... Co-directors SIR. I read with interest your article on the enterprising activities of the final year students of the Department of Drama, Manchester University. As a member of a pre vious Summer Company, I am, I suppose, biased in applauding the initiative of the venture. However, the main purpose of writing is to correct a small error in the copy. I am flatteringly referred to as artistic ...

... Applications for letters must be made 1° the LETTER BOX DEPARTMENT. Jh* 1 Office, 19-21 Tavistock Street. W.C 2. and accompanied by an envelope properly stamped and addressed. Mrs. Bert Seal (Minna Ward). ...

... American theatre SIR,--The conclusions reached by Mr. Hugh Jenkins on the state of the theatre in America at the present time would certainly startle any American associated with the theatre there except for the compilers of a booklet published by a publicity organisation a few years ago. North America has an area of 8,600,000 square miles, England, Scotland and Wales combined an area of 88 ...

... 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 ...

... 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 ...

... 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 ...

... James Whale SIR, I am collecting informa tion about the late James Whale, I the Hollywood film eh rector of the thirties who was an actor, i producer and set designer on the London stage in the twenties. May I appeal through your columns for anyone who knew him either personally or profes- sionally and who is able to sup- ply any biographical material, to oontact me'.' I think Whale is an ...

... Good Friday SIR Sir Tom O'Brien is reported to have said that the curtain had not risen in theatres on Good Fridav. this century. This is not so. The Royal, Brighton has had per formances on Good Friday, and 1 seem to remember Nancy Price giving a special performance of Nurse Cavell at the Vaudeville on that day. When I was at the Old Vic I remember a rehearsal called for Good Friday. ...

... Muggeridge on muck Sir, Mr. Muggeridge did not only auack the theatre for its nude plays but rather for its obsession on sex ual perversions such as plays deal ing with nudity, homosexuals, les- bfens. Surely to God, Jennie Lee and R. B. Marriott are not defending these types of play as being typical of the lives English people live? Surely there are enough decent actors and playwrights ...

... While resting SIR. It occurs to me that out-of- work or resting actors and actresses might find a fruitful outlet for their talents by serving as temporary occupational therapists in the mental hospita's. There is a crying need. It would be up to them, as in dividuals, whether they offered their services voluntarily, or insisted on the proper rate for the job. A useful compromise might be to ...