THE NORTHERN ADVOCATE Registered tor transmission through the Post as a newspaper. TUESDAY JANUARY 6, 1940- Australian Actors Want Closed Stage

Northern Advocate, 6 January 1948, Page 4

THE NORTHERN ADVOCATE Registered tor transmission through the Post as a newspaper. TUESDAY JANUARY 6, 1940Australian Actors Want Closed Stage

The right of workers in any profession or industry to organise for mutual protection is not questioned, but the workers may well ask themselves whether their leaders are not taking them into dangers which might be avoided.

A ease in point was reported from Sydney yesterday, Australian actors, it was stated, intending to prevent Sydney theatres staging shows by two famous English producers unless at least 75 per cent of those taking part are members of the Australian Actors’ Equity. Action of this nature is laughable, and. while the desire of Australian actors to safeguard themselves against “foreign" competition is understandable, none should know bettor than they that, outside the “supers” associated with musical revues and kindred productions, it :s essential that the personnel of a company should be carefully selected and welded into a homogeneous body. This should make special appeal to the Australian actors when the visits of the Old Vic Company, headed by Sir Laurence Oliivier and Vivien Leigh, and that of the Ballet Rambert are under consideration. While the purpose of these visits has without doubt its financial aspect, there is a cultural mission which must not be overlooked.

For a long time past there has been expressed regret that Australian and New Zealand audiences were shut.off from the stage advantages enjoyed in normal times by people overseas. The years of war. of course, gave minor importance to the stage in its many ramifications, and nobody expected famous companies or performers to undertake world tours, even if such had been practical politics. With the ending ot the war, however, there has been resurgence of desire to see in the flesh artists who have so far been seen only per medium of celluloid. The venture of the Old Vic Company, and that of the Ballet Rambert, have naturally created much interest, which would inevitably be diminished if. instead of purely English

performers, it were known that three parts of the personnel was composed of Australians. This docs not suggest that Australian actors are necessarily inferior to English actors; indeed, there is on record ample evidence that Australians have shone brilliantly on the Old World stage and concert platform and have no need to fear comparisons.

However, the need for comparisons, which are proverbially odious, does not enter into the question raised by the Australian Actors’ Equity, but there is clearly reason why the profession in Australia should welcome the visit of a famous English company, whose performances should go a long way towards stirring in music and the drama interest which has not been remarkable in either Australia or New Zealand; this revival of interest should eventually be to the advantage of Australian and New Zealand artists. Persistence in the altitude adopted by the Actors’ Equity might have boomerang effect, as New Zealanders, for example, would be justified in declining to countenance Australian companies visiting the Dominion if, say, 75 per cent of the performers were not New Zealand citizens. Such a thing, of course, is extremely unlikely to happen, but the suggestion serves to reveal in its true light the Australian actors’ threat to the English touring companies.

Moreover, carried to its logical conclusion, none but Australian actors, singers, instrumentalists and other entertainers should be allowed to appear on the Australian stage or concert platform, a course which would impoverish the people of the Commonwealth and illustrate the folly described in the homely if crude expression: "Cutting off one's nose to spite one’s face.” , The Australian Actors’ Equity demonstrates once more the need for workers generally to ask themselves whether extremism is not calculated to undo all that sane organisation of labour could achieve—provided that the interests of the mass of the people were always taken into consideration.