THE RADIO PLAY

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 143, 14 December 1933, Page 26

THE RADIO PLAY

A FAMOUS WRITER'S ADVICE

A correspondent ("Thespis") writes commending the comment published last week, in which the formation of a radio repertory group was advised in a passage quoted from a Christchurch writer. Ho urges that the Broadcasting Board should give the idea a trial for a period of. say, three months. He points out that Wellington already has a very successful producer of radio plays. There is no doubt that a very large section of listeners thoroughly enjoys a good play as a change from music, and it has already been shown that we do not have to rely upon imported niaterial. The range of subjects and emotion which can be depicted through the microphone is unlimited, and broadcasting offers a splendid opportunity i not only for New Zealand writers, but for some of the accomplished amateur actors who are displaying their talents on "repertory" stages. Those who feel they can write radio plays should not wait till they are asked for them, or until some competition is started to stir them into activity. A good radio play submitted to an intelligent broadcasting manager is not likely to be rejected without careful consideration. There comes to hand as if to meet the need of the moment an interesting article by Montague Glass, writer of the famous "Potash and Perlmutter," giving some excellent advice to those who wish to write microphone plays. "My advice to young authors who would cast their lot with radio is to sell their desks and typewriters, if necessary, and acquire a good stop-watch. Time is the all-important factor when one is before the microphone, and it is generally too late to cut a script and preserve its character and continuity when broadcasting time comes near. The cutting should begin long before the microphone stage is reached. "It is not wise to try to crowd too much material in a short story, and that goes double for radio," he continued. 'The ideal number of characters is four or five, no more, and they should be made to speak slowly and distinctly, for the microphone is an ear, not an eye, to those outside who can only listen. It's much the same as writing, a. play for blind people. Not that I advise listening at keyholes, but radio is something like that. Try it some. time. You will probably be insufficiently enlightened at what is going on inside unless the people are actually rehearsing a radio play, which is meant to cover the limitations of lack of sight. "The listener should not have to listen intently to get the thread of the story. Characters should speak slowly so the audience can thoroughly apprehend the story. During a broadcast you cannot ask your ' neighbour, 'What was that he said?' "And another piece, of advice to writers of any kind, and I'm willing to be quoted on it, is that the creators themselves must be able to enjoy their own material. "In writing broadcast episodes it must always be remembered that every stage effect, every situation, all substitutes for facial expression, gestures, and stage movements, have to be adequately expressed in language or sound. Such Writing must be done by persons who are familiar with telling stories in dialogue form. In characterising, the author must rely on the dialogue employed to convey the impression ' he wishes. It is astonishing how one can convey by dialogue the part of a strong man, a weak man, the fleshy or thin person, by the type of voice the actor uses and the words he is given to recite. One of the cardinal principles in radio sketch-making is that the actors' voices must contrast perfectly to prevent-lis-teners from being confused. And it's a good point to have the characters call each other frequently by their stage names. This keeps the audience closely in touch with the action. When neyy characters are introduced this rule is especially significant."