GOOD AND BAD PLAYS

Evening Post, Volume CXIV, Issue 25, 29 July 1932, Page 13

GOOD AND BAD PLAYS

LEGITIMATE LAUGHTER

In addressing the delegates attending the Women's Institute Conference yesterday afternoon, Miss Elizabeth Blake gave some interesting information as well as pouching the very spot of difficulty that many people see and notice about the modern plays and play-goers. Miss Blake spoke of the ideal plays, those full of clean amusement and fun, beautiful, exciting plays and others from which much conld be learned. Some people allowed themselves to be amused at the wrong kind .o£ things; they laughed at serious matters, and at others that were at times vulgar or degrading. The ',' distinction i with a difference" was that people should not laugh at. marriage, one of the most sacied of human relationships | but at really funny things that happened to, married people. It was regrettable that the public was sd easily satisfied; people would accept plays that were.about as good for them as sawdust would be to babies. Y«t there were a great-number of splendid plays io t be had; ex<sitiug, beautiful, funny, long and'short, but there were only a few who~were. brave and enthusiastic enough to produce them. She urged that great body of women who I belonged to the institutes should stand for good plays,'for they affected, not only Hie auctioned at the time," but the people of the icountry in time. Dramatic art should be really art, happy and ennobling, and it time that a number of faded tola, "cliches," such as mother-Maw- jokes and other historic ones of the kind, should be I eliminated. There was mo "golden rule" for dramatic work, but commonsense and imagination should both be used, t making all productions worth ■while in the best sense of the expression. The address was listened to with | deep interest and heartily applauded.