Ashbury College - Ashburian Yearbook (Ottawa, Ontario Canada)

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30 THE ASHBURIAN THE SCHOOL PLAY N Saturday, March 16th, the combined Ashbury and Elmwood Dramatic Societies played for a large and appreciative audience The Late Christopher Bean by Sidney Howard. That this year ' s production outshone any previous play for many years, is due to the admirable direction and production of Mr. Belcher and so many weeks of hard work and whole hearted co-operation of his cast. This modern comedy, with its scenes laid in the home of a rural doctor in New England, must have presented considerable difficulties to producer and ac tors, It always seems easier to play a part more naturally in period costume than in straight modern parts and great credit is again due to the producer and to the members of the cast who played these parts. Mary Paterson ' s portrayal of Abby was outstanding. Her com- plete naturalness and smooth performance were the more remark- able as I understand it was her first appearance on any stage. John Hooper, as Davenport, also gave a polished and most creditable per- formance. Mrs. Haggett and her daughters, played by Susan Mess, Wendy Hughson and Philippa McLaren respectively, were admir- able supporters of the principals, although, in the case of the daugh- ters, with rather uninteresting roles. The remaining cast — the oily and unpleasant Tallant played by Lorne Eliot, the shy and honest Creamer by John Smith, the sleek and grasping Rosen played by Michael Birchwood and the mercenary Dr. Haggett by Bill Nelles, caused a good deal of hilarity in their character parts. Here I would like to pay especial congratulations to Nelles, who, although he had been ill for the last week of rehearsals, carried on the tradi- tion of the theatre The Show Must Go On , and appeared although still feeling below par and whose excellent performance gave no ink- ling of his indisposition.

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THE ASHBURIAN 29 STANLEY PEGRAM— Monitor. Not an outstand- scholar Stan has won general respect and popularity for his strong sense of responsibility and his unfailing good humour. In athletics he was Captain of Soccer and a member of the Cricket XI. He is also a keen and skilful pianist. MICHAEL GAULT — Monitor. Coming here from the U.S.A. in 1943 he soon found his place amongst the leaders. Representing his school at Rugby and Cricket, Mike will be remembered particularly for his fine pass receiving. We understand he is heading for Yale. May good luck be his. Most things that men value do not seem to be worth what it costs to get them. War is a bad form of unrestrained, collective insanity. Men make wars and then foolishly pray to be saved from the dis- astrous consequences of their own acts.

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THE ASHBURIAN 31 I will not go into the plot and details of ' The Late Christopher Bean as this has already been done most successfully by Mr. Powell in Panorama but I would like to reiterate what he said, that the few criticisms that might be made, are only that two or three of the voices were insufficiently resonant for such a large auditorium. A slight poverty of gesture among the character actors, the tempo of the whole could have been more varied to some effect. Following the play the cast and various members of the staffs of both schools were entertained by Mr. and Mrs. Glass which rounded off a most enjoyable evening. The next joint performance of the Dramatic Societies will, I am sure, be eagerly awaited by parents and friends alike. Some men, like mountains, can only be seen with advantage at a distance. He who feels that his life is wasted in common work, has failed to see that no necessary work is common, and that no life, honestly lived can be wasted.