Prizewinning Play

Competing against nine other groups in the recent Country Women's Institute annual open drama festival, the Gisborne Girls' High School took the main award, the Otoko Cup, with J. M. Synge's Tragedy, "Riders to the Sea".

The adjudicator, Mrs Fawcett, said she had seen the play done many times in the past 20 years, but she had never seen it better done.

(A photograph of the complete cast, with producer and stage manager, appears elsewhere in this issue).

Gaynor Saunders, as the mother who has lost her husband and all her sons at sea, mourns for the last of them.

Sue Spence, as Cathleen, speaks to the village women

Maurya, the mother, recounts the vision of her dead son to Nora (Marjorie Rice) and Cathleen (Sue Spence).

All The Way From Ruatoria

The people on this page, members of the Ruatoria Country Women's Institute, came 80 miles to take, part in the Drama Festival. A feature of their play, "Four Queens Wait for Henry," was the magnificent costuming, created especially for the occasion. Below are their producer and make-up artist, Velma Palmer and Doris Cade, The play was a runner-up for the Holden Cup.

Gladys Wallace
(Jane Seymour)

Merle Foley
(Catherine Howard)

May Carlyle
(Ann Boleyn)

Nell Ehau
(The Angel)

Nora Hausler
(Katherine of Aragon)

Country Girls On Stage.

Another of the costume plays presented at the festival was "Ophelia", by T. B. Morris. This was presented by the Country Girls' Club. Susan Christie, the producer, also played the leading role.