... My Letters Ignored SIR,-- I was extremely interested to read your comments regarding the shortage of television directors and the rubbish that sometimes passes for a production on the small screen (July 14 issue). One would have thought that the television companies would have done their best to seek out the best of British talent from the theatre and films and train them for the highly ...

... PROGRAMMES SIR, I was most interested in your leading article on the subect of attractive and informative programmes. Recently 1 visited the Haymarket Theatre to see Ross and was charged a shilling for a leaflet con- loining a few inadequate notes on the career of Sir Alec Guincss. When I enquired the reason for this charge of a shilling (which is creeping into too many London theatres) I ...

... HONOURING SHAKESPEARE SIR,--In April 1964 we are to celebrate the quater-centenary of the birth of William Shakespeare. Here, surely, will be an occasion demanding imagination, courage and faith, for we must not only look back in wonder at the genius of Shakespeare, but we must also give more to, and ask more of the theatre of our own time. Let us make 1%4 a British Theatre Year, and begin ...

... A COMMENT FROM THE BOX OFFICE DEAR SIR,--I would like to comment on a letter recently printed in the stage, regarding the impoliteness of box-office staff. As an experienced member ot the Box Office Profession, and it has by no means any crazy ways, I would suggest that, before Miss Nestle makes any allegations of this kind, she should look into the matter deeply. The fact that the box ...

... DEAR SIR,-- I am afraid I cannot feel very sorry for Mr. Michael Thornton who, last week, complained that The Unexpected Guest and Miss Anna Neagle are returning for a second visit to Brighton. He seems completely unaware of the state of the theatre in the provinces. A lot of theatres are closed. Newcastle has none open at all and Edinburgh has only one open with a summer show because of ...

... TREE'S MISSING COSTUMES r\EAR SIR. It appears that the London Museum possesses no costumes worn by Sir Herbert Tree, among their collection of theatrical relics of great actors. This is a most shocking omission. I understand that all his stage properties were sold at auction soon after his death, and so dispersed. I should be deeply grateful if you could make it known that I should like to ...

... SI 1R. Nor am 1 puzzled that audiences in certain London theatres should seek a particular type of show. Were I to attend a Strip Club only to find that all the goose pimples on display were being worn by Sir L.O. soft-shoeing his way through The Maid of Um Mountains. 1 should feel peered. John McCarthy, S.W.2 ...

... r\EAR SIR, In his notice of the short lived Rattigan Stolz musical, Joie de Vivre, your critic refers to the banal, palm-court type of music. Person ally. I would far rather listen to anything from the pen of the com poser who gave us White Horse Inn and Wild Violets than to the ultra commonplace, pseudo- musical hall jingles which seem to adorn the British musicals of tnffav Jack ...

... BOX-OFFICE r\EAR SIR, r-or many years 1 *J have been a regular visitor to the London theatres, also to those in many of ihe provincial centres, thus found the recent letters regard ing box-office troubles very interest ing. No doubt there arc faults on both sides but my sympathy lies entirely with Miss Nestle who. I imagine, does most of her theatre-going in London. Her experiences at the box- ...

... ARE PLAYS WANTED A SECOND TIME? DEAR SIR.-- If Ihere is anything which reflects the decidedly un healthy condition of our theatre at the moment, it is the practice, steadily spreading in the larger pro vinces, of sending a play back a second time to a town. In Brighton we are beginning to have a surfeit of this custom. This week at the Theatre Royal, we have to put up with Agatha Christie's ...

... AUDITIONS rvEAR SIR. I know the profes- *J sion is a crowded one, but do you not agree there is no reason why at auditions people should be herded like a lot of sheep? This happened at auditions last week for a musical. There were about MX) boys and girls, mostly professionals, like myself. One girl had come from Cardiff. Only about 24 of each sex were heard the others were turned away. Surely ...

... SIR,-- Regularly I read comments in the Trade and National press about commercial television programmes which reveal a naivete about TV as an advertising medium and, last week, you carried a leading article headed British Variety in which you, rightly, rieplore the lack of programmes on the lines of The Perry Como Show. The Bob Hope Show and others of equally high calibre Your earnest and ...