Ley, Vincent
The author Vincent Ley’s “An Awful Silence" has at least two claims to distinction. It won the thriller section of the N.Z.B.C.-Collins Ngaio Marsh television play competition, and it was also his first completed manuscript of any kind.
"I seem always to have been writing,” he says, “but I have never even tried for publication before. I would scribble away, think it hopeless, re-write, not like it, get fed up and start writing something else. Then this contest came along and it made me stop, finish something and send it in.” Not surprisingly, this University finance registrar is all in favour of writing contests, "because they provide a deadline.”
Since winning this one he is now finishing what he writes: he thinks the award gave his ego the necessary boost. Unlike many authors, he is not a bit worried about any alterations that may be made to his script in the course of its translation to television’s requirements. He has no, “this is my sacred script” attitude and thinks this is partly because from the beginning he had tremendous confidence in producer David Stevens.
What does worry him are nightmare technical or mechanical things. For example, all the film catching fire before the programme is shown. Likes and dislikes He has some strong opinions on television. He detests newspaper and magazine synopses which give away the story of programmes; detests animal programmes at meal times — “they’re always eating each other, giving birth and so forth” — detests “Marcus Welby M.D.” and all the other doctor series, and he intensely dislikes insipid religious programmes as distinct from Dr William Barclay’s magnificent programmes on “The Beatitudes” earlier this year. And he finds he can like actors and actresses very much, even if he isn’t impressed with the programmes they are in.
Another pet hate is people who write letters to the editor. He thinks one should write to the person concerned. "I write rude letters to people all over the country!” He is quite serious and thinks that is the way to do things, rather than by writing, especially over pseudynoms, to a paper. Among his “likes” the theatre ranks highly.
He has been working in the amateur theatre for about 20 years, involved with design, lighting, stage managing and production for the Auckland Light Opera Club (“Cinderella” at His Majesty’s in Auckland a few years back was a show he loved); is a member of Grafton Theatre where he is a well-known designer and is a foundation member of the Mercury Theatre Trust Board.
He has judged for the New Zealand Theatre Federation and last year thoroughly enjoyed judging the senior section of their one-act play festival. He is deputy chairman of the drama sub-committee of the Auckland Festival and was responsible for getting Ewen Solon to return in March for a season with the Mercury Theatre Company.
He says he writes methodically, he has to. “I’m an organised accountant, you see.”
A New Zealander born at Tuakau (“one day I’m going to write a novel about Tuakau”), he went to primary school there, thence to Auckland Grammar and Whangarei Boys’ High School. Then came the R.N.ZA.F., accountancy studies and a job in the Government Audit Office where he audited Auckland University’s books and finally gravitated to the, university where he has been happily ever since.
He has never been interested in writing for: radio. “It’s the look and the i sound that interest me,; hence the theatre and now ; television.” Not that he thought "An Awful Silence” would cut too much ice. He felt that at most the story might intrigue the judges and that if by any chance it did he just might be asked to take it back and re-write. But to get that far, he had to finish it and post it — the contest deadline made him do just that for the first time in lis life.
