DRAMA COUNCIL

Evening Post, Volume CXL, Issue 48, 25 August 1945, Page 8

DRAMA COUNCIL

DOMINION-WIDE BASIS

A decision to form an organisation to represent the amateur dramatic movement in New Zealand was made yesterday afternoon at a conference of delegates from the repertory and dramatic societies in the bigger cities and towns. It was decided to. call the new body, which will be a central consultative one, not a controlling one, the New Zealand Drama Council. Delegates will refer back to their own committees the following suggestions of the conference: (1) Affiliation to the council should be granted to societies with a membership of not fewer than 100 subscribing members. (2) An affiliation fee of £5 should be levied on societies with up to 500 members, and £10 for societies with larger memberships. (3) An annual subscription should be received from the societies of £1 for every 50 of their members or part thereof. (4) The council should consist of delegates each of whom would represent no fewer than 250 society members. (5) The council should meet at least twice a year, one of the meetings being the annual conference. (6) The place of meeting should be in Wellington. (7) An executive of eight delegates, comprising at least three representatives from both islands, should be elected at the annual conference.

A sub-committee with the chairman of the conference. Mr. W. S. Wauchop as convener, was set up to form a provisional executive of the New Zealand council to implement the recommendations made at the conference. The committee, which consists of Messrs. G. H. A. Swan (Wellington), N. Russell (Wellington), C. P. Brown (Wanganui), T. M. N. Rogers (Manawatu), D. I. Macdonald (Canterbury), and Mrs. A. O. Heany (Wellington), will decide the constitution of the council after the various societies have had the opportunity of discussing the proposals. On the suggestion of Mr. C. G. Kirk (Nelson), the council is to be asked to consider the establishment of a New Zealand Drama School.