W.I. DRAMA FESTIVAL

Chronicle (Levin), 7 July 1948, Page 4

W.I. DRAMA FESTIVAL

Adjudicator Praises Higher Standard , • The exceptionally high stahdard of the drama -productions staged over the years by the . Women's institiltes oi the diStrict .certaihiy paid dividends last night, when the Horowhenua Coilege. Hall was pack-* . ed for the second stage of the Sputhern Wellington Federation's - tliirteenth annuax festivai trlaxs. t ; Lohg before the performances. begah every sdat ih the. • hall "waS taken. . All 'came in dnticipatipn of a good * evening's. entertainments ana a was quite appaiLnt from the' appiause which foiiowed each production that nOhe weie diBappomted. • ' The festivai began on Monday night at Tawa Flat. Tdnight it ; will be Continued at Paekakariki and the finals Wiil be held in Otaki on Thursday. Adjudicator this year is Mrs. Eisie Lloyd. Three plays were staged in Levin last nignt, one by the Levin Women's Institute,. one by the Junior circle and the other by the Otaki Institute. Levin secured the first prize for drama last year and Were ciosely folioWed by the junior Circle. Paremata were first in comedy. This yearr competition has been emivened by tne fact that the highest place d plays in the Hutt Va^ey, Marlborough, ahd Southem Wellington Federations' trials will compete for a cups in the Opera House, Weilington, and before dexegates to the Domhiion Federations annual conference. ProfeSsor Shelley has beexi asked to be the adjudicator. Vfelcoming the teams 'at last night's performance, the president of the Southern Wellington. Fed-^ eration, Mrs. H. S. Powell, expressed the executive's appreciation of the work df both the producers and individuals. She aiso expressed thanks for the support given by the public, the Coilege Advisory Board for the use of the halk the stage manager, Mr. A. A. Savell, Mr. J. W. Clarke, of King^way's, and the Levin Playreaders for the loan of IfUrnitUre ahd props; and Mr. K. A. Alderson for arran'ging the lighting. She also welcomeci to Levin the 'president of the Hutt Valley Fed- , eration. The president of the Levin W.I. then presented Mrs. Powell With a spray of flowers. A bouquet of flowers was later presented to the adjudicator, Mrs. Lloyd. It was noticeable that many criti- , cisms made by last year's adjudicator,' Mr. W. J. ;Mountjoy, had been remembe'red. The settings in particular were- most /COmmendable, and'in this rCgard Mrs. Lloyd had iittie to criticise' aiid ihUch to com^ meiid. ' ' v ' The juniors were, by their own request, adjudged by senior standards, and it was obvious to all that here Levin has some really out-stahding-talent. ,? The following were the various plays and the adjudicator's remarks: — "Number 10" Comedy and drama Wefe combined here, the scene taking place in. an ante-room to Charlotte's Ward of- the Royal' Hospital. The story tells- of !a nurse (Miss Johnson) who, after falling in love With a patient, is talked by him into administering an overdose of narcotic in order to put an end to his siiffering. i The case was : "Sister . Helen," Miss Monica Clapcott; "NutSe Roberts," Miss Dorothy JohhvSon; "Nurse Blake," Miss Marie Walker; "Nurse Matthews," Miss Moya Powell; "Nurse Fitzroy," Miss Audrey Nichol; "probationers," Misses Sylvia Johnson, Shiriey Johnson, and Doreen Davies; a "ward maid," Miss Beth Wilis; "The Matron," Miss Aroha Hesp and "Mrs. Mait^ land" Miss Joan Cockrell. The producer was Miss Beth Blenkhorn. Congratulating the juniors .. on this production, the . adjudicator said that the settihg was excellent land a good atmosphere had been 'created. The only faqlt With. the setting wras that the cupboard co mtaining tlre drugs was not locked, as would be the case. A trolley table should have "oeen oiled, as the noise it made drOwned the voices of the cast. Miss Dorothy Johnson as "'Nurse Roberts" had been good considering her limitations. She was a girl that showed a great deal of promise. There was a wealth of cheerful background usually associated with nursing staffs, but she thought that the Sister (Miss Clap- . cott) had been a trifle too off hand 'ahd casuai, even for one in such a - 'position. The emotions in the play jwere adult ones for junior actors jand were as a fesult played on the [surface, which was natural as the I players were young and were piaying a'life they had not yet touch|ed. She fully realised the difficulty [of choosipg plays, but thought that !a less adult one should have been selected. Players should remember to wait for laughs at humorous junctures, as -the audiences did not iike to be done out of their laughs. "Men Are Missing" * A dramatic comedy by the Levin Institute, this play was sot on thC tem-ace of a country ho'use. The Story briefly cehtres round a gathering of women from various social circles. Present is an authoress , (Mrs. Perigo)-; who, seeking material for a book, hires two re- , tired actors (-Mesdames Kircaldie and Banfield)" to stage a hold up in the drawing room, while arranging for the male escorts to be spirited away. Her plan is to observe the reaetions of each as small secrets are revealed by the contents oi their bandbags. The plan misfires at the end, when the hired "bandits" take advantage of the situation by making off with all the ladies5 valuables. The Gast was: Mesdames C. . Nichol, 'Kathleen Black, Bowater, (Continued on Page 7)

'.V • '£ ■ ' (Continued from Page 4) 1 Wilkinson, Perigo, Hesp, O. Hudson, i Wilson, Kircal'die, Banfield and Miss J. Perigo. • The producer was Mrs. A. A", Savell. Here again the stage s'etting was good, said the adjudicator in her remarks. The tempo, however, was too slow. The entrances were go.od , and the dresses excellent. The , play, she said, ha'd slowed far too , much during a scene when the women were removing their jewellery, and there ' was possibly too much jewellery to be taken off. The voices were inclined to be in a patternp particular*y that of "Miss , Preedworthy" (Mrs. Wilkinson). The "Actress" (Mrs. Kathleen Black) had good movement and seemed at home on the stage. The vicar's wife (Mrs. Bowater) • 'depicted her character well, but was not so much of a "dragon" as she could have been. "The hostess" (Mrs. Nichol) was inclined to "repose" too much when not actually speakirig. Mrs. Hudson was good, while' "Madam Sexenik" (Mrs. Hesp) had made a good attempt at the foreign accent necessary. The mocking laugh of one of the bandits (Mrs. Kircaldie) was too mechahical. She was being much more critical this year because the standard was so much • higher, said the adjudicator. She had noticed that when a man's name had been mentioned the ladies in the audience had all looked immediateiy at their programmes to see who he was. "I do like to see a man in a play," she added, and it was a pity that none were in the scene. "Mrs. Ogbbddy's Outing" Staged by the Otaki W.I., this was a comedy production depicting the endeavours of a family to dress fo: a church supper and the efforts of a jealous neighbour t'o prevent theii getting to the function. The casl was : Mesdames Hunter and Lumley, Misses V. Synnott and B. Procter and Mr. Lumley.. The produce) was Mrs. L. Moss. The setting was in character wiri:, that of the fourth rate hoiise that was to be depicted,' said the adjudicator. The'opening was good; and the players natural. In many respects it "just seemed like home.'" She liked the performance of the father (Mr. Lumley) , though he had overworked his part at times The mother (Mrs. Huilter) hac been a bit slow at times,. but was good in her part. "Mrs. Minniver" (Mrs. Lumley) was very good, but a trifle too lugubrious. The play as a whole was a good attempt at humour, but as in the other comedy no one waited for the iaughs. The audience was a very good one and most appreciative, and she would like to pay a tribute to them