BRITISH DRAMA LEAGUE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22612, 2 July 1935, Page 10

BRITISH DRAMA LEAGUE

AIMS AND OPPORTUNITIES THE COMING FESTIVAL. The British Drama League might be termed the foster parent of all amateur dramatic societies. Its purpose is to promote festivals and to encourage people to form themselves into a team or group and work at some short play which a festival gives them a chance of presenting, with all the benefit of the criticism -of a professional actor and producer. The festival also gives them the opportunity of hearing and seeing all the other groups and _ profiting by the judge’s criticism of their work and how illuminating these criticisms can be was well illustrated by Miss Elizabeth Blake at Dunedin’s first festival last year. Geoffrey Whitworth, an English actor, was the founder of the Drama League, and curiously interesting was its origin. He had been asked to adjudicate in a mining district in England, and as he was leaving the mine owners told him the men had never worked more contentedly at the mines than when they were rehearsing their plays—their leisure was well occupied, and they were happy. Mr Whitworth thought, “ Why not get this going in all industrial centres.” From a beginning with about sis groups at the first festival, which was won by an untried group of amateurs from a remote Scottish village with “ The Old Lady Shows Her Medals,” the movement has grown enormously, and with far-reaching results. This year a festival has just concluded in England, where 675 groups took part. While preserving all dialect, the Drama League strives to eliminate all accent, and thus foster pure vowel sounds and good diction. Money making and the competitive spirit are not encouraged. But help in the choice of play and all constructive criticism are available to groups in the towns or in the uttermost back blocks of New Zealand. Though headquarters for New Zealand are in Wellington, Dunedin is the centre of. the Otago area, and holds its second festival here next week. As 17 plays are to be presented, the Concert Chamber has had to be engaged for four nights, July 10, 11, 12 and 13, with a junior festival matinee on the Saturday.