Brentwood College School - Brentonian Yearbook (Mill Bay, British Columbia Canada)

Page 10 text:

B r e 11 1 w o o d College Ma g a z i n e Dramatic Club A short play was presented at the Christmas entertainment as usual, its title being The Black Hawk. This was a very effective presentation, the part of the Black Hawk being portrayed by Symons, that of King Louis by Kidd, the Innkeeper by Duncan and the Innkeeper ' s boy by Bryant. This year it was decided that something more ambitious than usual would be embarked upon by the club. It was decided to present The Rivals, by R. B. Sheridan. A date was set at the end of the Easter term, characters were chosen and rehearsals were commenced in the Christmas term. The College engineer called on his ingenuity and produced an effective enlargement for the stage, complete with improved lighting dffects. The cost of stage and costumes seemed rather prohibitive, but it was decided to go ahead. The play was first presented on April 1st to a rather small but appreciative audience, and on the following night to a packed house. To quote from The Daily Colonist of April 3rd : The production was beautifully staged, and black curtains were used as a most effective background for the exquisite period costumes, the scenery being most ingeniously suggested by glimpses seen through an archway at the back of the stage. Much credit is due to the stage hands for the quickness with which the scenes were changed and the smooth running of the whole production, a feature often lacking in amateur performances. George Kidd as Captain Absolute ; A. B. Duncan as Bob Acres ; and Mi- chael Symons as Mrs. Malaprop were the outstanding players in a uniformly good cast, which showed evidence of the excellence of their training by intel- Page Eight

Page 9 text:

Brentwood College Magazine Mr. W. J. Asselstine, M.L.A., talked about the refining of gold ores, and assured us that mining in B. C. held opportunity for us all. Mr. Murray, M.L.A., also spoke. To conclude the series, Mr. C. French, much experienced with the Can- adian North, gave an illustrated lecture on Whales and Whaling. During the Summer term, the School had a pleasant surprise when Captain Barnett, of the Whale Exhibit which was in town, invited himself to lecture. His breezy and cheerful style was most amusing, so that his talk was entertain- ing as well as highly instructive. The only objection was that it was too short. Chapel Notes During the year two new pews were added to the Chapel. They were built in the manual training shop under Air. Hole ' s direction. A Confirmation Service was held in the Chapel on Sunday, March 15th, when Bishop Sexton confirmed the following boys : F. Angus, A. Bryant, A. Duncan, B. Harvey, P. Holmes, G. Hutchings, G. Milligan, H. Mitchell. 2|» 2|» |C SjC During the year we enjoyed talks from Dean Quainton, Canon Chad wick, Revs. J. Antle, F. Buck, A. Bastin, P. Chapman, F. Comley, T. Lancaster, H. Payne, N. Smith and Messrs. P. Dale, K. Symons and K. Osier. Rev. A. Bastin very kindly held a monthly Communion Service through- out the year. fc fc Donations to the Chapel Fund are still urgently needed to provide kneelers, improve the lighting and start an organ fund. PERCY FALCONER CURTIS The death occurred in March, 1936, of Mr. P. F. Curtis, who had been, since the foundation of the School, Chairman of its Board of Directors. Mr. Curtis was always deeply interested in Brentwood, and though failing health had made him a less frequent visitor to the School latterly than he would have liked to be, his enthusiasm for its welfare was maintained to the end. Brentwood could never have a truer friend. His ashes rest, fittingly enough, in the School Chapel, but his monument is and will remain the School which was so largely his creation. Si monumentum requiris, circumspice Page Seven

Page 11 text:

B r e 11 1 w o o cl College Magazine ligent interpretations of long and difficult parts. The prologue was well spoken by G. Milligan as Lucy, the deliberate simpleton of a maid, who gave a con- vincing rendering of a subtle character. The Misses Peggy and Barbara Garrard as Lydia Languish and Julia respectively, looked altogether enchanting, their delicate charm providing an excellent foil to the more vigorous and colorful acting of the male members of the cast. D. L. Barrett-Lennard as Faulkland deserves special mention for his clever interpretation of a smaller part. Other members of the cast included J. Barber- Starkey as Sir Anthony Absolute; J. W. Asselstine as Sir Lucius O ' Trigger ; M. Allan as Fag; D. Holmes as Thomas and A. Bryant as David. Altogether the play was a great success and it is hoped that such a pro- duction will become an annual institution. Thanks to the generosity of the audience, the expenses of the production were almost covered by their donations. The Dance The Senior Common Room Committee, having found to their amazement that the bar was making money, decided that there must be a dance. Permis- sion was received from the Head, and full arrangements were made. Various committees took matters in hand, and Mrs. Ellis and Mrs. Privett offered to look after catering. Thus was everything arranged. On May 23rd, therefore, the dance was held. The gym was decorated with a false ceiling of streamers of School colors, crests and sports paraphernalia on the walls and flowers everywhere. A cabaret atmosphere was obtained by placing card tables and chairs around the walls, and the effective result was enhanced by the clever lighting system. An excellent orchestra provided the dance rhythm and the dance was a great success. As it was primarily a return dance for St. Margaret ' s, the largest number of guests came from there, while prefects from Shawnigan Lake, Lmiversity and Norfolk House Schools brought the total to over thirty couples. Proceedings started at 8:00, supper was served from 10:15 to 10:45 and dancing then continued, but unfortunately had to stop at 11:15. Thus ended the First Annual Dance, the only criticism being that it didn ' t last long enough. We Offer Our Thanks To St. Margaret ' s and St. Michael ' s Schools for the loan of stage furnishings for the play. Mrs. G. C. Grant for lending period furniture. All those who helped to make the play a success. Parents and friends who so kindly lent card tables for the dance. The Old Boys ' Association for a donation towards the new diving float and improvements in the gardens. Page Nine