”

“THE BIGGEST THIEF IN TOWN‘ PROVES HIT

UJPO Drama Workshop

upholds reputation with

THE UJPO Drama Workshop,
with its current presentation of
The Biggest Thief in Town, fully
lives up to the fine reputation it
has earned for itself with such
previous productions as Awake
and Sing and It's Hard to Be a
Jew. The two-act play, written
by Dalton Trumbo, one of the
Hollywood Ten (Nine since Ed-
ward Dmytryck’s capitulation to
the un-Americans), opened last
Monday: for a six-day run con-
cluding this Saturday at Every-
man Theatre here.

A Drama Festival adjudicator,
concerned more with form and
technical competence, might have
found much to criticize in the
production, as would those who
are prone to demand a profes-
sional standard of amateur per-
formers. But in assessing any
amateur production, the guide for
criticism must be how well the
performing group has overcome
the difficulties confronting it,
with every regard for the limita-
toins of the theatre and the facili-
ties available to the group.

Obviously, a group which can
spend hundreds, even thousands
of dollars on a production staged
in a well-equipped theatre has ad-
vantages over a group, such as
the UJPO Drama Workshop, with
an extremely limited budget,
makeshift facilities and a limited
theatre in achieving form.

For a progressive group the
striving for technical competence
must always be considered in
the broader Scope of the play it-
self. What is the Point and pur-
Pose of the play, for whom is
it written and how well is that
point developed -and what res-
ponse does it evoke in the aud-
ience itself? This is the heart
of creating a People’s theatre and
often its fulfilment may necessi-
tate Sacrificing of technical per-
fection as the alternative to de-
nying the play to People to whom
it should be shown.

PENDER

’

That the cast of The Biggest
Thief in Town, by dint of hard
work and considerable improvisa~
tion, have overcome their diffi-
culties so well should be a cause
for pride within the United Jew-
ish People’s Order itself and
wider progressive eircles, and
great credit is due to Sylvia Jack-
son, director, and Helen Veno,
producer.

If any one may be singled out
for praise, certainly Edward Gof-
sky, who carried the main role
of Bert Hutchins extremely well,
Searle Friedman, who made a

AUUC CONCERTS

Affairs precede
B.C." festival .

CONCERTS and concert-meet-
ings in several provincial centres
this month will precede the Asso-
ciation of United Ukrainian Can-
adians’ big provincial festival, to
be held in Vancouver June 18-24,
which, is expected to be one of
the city’s major cultural attrac-
tions of the year.

This Saturday, June 9, the AUUC
is taking part in a Folk Festival
at Cumberland, sponsored by the
local Folk Society and the PTA.

The following day, Sunday,
June 10, Pete Makselewych will
be the main speaker at a Shev-
chenko Memorial Meeting to
mark’ the Association's lemsing of
Eric Graf Hall in Port Alberni.

At the invitation of the Inter-

_ national Union of Mine, Mill and

Smelter Workers’ local AUUC
groups from Vancouver and Ver-
non will give a concert at Copper
Mountain on Wednvsday, June 13.
Dance groups and vocal and in-
strumental soloists will go to
Copper Mountain from Vancouver
and the Vernon AUUC branch is
sending its orchestra.

Tickets for the AUUC Festival
in the Auditorium here are now

_on sale at the People’s “Coopera-

tive Bookstore, 337 West Pender,
and at the AUUG Hall, 805 East
Pender, :

WOMEN WITHOUT
NAMES

PARADISE

play

convincing Sam Wilkins, should
be, for both their performances
were outstanding. ;

Others in a cast” whose acting
was of a generally high level
were: :

Harry C. Weinstein (Horton ’

Page); Lorie Rosen and Ger-
trude Snider (Laurie Hutchins) ;
Alec Becker (Buddy Gwynne) ;
Nate Wiseman (Dr. Jay Stew-
art); Ann Wiseman (Miss Tip-
ton); Perry ‘Friedman (Dr.
Rolfe Willow); David Pellin

(Col. Jared Rumley); Soli
Jackson (John Troybolt) ; Henry
Friedman (ist Nurse); Jack
-Kates (2nd Nurse).

A criticism which this reviewer
considers pertinent, despite the
difficulties of production, is that
greater consideration to the point
of the play in the direction would
have enabled some of its more
subtle thrusts to be brought out
more sharply.

It is to be regretted too, that
with a possible maximum atten-
dance of only 600 for the entire
run there should have been any
empty seats at any performanée.
This splendid production deserv-
ed the support in . progressive
circles which could have given it
a packed house every night.

—HAL GRIFFIN.

‘

Poison for the mind

This is a page from a “comic”

book is filled with cold-blooded murder,
incitement against the peoples of Asia,

book on sale in Canada. The
war propaganda and racist

GUIDE TO GOOD READING

William Gallacher’s new work
tells of five eventfy]

PHIL PIRAT IN, former
Communist member of the British
House of Commons, reviews Rise

Like Lions, the latest work of his’

former fellow MP, William Gal- -

lagher, veteran Communist leader.
Rise Like Lions continues the
autobiographical story begun in
Revolt on the Clyde and Rolling
of the Thunder. Jt is available
here at the People’s Cooperative
Bookstore, price $1.75 paper, $3
cloth.
Ae ol sor

AS I READ Gallacher's Rise Like
Lions, I was reminded of a phrase
in The British Road to Socialism:
‘A People’s parliament and gov-
ernment which draws its strength
from a united movement of the
people, with the working class as
its core’. When, as Gallacher des-
cribes in his first chapter, at the
opening of the new parliament in
1945, there was a memorable
scene, with jhe singing of ‘The

_ Red Flag’, we felt a foretaste of

what it will mean when parlia-
ment really draws its strength
from the working class and the
progressive sections of the peo-
ple.

The disillusionment soon began.
Gallacher’s book tells the story
of the betrayal of the people’s
trust placed in the hands of the
“chosen few”. The reader follows
this betrayal through the experi-
ences of a man absolutely loyal
to ‘the working class, néver self-
seeking, always outspoken; who
truly draws his strength from the
will of the common people. The
voice of the people can be sensed
in extracts he quotes from his
speeches and interventions.

Rise Like Lions is not just a re-
cording of the 1945-50 parliament.
As a Marxist, Gallacher sets the
parliamentary events, debates and
laws in relation to the movement

and the struggle outside parlia-
ment in the country and overseas.
One therefore watches the gap
between expectation and achieve-
ment widen year by year. One
Sees the desires and aspirations
of the common people flouted, and
their promises, which won their
support, broken.

Every subject interests Gal-
lacher,
there are many pictures of social
and political matters in which he
concerned himself. These throw
a light on the make-up of the
writer. Chapters on “Dartmoor,”
“Communism and _ Religion,”
“Film and Folly,” “The Coven-
ant.” Always speaking for, writ-
ing for, travelling to ends of the
country on behalf of the under-
dog and the unjustly treated.
Read his story of taking up the
case of the injured boy; and of
the Tory businessman.

This story of the 1945-50 par-
liament is also the story of Gal-
lacher in those five eventful
years. What an answer to the
Hydes (Douglas Hyde, renegade
news editor of the London Daily
Worker), who try to depict lead-
ers of the Communist party as
sinister and inhuman!

In Chapter 19, “By Way of
Thanks,” there is a glimpse of his
friendly relations with the House
of Commons staff. I personally
know that he understates the
friendly feeling that many of the
staff, at all levels, have for him.
We won their affection, not by tips
or empty flattery, but by his
qualities. Men like the: House of
‘Commons messengers, police and
clerks know the MPs well, They

judge them by their treatment of

and attitude to the staff, not by
fine speeches. No man stands
higher in their esteem than Wil-
liam Gallacher -— always helpful,
never imposing, unself-conscious-
ly equalitarian.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE

So throughout the, book .

years

WILLIAM GALLAGHER will
be 70 next Christmas. He has the
energy of several] younger men
lumped together, but above all he
retains the spirit of youth.

This incident will always live
in my memory: it was the occa-
sion of the birth of baby Charles
to Princess Elizabeth. The lead-
ers of the Labor, Tory and Lib-
eral parties had uttered their
platitudinous~ congratulations,
when Gallagher rose amid the ap-
prehensive frowns and sneers of
Tory and some Labor members.
He first put the House in good
humour. Then he said: ‘The best
way the leaders of the parlia-
mentary parties could express:
their congratulations was to
provide for all babies the condi-
tions’ which baby Charles enjoy-
ed.”

Those who expected irreverence
were silenced. But Labor MP’s:
were shamed. As one elderly
member said to me: “That’s what
Keir Hardie would have said, and
one of us should have said it, but
we have lost the spirit.”

Yes, Gallagher has the spirit
and the couarge. It arises fron:
his unshakable faith in the work-
ing class and his hatred of the
Capitalists and their Tory party.
He despises those Labor repre-
Senatives who betray the trust of
the working class, but he never
allows this to dominate his over-
viding hatred and opposition to:
the Tories.

Gallagher entitles his ‘hook Rise
Like Lions because he is deeply
conscious of the change in the
situation and the mood of the
common people, The story he tells:
should inspire many to seek to:
follow his example and deyote
their lives without stint’ to the
cause of peace and socialism —
PHIL PIRATIN f \

— JUNE 8, 1951 — PAGE 1¢

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