Topeka West High School - Chevalier Yearbook (Topeka, KS)

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The Cast Dana Daniel . . , .... Mollie Ralston lon Fleenor ..,.. ......., G iles Ralston Todd Newman . . , . . , Christopher Wren Sarah Novotny , . . ........ Mrs, Boyle Steve Shipman . . . . . , Major Metcalf Michelle Stelting .... ..,. M iss Casswell Dave Puderbaugh . . ..... Mr. Paravicini Scott Swenson ..,...,...... Det. Sgt, Trotter THE DlRECTlNG STAFF Mr. Tom Mitchell .... ....,..,... D irector Vicky Woods ..... ..,., B usiness Manager' Linda Norton .......... Production Assistant Anne Tuchscherer ........, House Manager Mr. Roger Ramseyer ..... Technical Director Sheila Norton ...... 4 . , . Lighting Design Don Leonard . . . .,.. Stage Manager RIGHT: Mr. Paravicini tells his hosts of his travels. BOTTOM LEFT: Giles and Mollie Ralston won- der what they should do. BOTTOM RIGHT: Det. Sgt. Trotter explains details of the case to Mollie Ralston. 36K Activities X Winter Play mx 0-

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'L I 5 'r-.,. H , J- , ,. 1, : fl ' 1,5 .xi ' x N. -'-- '- F' ' 2 F ff ', E 25, . ..c,, S, , Q ' .. rg ' ix ', . Y W . ' Vs i X. l it l 'TX ' v L. ,f f ' 5 md Background Studied by Cast The first play of the year was Tar- tuffe, a religous farce by l7th Century French playwright lean Baptiste Mo- i , 4 4 f , ' - L 'Qu-D -. ...Z ,. . , A . 1 , -i..,..,,g . , , - s , . . I i , K-as:-u:'.r'. Y liere. Tartufte was the first play done at West with period detail. lt required some studying of French homes, cloth- ing and customs of the 17th Century, searching antique stores for some of the props and getting the costumes from a Kansas City costume company. The script, translated into English by Richard Wilbur, was written in verse, which was quite a challenge to the cast. Lines had to be learned without help of rhyme, and this was especially difficult with the long speeches. Tartuffe is a classic comedy. lt blends farce with satire in such a way that it appeals to everyone. Its humor is timeless, so the comedy of it can last for many more years. Tartuffe was the longest running play in French history, even though its release was delayed several times be- cause of its religous content. LEFT: Elmire finds her planned seduction almost backfires. BOTTOM LEFT: Dorine plots a plan with Valere and Mariane against Mariane-'s planned marriage to Tartuffe. BELOW: Dorine tells Orgon what she thinks of his plans. Activities X F all Play X 35

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'The Mousetrap' Performed In-The-Round For Intrigue The winter play, The Mousetrap, by Agatha Christie, gave the eight- member cast a new and important act- ing experiencef' according to director Tom Mitchell, by performing the play in-the-round. In a performance such as this the audience totally surrounds the stage. The story centers on eight people who are stranded by a blizzard in an .nv M , ' ' 1'-QQGQQ A . J . 2 fi, ., . ,, ., ,. , ' , 4. -- , is out-ot-the-way boarding house. One ot them turns out to be a murderer. A murder is committed and the story cli- maxes as the unsuspected murderer is revealed. Having the audience in the same room as the murderer builds the sus- pense, Mr. Mitchell said. lt's an im- portant acting experience that we don't get too often. The set was a 16-toot square en- larged trom a 12 by 8 rectangle. The rest of the set was mostly pieces of fur- niture and some flats, which represent- ed the walls ot the room, set behind the audience. Because the play was presented in- the-round, seating was limited to about 200. As a result, the performers en- joyed playing to near capacity audi- ences tor all tour presentations rather than to the partly filled large audito- rium. ' V' TOP RIGHT: Major Metcall thinks over Det. Sgt. Trotter's remarks to the occupants ot Monkswell Manor. TOP LEFT: Mollie Ralston listens intently to Miss Casewell's description ot her unhappy childhood, LEFT: Mollie Ralston receives greet- ings trom Mr. Paravicini, the weary traveler, Activities X Winter Play X 37