ONE-ACT PLAYS

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 260, 31 July 1944, Page 3

ONE-ACT PLAYS

Drama League’s Festival Ends

“SANCTUARY” THE WINNER “Sanctuary,” the one-act play by Phoebe M. Rees, played by the Wellington Last Old (Uris’ Dramatic Society, and produced bv Vai ma I Stone, proved to be the winning effort in the annual festival of the British Drama League's Wellington area. Ranging over - four nights and concluding on Saturday night, 13 plays were presented, a good many of them with ali-tcmale caste, but the adjudicator. Mrs. Craig Mackenzie. had no difficulty in arriving at her decision. Before the announcement of the winners of the competition, the final three one-act plavs were presented. All three were played wholly by women and girls. The plays were: — „ . . Waterloo Fabian Dramatic Society, in “One Wedding, Two Brides.” by . Ursula Bloom. Produced by Mary Dowse. 1 layers: Alary Dowse. Joan '.Milne. Clarice Symon. Audrey Scott. Beryl Shepherd. Noeline Symons, and Mary Hayman. lhe adjudicator said the people concerned were luirdlv experienced enough to sustain the dramatic intent of this somewhat tawdry play. The setting was pleasing, and the room was arranged so that it looked as though it had been lived in. but Hie tempo of the performance was much too slow, the players did not cap one another s lines quickly enough, and llioj’c was wrong emphasis here and there. The players should always remember to “dress the stage.” that was,* to preserve the picture presented on the stage to the audience, and. by appropriate movement, refrain from masking one another. .. The Wellington East Girls’ Dramatic Society. in “The Chimney Corner, by Al. E. Atkinson. Producer, Nola Flavors: Janice McDonald, Beryl McMillan.* Esme Grinrod, Rae Carter and Marjorie Stone. This good little play of the underground movement in Belgium, had good dramatic moments, said the judge, and it worked up to a good climax, but there wore places whore one player could have shown more emotion and more graceful deportment. The old lady was admirably played by a strong player. She never did anything without a reason; she looked old and worn, and used her hands artistically. It was the best piece of acting in the festival. The Jacqueline gave an attractive* performance, showing considerable promise. She should do well in the future. Her eyes were used expressively. Much could be suggested by a glance of G * Karori Plunkot Readers in “''j l }*,. tor Women,** bv Audrey B. King (of Wellington). Protlucer. Grevillo Wiggs. 1 layers: Edna Wiggs, Grace Cooper. Nancy Wilson. Mav Leeburn, and June Hancock. The adjudicator .said it was a pretty difficult, job to keep a play of this kind flowing well, and this New Zealand author had set the players a rather difficult task. Some of the long speeches given the characters would road bettor Hinn they played. The dialogue should be broken up. When the five women sat. around they simply passed the conversational ball to one another, so that the tension died down instead of being built up. The performance of the old lady, Mrs. Thorpe, was outstanding, and the other old lady sustained the Irish brogue very well indeed. In commending the originality of the play, Mrs. Mackenzie said that the playwright must invent reasons for characters enter- w ing or leaving the stage, otherwise such movements were meaningless to the audience. Presentation of Awards. At the conclusion 'of the performances the awards for the festival wore presented. Mr. A. S. Farquhar, president, announced tlic result of the play-writing competitions, which were in two sections, (1) for a play on a New Zealand subject, and (2) general. lie had awarded the A prize in the first section to Margaret Kay, Wanganui East, for her play. “The Old Maid,” and the B prize went to Janet McLeod, Christchurch, for her play, “The Tables Turned.” In the general section the first prize went to B. Wilson, Dunedin for her play, “The Moving Finger Writes,” and the second to Violet Spurling, Auckland, for her play, “The Night, is Dark.” Mrs. Mackenzie announced the honours in the play-acting compelitiou, which wore as follows:—“Sanctuary,” A certificate, 88 points (out of possible 100); “The Cave,” A, 8(5 points: “The Chimney Corner,” B, 79 points; “The Lovely Miracle,” B, 76 points, “War for Women,” B, 72 points; “Background for Tragedy,” C, 70 points; “The Locked Chest,” C. 69 points; “Birds of Passage,” C. 68 points; “The Waxen Man” (Daphne Violieh Players), D, 66 pointe; “One Wedding, Two Brides',” D, 65 points; “Hands Across the Sea,” D, 61 points: “World Without .Men,” D. 55 points; “The Waxen fl[an”(Young Pretenders), D. 53 points. The Sir ’Michael (Myers Cup for the best play presented at the festival un a New Zealand subject was awardedto Airs. Audrey King, Wellington, for her play, “War for Women,” a play which deals rather cleverly with the delicate subject of birth control in wartime, and how a young married woman is taught her duty by Hie recital of her own experience by an old lady of pioneer stock.