THE AMATEUR STAGE

Dominion, Volume 26, Issue 96, 17 January 1933, Page 7

THE AMATEUR STAGE

The Drama League’s First Six Months

(By

Victor S. Lloyd.)

At the reception held by the Pioneer Club and the British Drama League in honour of Dame Sybil Thorndike and Mr. Lewis Casson, Miss Elizabeth Blake, the organising secretary of the League in New Zealand, took the opportunity of giving a 1 resume of the work of the league in this country since it began six mouths ago. Miss Blake explained that the work of the league as an organisation included the encouragement of community drama throughout the country, helping to make drama a vitla and living force in the life of the nation, helping to give more people the capacity to make their beauty and laughter and recreations for themselves, helping to show people (who do not know it already) that bad plays are not easier to perform, or more, acceptable to audiences than good plays, and keeping always in mind that the good amateur actor, like the good professional actor, is not selfishly exploiting his own personality, but is a member of a team, playing for his side, thinking of his'author and his fellow-actors as well as of himself-

The New Zealand btanch of the British League came into being on the first of June last year. It is incorporated, and the constitution is so arranged that big,incorporated societies and little unincorporated societies can both enjoy all that pertains to membership. The two already existing Drama Leagues, South Canterbury and Hawke’s Bay. have become afliliated with the league, and area groups have been started in Christchurch and Wanganui. following on a personal visit and much spade work by Miss Blake. Colonel Brittain, president of the Auckland Little Theatre Society, has started the Auckland Area Group, and another member of the National Council, Miss Bessie Thomson, has'formed the Dunedin Area Group. Three Festivals Last Year. Three festivals of community drama were held last year: South Canterbury (in its sixth year) had sixteen teams competing and was judged by Mr. W. S'. Wauehop: Hawke’s Bay (in its second year) with seven teams competing was judged by Miss Blake, and Wellington (in its first year) bad seventeen teams competing, and was judged jointly by Miss Blake and Mr. W. M. Page, the president of the Wellington Repertory Theatre. Mr. Wauehop was very enthusiastic about the splendid work being done In South Canterbury. Miss Blake was delighted with Hawke’s Bay, and all those who were in an official capacity at the Wellington festival felt that a good beginning had been made. The festival was marred in my opinion by an injudicious choice of play on the part of some of the competitors, and 1 hope that next year's festival will see bettei plays chosen —there are plenty of them, and there is absolutely no excuse nowadays to select trashy plays for production. The choice of play, however, does not rest with the Drama League, although the judges are In a position—and most decidedly should exercise their right—to express their disapproval of the choice'of play by" reducing the marks awarded. Perhaps I am being unduly hard on some of the competing teinas: after all, some of them had only been in existence a few weeks before the festival, and some of them presented their first play at.the festival. I am leaving my remarks as they are, however, because they may help to impress on competing teams for this year’s

festival the importance of choosing a good play. There will probably fie several more area festivals this year, and a final festival will be held in Wellington, at which the winning teams from the various area groups will'compete for the Myers Trophy Cup, which has been presented by Sir Michael Myers, president of the league in New Zealand. Amateur Producers’ Schools. Next Easter the first school for amateur producers and others interested in the technical side of amateur work will be held in Christchurch for three days, with Professor Shelley in charge; and: in the first week of the May holidays a week-end school will be held in ■ Wellington. In addition to rehearsal ' classes and lectures on lighting,, makeup, costume, and so on, there will be :an informal conference during which the' staff will reply to questions. On the Sunday morning Canon James will preach a special sermon at St. Paul’s on drama, and in the evening it is hoped to be able to produce a mystery or’miracle‘play. . Producers’ schools of this type are doing a great deal of important'work at Home and are extremely popular They are very much needed' in this country, where, the acting talent available is so great and where the producing talent is so rare and indifferent in quality. Play-writing Competition. In connection with the last Wellington festival, a play-writing competition was held, for which more than 70 plays . were submitted from all parts of New Zealand. Two trophies were awarded last year: the "Dairy Exporter" Tro phy for the best original one-act play performed during the festival, and . the “Radio Record” Trophy for the best original one-act play by a writer whose work had not previously been published. These were only to be competed for by New Zealand writers. Another competition of a similar nature will be held this year: in fact, the trophies are to be competed for annually. I had the privilege of judging these New Zealand plays, and was truly amazed at the genera) high quality of the plays submitted. Indeed, so good are they that arrangements have been made for publishing the best six in one volume. As Dame Sybil Thorndike has always shown such keen interest in the amateur playwright as well as the amateur player. I handed the six plays over to her and asked her if she would permit the publishers to dedicate the volume to her. Here is her reply: Dear Mr. Lloyd.— Thank you very much for letting me read the “chosen” plays. I feel very proud that you think of dedicating the published book to me. There is something individual and wholly expressive of this country in them ; and I should feel much encouraged if 1 were running a repertory theatre or an “adventure” theatre if I had such material at hand to draw on. I hope the Drama League will prove a help in getting these original efforts produced. They all deserve playing. Particularly I would like to mention “Fear”aud "The Touchstone” (incidentally these two’plays were placed equal first in the competition and won the trophy i . These highly dramatic —nuovel situations, and full of . life that must be expressed. They are cploured and. living creations. The other one, “Rabbits,” by V. Targuse, is excel-

lent. I should like to see anything this author turns his hand to in the writing way—a real aptitude for the theatre he has—(l’ve just seen it’s a Mrs. —I do apologise to her!) I think her work stands out first—quite honestly—l like the others — they strike me as true works—-works-that spring from life and not from smatterings of stage technique whieh alas, one meets only too often. Do urge production for “homegrown products”—it’s only in this way can we build up a living art—do work by other nations and peoples but remember art is a persona! expression first. All good luck to the British Drama League—l hope it unerths more of this quality —it will justify itself nobly! Yours sincerely, SYBIL THORNDIKE. On Choosing a Play. In the November issue of the British Drama. League’s magazine, “Drama,” which 1 have before me, is an article by G. E. Middleditch on choosing a play, oue of a series of articles on the “Aspects of the National Festival of Community Drifma,” which every amateur in this' country would find of great interest. I have not space to quote much of the article, but here are a few extracts: “No one can lobk through a list of al!the plays that have been entered in national festivals of community drama and tell me what constitutes a successful festival play. Nor, for that matter, can 1. 1 For, if “The Man Who Wouldn’t Go to Heaven” is the sort of play to choose, how are we to account for “Caiupliell of Kilmohr,” and if'Cl ordon Bqttomley is preferred at the Queen's Theatre, why should he take second place to “The Poacher” at the Garrick? Moreover, if one begins to examine the winning plays in the Area and Divisional Finals, it is only to discover confusion a thousand itmes confounded. Of only one thing I am sure: the winning play is obviously the right choice. Ask me what is the best play for. you to produce at the festival, and I think I can tell you. I shall say, “The one you like best.” When all of you who have gathered yourselves into a dramatic society can claim that the play you have chosen is unanimously popular, then I say you have chosen wisely. It often happens that a play seems to appeal to a very deep and profund pool of admiration within you, :so that you begin to have a real affection for it. and after a little rehearsal count it as one of your best friends. In that case you have probably found a play and also a part which sympathetically reflects your truest feelings, occasioning a response in you that at once stimulates the aesthetic sense and lures you along the broad highway of creative imagination to where you at length find yourself playing the part to a public audience. Acting with Understanding. “Suppose for a moment that this has happened. Suppose that all your colleagues have chanced on a play which takes your affections by storm and lays siege to your deepest sympathies. Then is it not extremely likely that each of you will play your parts understandingly? Is it not highly probable that the technique demanded by that part will be easily learned, and you will make your effects with that economy of effort which ultimately is the highest form of dramatic art? And is it not almost certain that your producer having such a coalition of sympathies with which to play, will orchestrate or harmonise the component parts of his production with such unhesitating ease that your audience feels itself watching a completed work of art?

“It is such considerations as these that should influence you in your choice of a festival play and not any thought of the winning play in previous years, or the supposed predilictions, of your judges, or sortie theory as to the aesthetic value of the play itself. Affection is infectious. Let it pervade your pro-

duction, and it will cross the footlights and soften the hard heart of your adjudicator. It is not always remembered that the great artists, the Duses, the Bernhardts, the Ainsleys, the Hardwickes, persuade us to like as they like and to love as they love. They dominate our affections and twist them to coincide with their own. That is what is known as acting, and I humbly suggest we need a little more of it in front of the excellent settings which our festival teams devise.” x And very sound advice, too 1 This Week’s Green-room Story. When Macready, the famous tragedian, -was playing “Hamlet” in America, he found fault with the actor, a local favourite, who took the part of the King. So severe was Macready that his Majesty determined at night to be revenged upon the great man by reeling, when stabbed by Hamlet, to the centre of the stage (instead of remaining at the back) and falling dead upon the very spot Macready had reserved for his own final effort before he expired in Horatio’s arms. Macready groaned and grunted, “Die further up the stage, sir. . . . What are you doing down here, sir? Get up, and die elsewhere, sir!” When, to the amazement of the audience, the King sat bolt upright on the stage, and said: “I guess, Mr. Macready, you had your way at rehearsal, but I’m King now, and I shall die where I please!”