DRAMATIC ART

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 125, 30 May 1938, Page 4

DRAMATIC ART

YESTERDAY,AND TODAY

W.E.A. LECTURE

; Last week Mr. E. Hogg gave the dpening lecture of a series of twenty to be given, on the subject of "The Drama of Yesterday and Today." This lecture course is being conducted by the' Workers' Educational Association in the. Trades Hall.

| In his introductory lecture, Mr. Hogg 1 dealt with the drama as a literary form 1 distinct from other forms of narrative, 1 such as-the novel and the .short story. , The drama had its origin .In the tribal dances of primitive peoples, and in the ritual observances of earlier times, he . Aid. ' The deed came before the word, ; the dance before the dialogue, the gesture before the logic of thought. This desire to impersonate was commonly seen in children's games when they said ''Let's pretend." When children grew up-or when people became more civilised they rarely took part in these impersonations, but left that to the actors on the stage. As people sat in the Audience during the performance of a play they judged it a success or not by the degree to which belief or illusion was complete in them, or by the extent to Which they identified themselves with the characters portrayed. This abt of impersonation, either' directly or by identification with the actor, enlarged, for the time being, the ality and gave a sense of sharing the life of others. Mr. Hogg showed how the dramatist ii influenced by the theatrical conditions of his time. While he might decide to abide by them, to modify them, of to revolutionise them, he said, he could scarcely help being influenced ■ by. the facilities existing for the staging of his plays, the Greek dramatist . writing for performance in an open forum, Shakespeare and his contempo- ' raries for the Elizabethan platform stage, the modern playwright having available such devices as the revolving The lecture concluded with an analysis of Galsworthy's "Silver Box," as an example of the playwright's craftsmanship. Galsworthy, in expound-j ing his theme that "there is one law 1 for the rich and another for the poor," was confronted with the problem of 1 stating, this in terms of dialogue to be | presented on a stage. His method of 1 exposition in the opening scene led f smoothly and inevitably to the com- ; plications in the.following scenes and | to the denouement in the courtroom [ scene at the end of the play.

It was arranged to form a play-read-ing circle in connection with this class, and the first reading will be held next Thursday at the conclusion of the second lecture of the series, which will deal with comedy and farce as types of plays.

KILBIRNIE WRESTLING CLUB. The Kilbirnie Wrestling Club will hold a grand opening entertainment on Wednesday at 8 p.m. at their new premises, Rex Hall, Kilbirnie Crescent, where there is more comfortable seating accommodation. The stage has also been specially prepared. A very fine programme has been arranged. Vaudeville acts will take up the first half of the programme, -and in the second half there will be selected interclub wrestling bouts.