Education by Wireless

Radio Record, Volume II, Issue 43, 10 May 1929, Page 13

Education by Wireless

W.E.A. Lecture-Modern Social Drama

OLLOWING are the notes of a lecture to be given from 4YA on Tuesday, May 14, at 7.80 p.m., under the auspices of the Workers’ Edueational Association, University of Otago. If one could take off the roofs of all modern buildings and peer below, one would get an idea of the Scope and variety of modern plays. No subject is too sacred, too petty, too sordid, too lofty, too intimate for the meédern writer. He will write about anything. At one moment he is lifting us to the height; with an inspiring interpretation of Christ’s martyrdom, as in Masefield’s "The Trial of Jesus." In another he is dragging us into the depths, as in Jean O’Oasey’s "The Silver Tassie." He can reproduce the terror of war and revolution or recreate the glory of St. Joan or Florence Nightingale. The Subjects. N important social problem is the future of machinery. Will it reduce men to the status of mere ma-chine-minders? Will it bring increased leisure and an improved standard of living for all? What does the dramatist think of Henry Ford? "R.U.R." is an effort at interpretation. Ane machines are controlled by men ho themselves are made by machines. These Robots, as the machinemen are called, are. efficient-they have no emotions, they do not waste time in love-making or eating, they

merely work. Here is an attempt not to portray individuals, but to interpret a problem. "The Rumour" by OC. K. Munro deals with the engineering of wars in the interest of financiers. "The Insect Play" reduces men to the size and status of insects, and miserable, petty being they are! "Masses and Men" tries to explain the economic forces that underlie a modern revolution. Then there are the dozens of plays that stress the problems of the individual- marriage, love, patriotism, duty, and so on, according to the dozens of theories of conduct that are floating around in the modern world. The impression is very puzzling, worrying, and to some decadent. We live in an age of experiments. The Scenery. RAALISTIC subjects need realistic scenery. There is a growing tendency to replace the flat scenery by curtains, screens and lights which suggest rather than portray. In "The Adding Machine," by Hlmer Rice, an effort is made to represent the monotony of much of modern life. The characters are given not names, but labels, which try to suggest the universality of the problem. Hach actor, further, has two streams of speech to manage-one which represents the bald, ugly conversation of life, and another which reveals hidden thoughts and emotions-more violent and even more ugly. At one point it is necessary to flash coloured lights across the stage to reveal the full extent of the leading charactér’s emotions. In a Russian play at the back of the stage is a type of speedometer which registers the speed of the emotions of the actors-the wheel turns slowly when they are bored, and whirls rapidly in a love scene! In "Hoopla," to denote the passing of years between the scenes, a film of world events is shown. To make for rapid action, the author uses a setting which enables four scenes to be presented simultaneously. In some plays there is no such thing as scenery, but suggestions, or symbols, or constructions. The scenery is used not to please the eye, not even to complete the picture, a bowl of flowers in the

study, but merely to help on the action, or to assist the interpretation. Again, in an attempt to suggest that the stage is merely the mirror of daily life, the audience may be drawn in by singing a song relevant to the play, the actors may come up from the audience, or they may hold a discussion across the seated people. In a Russian theatre the actors change their costumes before the audience. Discusion. LIBRARY would be needed to keep up to date with the modern plays, but the following are selected as. being characteristic of the contemporary movements: "R.U.R."-Capeh ; "Masses and Men"-HB. Toller; "Hoop-la’-H, Toller; "The Insect Play’Capeh; "Your People’-Miles Malleson; "A Strange Interlude’-R.U.R.; "The Rumour’-C. K. Munro. Those interested in modern drama are invited to join the D.H.A. Correspondence Course, attached to which is a library of plays. Next week, Dr. Fisher will begin a series of wireless lectures on "Why Incomes are Unequal." Further lectures on the drama will be given when listeners-in inform the Otago W.H.A. of their desires. In the meantime the Association invites correspondence on the following questions :- 1. Do you believe that many modern plays will live? Why? We know that both Aristophanes and Euripides were propogandists. Why, then, can we still read them with satisfaction? 2. Do the great problems of life vary from age to age? If Shakespeare were alive to-day in what form and style would his plays be written? Did Shakespeare get the effects in his plays that the moderns are trying to get-realism, the inner thoughts of the characters, full emotional expression, realistic scenery, social forces, the events outside the play, the experiences of war and revolution?

8. Do you think that there are‘any subjects that should not be placed in a play? Or do you think that the important factor is how the subjects are treated by the author or producer? Do you think actors should ‘swear? All information, suggestions, criticisms, answers to "Radio Lectures," Secretary, W.H.A., Otago University, Dunedin.