Minot High School - Searchlight Yearbook (Minot, ND)

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OFFICERS President ......................... Donald Kittell Vice President .... .... G Ioria Bakken Secretary ....... ..... J erry Corbett Treasurer .... .... P hyllis Gersting One-Act Plays Unusually popular with Playmaker audiences this year have been the one-act plays. The tirst of these, Orville's Big Date, was presented as the Searchlight assembly program feature and starred Joe Blaisdell with an all-froshmore cast. Elmer and Billy's First Date combined into a Playmaker beneflt assembly. In Elmer Basil Cross took the lead as the only boy in a family of unreasonable women. Senior Robert Dahlstrom was the center of interest in Billy's First Date, another comedy full of teen-age mixups. Every Playmaker was given opportunity to appear in at least one performance this year. Contest Play Deserving special mention again this year is the contest play, Peggy, which captured the only 'highly superior' rating given at the state contest in Grand Forks. This year's victory was the fourth successive state win for the local Playmakersg for their esteemed director, Miss Ackermann, it was the sixth. Each of these triumphs represents hours of hard work and painstaking attention to detail. Peggy portrays the wretched conditions of the poor whites in the South. The un- limited possibilities in interpretation make this production a 'natural' given good cast and direction. Doris Emerson won the 'highly superior' rating in the role of Peggy. Cast as Mag, Peggy's nagging mother, Madeline Cooley merited a 'superior' as did Don Kittell in the role of Peg's mountain suitor. Other members of the cast included Leslie Hoover, Robert Dahlstrom, Joe Blaisdell, and Richard Anderson, each of whom turned in stellar performances. The Senior play cast rests. Prop men, Gergen, Alander and Aamoth, provide color for Garden of the Moon. Page Twenty-nine W

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Back row-Hoover, Pike, McDonell. Orbom, Aaby, Bliss, W. Olson, Richards, Aamoth. Fourth row-Alander, C. Johnson. D. Maupin, Heath, Bond, Cooley, Molsberry, Feury, Colton. Third row-B. Cross, Bruce, Peters, Unwin. Hofto, Tronson, B. Hahn, Haas, Mackley, Smallwood. Second row-J. Blaisdell, Trapp, Siders, Kimball, Shirley Diamond, V. Olson, Vardsveen, S, Blais- dell, Ramstatl, P. Jones. First row-Hunt, Walstad, Emerson, R. Anderson, Miss Ac-kermann, Kittell. Bakken, Gersting, Abbott. Playmalcers The Play's the Thing is an apt quotation if you are thinking of the Minot High School Playmakers. This dramatic unit has forty interested and active members who wish practical experience and enjoyment from their stagework. Banded together under their adviser, Miss Ackermann, they present the class, contest, and one-act plays for the school each year. The acting body of the organization is only part of the whole. Helping them in every effort are the silent men or those who work behind the scenes before and after the play. Without the stage setting committee consisting of Lyle Aamoth, Bob Alander, and Damian Gergen with Mr. Kittleson as chairman and the lighting committee headed by Mr. Goehring and assisted by Billy McDonell, Blair Smallwood, George Feury, and Kenny Haugen the major productions now so well staged would suffer seriously. Each play given is usually sponsored by some other group. This organization receives 10c i'rom each ticket in the advance ticket sales. This plan has worked well for both Playmakers and the sponsors. From proceeds gained this year 18 new flats, stairway units. and six large spotlights were purchased, These long awaited improvements make for a more Snished stage appearance and will be used extensively next year. Page Twenty eight

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Mime at last, says Dahlstrom to Gibson Girl, Gloria. A ronlldential talk between Red and Riehy. Diek registers deep feeling, and who wouldnt with Miss Bakkrn on the same bench. Standing-Heath, Gersting, Bliss. Bond, Dahlstroin, Kittell, Trapp, Maeklcy. Aaby. E. Richards. Seated-Bakken, R. Anderson, W. Olson, Tronson, Orbom. Senior Class Play A moon-drenched garden. soft mrsic in the distance. the colorful costumes of the Gibson Girl period furnished the setting for the Senior Class production of Garden of the Moon, a romantic, concedy drima. Miss Ackermann, assisted by Mary Louise Siders directed the play which they presented Ifrlday, March 8, at eight o'clock, in the High School Auditorium. The story concerns an old man. Gaylord, who, thwarted in love, lives in the Garden of the Moon with his memories of the girl for whom it was planned. A flashback swishes us hack to Gaylords youth, and we see h's story enactcd as it happened in the days of the Gibson Girli Betty Lou, the girl Gaylord loves, has a beautiful voice. Gaylord, influenced by Betty Lou's father, comes to believe that he is depriving the world of a great artist and for this reason refuses to marry Betty Lou. The story ends happily, and the Professor proves that such a thing as enduring love still eiilsts. The play brought 377.90 into the Playmaker treasury, and the Senior Class received 335.-10, inalsing ll total net of 25113.30 Aalry 4an't seem In llltllil' lmtll 1-mls meet, CAST Page Thirty Carol Clair - Katy- - - Allce - Gladys - - - Leo Saunders - Brent Carson - Professor Maxim Professor Gaylord Preston Dunn - - - Herbert Brown - Jasper Robard - Mr. Palmer - Clara - - Jenny - - - Isabel Freary - - Gloria Bal-:ken - Phyllis Gersting - DeLoris Tronson - Dulcie Trapp - - Orville Orbom Robert Dahlstrom - - - Don Kittell Richard Anderson Edward Richards - - - Alton Aaby - Wallace Olson - - Ted Bliss - La,Vonne Bond - Jean Mackley - Melba Heath