Byng High School - Yearbook (Ada, OK)

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5 N X Mis +91 S . Q' - 46 RWK i All The Worlds A Stage . And all the men and women merely players They have their exits and their entrances And one man in his time plays many parts His acts being seven ages Shakespeare Theatre! just to say it makes me smile in memory of the good times and dream of the exciting future in store. It also reminds me of the long hours spent memorizing lines in the bathroom, the longer evenings of rehearsals, and the longest days of waiting in anticipation for that opening performance. But just ask any student of judy Tipton s Drama department if the hard work is worth it and youll hear a resounding YES! The production of West Side Story was the first undertaking ofthe year. It is considered to be one of Broadway 's most difficult musicals both in the instrumental and choreographical aspects, but thanks to the dedication of many students and teachers, all seven performances were a success. The musical score, referred to by many as an orchestral nightmare, couldn 't have been played successfully without the direction of Rozzie Purdy. Luanne Weiss, a local dance instructor, had to be brought in to teach us a few Puerto Rican moves along with many other difficult steps. Oh, what a sense of accomplishment we felt when the guys could finally lih the girls. The days and days spent rehearsing gave the cast a chance to develop many close relationships. These bonds are typical of the closness shared in drama year round. Without this closeness, we would never ha ve been able to tolerate each other at those Z00a.m. makeup calls. Due to the popularity of drama, enrollment nearly doubled, thus another class had to be added. Drama I is taken by most students making their debut on the stage, and the class is filled with many talented underclassman. They ga ve a real boost to West Side Story, and are now getting their first taste of speech tournaments, placing in many events. To give these new members some extra help and to promote unity within drama, the traternity Beta Ahsha Phi fByng Actors and Players Q was formed. Members of Drama II selected pledges who were pinned at an initiation ceremony. The inductees Raced many tests and trials, not too abusive, to become pledges. They all passed to join the ranks ofa group rich in tradition, yet richer in a sense of pride in their accomplishments. Only through our hard work do we take pride in what we do. Our accomplishments consist of trying to please you, the audience. We struggle for that one reward only you can give, your applause. It is a symbol of your appreciation for our art and for a job well done. Applause . . . that final thing we hear before the curtain goes down. Stacy Pendergratt junior Speech Comp. Captain- Martina Tedrick Co-Captain- Robby Lee ,,,.-4 M, Fun-81 -damcnuls

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It's a chilly November morningg the alarm goes off at 5:30 a.m. You 've had only a couple of hours of good sleep, for dress rehearsal last night ran late. You don 't mind though because your heart is already racing 90 miles per hour. Make- up call is at 7 a,m., and for the next four days you re going to be a star! EDITOR 'S NOTE: The following is an inside look at thoughts and feel- ings of a Byng student who was in- volved in production of West Side Story, Nov. 5-8. Don Cross had a part of Riff, the leader of the jets gang. The director announces that you have only five minutes until curtain. Everyone gathers in the Green Room I drama room or actors'loungeQ for the tradition - al prayer chain, ONE, TWO THREE BREAK A LEG! Then suddenly aker all the Break a Legs are spoken, you find yourself racing around the audi- torium in the action -packed prologue of Act L Back stage then you stand patiently, waiting to go on. At first you get a few Energy was never lacking when the Puerto Ricans started tapping, especially in their defence of countries. We came to America with our arms open . . . you came with your mouth open! butterflies in your stomach, but once you 're on, you don 't have time to think about your own feelings. You become the character you 're playing, concerned only with what he is thinking and feeling. When you re backstage, time goes slow, but on stage it seems to fly. Amazing how East seven performances in four days can go by. West Side Story is really a major ac- complishment and all of us associated with it will always remember. Rumor had it that the drama department had bitten off more than we could chew, but l think all will agree that we chewed it up with gusto and digested it as well! Now it's over, the set is struck, cos- tumes are put away, and everyone feels a littlesad and let down, for something we all worked on so hard for so long is suddenly gone. On the other hand, we still have the feeling we got during the last performance during curtain call . . . standing ovation . . . there :sn 't anything in the world that beats that feeling! Don Cross When you 're a jet - you stay a jet! The energetic final pose of the jets. Fun -83 -damentals j. Nw