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Salient. An Organ of Student Opinion at Victoria College, Wellington, N.Z. Vol. 15, No. 8. May 29, 1952
[Introduction]
The Drama Club appears to be experiencing a resurgence of vitality. Their Drama School on Anzac weekend resulted in some ambitious ideas not the least of which was the discussion of the practibility of producing a play in the open air, somewhat after the style often produced in England around Oxford and Cambridge, Stratford-on-Avon and the public schools. Thoughts spring to mind of "Midsummer Nights Dream" in the Botanical Gardens, "Julius Caesar" on the steps of Parliament Buildings, on the Museum steps, or in the Massey Memorial. It has been done in other centres and it would literally be a breath of fresh air to the jaded theatre-going public who have been given far too few plays of this nature.
The difficulties of such a production seem almost unconquerable, Wellington's climate is not really suitable for an open-air play and the site chosen for it would need good acoustics and adequate seating facilities. But if such a production is to be presented in Wellington (and it should be) the College Drama club should take the lead. A second possibility for the club is the production of a Restoration comedy for nest year's major production. Arguments in favour of this are that it falls within the English department's curriculum of studies for next year and so would have an assured audience and not only that the very nature of this type of comedy should make it popular with the general public. Thus the club will be able to fulfil the function expected of it namely, the presentation of plays of luting dramatic merit in preference to the ordinary type of box-office-appeal play, while at the same time producing a play that everyone will, find enjoyable.