public support, consistently high standards, continual financial prudence, continual vigilance, unremitting pursuit of larger audiences, unremitting dedication to the ideal of total theatre.” Experience has already shown that the modern pop plays win audiences but the board is committed to a policy of performing classic plays in period style however difficult. As Dr Reid says: “. . . it is essential that these areas are explored, firstly because the board and the director consider it their duty to drama in Auckland to mount world theatre plays and, secondly, because if the Mercury is to develop a high level of professionalism and its own distinctive style it must establish traditions of craft by encompassing plays which demand much of it.” Dr Reid emphasises the need for diversification in choice of play and adds that if the programme for 1969 is to be developed properly an increase in the Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council grant ($lB,OOO this year) is desirable.