Australian Women's Weekly (1933 - 1982), Saturday 23 January 1937, page 24


RADIOS Training for DRAMATISTS

Success of William Power

"I would rather be a good lawyer than a bad writer," says William Power, clever young author of "Tales Told to Peter and Pam," now being broadcast from 2GB.

Critics, however, predict that whatever future Mr. Power had as a lawyer he has an even brighter future

as a writer.

UNTIL recently William

Power was practising as a solicitor. His first novel, half of which was written at the University when he was 19, and the rest later, was pub-lished a couple of years ago under the title of "Men Need Armor."

"This new novelist has imagina-tion, a strong, fluent style, and a talent for story-telling," said one of Sydney's leading newspapers.

The Australian Women's Weekly ranked it as one of the most impor-tant Australian novels yet written. "It is a romantic story, revealing very fine imaginative writing."

An Experiment

J^EVERTHELESSS, like many

young authors, Mr- Power re-gards his first novel as nothing more than an artistic experiment. He be-lieves that in most cases a young man is not likely to do his best work until he is at least thirty.

In the meantime, he welcomes radio as an excellent training ground.

"In radio," he explains, "one has not a select audience, such as one writes for when doing a novel. One's work must have the widest possible appeal.

"Radio teaches the art of writing speedily, and of saying what one has to say in the shortest possible time. It makes one realistic, prac-tical and concrete.

"Before a playwright can present

WILLIAM POWER, Australian playwright, whose radio plays have attracted much favorable

comment.

a scene to listeners by means of words and sound effects alone, the pictures in his mind must be clearly defined."

Writing radio plays for children in which children themselves play is even more difficult.

The difficulties are twofold: first to find child actors who are suffi-ciently competent, and, second, to present stories which, while enter-taining the children, do not bore adults.

Fortunatelv. in Peter and Wendv

Fortunately, in Peter and Wendy Gibb, the B.S.A. Players have two juvenile artists of outstanding merit. That solves the first difficulty. The second difficulty, finding stories which are suitable, is one for the writer himself to solve.

William Power has a natural flair for original story-telling, and when he has to deal with such famous tales as "Puss in Boots," he tells them in such a manner that not even Puss would recognise himself or his boots.

Popular Serial

'JHIS clever writer declares that his

favorite living novelist is James Joyce, and his favorite contemporary playwright is Sean O'Casey, which shows a predilection for Irish authors that may be partly due to a big strain of Irish in himself.

To-day, Mr. Power is author of one of the most successful radio serials for children yet heard in Australia, although this serial forms but a small part of his writing for radio.

"Radio drama," says William Power, "has been attacked in the past as being a crude form of art. The films at first met with a simi-lar reception.

"Now they are regarded as being a highly significant form of art, and Hollywood is one of the most impor-tant art centres of the Englishspeaking world."