CHEERFUL TROUBADOURS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22911, 19 June 1936, Page 16

CHEERFUL TROUBADOURS

MISSES JOAN AND BETTY RAYNER CARAVAN THROUGH EUROPE Two very interesting young ladies, Misses Joan and Betty Eayner, have returned to Dunedin, after an absence of four years and n-half, during which they toured extensively through Europe, the British Isles, Canada, and Australia, living for some months in a caravan in various parts of northern Europe. These young ladies will be remembered by nuiny theftre-goers for their delightful and original entertainments on their previous visit, and will he pleased to learn that it is their intention to give some public recitals during the next fortnight. Dunedin residents can claijn a personal link with these young ladies, for they are the daughters of Mr Fred. Eayner, a clover cartoonist and the proprietor of the Sketcher, who was wellknown locally at one time. These talented sisters, whose art is closely allied with that of the old troubadour and the mime, are of New Zealand birth, and yesterday, in an interview with a Daily Times representative, they expressed their delight at being once more in their homeland. After leaving New Zealand they went to Canada, where they began their selfimposed task of collecting folk songs and dances, largely from the FrenchCanadians, who had a wonderful store of most attractive matter. They were greatly interested in these people, who , have been British subjects for 200 years, ! and who still speak only a form of j French. They were a light-hearted race | and were enthusiastic in teaching the I visitors their songs and dances. This I visit formed a pleasant introduction to ; their next place of call, which was ■ France. While still gathering more I items of interest they commenced to j give recitals and, although the audi- | cnees at first did not quite understand what the players were intending they had an encouraging reception.' TOURING IN ENGLAND.

Later the sisters went to England, where they toured by caravan and had n most enjoyable time. It was difficult there, said Miss Joan Kayner, to break into one stratum of life if one was of another. But the caravan did away with all that. After their English tour they could count all people their friends, lirom the village undertaker to a marchioness who would have liked to accompany them. Among those they met in England was the former Lady riunket, now Lady Victoria Braithwaite. To the travellers’ amusement, they found that Lady Victoria was interested in monkeys. She had a crowd of baby monkeys of -which she took great care, even putting them to bed each night! England in spring was an ideal place. As they toured farther and father north, they had a succession of separate springs until they reached Scotland. In Norwich they had the experience of playing in a theatre which was purely Elizabethan, and was run by Nugent Monk, of Little

Theatre fame. This theatre was perhaps the only one in the world in which all of Shakespeare’s plays had been played. Another thrill for the girls was when they were asked to play for the Oxford University Summer School, which people from all over the world attend. “AT HOME” IN GERMANY.

The pair were advised not to go to Germany. “People told us,” said Miss Rayner, “ that we must not mention Hitler, that we must not criticise, and that we must always say ‘ Heil Hitler 1 ’ or else we would be ‘ clapped into prison.’ We were told that the Germans would not be able to grasp the subtle points of our acts, but we found all this quite to the contrary.” She found the Germans were interested in French folk lore, even though they gave it at a time when anti-French feeling was running high, and yet their praise of it was unstinted.

Rather than dreading Hitler, as they had been given to expect, the girls found the people loved the Fuhrer and were deep in their gratitude for all he had done for them. Before ho came to power the country was in a hopeless state, with 45 parties in the Government, and gradually they were losing all their , goods and chattels. Almost in one night Hitler united the Government, re-formed and started to rebuild the country. “ You hear of countries pulling together in war time,” said Miss Rayner, “ but it is marvellous the way this nation is pulling together in peace time.” She went on to say that they found the Germans different from us in that they loved to be governed and ruled, whereas we encourage more individual thought and development.

“ Most visitors judge and condemn us before they come here,” one German told the girls, and the people were very glad to find that they were eager to learn and listen. “We were more at home in Germany than any country outside the British Empire,” added Miss Joan Rayner.

j Everywhere the girls met hospitality : and friendship. The people were keen | to help them collect folk tales and songs, j and in Berlin they were supplied with a I folk-dancing teacher and danced with J the Hitler folk-dancing girls. An old folk museum in Berlin was opened five months before its usual time especially for them, and they were even allowed to try on some of the very old costumes preserved there. VISIT TO SWEDEN. Miss Betty Raynor talked pleasantly and informallv about their tour in Sweden. They took the first caravan there apparently, and it excited immense interest in the country places. They were first at Gorrenburg, which proudly calls itself “ the little London.’’ The people there spoke English at every opportunity, and they found themselves kheld up on all sorts of occasions by residents who said that they “ wanted to practise their English.” When they reached the country districts after leaving Stockholm, however, and where neither English nor French was spoken, they had some trials in getting wfiat they wanted, and were reduced to “ cackling like a hen or mooing like a cow ” when they wanted milk or eggs. This caused immense amusement in the little shops, but they got what they wanted. The getting of benzine was the occasion of much “dumb crambo.” They suffered much from the curiosity of people

who came and looked in the windows of their caravan when they were at meals and at other times. They had great fun in adapting their plays so that the people would understand, the consequences being that one man remarked. “These girls play in Esperanto.” “Throughout Europe,” said Mias Betty Rayner, “ we found that we were trusted as soon as it became known that we were British. We felt it a great honour, and a great responsibility, too. But in Sweden we found the people had a far greater sense of honesty than the British.” She told how they could leave their purchases in the market road on a shopping expedition, and when they went back for them some time alter they would still be intact. The travellers fell in love with the Swedish towns, the softly coloured houses about the quays, and the cheery market scenes. The people were homely and generous and conveyed to the artists by their gifts the thanks which they could not express in words. Naturally the “Troubadours” as the sisters style themselves, were able to make a number of interesting additions to their repertoire during this period. Although they have returned once more to their home, they arc not by any means going to settle down, for in a short time they will leave for America, where they will commence touring in California —once more by caravan.