Clover Hill High School - Ducemus Yearbook (Midlothian, VA)

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Crushed Velvets and Brocades Mark Season “I’m no Elizabeth Taylor. Why should | sign up for drama?” “What a question. Everyone likes drama.” The latter state- ment was borne out by the burgeoning drama enrollments this year. For the first time the classes were divided into senior and jun ior high sections, and it wasn’t just reading plays day after day. ‘Im- provs” were a popular class activity and students in all classes wrote, staged, di- rected, and acted in scenes. The writing 28 Drama and recording of radio melodrama was another featured activity. The technical aspects of the theatre weren't neglected. Lighting and make-up were also taught. It was not unusual to see greasepainted clowns, monsters, and octogenarians reporting for their lunch. Definitely drama. The high points of the year undoubt- ably were the productions of Neil Simon’s recent Broadway smash, The Good Doctor and Moliere’s Sganarelle. The fall production of The Good Doctor went on before near sellout audiences. The actors, under the steady direction of Ms. Joyce Roberts, presented a series of vignettes from Anton Chekhov’s short stories. The lavishly costumed cast moved through an ingenious set of multi-leveled platforms backed by an ar- ray of rear-screen projections which faded in and out according to an elabo-

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é ‘ ¢ ¢ 3 4 44 } A Banner Year for Art Students Trends in art come and go, leaving traces on the artistic output of the art students. Recent art trends have empha- sized the use of fabrics in creating works of art, and the textile projects conceived by our students have earned the school recognition beyond all other art forms. Banners ... all sizes, shapes, and colors ... banners made by individuals or as group projects ... Our exciting banners found their way, upon request, to the Governors mansion and to a juried show commemorating March as the Na- tional Youth Art Month at the First and Merchants Art Center. The evaluation team was greeted by a WELCOME TO CLOVER HILL banner at the entrance and Mr. Gibson’s personal interest in aviation was depicted in another banner decorating his office. The Chesterfield Schools Administration requested one of our original creations for their per- manent art collection and a banner with an Egyptian theme now serves’ as a backdrop for the reception desk. Banners were highlighted at the first County-wide Festival of the Arts with a banner from each of the 35 county schools on display in the commons at Salem Junior High School. This array had such impact on the viewers that the F. M. Center requested a show of the ban- ners during the month of May. Under the theme “Experience the Arts in Edu- cation”, the Festival of the Arts provided a fitting showcase for all aspects of the performing, industrial, vocational and fine arts. Art 27

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Regmamaresrert rate series of light and music cues. If The Good Doctor was the largest and most complex of C.H.H.S.’s produc- tions to date, this year’s one-act entry Sganarelle was possibly the most pol- ished. The 17th century play about “strange love affairs” went from district to regional to state competition with su- perior ratings at each. Clothed in bro- cades and velvets, the actors moved through the complex blocking with pre- cise timing and aplomb. The play was a comic success when it was presented for the Booster’s Club. 1975-76 saw drama at C.H.H.S. come to maturity. Nina, Judy Cook, (far left) auditions for Anton Checkov in “The Good Doctor.” (upper row, left to right) Pillow Talk. In a scene from “The Good Doctor’, Nicky, Henry Anderson, and his wife, Brenda Capen, discuss her secret flame, Peter Se- myonich. Sganarelle, portrayed by Mike Farrand, informs the audience of his wife’s strange love af- fairs. Scott Jones aids Peggy Jennings’ and Greg McCormick’s transition from students to clowns. (lower row, left to right) Susan Cox, as the wife of Sganarelle, reacts indignantly to false accusations from her spouse. Buddy Dameral, as Villebrequin, releases the news of his son’s secret marriage, shocking everyone on stage during “Sganarelle.” The Sexton, Mark White, points a threatening fin- ger at an inexperienced medical student after a painful extraction. Drama 29