... WHY NOT LOOK AT SCHOOLS? 1 REGRET that in your interesting paper you do not find space to men tion the excellent pro grammes on School Television. Many wonderful actors and actresses appear on both channels, but never a men tion of their performances appears. This must be very disappoiniing for them. I will declare my own in terest at once. I have scripted two programmes for A-R's Books To ...

... THE YOUNG AFFAIR SIR,--Margaret Cowan's column (March 10 issue) contained a reference to the effect that Ron Rowson with David Henley will produce The Young Affair for the Grade Organisation witb Cliff Richard and Pier Angeh Since producing Serious Charge my company have had Cliff Richard under contract for his sole and exclusive film services for a film this year to be followed by a ...

... IN-THE-ROUND SIR, In your references to pioneers of Theatre-in-the- Round in this country, I am sur prised you have overlooked John English and his touring Arena Theatre, which 1 believe was the first professional effort of this kind in England. This charming horse-shoe shaped theatre with its semi-circular curtain track seems to me to retain a lot of the advantages of the proscenium stage, ...

... 'PHONEY' DEAR SIR,-- I am one of the phoney provincial critics that Mr. Lawrence, author of the ill-fated Meet Mr. Tombs, talks so disparagingly about. in nis letter, ivir. i.awrence brackets his own play with Aunt Edwina which also came to Bristol and was. in my opinion, infinitely better, and states that we phonies made the mistake of taking a comedy seriously. In fact, the one thing it ...

... MUSICALS TODAY SIR,-- May I, though a non professional, but very keen iheatrc-goer, in my young days especially, heartily endorse Jack Strachey's views on the so-called musical shows of today? I was recently at my focal Hippo drome and sat in a packed house watching a performance ol The Dancing Years, and some time earlier, in October last, The Merry Widow, also packed out If that isn't ...

... MANAGEMENTS AND PLAYS SIR.-- Driven to despair about the impossibility of getting plays read. I am appealing to you, to suggest a plan for putting this on a proper business basis. It is quiie mon strous that year follows year and nothing practical is done. Everyone realises that repertory companies working on a shoe-string cannot cope with the flood of scripts which pour in on them. Why cannot ...

... CHANGE IT! THIS letter is prompted by the report of the variety programme at Finsbury Park Empire last week, in The Stage (March 17). The most notable mention was afforded to The Edorics, described as a commendable presentation I remember this trio from the first Benny Hill series on BBC and looked forward to their contributions with as much interest as I did the stars. Why is the viewing ...

... OUTRAGE WITH the present degenera tion of acting standards on present-day television, it is a pleasure to see a less well- known actor showing a return to the standards which one has come to associate with the better stage and screen plays. That an actor of the calibre of Peter Bull should be rele gated to appearing on Schools Television seems to me to be little short of an outrage. A. J. ...

... but who are the Parents? SIR Sydney Newman's kindly, considerate and avuncular response to Miss Cowan's brilliantly clear exposition of the problem of authorship of TV plays rightly boils the problem down to the relation between Director and Playwright but when he makes it one of the right marriage he's got to make up his mind that without a really good conception of marriage, the ...

... SIR.-- Having read the article by R. B. Marriott last week about the Trade Union visit to Russia, and having myself just returned from there, J cannot help feeling that it is time that something was done to gain security for the artist in this country, too. You, sir, live by printing and publishing the stage the perma nent staffs of Equity and the V.A.F., the hundreds of television technicians ...

... SIR. To save any erroneous im pression created by your leading article, Author's Rights, I feel I must state upon my own behalf: I have always uphold authors' rights above the rights of all oihers in the theatre, and always will. I have never barred any author from rehearsals and never will. 1 have never made any major alterations to a script on my own without being given carte blanche by tbe ...

... THEY'RE NOT OUTCASTS SIR,--May I make several points in connection with Romney Sutton's article on the Langham Group (Television Today, February 25). The Langham Group is an integral part of the BBC-tv Drama Department. They are based at the Lang ham, not as outcasts, but be cause it is the most suitable accommodation and they are away from the hurly-burly of everyday pressures. The Workshop ...