HIGH HONOURS

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVII, Issue 241, 10 September 1937, Page 2

HIGH HONOURS

DRAMA LEAGUE FESTIVAL. PALMERSTON NORTH TEAM. High honours have been secured by the Palmerston North Little Theatre Society and its producer (Mrs S. 1 . Bristow;, whose production. “A Privy Council,” with “The Three Hundredth Performance,” presented by the Napier Repertory Players, was selected by the adjudicator (Miss Elizal>eth Blake) from the North Island elimination festival, concluded at Hawera last evening, to compete with the South Island finalist at Rotorua for the New Zealand championship in amateur dramatic art. This is aii outstanding achievement for the Little Theatre Society, which was founded in Palmerston North a little over a year ago to encourage amateur dramatic talent. The society has been instrumental in developing some promising young players, and has staged several excellent presentations under the capable direction of Mrs Bristow, who has the added distinction of having moulded into a fipe team players who include a number with very limited experience in draamtic productions. Thev have deniostrated that they have the ability, and their success has brought the utmost pleasure to supporters of the society, who are to be congratulated on the initiative they have shown during the comparatively short period of existen, TJiree of the cast of “A Privy Council”, were making their first appearance in this production, which was staged first on a one-act play night arranged by the Little Theatre Society, and next won the group competition at the British Drama League Festival in Palmerston North. It is a period play, which places an extra strain on the players because of its exact requirements in period mannerisms and speech, deliberate poise having to be maintained even in comedy. For this reason it is a difficult production.

The cast was as follows: —Master Pepvs (secretary to the Admiralty), Mr R. Rees; Mistress Pepys (his wife), Miss Patricia Harman; Sir William Killigrew, Mr G. H. Lusk; Sir Christonlier Mings, Mr A. E. R. Johlin; Mary (the maid). Miss Patricia Burgess ; Mercer (a kinswoman of Mistress Pepys), Miss Elsie Sandman; Mistress Knipp, of the King’s Playhouse, Miss G. Curtis.

The players will leave Palmerston North next Wednesday evening for the final at Rotorua on the following evening, when they will compete with Dunedin and Napier. The Little Theatre Society has 200 honorary and active members, and intends, in the middle of next November, to produce Somerset Maughams four-act play, “The I. n nd of Promise.” for which an excellent cast is availab'°. Eight other teams presented at Hawera plays which won their respective area festivals, namely :—Avon Players (Rotorua), Hawera Apollo Players (South Taranaki). Repertory Society (Wanganui). Stratford Players (Central Taranaki), Phoenix Drama Club (Wairarapal, Guild of Players (Auckland). Hamilton Plavbox (Waikato), and All Saints’ Players (Wellington).