Musicals

50 GOLDEN YEARS

1953 - 1960

In 1953, the committee, with Matt Abson as President and Geoff Richards, Secretary, took the bold decision to engage a full-time producer for the year. Five applications for this position were received, and in February Ron Quinn was appointed. Hal Porter was one of the four unsuccessful applicants. Hal was then living in Hobart to which he had returned after his sojourn in Ballarat some years previously. In 1952, Hal had renewed his links with the Ballarat branch and had offered to direct a production; in a "chatty" letter to the secretary, Geoff Richards he had said,

". . . if, therefore, you have a space for me to do a production for you I'd be delighted. I would not at the moment be able to do it for nix, because, as I said before the Theatre has, for a while anyway, become my profession. But, out of affection, I would certainly do something for no more than is required to prevent me sleeping in the Ballarat Public Gardens! . . . I'm always thrilled to hear about Ballarat goings-on. In re Thelly (Thelma Walker) I strongly suspect the false eyelashes in "Lady Precious Stream" were the beginning of all this marriage and maternity business! . . . I'm really interested in the possibility of doing something for you in Ballarat - if you have any plans I'd love to pursue the matter further - Hobart is really too so-and-so for me to remain here forever. . ."

With Ron Quinn as full-time producer the committee planned to present seven full-scale productions, however, in the event this proved impossible and five productions were mounted. These were, "Enduring as the Camphor Tree", "Outward Bound", "The Happiest Days of Your Life", "Ladies in Retirement" and "Exercise Bowler", an experimental play in fourteen scenes. The only complete script of this play was lost, and prompting was done from innumerable pieces. In 1953, Royalty fees paid for plays were around three guineas per performance and patrons paid four shillings for a seat at any play in that season.

In 1954 the branch joined the newly-formed Victorian Drama League for a subscription of two guineas. BNT is still a member of the Drama League today, and makes full use of its library resources. In 1954 also, it was decided that an honorarium of ten guineas be paid to the producers of all plays which ran for the full six-night season; in addition producers were to be allowed out-of-pocket expensees of up to ten guineas. As ten guineas in 1954 was roughly equivalent to a week's pay, this was considered to be generous remuneration. At the Annual Meeting in March, Mrs Brenda Dowling presented her production of the one-act play "At Dusk", which was to achieve success later in the year at drama festivals in Camperdown and Maryborough where it gained first and second place respectively. In April, an Australian play, "Fountains Beyond", was staged, production by Jenny Strickland. At the members night in July Miss Winifred Moverley addressed members on her recent trip to England and Scotland where she had seen 42 plays and had attended a conference of the British Drama League. In August, Pam Skinner's production of "An Inspector Calls" was staged and, by special request, played in Miner's Rest and Colac for charity. The final production for the year, "Young Wives' Tale" which was directed by Mabel Tuckett was later staged at the Mental Hospital (now Lakeside Hospital), and in March of the following year, when two performances netted nine guineas for the Begonia Festival.

The first major production for 1955 was "The Third Visitor", produced in May by Mr. Eric McGrath. This was followed in September by Pam Skinner's production of "The First Mrs Fraser", a sophisticated comedy which later gained second place in the South Street play contest. It was also staged in Beaufort, the proceeds going to the local Association of Girl Guides. At Members Nights entertainment was provided by several rehearsed readings; Maureen Christie's reading of Christopher Fry's "The Dark is Light Enough" during April; Mrs Ingrid Ellison's reading of "The Fire on the Snow" by Douglas Stewart in June, and in August several readings arranged by Mrs Gwen Heinz. Improvements were constantly being made to the theatrette, and in May, the committee acknowledged the generous donation of curtains by Mr George Lemke. In June, 1955 the secretary, Miss Myra Morgan sent a letter of congratulations to Mr Henry Bolte on his appointment as Premier of Victoria; some years later as Sir Henry Bolte he was to become Patron of National Theatre, Ballarat.

The 1956 season was opened by Eric McGrath's production of "Antigone" by Jean Anouilh. This was followed by Mrs Anne Nott's production of "No Monument for Mark" by Kate Lindsay, which was staged for one night at Clunes to aid the District Hospital. Later in the year "September Tide" by Daphne du Maurier played to excellent houses; production was by Mrs Mabel Tuckett. At the June meeting, Mrs Harold Holt entertained members with an amusing talk "The Theatre in England and Abroad", detailing her experiences both in England and Hollywood. On the same evening, a rehearsed reading of Terrence Rattigan's "The Browning Version" was presented by Mr John Chaponnel; among the cast were Gwen Heinz and Anne and Geoff Nott. National Theatre continued to take an active part in the life of the community and was able to continue to aid various charities in a significant way. As previously noted, the Clunes Hospital was a beneficiary in 1956, in addition the Base Hospital Centenary Radio Appeal benefitted by £15, being the proceeds of the first night of "Antigone", and £5 was donated to the Dramatic Art section of the South Street Competitions. The Annual Report for 1956 stated that plans were in hand to stage "September Tide" In Beaufort, to aid the Girl Guides' Association. Apart from aiding various charities, National Theatre was also in demand for its contribution to Ballarat's artistic activities. It is noted in the Annual Report that the Y.W.C.A. had requested assistance to stage a production for its Christmas Trees Festival and that the Apex Club had requested a production for its convention to be held in the following Easter. At the opening concerts at the new Civic Hall, National Theatre had staged an excerpt from "Heaven on Earth", and in October, T.B. Morris's "White Queen, Red Queen" produced by John Chaponnel was successful in gaining second place in the one act play section of the South Street Competitions.

In April of 1957, John Chaponnel's production of the Alan Melville comedy "Castle in the Air" was staged at the Civic Hall for the Apex Convention, and the committee took the brave step of performing the play on their own initiative for a further two nights at the Civic Hall instead of in the Little Theatre. Although not a successful experiment financially, the committee felt that the group had benefitted by playing toa more varied audience than would usually attend the Little Theatre. July however, saw the production of Eric McGrath's box office success, "Mter My Fashion" by Diana Morgan. This production played to capacity audiences. Jenny Strickland produced Eugene O'Neill's one-act play "He" which gained an Honourable Mention in the South Street Competitions. The play was set in Ireland, and the intriguing title "He" derived from the Irish-pronunciation of "oil". In December, a special Christmas review was staged, John Fox's production "Infra Dig". The original scripts were written by Jan and John Fox and Mary Barling. The show caught the popular fancy and paid off well at the box office, making a profit of £100 for its. six-night season. In 1957 the committee initiated the principle which has carried through to the present day, that of circulating a newsletter periodically to members. Another innovation was that of impromptu play-readings at members' nights, these were a delight for both audience and readers. '

As National Theatre's contribution to the 1958 Begonia Festival Drama Season Jenny Strickland produced the one-act play "The Unknown Hand" and Pam Skinner produced the three-act melodrama "Madam Tic Tac" which later played to packed houses at the Little Theatre, and to a highly appreciative audience at the Mental Hospital. In June, Sheridan's delightful classic "The Rivals" was staged, with production by John Fox. A total of 260 schoolchildren saw the play, and benefitted by seeing the text vividly brought to life. The play was a financial and artistic success; despite heavy production costs a profit of £125 was made. In all 1,000 people saw the play over the ten night season; on six nights, sixteen extra seats were brought in. In his production report John Fox expressed his gratification at patrons' appreciation of the play, much of the praise 'unqualified, ". . . a few qualifying to the extent that it did not quite have a professional finish, which was, of course, not to be expected and, in any case, that the comparison was made was praise indeed". National Theatre's entry in South Street was the one-act play "Dark Brown" by Philip Johnson, with Brenda Dowling as producer. It gained third place with 80 points. In October Miss Kira Mather produced "Theme Song" by Wilbur Price, the third prize winner in the South Street Play-writing Competition.

During 1958 Mr Peter Randall of Melbourne Little Theatre put up a proposal to Ballarat theatre people to convert the Plaza Theatre in Camp Street to a full-time live theatre as part of a Cultural Centre. His plan received the full support of National Theatre, however the scheme did not come to fruition. In his annual report the secretary John Fox said ". . . it would be a marvellous thing for the cultural life of Ballarat which seems, unfortunately to be in a decline". He goes on to speak of the "Renaissance of the Theatre" at the present time, and that the cinema is "unquestionably on the way out". He predicts that television "no matter to how many homes it brings darkness and indigestion" will not meet the needs of a "discerning" public. He concludes with optimism, in that "the magic of flesh-and-blood Theatre is taking on a new lease of life in Australia. It is for us, members, to give vigorous support to this movement and to give Ballarat a rich, dramatic life of its own."

The first play of the 1959 season was Noel Coward's "Private Lives" with production by John Fox. Full houses testified to the popularity of the play, and the season had to be extended by one extra night to accommodate those patrons who had been unable to get a booking. The play was also repeated for the Rotary Convention. The March prpduction, "Dial M for Murder" produced by Vi Heather, not only enjoyed a most successful season at the Little Theatre, but was also produced at Langi Kal Kal, Beaufort, Buninyong, the Mental Hospital, and was National Theatre's contribution towards drama at the Begonia Festival. The July production, "The Heiress" produced by Kath Torney, also played to full houses and requests were received for tours to many country centres. However, because of the large cast, touring was difficult and only one country centre could be accommodated, Skipton. "The Heiress" also gained third place in the South Street Competitions. The year's fourth production was John Fox's "Look Back in Anger" by John Osbourne. This play represented some risk-taking on the part of the committee. John Osbourne, as the first of the "angry, young" playwrights was not every patron's "cup of tea" and the play itself was a distinct departure from the "safe" plays on which National Theatre had built its reputation. However the production, although controversial, won unstinting praise from audiences, and the committee could be pleased that it had had the courage to present a different facet of drama to Ballarat audiences. An innovation of 1959 was the One-act Play Festival, in which three plays were presented on one evening. Mr Harold Baigent from the Council of Adult Education, Melbourne, was the official judge and critic. He awarded the Best Play to Pam Skinner's production of "Separate Tables". The festival was attended on the opening night by Miss Gertrude Johnson, the founder of the National Theatre Movement. The final production for 1959 was Pam Skinner's production of "Who is Sylvia?" staged in December.

Pam Skinner also produced the first production for 1960, Graham Greene's "The Potting Shed". This was the first time that one person had produced two successive plays, a situation brought about by the withdrawal of one producer, and the necessity for Miss Skinner to "come to the rescue" , marking her as a producer of skill and energy. In September Brenda Dowling produced" Arsenic and Old Lace" which also proved to be good box office, as extra seating had again to be provided. In November, after seven years absence from the theatre, Jenny Strickland produced "The Typewriter" by Jean Cocteau. By her handling of this difficult play Jenny showed that she had lost none of her skill, and her return to active participation in the theatre was greeted enthusiastically by audiences and committee alike. The final production for 1960 was Kira Mather's "That Scoundrel Scapin" by Moliere. Mr Gordon Kirby, a Melbourne producer was present at the final performance and gave an encouraging critique. An interesting innovation in 1960 was the formation of a Play-reading Group under the direction of John Fox. Members nights continued to be entertaining and in June, "The Summer of the 777th Billy-can" was produced by Bill Reynolds. The play was written by Mr G. F. J. Dart, the Headmaster at Ballarat Grammar School, and proved to be an excellent parody of "that" play.