Drama teachers upset

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34147, 7 May 1976, Page 4

Drama teachers upset

Strong criticism of a suggestion that the drama department of Radio New Zealand should close down has come from the Association of Teachers of Speech and Drama. The proposal came from the chairman of the corporation (Mr P. J. Downey), who said that for reasons of economy the drama department should close. “The snowballing effect of this will be that many actors will have to give up the profession, and this would hit and even close some of our already too-few live theatres,” said the association’s secretary (James Glover). Since being founded in the

1930’s by Professor Shelley,! radio drama has come a long way. From productions using part-time actors, it has grown to a stage where there are more than 50 fulltime professional actors in Wellington alone. Mr Glover claims some productions from the Wellington and Auckland studios are ranked among the best in the world. Radio drama productions ceased in Christchurch several years ago when it was decided to centre work on Wellington and Auckland. Actors’ Equity at the time protested. Well known actors and actresses received early training in radio drama studios. They include Pat Evison,

John Carson, lan Mune, James Laurenson, Nyree Dawn Porter and Ewen Solon. Many New Zealand writers have been nurtured by radio drama studios, and in 1973, 70 per cent of all radio plays broadcast in this country used New Zealand actors and material. Mr Glover says many New Zealanders want something more than moronic American television programmes. In Britain, as the novelty of television has worn off, more audiences are turning to radio. “New Zealand will be much poorer if radio drama studios are allowed to close,” Mr Glover says.