THE AMATEUR STAGE

Timaru Herald, Volume CXL, Issue 20284, 6 December 1935, Page 9

THE AMATEUR STAGE

DOING GOOD WORK It is not so very long ago—two decades, perhaps—since the term “amateur theatricals” was invariably used with a lofty scorn, writes Mr Sydney W. Carroll, in the "Daily Telegraph." The amateurs did not take themselves then very seriously, and their efforts were often viewed in the light of “pantomime rehearsals." To-day the recognised and active operatic and dramatic amateur clubs and associations in Britain number well over 1000. They boast a membership of hundreds of thousands and contribute hundreds of thousands of pounds to charity. Their standard of acting is sufficiently high to challenge that of many professional efforts. In some cases they provoke a desire for the transfer of their activities to the paying theatre, and the desire is often realised. The good work this amateur movement is doing on behalf of the theatre to-day cannot be too highly praised. It sustains a provincial interest in the theatres that cinemas and other attractions are doing their best to kill. It creates playgoers. It is a source of revenue to playwrights, many of whom derive no other revenue but from amateurs. It keeps the minds and bodies of many people, young and old, refreshed and vigorous by giving them stimulating mental recreation. It fosters an intellectual pursuit as against a sheer physical waste of time. It promotes, or should promote, good fellowship. So long as the amateur theatre is not regarded as a playground for vanity, a field for “showing off”, and so long as it does not employ the term “amateur” to excuse and condone faults of manner, idea, and execution, it is one of the most commendable symptoms of natural intelligence we have in our country to-day.