DRAMA LEAGUE.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXV, Issue 18351, 23 August 1929, Page 2

DRAMA LEAGUE.

COMPETITION CONCLUDED. SHIELD WON BY CATHOLIC CLUB. The South Canterbury Drama League’s third annual dramatic competition was brought to a most successful conclusion in the Scottish Hall last night, when the remaining four of twelve plays which comprised this year’s festival, were presented to a capacity house. At the hour appointed for the commencement of last night’s function, there was a big queue outside, and a start was not made with the first play until after 8 o’clock, at which hour every seat in the hall was occupied. and additional accommodation which had been secured, was also fully taxed. The securing of such an audience for the final night was a fine tribute to the League, and to the officials who worked so untiringly to place this year’s competition on an even higher plane than its predecessors. Professor Shelley did not indicate his choice until well after 11 o’clock, but his pronouncement in favour of the Timaru Catholic Dramatic Club, who presented Sir J. M. Barrie’s play “The Twelve Pound Look,” was received with marked enthusiasm. The winning team, who earned the right to have their names engraved on the League’s Shield along with the previous winners, “The Readers” (Timaru), who presented “Lonesome Like” in 1927, and the Girls’ High School, with “Peter Pan” last year, were Misses M. Quinn and M. Collins and Messrs W. Minehan and C. Clarke.

The opening performance last night was "A King’s Hard Bargain” (Lieut.Colonel W. P. Drury, C.8.E.), by the Oeraldine players. Harry Quick, a leading signalman in the Royal Navy, arrives at the inn conducted by Jos. Pagett. Quick and Mrs Pagett discuss personalities in the Navy, and it transpires that Quick and Pagett served together in Japanese waters. Shortly after Pagett arrives on the scene. Quick jr'&called Incidents of earlier days which were destined to lead to an estrangement between Pagett and his wife. The latter arrives with the startling news that Albert Shillitoe, a private in Royal Marines, is to be married. Quick is called back to his ship and Pagett falls asleep. The second scene disclosed the Interior of a water-tight compartment of H.M.S. Belligerent, in which Shillitoe is held a prisoner. The ship is involved in a collision, and Shillitoe, his guard and “Puncher” Martin, an A. 8., are trapped. Shillitoe has sufficient poison to put two of them to sleep, and he leads his companions to believe there is sufficient for three. While he was not expected to live like a gentleman, he knew how to die like one.

“The Twelve Pound Look,” which ultimately proved to be the winning production, was presented by the Timaru Catholic Dramatic Club. The entire scene was enacted in the warmly decorated study of Sir Harry Sim’s house in Kensington. The play opens with Sir Harry, who is to receive the honour of knighthood within a few days, rehearsing the ceremony with his wife. A typiste arrives to answer the shoals of congratulatory letters and telegrams, and she turns out to be Sir Harry’s former wife, who had left him, so he thought, for another man. The conversation between the Knight to be and his former wife formed the basis of the play. The man, on the one hand, carried away by success, the woman, on the other hand, despising him because he was not human. She purchased a typewriter, taught herself to use it, earned £l2, and then left him. To her he was worth just the amount she had earned with her own hands.

The audience found plenty to amuse them in “Op-o’-Me-Thumb,” by Frederick Fenn and Richard Bryce, the piece selected by the Timaru High Sphool Old Girls’ Dramatic Association “A” team. The scene represented the working room at Madame Didier’s laundry in Soho. Celeste Clem (Mrs) Galloway and Rose Jordan tired of hearing all about the wonderful presents sent to Amanda Afflick, the Cinderella of the party, by a supposed Prince Charming. Amanda holds her own, however, and eventually all her dreams come true when the Prince arrives to claim his shirt, which Amanda has washed every week, it remained unclaimed.

The final presentation of the evening, and of the competitions, was Scene 2 from Lennox Robinson’s play “The Big House,” by The Readers, Timaru. The play centred round the fortunes of the ancestral home of Mr St. Leger Alcock, in County Cork, during the activities of the Black and Tans. The Alcock household despise the Black and Tans, and their hatred is increased following the murder of Kate Alcock’s former nurse, Mrs Leahy. Captain Despard, who is in love with Kate, and who has joined forces with the Auxiliaries, comes to the village to investigate, and he begins operations at Ballydonal House. At the conclusion of this performance, Professor Shelley announced the result. On the platform with him were Dr. W. H. Unwin (president of the League), Messrs W. Thomas and A. E. Lawrence (vice-presidents), and G. Granger (secretary).

After being briefly introduced by Dr. Ur win, Professor Shelley said that they had seen a good many heroes on the stage during that and the two previous evenings, but all would agree that he was the greatest of the lot. (Laughter.) He complimented the organisers on the splendid way in which they had developed the League, and organised the performances. They had a limited stock of scenery, but the way they had utilised it was to be commended. He suggested, however, that instead of scenery, the whole stage should be curtained, there being a set piece for the doors and windows. It was rather distressing to both the actors and the audience, he said, to see what might be mistaken for an earthquake taking place, when the scene was supposed to be firmly built. It was better not to have scenery if it could not be made

Arm. If the League desired to make a change, he would be only too pleased to place his services at their disposal. Professor Shelley said that when he judged the competitions two years ago, he had not allotted any points for choice of play. In the interval, however, interest in good plays had developed, and knowledge was more widespread. There were plays which were good for raising funds for Church purposes, but which were not suitable for a festival of the kind which had just concluded, and some of the plays presented came in that category. There had also been some which had not been up to the standard which the occasion ought to demand, but he did not propose at that stage to say which ones they were. It was very difficult to choose any play and say It was the best from all points of view. They had laughed at the lighter types of plays, but the laughter had been occasioned by a verbal joke and not by good acting. There were plays which an audience could laugh at for half .an hour no matter who was speaking, so long as they could hear the words. He was sure they all realised that It was better for Browning to fail in all his plays than for Oscar Asche to have succeeded in such productions as “Chu Chin Chow.” His (the speaker’s) judgment might not be the same as that of the audience, but the choice of play did come into the matter. In making his choice, hj had considered three things. The first was choice and general interpretation, and the second was production. By that he did not mean the scenery, for that was the manner in which the various situations were interpreted. The producer was in exactly the same position as the conductor of an orchestra. If the players in an orchestra played different times there would be no symphony, and so it was that unless the intensity of one actor built up that of the other, the whole thing would lack dramatic rhythm, on which ultimate success depended. The third point to be taken into consideration was the standard of the acting generally. Some of the plays had depended on individual characters, while in others it was more generally spread over. On the whole, if he compared the lightest of the light with the heaviest of the heavy, and considered all other points, he might select . . . Here the speaker paused, and the audience expected him to announce the winner, but Professor Shelley, when the laughter had subsided, intimated that he had simply been giving the audience a little lesson in production. “You wanted me to say something," he said, "and it was just that element of anticipation on your part which has been lacking in all the plays. There has not been enough building up.” The speaker illustrated his point by referring to the shooting of Dugal Stewart by the Red Coats in “Campbell of Kilmhor.” The incident had not been built up as it should have been, and as a result had simply passed off. Without further comment, Professor Shelley announced the winning production, as mentioned earlier. On behalf of the League, Dr. Unwin thanked Professor Shelley sincerely for having given up so much of his time to come to Timaru to judge the competition. Later in the evening Professor Shelley criticised in detail the whole of the twelve plays presented. A good deal of the credit for the successful manner in which the plays were ..presented is due to the stage manager (Mr Havelock Williams), who was ably assisted by Mr L. C. Andrew.