COMMUNITY DRAMA

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 259, 29 July 1937, Page 2

COMMUNITY DRAMA

Sixth Annual Festival Opened PROFESSOR SHELLEY AS ADJUDICATOR There was not more than a handful of people present at the Town. Hall Concert Chamber last night for the opening of the sixth annual festival of one-iiet plays of the Wellington area of the British Drama League.The president. Rev. D. J. Davies, said it was unfortunate that one of the competing teams scheduled for that evening could not appear, and that in another of the plays, one character would have to be read, as the person east for the part had been taken ill. They wore pleased, however, to have as their adjudicator this year one so eminent in matters cultural as Professor J. Shelley. . The programme for the eveniH&-with a brief resume of the was .as follOM'S :— . The St. John’s Players im ‘ Agnes in Autumn,” by Gertrude Webster. Players: Margaret Parton. Joan Kilt leen. Norman Jardine. Molly MacKenzie, and Gordon Hoopey. Professor Shelley said that audience? were not the best judge of what was a good production. They knew what they liked, of course, just the same as people knew what they liked in paintings, but actually, the good production hid itselt in the production. When one saw acting of such a charactei that it made some people say how good it was, so good that it drew attention to.the person overmuch, then it obviously was bad acting. In this play there were lots of mistakes and some good points- Most marks were given for acting and production; others for make-up, acquaintance with the stage, costumes, lighting, and so forth. Hie make-un was not good —too little attention had been paid to it. The entrances had not been worked out, and the characters had not asked ti. ipselves in what state of mind they were supposed to bo, a very usual mistake with amateurs; The players did not make the characters as though they belonged to one another. There was no unifying tone, and the pace was much too even. It was a good little nlav. and lie would like to see it well rehr arsed and played again another two months. “I am being cruel, I know, , said Professor Shelley, “but it is only to be kind. . . a-r The Garrick Players m p Glass Houses.” by Philip and Howard Agg. Players: Meh a Miller, Gladys Stiles. Lorna Adame, Mollie Shearer and Velda Collett. i'On the whole the spirit of the play was good,” said Professor Shelley, and the mr nner of the period was falrl y sustained.” He said that, ' teurs, the pace was too even. M hat would music sound like were no notice taken ot rest marks? Then when the ladies were being shown up by Madame Rossignol the awkwardness of their being bowled out was not made obvious enough—-they were afraid of the pause. In all cases the situations were not worked out, as was shown when the gossips met Madame Rossignol (whom l they hope to banish from Batn). The singer (Rossignol) should be remote from the rest at first; then, as she bowled each out. in turn they should become remote from one another, instead of being a group of persons of which Rossignol was only one. When the gossips were shown up there was not any sign of ten■yity—in short, the situations had not been worked up as they might have been. They must always endeavour to make the acting, gestures and . situations Fay the same thing as the words. It was just like composing a piece of music. The scenery, lighting and grouping must say the saute thing. On the whole it was a very enjoyable production. Elizabeth McCombs Memorial Players in "The Great Dark,* by Dan Totheroh. Players;—Mrs. . P. Downes, Miss Reynolds, Mrs. J. Gibson, Mrs. Mitchell, Mrs. K. Baxter and Mrs. Grace. The adjudicator said that this was a very difficult play; one of the most difficult one-act plays he had encountered, if one made all the values to be got from it. A few alterations would have made all the difference to the success of. the play. Remember the scene —a collier’s cottage in the middle of the night; the women torn with grief and despair waiting to hear of the result of the explosion in the mine where their men were; the horror outside. But the full lights of the stage conveyed no hint of that. Had there been tin oil lamp on the table only to lighten the gloom and the agony of waiting, the atmosphere of the scene would have been complete. Nobody could act a ninst those full lights which suggested that all was merry and bright. Still there was lots of good work. Professor Shelley commented on the much too intelligent manner in which the Scriptures were read in the opening of the play, and also enlarged on the matter of stage lightin- and its importance in play production. Four more plays will be staged at this evening's session.