Play on M.P. wins award

Press, 6 February 1982, Page 6

Play on M.P. wins award

PA Wellington A play based on the life of New Zealand’s first woman Cabinet Minister, Miss Mabel Howard, formerly the Labour Member of Parliament for Sydenham, has won the ■ Playwrights’ Association’k 1981 playwriting award.

The judge, Mr Grant Tilly, awarded first place to Mr Campbell Smith, of Hamilton, for “Mabel.”

He described the play as "a very sympathetic treatment” of the politician’s life. Wellington’s Circa Theatre is considering producing the play later this year. Mr Tilly awarded two second prizes. They went to Mr Craig Harrison, of Palmerston North, and Mr Malcolm Fraser, of Auckland. Like Mr Smith, Mr Harrison has written several previous plays. His entry, “Hearts of Gold” explores the meeting

in Samoa in 1916 of the author, William Somerset Maugham, and Sadie Thompson. This formed the basis of the story “Rain” which was later made into a motion picture.

Mr Tilly said the play moved effectively from the period setting to the present time, and was an “interweaving of truth and fiction.” “That’s No Lady,” by Mr Fraser, is a farce.

Mr Tilly said farce was difficult to write successfully, but Mr Fraser had succeeded.

“It made me laugh out loud in a number of places,” he said. “It should play very well.”

There were 52 entries in the competition, open to anyone resident in New Zealand for the last year, and Mr Tilly said he would have “highly commended” about 15. He was sure several would make good radio plays.