... ACTT and the BBC Dear Sir, The effect of non-recognition at the moment is that the ACTT cannot really represent its members. It is true in practice ACTT officials can meet the BBC to discuss individual grievances, but until it is officially recognised it cannot negotiate with the BBC on salaries, on conditions of work, on health, welfare, hours, grading, holidays, and on all the other ...

... Theatre Workshop SIR, I have been commissioned by Messrs. Victor Gollancz to prepare, in collaboration with Olive Barker and Brian Murphy, a documented history of Theatre Workshop, from its pre-war beginnings to its final season at Stratford East. The work will be fuHy illustrated, and will in terleave a linking commentary with rehearsal-logs, letters, contem porary criticisms and similar ...

... Waiting for opportunity Dear Sir, After having read Hughie Green's statements regarding auditions for Opportunity Knocks I should like to state my own personal views on this matter. Four years ago my husband applied for an audition and re ceived a form to fill in. After returning the form duly com pleted he waited patiently for an audition appointment. He is still waiting. In the meantime I ...

... Writers the Regions are being frozen out Dear Sir, I was very interested in the discussion by Allan Prior about new plays and in particular radio plays. Richard Imison's letter to him quoted last week must have raised an ironical cheer in the Regions for there is an often expressed feeling in writers' circles at least in this part of the world that, as far as the BBC is concerned, the ...

... An 'In' Group for series and serials Dear Sir, The writer of last week's letter in Television Today on an In group for series and serials should feel indebted to you for keeping his name a secret. He used, apparently, little thought, and a pen filled with the juice of sour grapes. A few questions for him. Why stop at serials? Or television? In justice, why should Laurence Olivier, on top of ...

... Equity affairs SIR. The letter from Brian Croucher. who describes himself as having been pari of the so-called disruptive element at ihe Equity AGM, requires an answer. Mr. (.roucners letter is literate, civilised and seems to say: Friends, at the AGM we were a small minority of keen, young actors who tried to bring some life into a mori bund institution. We tried to say that Equity should ...

... Australian artists SIR, It is my opinion that Alan Guinness would not be so a palled by Barry J. Gordon's advertisement for English artists if he was more aware of current circumstances which made the advertisement necessary. As an Australian himself Barry J. Gordon is very conscious of the responsibility to use and encourage home-grown talent and, in fact, constantly endeavours to do so by ...

... Operetta SIR, I have noted a letter from your corrspondent. Lome Ed wards, in your issue of August 22. Mr. Edwards appears to be singu larly ignorant of what is currently happening in the theatre. As you are aware, there is a number one company of The Merry Widow at present on tour, prior to being presented in the West End. It is playing at the Alhambra, Bradford, this week and opens for ...

... SIR, Sir Donald Wolfit is mourned by theatre lovers everywhere, but those who launched the Federation of Playgoers' Soci eties and have been concerned in running it remember him with particular affection. The conference at Netley House, Shere, convened by the Playgoers' Society and the old Guildford Theatre was a modest enough be ginning, but Sir Donald Wolfit I accepted an invitation to ...

... Liverpool theatre CIR, I was very pleased to read v-* that Mr. John Neville had been appointed drama adviser to How ard and Wyndham. Let us hope that he will give Howard and Wyndham a well deserved shake up. At the Royal Court, Liverpool, all Howard and Wyndham have been able to offer us this year is three months of variety which occu pied Ihe theatre until March. We then had a recast version ...

... Dear Sir, I read the leader in Television Today last week on the reported ending of Double Your Money, and Take Your Pick, with great interest. I can't understand why there should be any logical juncture for the demise of two such highly successful programmes. They may not be everybody's cup of tea, but that they arc watched in over 12 million homes a week, surely proves their popular appeal ...

... Shylock in the Park SIR,--Last week I took an American Jew to see The Merchant of Venice in Regent's Park. An embarrassing evening. The radical fault of this production is to make Shylock a Golders Green rabbi, an upright, worthy, most reasonable man. Shylock is only tolerable if he is preposterous; old, bent, tattered, mad. He is somewhere between the Wandering Jew and Fagin: perhaps Judas ...