Wellington Drama Festival

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 5, 1 October 1935, Page 11

Wellington Drama Festival

Sir. —As a lover of the drama I cannot refrain from venturing' some remarks on Friday's performance of the Wellington section of the British Drama League, which I ask you to be good enough to find room for in your columns. In the first place, I would express the belief that if the good work of the league were better known generally, bumper houses would reward the efforts. of the participating organisations and wide support would be accorded. In these days of "canned noise,” wrongly labelled music, the efforts of the British Drama League deserve the utmost support, and should be more widely known. I venture the opinion that the method or rule of the adjudicator’s hurried critisiem, while primarily a good idea as a final rehearsal criticism, when given publicly can only have the effect of diminishing effort and. might, tend toward the extinction of a very excellent and praiseworthy means for tlie advancement ot a better knowledge of British drama. This is demonstrated by the serious falling ok of entries which, I understand, has taken place this year. Would it not be better for the adjudicator (whose point of view might be neither immaculate nor infa.libie) to report later on strictly-laid-down points to a disinterested committee whose final and considered judgment would more appropriately determine tlie result? Such a method would eliminate the purely personal element of an adjudicator’s point of view. In his criticism last night, the assumption bv tbe adjudicator of the remoteness of n sharper’s office as being impracticalo and absurd was quite wide of the mar.;, and his following strictures were somewhat out of focus. Then again, the wed thought-out interpretation of , Edward Percy’s truly dramatic work “Women at War” failed to obtain recognition, although the League’s iderils were, observed in its performance. “The Pacifist, by Olive Popplewell deserved tbe encouraging remarks of the adjudicator. In fairness to the adjudicator, to the performers, and indeed to the league s objects, should not the proceedings of future public performances by the British Drama League be amended? —I am. C ' tC ” LAERTES. Wellington, September 28.