Belle Plaine High School - Tigerian Yearbook (Belle Plaine, MN)

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Spring Play Spring Play. Left to Riqht: P. Melchior (Juror No. Two). D. Fogarty (Juror No. Three). R. Bromaghim (Juror No. Twelve), M. O'Connor (Juror No. Ten). D. Gerdes (Juror No. Six). M. Lynch (Juror No. One), D. Ahrens (Guard). J. Stradcutter (Juror No. Eight). N. Trailer (Juror No. Nine). J. Huber (Juror No. Four). J. Plonske (Juror No. Five). K. Brown (Juror No. Seven). B. Hahn (Juror No. Eleven). “Twelve Angry Jurors” First All-School Play On April 11 and 12, Belle Plaine High School presented its first all-school play, Twelve Angry Jurors , by Sherman L. Sergei. Arena staging was also used—another first for BPHS. The entire play took place in midsummer, in a jury room following the trial of a boy charged with the fatal stabbing of his father. At first, the jurors thought it would be a unanimous decision of guilty—all but juror number eight. He wasn't sure beyond a reasonable doubt. He set out to make the other jurors see that there was a question as to the boy's being guilty. He did this by re-enacting the crime and taking a thorough investigation of the witnesses' testimonies. Gradu- ally, he did convince the other jurors—all but one, number three. When it was time for the final tally of votes number three also gave in, proving that it does pay to take a good look at what's going on. Overly emotional juror no. three threatens no. eight with shouts of •Til kill you! when the evidence becomes too convincing. 28

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One-Act Play On«-Act Play Cast, Left to Right; Judy Scully, (The Maid), Craig Tordsen (The Professor), Jean Huber (The Pupil). The maid qained power over the professor when he tried to attack her after killing the pupil. The Lesson was a highly symbolic and contemporary play aimed at the establishment. Ionesco’s “The Lesson’’ Placed Fifth in District Eugene Ionesco’s One-Act play, The Lesson, was chosen by Mrs. Hasbrook, One-Act director, for the 1969 One-Act competition. The Lesson was a play full of symbolism and sarcasm about the establishment. Through the use of representing youth as an unsuspecting and naive girl seeking tutoring from an old professor, representing soci- ety, with an uncontrollable urge for killing, the author brought out the importance of developing one's thoughts and character while still young. The maid was the driving force behind the conflict between the professor and the pupil. As the play progressed, the professor and pupil found them- selves becoming more and more in conflict with each other, resulting in the murder of the pupil, youth, by the professor, society, with the maid promoting the deed. On January 25th. the cast and crew journeyed to Lakeville for presentation of the play, returning with two B ratings and one ”B-fThese earned BPHS fifth place in the district 13 drama compe- tition. The play was also presented to a group of the student body on February 14. 27

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Senior Play FRONT ROW. Loft to Right: Lindo Zollmer (Kitty Verdun). Mary Lynch (Amy Spettigue), Kathy Brown (Ela Delahay). BACK ROW: Denny Fogarty (Jack Chesney). Craig Tordsen (Charley Wykeharm). Roger Efferti (Stephen Spettigue), Oh. no! It is! It is! exclaimed Ela when she discovered Babs impersonating Charley's Aunt. Bonnie Denier (Donna Lucia D'Alvadorei). Jerry Geisler (Sir Francis Chesney). Joe Stradcutter (Lord Babberly). Ross Wagoner (Brasset). “Charley’s Aunt,” Spoof, Presented by Seniors November 8 and 9, 1968, the senior class pre- sented Charley's Aunt to a thoroughly delighted audience. The play took place in Oxford, England, in the year 1892. Jack Chesney and Charley Wykeham, are chums at college. They are in desperate need of a chaperon as they want their sweethearts, Kitty Verdun and Amy Spettigue, to pay them a visit. Charley s Aunt, Donna Lucia D Alvadorez, from Brazil, seems to be the answer to their problems until she later informs them that she can't make it. A friend, Lord Fancourt Babberly, is persuaded to play the part of Charley's Aunt. The boys invited the girls to come and meet Aunt Lucia but Mr. Stephen Spettigue, Amy' father and Kitty' s guar- dian came to take them home. Mr. Spettigue fell in love with Charley's Aunt. The real Aunt arrived with Ela Delahay, Fancourt's sweetheart. Adding to the mayhem v as Jack’s father, Sir Francis Ches- ney, who fell in love with the real Aunt. In the end all was revealed, and everyone found out that Charley's Aunt wasn't really Charley's Aunt. 29