NEW ZEALAND. THEATRICALLY. IMPRESSES AMERICAN

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 160, 24 July 1937, Page 10

NEW ZEALAND. THEATRICALLY. IMPRESSES AMERICAN

"The interest in the sfcage in New Zealand impresses an American," said Mr. Ray Henderson on his departure on the s.s. Maunganui, for Sydney yesterday after visiting several cities of the country in the interest of Katharine Cornell, the American aetressmanager who is contemplating a world tour beginning next year. "Wherever I have been I have been surprised by the aetivity of local groups of players presenting exeellent plav^. and by the drama tournaments held in various seetions of the country. All this is a healthy state of aft'airs and inctieates the coming renaissance of the drama in this country as it did in America. During the depression the theatre suffered grcatly and very few professional companies toured the country. v In the meantime local amateurs organised Little Theatres and dramatic societies. The f riut of this work later. was shown when Miss Oorneii and other players toured. "An indication of the interest in the speakmg stage holds for young people was the young man who travelled 200 miles to interview me in Wellington with a v-iew to obtaining a position in Miss Cornell ;s company snould she come here. Unfortunately for him, Misis Cornell would bring her entiip cast of English and American players with her; as one of the purposes of her tour is to show insofar as she is able the equality of acting and production in America. It has been most gratifying to- flnd that her achievements are not entirely unknown in New Zealand, despite the fact that she consistently has refused to appear on the screen or the radio because her interests are entirely in the theatre. "It is possible that one result of her. tour in a series of good plays may contribute towards giving New Zealanders another idea of our country as a plaee not entirely inhabited by gangsters and people addicted to a life of jazz. Curious indeed mu'st America seem to those who know her only through the screen presentations of her citizens! "The courtesy found in New Zealand is overwhelming, ' ' Mr. Henderson concluded. "It has been kindness itself . - 7