THE LITTLE THEATRE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20597, 23 June 1930, Page 12

THE LITTLE THEATRE.

Sir,— I Tho Little Theatre Society of Auckland, claming to be the largest repertory organisation in the Southern Hemisphere—or is it the British Empire ? —is surely following a strange course if it wants to live up to that claim. I say this as a member of it, who has not missed a performance for some considerable time. Soon tho society is to offer us "The Importance of Being Earnest." Wildes comedy needs 110 eulogy from me. It is a sparkling thing, very suitable for amar teurs to play; and how they have played it! I can well recollect seeing it done by an Auckland amateur company in 1909. How often it was played before or has been since I do not know, but it is no novolty to tho patrons of amateur theatricals. The Little Theatre, remembering the importance of being earnest, seems to have forgotten the importance of being repertory. Whatever it was in the beginning, it'has now thoroughly established itself as an amateur dramatic society; a very good one, let me hasten to add, with a strong array of talent. But why does it call itself a repertory society? The points in which it fails to be one are too numerous to recite. Here is one significant indication. After tho last performance, the little speech which seems.always to close a season contained the statement that it was very difficult to find plays that would please everyone. What business on earth is it of a repertory society to please people ? It should be prepared to stir them up, irritate them if necessary, perhaps even enrage them, while keeping before it the realisation that the play's the thing. Once a society begins to regard audiences, to aim at putting on nice plays for nice people, it ceases to have even distant kinship with the repertory movement. And that is exactly what the Little. Theatre Society is doing. SiAL^im