DRAMA FESTIVAL OPENS

Hawera Star, Volume LIV, 19 September 1934, Page 9

DRAMA FESTIVAL OPENS

PRESENTATION OF FOUR PLAYS STANDARD GENERALLY HIGH STAGE SETTINGS- EFFECTIVE. Before an audience which taxed St. Joseph’s Hall, Hawera, to capacity last evening, the South Taranaki branch of the British Drama League opened the 1934 season, the second conducted under it-s auspices. Eleven plays are to be presented during the festival, and the first four ver© stage a last night, the adjudicator being ill Harison Cook, the well-known p reducer, of Wellington. The audience and the adjudicator were extended a welcome by Mr W. S. Gibson, who ■ apologised for the absence, through indisposition, of the president, Mr W. G .Simpson. He also extended the thanks of the league to Mr Harison Cook for coming at short notice to adjudicate, owing to the sudden illness of Mr Victor Lloyd, who was to have filled the position. The lighting effects and the stage settings were excellent, and indicated that much thought and artistry had been given to the mattter by the various producers. Flood lights- on the foot of the stag© in place of the footlights were a definite asset, and. most effective. The lighting effects wore controlled and arranged by Mi Martin Smith.

During the intervals between the presentations, musical items were provided by an orchestra- under the baton of Mrs W. A. Quin. Those in the orchestra were Mr and Mrs W. Snowsill, Miss M. Dolan, Mrs T. Brewer, Mrs Thomson, Mr A. Sargeson and Mr J. Henson.

COMMENTS FROM THE JUDGE. “PETER AND THE CLOCK.” (By Kitty Barne). Presented by the Little Theatre Drama- Class (Juniors). Fanny • Nonna Nixon Peter ... Pixie Kent Victoria Junne Goodwin Producers: Misses Nancy Kent and Maisie Instone. This was & story of the early Victorian period, all the characters being children. Fanny was going to a party, and the others had to remain at homo to go to bed because of their youth. Peter complained of the passage of time. Pleasant happenings passed off too quickly, while other matters, such as a visit to the dentist or a week in bed with chickenpox, the clock appear to lag behind. To rem■edy this he decided to “kill” the grandfather clock, and he and Victoria made a midnight excursion to the drawing room to accomplish it. He used a poker with devastating effect, but in addition to smashing the - clock, he also destroyed father’s supply of wine, which was hidden inside tte timepiece. . Mr Harison Cook prefaced liis comment on the merits of the play by saying that he was present, not to praise, but to criticise. This presentation could have been more childishly done. The costumes of the period were not- quite correct for children, as the long dresses gave the impression that the play was being done by grown-ups. Generally, the worji was well done, but the wait between the acts should have been shorter, and would have been more effective had a “black-out” been used instead of dropping the curtain. The actions were not quite childish enough, and Peter could have been more mysterious in addressing the clock. The second act would have been more effective had each child had a candle, as in the semi-darknessi it was difficult to see the expression ,on the children’s faces. The climax was extremely well brought out.

“THE| PLAYGOERS.” (By Arthur Pinero), - ; Played by the Hawera- Repertory . Club. • • The Master Mr Claude Harrison The Mistress Mrs Pat McKenzie The Cook Miss C. Really The Kitchenmaid .. Mrs Inez Corrigan Th© Parlourmaid .... Miss W. Knight The Housemaid ... Miss Joan Thomas The Useful Maid ... Miss Pat Healey The Odd Man ..:... Mr W. W, Thomas Scene: The morning room of a London House. • • ■ ■ - Producer: Mr Claude Hams on. With the idea of retaining the services of her domestic staff a newly married woman decided to give them a. night at the theatre. The idea when broached to the staff, met with a mixed reception, and following a xrood deal of explanation, instead of retaining the staff they ah. left m a body. The play wae brimful of comedy, which was much appreciated. The worst fault in this play, said Mr Harison Cook, was the killing of laughs through the characters resuming speech too soon following a comedy interlude, and th© piece was full of laughs. A number of unnecessary movements were made by some of ‘the characters. The mistress was not quite bright enough, while the voice of the “odd man” was too high in tone. Talking too quickly was the fault of another character. The stage positions were excellent, no person being hidden, which was difficult to accomplish when so many characters wore on the stage. Ihe team work was very..good, but for comedy, the speed was weak in some places' The stage setting ■ was very effective.

“KNIGHT TO MOVE.” (By* Adrian Hurley). Played bv the Hawera Repertory ■ * . Club. Maryan Cartaret' (wife of -Roger Cartaret) Mrs W. B. Farquharsoh Valerie (her sister) Miss N. Duckworth Roger Cartaret; Bart. .. Mr G. Chuck Margery Allen Miss L, Buist (Wan-Brown Mr G. Lawrence Maid Miss D. Thomas Scene; An upstairs sitting room in th© Cartaret’s town residence. . , Producer: Mr G. Chuck. A domestic tangle wae the plot of this play. The.. husband, a puritanical hypocrite, denied his wife her- pleasures through ref,using her money, while he had a good tini© and sought

amusement among other women, using his wife merely as an ornament toliis household. Eventually his wife finds him out, and she is then in a position to dictate what terms she pleases. A very effective setting,, was the comment ■ of Mr Cook regarding this production. Valerie’s voice was a trifle too monotonous in places., Maryan gave a good performance all round, although she illicit have got more out ot the climax. Oartaret was not guilty looking enough, when his wife found him out, and could have taken more tim© to display confusion. Margery was not viyacious enough for the character described by the author. The entrances- were wrong in this play, but it was not altogether the fault of the producer, as he had followed religiously the instructions in the manuscript. One of the strictest rules of the stage l was that entrances must be made by the same door a,s the exit, and in several instances this had not been done. The producer should have watched this very carefully, and lost marks through not doing so. He" could not complain about the performance, ]but, the technique was wrong.

“FLICKERING LIGHTS.” ; (By Ethel H. Madeley). ' • ' Played by Miss Maisie Instone’s Pupils. Mrs Goliglitly Miss Doris Gilmore Mary Silence ......... Miss Sylvia Davy Molly Davis Miss Joyce Goodvriu Roberta. Devizes (80bby)........ .:. .’Miss Vivien Jones Sergeant Owen - ‘ • Crumpton ......... >L- Noel King Producer: . Miss Maisie Instone -The plot of. this play was a very simple- one. ‘ Four women commence a game’of bridge, -when the lights fail. Resorting to a/candle, the light- does not prove . strong [enough to continue the rubber, so .Mrs Golightly telle the fortunes of two of them. Sbe foretells happiness' for one, and tragedy for Bobby, which comes true by' the arrival of a police sergeant .to arrest Bobby for. being the accomplice of : a criminal. Being found out, • she commits suicide by poisoning herself with an injection from a harigle she had stolen from her -partner in, the -flat: Commenting on the performance. Mr Cook stated that it was an extremely difficult matter to stage a play in semi-darkness and keep' it interesting. . The fire, fin (this case, was not strong enough to portray the expression oil the faces of the performers. Ohe of th© flood lights could have been used to advantage, and the positions of two •of the l characters could have been changed to give more effect. Mrs Golightly had a, remarkably . good voice at i times, (but at others-- she was almost inaudible. Her part had to be heard to get the story. The, climax was excellent, and could not have been improved upon. * v v j The officials controlling the festival are as follow: Chairman, Mr W. Simpson; hon. secretary. Miss Mary Quin; bon. treasurer, Mr G. Chuck; committee. Misses B. Earl, W. Knight and C. Reilly, Messrs W. S. Gibson and Claude Harrison. - The festival wil} continue to-night, and will' conclude to-morrow . night, when the results will be announced.