WHISPERS OF EVE

NZ Truth, Issue 1194, 18 October 1928, Page 18

WHISPERS OF EVE

BUSY QUEEN BESS OLD Persian ruga, with gleams of • scarlet and srtpphire woven Into their fabric by the nomad, makers;' wooden bowls, filled with freesias, and, books by the score, many of them^'ori' the subject of costume, and. theatre work — all these help to. make Elizas beth Blake's study the delightful place it is. . . ' '■'■'■'. ... Elizabeth Blake, otherwise . MrSi Stanley Natusch, 1 is. a "this l . yea.r'6 •arrival" .m. Wellington, and, prior, to her advent, personally conducted the great adventure of introducing Shakespeare,. Sheridan and Shaw to the viK lagers 6f Merrie England. ' '-" ■ "I believe," says this ' .riut?brpwn mayde (for so she really. looks), "that there is always an audience for good stuff. The theatre, owners are inclined to be afraid of new roads — to stick to the 'safe' plays. „\ '.•;, : ■ >* "Well, at first, some of the. country, folk didn't know how tpr take our plays— they laughed m the .Won? places. But when we came round for the second timt, they always asked for more. My little company was, worked up from , almost nothing— at ■first, we were playing m the weirdest of East End theatres. But it was paying its way 'befgro I left. \ '.'lf. intend to go back to England, m. about three. years, and. take a sort of theatrical refresher, course"." .. Meantime, brown-haired, . vivacious Mrs. Natusch (who is a descendant of the j'ounger brother of Admiral Blake), is' infusing new Ufe into New Zealand theatricals." ; She intends' introducing her favorite ' play->yrights to our simple virfagers (if any).' and' is alsb ■producjhg' the League ;ofsNations pageant which is to help. Wellington, build its Art Gallery. v -;... ..: ■, . 'This -will' be a heavy task, for there is : difficulty m arranging sufficient reh.earsals, but looking at the producei, .one somehow, has a feeling, that anything 'with ' Wh ich- she is connec ted wilL| go briliiantly. •. ;.■;.• ' VMrsi" Natusclv is also representative of ! : the, lncorporated Society of Authors here, which means that it be, much' easier for amateur; producers to sccurt the right of performance for' vai'iou plays ; than it, v/as Wfien V they had to comb England for 'copyright- holders. ■'- '.. . #■ ■ :; « .■•••.■••■ «■■■ . -, ' :.; CABBAGES AND (^tJEENS X HUGE programme has bepn arranged for the Lieapru>' of Nations' pageant, by which WelUhgton is earnestly hoping : to raise '£ 2i),p00 fpfc its National Art Gallery and;Museuxxi 'pcherneV ; . ,; The .municipal organisations' are arranging ;a . Paddy's. Market^oh^.i he grand scale, of course— rand the "Dream of ."Pair Woman" pageant is to. bp fan interesting, feature. *\ . . ■. • ' ' '^ ; ' '.V. . Women m the piece are Mrs. Stajiley Natusch, 1 producer,, and Miss Mae r Shei - man, who, with Mr. ' tifarrison Cook, will design the costunies-^-bpth ''jobs fairly heavy undertal<ihgs-^-fpr" tlie, .director, Mr.. W. Honey, 'promises' sbihething more spectacular arid more got - geously arrayed, than any carnival or pageant before staged ,m New Zealand A masked; 'ball (December 8) is^arrahgecl, as^ihe '■ grand^ finale, , and;-' ■as Director Honey said, \vith,a twinkie m his eye: "I hope, everybody will.^behave themselves." ' .--, * :. ; > .";•>•• A i«irge list of claimants f.6 i>- the various thrones has. alrea'djr bfien'^suDniitted, and one, the'.'spp^it's; "queeni has 'been found / m itie athletic ■'. ;perso,n of Miss Sybil Swinburne/ 'lidfder--p'f.' the New' Zealand women's record for .the hundred yards. She is toibe Atalan'ta, the lady who. was so-nimble on her' feet that she. left quite a wide selection of slaughtered husbands behind her on the turf. .! ■■ . •■•'■ ' .■■■'•':':' , ; , ' : The costume of the Queen . of Sheba is-r^as our American friends might put itr— a'i wow, mostly -feathers ; and elsewhere ".gauze. The daughter of a very well-known . Karori hoii se is. mfentipn ed for this .-place. ',v • ' : -