Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), Tuesday 6 August 1929, page 15


DRAMATIC COMPETITION.

FINAL ROUND.

What shows promise of becoming an im-portant annual dramatic event was decided at the Turi et Theatre last night Of the 17 companies of amateurs who oiiginal'y entered for the Amateur Dramatic Festival (second year) 14 had been eliminated in the prelimi-nary round? by the judges, by Influonza, and by th° calling to ¿he professional îanks of one young leading lady The remaining Uwe companies played the flnal 1ound before Ina Judges (Mrs Heath Giren Miss Beatrice McDonald, Miss Beatrice Tildesley, and Mr. G Kay Souper) and an audience crowded to the point of discomfort

The Doone Dramatic Club presented "Michael," an adaptation from Tolstoi by Miles Malleson The difficult feat of play-ing the part of an angel without becon'ng either mawkish or over-pious was trium-phantly done by Miss Joan Scott-McLeod. Despite the male parts being Ulled by young women, their make-up and masculine deport« ment earned the play through to a fine climax without the slightest suggestion of the lldi« culous The pioducer wis Mis G MacDermot.

The Pukwana Dramatlo Society (Strathrieldy played an American sketch, "lindéis Keepois.T by George Kelly Three chprarteis onlv ap-pear, but the clever situation which forms tha basis of the sketch-the discovery by a hus-band that his wife is dishonest-was subtly brought out to its full dramatic value by Mr. Campbell Moglnle, Miss Dorothy Thomson, and Miss Lois Alcock The sketch was proJ duced by Miss E M Thomson

The Players' Club presented a powerful one-act play, "The Small Hour " by Barrington Gates. This little masterpiece was played up to a high professional standard by a company of five, whose team work would have been an object lesson to more than one cast ap-pearing in commercial productions. The play was produced by Mr. John Appleton.

The judges failed to separate the Doone Club and the Players' Club, who were accord-ingly announced as the joint winners of the competition.