EISTEDDFOD DRAMA.

Hokitika Guardian, 28 September 1921, Page 3

EISTEDDFOD DRAMA.

CARNARVON, Aug. 3 This year’s Royal National Kisteddfod has devoted its first day to the drama—hitherto rather an Fshmael among Welsh arts. It is not the first Kisteddfod at which Welsh have been produced, but this year shows an extension which is due to the generosity of Lord Howard tie Walden, himself a dramatist, and to thv exertions of a bard, Mr Horfnh Gwynfa Evans, one of whose plays was seen at the last Rangor Eisteddfod. Two plays have been acted to-day. ami Lord Howard’s ©b(t (not yet awarded at the moment of writing) will go for the best acting, and not for the playwright. This afternoon we saw a peasant comedy, "At the Cross Roads,” hv a South Wales minister, tlie Rev R. G. Horry, played in Welsh by a company of working-class folk of Cofn Mnwr. They were one of the two companies selected in preliminary tests from Bio fewer than fourteen. They had an engrossed audience of some thousands in t-he big pavilion -all Welsh speakers, of course, - for the entertainment would have !>oen caviare to the mere Saxon-hut Carnarvon is the most Welsh of all* Welsh towns, and the Celtic tongue is easily that of the majority hereabouts. “At tin* Cross Roads” tells, in four acts, of a zealous young Welsh pastor’s efforts at reclaiming those outside his fold, starting with a puncher, a wild man with a wild, gipsy-like daughter. We have an net of politico-religious debate in the village earpytitor’s shop, where the chapel deacons debate whether Ji Radical cobbler has a right to mend a Tory’s shoes—a solemji matter, which the pastor is called in to settle.

The deacons are pharisaic and disapprove of the young man’s advances towards the poacher. They disapprove still more when he falls in love with the poacher’s daughter, hut there is a happy ending with love triumphant. CHARACTER ACTING. The performance, if it did noCrcveal a great Welsh playwright, brought out an extraordinary aptitude for good character-acting from these Welsh amateurs. The play contained far too much talk and too little incident .and still the acting kept things going. The character in the little group of workmen deacons was richly racy. Mr He la Davis, the carpenter: Mr William Evans, the grocer with side-whiskers; ami particularly Mr Enoch Roberts, the cobbler, were excellent, and needed only a play with more “go” about it to make an effect on a Saxon. Mr Lloyd Evans was the handsome voting parson hero. To-night’s play, acted hy a company from Pontardnlais. was of a more serious cast. It was “Ephraim Harris,” hy Mr D. T. Davies, who is a Government inspector of schools. It touches a weakness in a small religious community to excuse-in a rich MP. a sin which would entail excommunication for ;1 humMcr ineinh-r.

A gjoup ot deacons are all tor hushing up the scandal ot Ephraim’s illegitimate child, latter Ephraim cruelly pays hv finding that tin* man to whom he seeks to marry his only daughter is actually this bastard son, hut the daughter’s instinct lias led her to shun the marriage and to elope with another suitor. castle ram boo tables. This Welsh dramatic movement, which seems full ol promise, will ho further extended next year, when a number of prizes will he ottered to Welsh playwrights. Meanwhile lord Howard de WakWn was assuredly right this afternoon when he suggested that ii was too hard on amateur actors to make them compete in amateur plays, and suggested a translation of some indisputable masterpiece as a happier trt *St. Tin* Cttnuitvoii City Ftitliors this afternoon entertained Eintedillnil quests in tin* easlle, where h.-iiiihiiii tables and modern hent-wond ihaiis looked quaint in the severe setting ot a I .’it li-eent in y Nonnail apartment.