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ART AND THE BOX OFFICE

A. Christchurch Contributor Discusses "Royalty Poisoning" and Other Functional Ailments of the Lattle Theatre

ATELY there have been two articles in the "Record" tolling the knell of the repertory movement. At least, if not exactly announcing © its death, they read like death-bed interviews with all the fatal symptoms carefully explained. Jack Daw, under the heading of "Tragedy In One Act," ascribes the fatal symptoms to "royalty poisoning." There may be some truth in his diagnosis in the case of the smaller groups and Women’s Institutes, whose programme consists mostly of play-readings-but it cannot possibly apply to the larger societies. The Auckland Little Theatre Society, whose funera! service was read by "Wirihana" under the heading, "Repertory Blues," is reputed to have a membership of 2000. Wellington and Dunedin have two or three societies, each with a probable total membership for each town of 1500. If those societies cannot, with such membership, pay their way, inclusive of royalties, there is something radically eo. a an — so LY .*._ ee

WiUlts Wilit (Heir alld erement. Otherwise, how does the one and only large drama group in Christchurch, the Canterbury Repertory Theatre Society, with a membership of less than 600, manage not only to pay its way but make a profit? The box-office receipts from the last play, finished on Saturday night. made a record.

HERE are some facts that other societies might do well to ponder. The average amount spent on.advertising for the eight plays before the last has been £7 for each play. And yet the society can get enough of the generul public into the audience to pay such expenses as cannot be met from members’ subscriptions. "Wirihana" suggests that a strong, practical guiding mind is needed to hold a repertory society together, The Christchurch society is run under a purely democratie form of government, with no one enthusiast leading the revels. ‘"Wirihana" further states that in Auckland interest in amateur drama is stronger than ever before. ‘In Christchurch, as anyone knows who has lived there, no one has an interest in anything-except, of course, when the trots are on. Active members-members willing and able to take parts-number probably less than a hundred. The really able young men on whom the Christchurch society can call for juvenile leads could be counted on the fingers of one hand, with a finger or two to spare. In Auckland, if reports are true, there is a queue of talented juveniles clamouring for parts!

; And yet Christchurch goes ahead, and Auckland goes into recess! ‘THE Christchurch Society owes nothing on back royalties, and yet has put on modern plays. Further, it employs a salaried producer, a salaried secretary, and a salaried stage-manager, and the wages-tax has been paid to date. The scenery is the society’s own, remodelled and repainted for each play, and in the very unbiased criticisms in the local papers, the settings have more than once been given fulsome praise. Comparing the societies in Auckland and Christchurch, it is fairly easy to see why Auckland keep mice in their box office, while the box office in Christchurch usually holds a smiling secretary. But in the previous articles quoted, no one seems to have put his finger on the spot, though it is as clear as a neon sign. Whatever the highbrows may say to the contrary and whatever they may demand from the public, a repertory

movement to-day has to compete with all other purveyors of amusement, To 99 per cent. of members repertory is a hobby, just as going to the cinema is a hobby with so many thousands. The more inte)ligent and active minds demand something more than watching others, but few of them seem to be intelligent enough to see that they have

nn tO 6 COIMpPete With the cinemas and: the bridge parties and the other social gatherings. And to compete they have to run their society just as any cinema is run, with a shrewd business executive watching the financial end all the time! "ART for art’s sake" is a glorious (if somewhat motheaten) slogan, and should be confined to the art department. The firm’s accountant can quickly translate a slogan into pounds, shillings and pence, and an able and enthusiastic member cast in the part of accountant has saved many a dramatic society. If Auckland could not show a credit balance from the subscriptions of 2000 members, the society had two courses open: First, to curtail their activities, which they have done; and, secondly (it comes hard to the art for art’s sake enthusiasts), to realise that they needed the support of the casual theatre-going public, and, having realised, to gain it. Did Auckland do this? Apparently not, because the society put into practice the best-known method of alienating the public. With misguided ideas of economy, the paid (Contd. on page 40).

: | ALL is not well with the Little Theatre in New Zecaland-but apperently some societies survive and flourish. Jack Dew end "Wirihana"’ contributed the failure side of the argument in recent issues. So this week "R.W." tells @ success story for a change,

Art And Box Office

Repertory Remedies — (Continued from page 13). producer was dispensed with, and-the scheme, dear to the hearts of so many enthusiastic amateurs, of having a different member of the society produce each play: was tried out. With a consequent variation in the standard of production and a consequent fallingaway of box office receipts. To keep a regular audience, a repertory society must keep to a regular standard of production and performance. Both tntried producers and untried actors should be tried out in one acters, play readings and drama classes. and not where they can spoil the society’s reputation. There are always members who think they can produce, and who may have produced successful one-acters, and even one full-length play, but that is not to say they can produce any and every play. Further, what appears to be a small point, and yet is often the. most important, is the moral ascendancy given a paid producer by his | position. The cast is willing to take his statements as authoritative, even if their own personal views conflict with them, and are also willing to be corrected and even take a dressingdown in the right spirit, while with a fellow member. as producer, every other member thinks he (or she) can give his opinions and suggestions, until rehearsals become nothing more than dramatic debates, often acrimonious. S for a dressing-down by a mem-ber-producer, just picture to yourself that foundation member, veteran of many plays, Mrs. Jones, being told off by Miss Robinson, "That impertinent child! You know, my dear, she spent an afternoon. at some dramatic academy in London, and now thinks She can tell me all about acting!" Almost all the newspaper correspondents who advanced reasons for the lack of vitality in repertory societies managed to avoid the real point. Crippling royalties, the lack of suitable plays, "bad acting," and the supply of amateur effort exceeding the demand are really only minor details, What is needed to make a repertory society successful, in any town and in any year, is. an able and energetic committee, composed mostly of those members who are not too keen on taking parts, and who realise that on the box office receipts, the society depends for Its living. When a society has sufficient funds in reserve, then the experimenters may be allowed’ to produce "Julius Caesar" in modern: dress, or spend 2 cool hundred or so on settings fit for ay London stage; they may even put on # play spoken entirely in Erse or Yiddish, provided. it is well advertised as such, so that their regular audience does not attend in the expectation of seeing a "sparkling modern comedy." There is as much art in organising as in acting, and whoever wishes to organise a repertory society, should learn the "inside history" of all the repertory societies in the Dominion, not forgetting, that though not much is heard of the society in sleepy, conservative Christehurch, it is, at least, .worth studying as a financially successful organisation,

This article text was automatically generated and may include errors. View the full page to see article in its original form.I whakaputaina aunoatia ēnei kuputuhi tuhinga, e kitea ai pea ētahi hapa i roto. Tirohia te whārangi katoa kia kitea te āhuatanga taketake o te tuhinga.
Permanent link to this item
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/periodicals/RADREC19380520.2.10

Bibliographic details
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Radio Record, 20 May 1938, Page 13

Word count
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1,352

ART AND THE BOX OFFICE Radio Record, 20 May 1938, Page 13

ART AND THE BOX OFFICE Radio Record, 20 May 1938, Page 13

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