ENTERTAINING THE TROOPS

New Zealand Listener, Volume 11, Issue 266, 28 July 1944, Page 11

ENTERTAINING THE TROOPS

Touring Parties From New: Zealand (From the Official War Correspondent, N.Z.E.F., New Caledonia}

URING their tour in New Caledonia, the concert and repertory parties entertaining New Zealand troops have been repaid for their efforts by the enthusiastic appreciation expressed by their big audiences. These two parties from New Zealand total 20 men and women, and what with rehearsals, travelling to and from various camps, and nightly performances, they have had a strenuous time, The six members of the repertory party have put up a remarkable record in producing no fewer than six one-act plays in three weeks. They left New Zealand at short notice, so. that there was no time to rehearse before landing here, and they spent their first week rehearsing the first two plays, finding stage properties and so on, "It has been different from anything I. anticipated,’ said the producer, Bernard Beeby, Supervisor of Production, National Broadcasting Service. "When they told us we would play in huts we did not realise the ‘huts’ were only native bures. "It reminds me of the old ‘fit up’ days of touring. No. backcloth. No proscenium. We have travelled a backcloth with us. Hessian and cloth and so on have been ‘scrounged’ in the best Army style, and we’re used to making up now with elbows digging into one another’s ribs. "There had been one or two amusing incidents. A black-out is a necessary part of some plays, and generally hundreds of torches are immediately shone on to the stage from the auditorium, some quite innocently coming to our assistance," smiled Mr. Beeby, "and . some with foul. design." The concert party has made a hit in all its shows, and’ it has found that there is real appreciation of a wide range of musical items. A feature of its work has been the arrangement for voices’ of many popular numbers by — Henry Rudolph, The party’s happiness in the knowledge that the boys were | enjoying the shows was expressed by Jack Maybury, of 3ZB, the compere : for the show. Henri Penn, who has given piano-- . forte selections before each of the — plays, has done some excellent work in coaching and getting together musicians among the troops.