DRAMA FESTIVAL

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLV, Issue 21136, 8 September 1938, Page 9

DRAMA FESTIVAL

One-Act Plays Presentee Productions Reach High Standard Keen Public Interest A happy variety of types of play: including stark drama, comedy, anc light comedy, was enjoyed by a largi and appreciative audience in the Theatre Royal last night where the second group of four one-act plays was presented at the South Canterburj Drama League’s twelfth annual festival. The progress which has beer made by the people of South Canterb.iry in appreciation of drama as ar art was reflected not only in the acting and presentation of plays, but also in the conduct of the audience which wisely refrained from applauding while the plays were in progress, thereby preserving the atmosphere which hat been created. As was to be expected some presentations outshone others but generally speaking the performance as a whole was In keeping with the best standard of previous festivals Some of the settings were cleverly arranged and the effective use of lighting was a valuable aid in creating the correct atmosphere of the play. After criticising a play the judge, Mi A. F. Goodwin said in view of some comments which he had heard throughout the day he wished to say I that it was impossible in the time at his disposal to go into all the aspects of the plays in his criticism. During his stay in Timaru he would be at the disposal of any individual or groups and would be only too pleased to do all he could for them. During the evening an orchestra formed by Mrs D. Parkin and Mrs A. Wheeler played delightful music which was greatly appreciated. “Cupid Rampant” A caricature of marriage in the year 1970 was the theme of the play written by Percy Corry given by Cave Drama Club B. The scene was the office of the Sergeant Registrar of the corporate state of the future. An unmarried female awaited the unmarried male, complete with all certificates, existence license, identity license, Empire passport, etc. All was conducted with utmost efficiency. In the state under Dictator Hotair the reading of Shelley was forbidden as being the work of a rebellious spirit. The regimentation of life from the cradle to the grave was shown in the remarks passed between the sergeant-registrar and orderly. The orderly was not to be drafted to the matrimonial corps because he did not comply with the regulations of the corporate state. The unmarried male hai to perform the kiss with No. 87654, his future partner, to the . military directions of his superior officer. The climax of the play was reached when the young man was found to be the Controller’s own son, but when the Controller discovered that the female numbered a viscount among her r~’genitors, she allowed cupid rampant to hold sway and the new couple were farewelled to the strains of a militarised wedding march. Stating that it was a very funny farce cleverly done, the Judge said the play was kept within the bound', of reality and outside the realm of silliness. The players had learned well the prime necessity for the success of farce —good farce. The pace was too good in places and some of the lines were lost. The general impression of the presentation was that everyone knew what they wanted to do and what knew what they wanted to do and they did it. It was difficult to work under existing conditions, said the judge, which did not allow much scope for originality. However, he would have been tempted to do away with the door and rely on a break in the curtain. The many drill manoeuvres had been neatly executed. The unmarried female had done her part remarkably well, but in one or two instances her lines were inaudible. The Sergeant had performed admirably and had given his lines the necessary speed that infused the needed snap into the play. The Controller had presented a difficult part which she carried through very successfully. The Orderly's presentation had been in keeping with the spirit of the play, but he would like to have seen him a little more ’’pansyfled” The Unmarried Male looked well in his clothes and had made a success of his part. In one or two instances he could have made some points more effectively. On the whole it had been a delightful and admirable play. “Hewers of Coal” This powerful tragedy was written by Joe Corrie, who was himself a miner for many years. The play, which was presented by Timaru Catholic Dramatic Club B, opened with Dick, a miner, and Billie, the pony boy, taking their meal in a “heading” underground. Billie is explaining to Dick that his father is sick, and he is the sole wage-earner of the family, when Peter, a pit handyman, comes in with the news that he has told the gaffer that Billie was to blame for a smash-up at the bottom of a slope, and that Billie will probably be dismissed. Dick pleads in vain for the boy. Later things come to a head when the gaffer tells Dick and Billie to go up to his office and collect their wages. Dick says he would first show Peter what he thinks of him. He is just about to strike him when a terrific explosion occurs, entombing the men. The next scene shows five of the men, five days later, in another "heading” exhausted, but still waiting for the rescue party. All of the men have come tb a much better understanding. Dick has been their help and inspiration throughout the ordeal. Joe, one of the miners, is dying. Just as they are despairing ol help they hear the rescue party in the distance. Dick bends down to tell Joe they are saved, but it is too late— Joe was dead. This was a play with an idea—“nc job, no bread, no bread, no laughter; a strange way to run a world.” These were the opening remarks of the judge This was a play that would remain with them and one that was best examined at their leisure. The play <’ pended on team spirit and it would have been fatal if one character had

not reacted to the other. Although some of the lines were out of place' in a pit, such was the team work that those were overcome. In regard to, the individuals, it would be uncharitable to differentiate as it had been such an even performance. However, the sterling part played by Dick was worthy of special mention. The dropping of the curtain in the middle of the first act had come as a--, anticlimax and had broken the atmosphere. That was a technical problem which he would have attempted to eliminate by means of a black-out. The setting had been admirable, but the lighting was a bit flat. It was hard to see the facial reactions of the players. The suggestion that he offered was to have effected a better contrast in colour of light from the side in place of the lights from the front. Altogether the good team work had made the presentation an excellent one. “T’Pup” “T’Pup,” by Graham Sutton, staged by the Cave Drama Club A, was a comedy. Briggs, a Lancashire poacher, and his daughter, Maggie, outwitted Sykes, a London man of doubtful character, for the possession of a valuable diamond ring belonging to the lady of the nearby manor. Sykes, believing Briggs’ dog had swallowed a sausage in which he had hidden the ring, bought the pup for £25. Briggs, however, had the ring, and went off to collect the £25 reward for it, remarking that he knew he could make “brass” out of his dog.

Stating that he was in a quandary as he did not know whether the Drama League considered a dog an actor, the judge said he would like to congratulate the producer for having taken the risk, and to congratulate the dog, which was the star performer. Since the play had a minimum cast, great demands were made upon it, and rlthouglr the presentation was not 100 per cent., the players had done remarkably well. In Mrs Briggs he thought he detected a Scotch accent, not that dialect meant everything, but the success of the play depended in some measure on the use of the North Country accent to bring out the sly Lancashire humour. Maggie was not enough the mistress of her own home and was a bit light in her type for the part. The appearance of Sykes in his big beard was magnificent; in fact, said the judge, he beggared description. The players did not seem quite at home. Maggie on occasions was left floating obviously waiting for cues. The clicking of cues which was necessary to give the play that snap which was essential to its success was missing. In spite of these faults, it had been a charming play. “Bring Me My Bow” “Bring Me My Bow,” by Sydney Box, was performed by the Readers Acting Group. The curtain rises on a prizegiving ceremony at “St. Christopher’s Girls’ School,” the prizes on the occasion being presented by a former pupil, Lady Champlon-Cholmondeley, whose husband, Minister of War, is working hard for a peerage. As one step in this direction he has given to St. Christopher’s a scholarship to C .ford University, to be awarded annually to the girl that the governors of the school consider best fitted to take up a university career. That Sir Harry may get his full value of publicity, this generous gift has been kept as a surprise until Speech Day, and that means that there is no time for an ordinary test, and therefore Lady Champion-Cholmondeley suggests that the first scholarship be granted to the girl who writes the best essay on the words “A Britain armed means a world at peace." It is a foregone conclusion that whatever is set Mary Blake, the head girl, will win, and it is important that she should do so, as she came to St. Christopher’s with a grant.. Mary, however, is an ardent pacifist, and in a stormy interview with her head mistress refuses to write the essay. Miss Goosens is determined, however, that she shall do so, and commands her to sit down in her study and write the essay. The lights go up on the next scene and show Mary asleep at the desk with her head on her arm, and she dreams. The rest of the scene portrays the dream. Miss Goosens appears and wakes Mary, but she is now a witch called Mother Goose; Lady Champion-Cholmondeley appears dressed to represent something of a cross between Britannia and Mars, and Miss Armstrong appears dressed as the traditional figure of peace. A new test has been set for the Champion Cholmondeley scholarship, and it is now to be given to the girl who writes the best nursery rhyme about war. Various of her school mates appear and write their rhymes. Finally, Mary contributes her rhyme, which is a direct challenge to the spirit of war, and which Mother Goose angrily rejects as no rhyme at all. There is a black-out and the lights go up again to show Mary asleep at the desk as before. Miss Goosens enters, wakes her, and asks if the essay is finished. It has not been started. The conflict in Mary’s mind is over, and she deliberately renounces the scholarship and her career at Oxford for the sake of her deep conviction.

This play, said the judge, had a female cast and had been worth while. He felt it difficult to judge the play at that juncture as, being human, he may have been so interested in the facts of the presentation that the faults could not be readily recalled. In that case it was better to reflect on the whole production. Plays of that type which took people out of their complaceny, if doing nothing else were well worth while. One inherent weakness in the structure was the unhappy blending of realism and symbolism and back to realism again which had resulted in a weak curtain. “You killed Mary’s father” was in the judge’s opinion the line which was the real climax on which the play should have finished. The parts as a whole had been admirably and adequately played. The long speeches at the beginning could have done with more drive, more thrust. Lady Cholmondeley could have been a little more idiotic; she conveyed in some sense that she did have brains and was not bone from the eyebrows up. Miss Goosens could have put more vendmn into her satire, but her part had been played remarkably well. Miss Armstrong, around whom the play revolved, had given the presentation the necessary thrust and her speech had held the judge. Mary Blake was a part which could only be played successfully from the Inside to the outside. She had caught the spirit of the piece and had performed admirably. The young ladles without exception spoke their lines well. In criticising the set-

ting and effects he said that they could almost have a glut of good things and thereby detract from the quality of the lines. To-night’s Plays The following plays will be presented to-night: Waimate Repertory Society, “Thirst”; Timaru W.E.A. B“The Incorruptible”; Timaru Catholic Dramatic Club A, “The Willing Spirit”; St. Mary’s Girls Club, “Idols.”