Other formats

    Adobe Portable Document Format file (facsimile images)   TEI XML file   ePub eBook file  

Connect

    mail icontwitter iconBlogspot iconrss icon

Salient. An Organ of Student Opinion at Victoria College, Wellington, N.Z. Vol. 8, No. 12. September 19, 1945

[Letter from Catherine Cross to Salient regarding the Drama Club]

Dear Sir,—Miss Arya has invited me to reply to her letter, and I am glad of the opportunity to make clearer my original arguments. I regret that my letter, being founded on a misunderstanding, was unduly vituperative, but I feel that this was not wholly unjustified since it seems to have aroused a little belated activity in the club, and we are promised an entertainment early next term.

With regard to the Drama League Festival, I knew the rule limiting any actor's appearance to one team. Varsity's original selection of "The Rope" left me free to find a job elsewhere, having waited all year for work at Varsity. I had offered to produce for them, having had some experience, but I was prepared to "walk on," build furniture, or be audience, given a chance, and so were a lot of other people. We were treated to two mediocre readings—other clubs rehearse readings two or three weeks with great success, why can't we?—and three very bad one-acts. No major production, no Festival entry, There are a lot of very keen people in the club, but that gets you nowhere without organisation.

For this state of affairs the committee is chiefly to blame. The trouble is that, like most Drama Club committees, it consists of the best players in the club, and actors are notoriously lacking in executive ability. And it is much too big. In theory a number of different points of view are desirable, but in practice it leads to deadlock after deadlock, and nothing is achieved, witness this year's results. Miss Arya has the reputation of a most efficient organiser: with a small capable committee she could presumably run the club successfully. Varsity has one or two producers of experience, a number of actors and actresses of real talent, and a lot of people prepared to put a great deal of time and energy into the club. Since it is too late to do anything constructive this year, I should suggest a major production early next year, rehearsed over the long vacation. That might infuse a little life into the corpse. As things now stand those anxious for more experience, and those disheartened by getting none here are looking for it in town, but I am certain they are available if wanted by Varsity.

I am, etc.,

Catherine Cross.