VUW Prominent At Drama Festival

Variety Predominated over finesse in the drama section of the Arts Festival at Dunedin. The worst item was the first on the Monday night. Canterbury's performance of "The Respectable Prostitute" (Sartre) made a farce of a play which is already fairly melodramatic. There was no characterisation other than the stereotypes seen in American films; the senator father image, the tough cop, and the dissolute younger son. Tom Finlayson's "method" performance as the Negro made it appear as though someone from another play had got on the stage.

When Patrick Carey (the adjudicator) said his little piece at the end of the play, the murmur from imbibers of culture from brown bottles, which had risen from time to time during the preceding play, reached a roar. Carey, with his beard of fine proportions, and his sincere manner of discussing the theatre, was none too popular for some of his judgments, especially with the Auckland contingent, when he analysed their play, which was performed second.

Carey rightfully pointed out the connection between the tradition of the wordy, static English theatre and Shaffer's play. "The Public Eye." He found fault with the movement of some of the characters. However, he was a little unfair in neglecting to mention Graeme Whimp, who played the part of the public eye. As a type of non-conformist conscience to the other characters (a businessman and his young wife) he was thoroughly convincing, whereas the other characters were just adequate.

Massey College's "Electra" was featured by some very good acting and some very bad. The relatively plain set stipulated by Drama Festival rules is well suited to Greek Drama. It is not possible for an amateur actor io over-act and any temptation Jeune Prichard may have had to underplay her part in the noisy, unresponsive hall was fortunately neglected. Her acting was well matched by that of Dorothy Cooper, as Clytaeminestra. But the acting of the male characters was so bad that the general good impression made by the women's performances was destroyed.

We were then privileged lo see a late, late show; a performance of Otago's excellent Revue. Perhaps someone will write further of this, bat it suffices to say that both the performance and the material were often up to West End standard.

On the Wednesday night there appeared one of the horrible one-acters that the British Drama League has huge stocks of—"The Eccentric." Not even the most gifted actors could have got this play off the ground, and these were not gifted actors.

The two Victoria plays were well received and generally well performed. Carey pointed out the unfortunate nature of the drama club's choice of play when he said, "This is less of a play and more of a series of animated cartoons." This could not detract from some excellent comic acting by Jill Shand and sound work by the rest of the cast.

The Contemporary Arts Society's performance of Albee's "The Sandbox" was featured by some excellent directing by Peter Frater, who, realising the actors at his disposal were very inexperienced, played down each of the roles until the overall impression became more important than any character or part. Hence, the violinist could look out into the audience and the play still seem natural and right. This play was near to winning the Festival, for Carey took pains to mention its ineligibility before proclaiming Otago's play the winner.

Michael Noonan's "The Rattle" was a good vehicle for Noonan himself. He is a fine actor and a born clown and mimic (as the Revue emphasised). His play was an impressionistic sketch on the hardships of old age. However, he kept dropping intimations of an undeveloped plot, which immediately tarnishes this type of theatre since it must be isolated in time and apace. But in winning the Festival with a play which handled much mundane speech very well, Noonan dispelled some of the doubts I had about University drama.

—M.C.R.