DRAMA FESTIVAL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22751, 11 December 1935, Page 16

DRAMA FESTIVAL

MOSGIEL FUNCTION CONCLUDED The concluding session of the drama festival in the Coronation Hall, Mosgiel, attracted a good attendance again last evening. The six plays staged were followed with evident interest, and applause- was frequent. On the whole the promoters must be complimented on the success of the festival. Though there were weaknesses here and there, there was much to commend, and no doubt on the next occasion, through the experience gained, the minor faults will be eliminated. The period of rehearsal was short —only eight weeks—and the instructor achieved a good standard in that time. ' With the stage set as the vestibule of a theatre, the East Taieri A group opened the programme with Muriel and Sydney Box's play, "Be Sure Your Sex Will Find You Out." The cast was as follows: —Miss Crisp, Miss Wood; Miss Pearl Baumberg, Mrs Taylor; Miss Elsie Hambling, Mrs Gillon; Miss Audrey Tempest, Miss Selwood; Miss Davidson, Mrs Renton; Myra, Mrs Bedford; Mrs Murphy, Mrs Currie. " Unnatural Scene " (Kathleen Davey) was the choice of the Green Island group. The scene of the play was an office, and the characters were as follows: —Miss Conway (secretary), Miss Miller; Miss Tomkinson (typewriting instructor), Mrs East; Miss Fletcher (shorthand instructor), Miss Kerr; Miss Ellis (commercial language instructor), Mrs Smellie; Miss Stewart (student), Miss Lambert; Miss Gilchrist (student), Miss Smellie; Miss Brown (principal of a secretarial college for young ladies), Mrs Wilkie. The following members from the same group played "World Without Men":— Millett, Mrs Gough; Miss Wisper, Mrs M'Donald; Madam Pavel, Mrs Barclay; Mrs Smith, Mrs Mehalski; Mrs Jones, Mrs Morrison; Mrs Robinson, Miss M'Lean; Mrs Brown, Miss Kirkland. The scene was a morning room of Madam Pavel's.

The Berwick group selected " The Poison Party" (F. Sladen-Smith), the six characters being portrayed as follows:—The Queen Mother, Mrs Spencer; servant, Mr Garden Reid; the Lord Prince Cardinal, Mr Koefoed; the King, Mr A. Crake; M. De Beaiijolis, Mr J. Walker; Denise De Beaiijolis. Miss Henderson. "Number Ten," a play with a fairly large cast, and by Muriel and Sydney Box, was the selection of the East Taieri group, the players being as follows: — Sister Helen, Mrs Smellie; Gertrude (a probationer), Miss Smellie; Nurse Roberts, Mrs Sansom; Amy (a wardfsmaid), Miss N. Williamson; Mary "(a probationer), Miss Johnstone; Freda (a probationer), Miss H. Williamson; Nurse Blake, Miss Burn; Nurse Fitzroy, Mies Sproull; Nurse Matthews, Mrs Williamson; Mrs Maitland, Mrs Stewart. Sir Arthur Pinero's "Playgoers," by the Broad Bay group, set in the breakfast room of the Dorrington's home, was the final play of the session. There were eight characters, as follows:—Dr Dorrington (the master), Mr F. Perriman; Mrs Dorringtori (the mistress), Miss I. Roes; Miss Beachcroft (the parlourmaid), Miss R.Bishopp; Mrs Hackett (the cook), Miss V. Bishopp; Gale (the odd man), Mr L. Fowler; Miss Trinder (the useful maid), Miss I. Fowler; Miss Warringham (the housemaid), Miss N. Harris; Evelyn (the kitchenmaid), Miss R. Harris.