Carleton College - Algol Yearbook (Northfield, MN)

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Gammer Gurton ' s Needle By my troth, and well worthy besides to kiss the stocks! ' What d ' ya mean, I can ' t get a haircut? The male cast balked momentarily at the stage manager ' s demand for shaggy hair, but threw themselves with vigor into the pre-Elizabethan comedy, Gammer Gurton ' s Needle. This first sub-cycle production gave student Dave Unumb a chance to direct, with Margaret (Flossmoor) Barber as stage manager. Rare old Elizabethan oaths flew hot and heavy as the cast wrestled with the salt dialogue and elaborate horseplay. Rehearsal space was at a premium, for the sub-cycle schedule overlapped that of Bacon and Bungay. The audience repaid the trouble as they admired their Oldstyle Lemon Juice playbills and roared at the same rowdy jokes that tickled the Lon- doners of 1580. Thou arrant witch! 19

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Prodi, prodi, Hercules! ' Bacon and Bungay Players ' first production, Robert Greene ' s romantic comedy, Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay, was a lively and improbable combination of courtly love, magic, duelling, and pageantry. Produced by John Swanson, directed by Mr. Pettet, and stage managed by Ranny Tovvsley, it meant hours of work for cast and crews be- fore the unfamiliar Elizabethan treatment came alive. Betsy Kissel ' s costumes workers struggled with baggy trunks; the clothesline dripped dye on Peggy Coombs ' props crew as they covered papier mache with gold paint. Lights under Reese Elledge and special effects under Dave Unumb cooperated in producing magical illusions. Early December opened the curtain on a spirited performance by a cast which included John Swanson, Jack Sommers, Anne Newhart, Mr. Pettet, and Tom Jeglosky. Four corpses, a miraculous tree created by Al Swenson, a rousing sorcery contest, and scenes of royal pomp gave the audience a lively evening with the same devices which had pleased London before Shakespeare. ' Villain, prepare thyself! 18

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Come, rome, you are a tedious fool. Measure for Measure Playing it to emphasize its strength as intellectual de- bate, Mr. Pettet guided Players through a relaxed re- hearsal schedule to a finished performance of Shake- speare ' s .Measure for Measure. Publicized by Tom Jeglosky and stage managed by Betsy Kissel, Measure for Measure took shape grad- ually as a sober discussion of unan.svverable ethical problems. The great debates between Isabella (Carol Saltus ) and Angelo ( Jack Sommers ) were seen against dark and angular backgrounds set by Ken Rowe and Julie Howard and lit by Kent Kirby, while the cos- tumes by Kit Stokstad and Jane Gore reflected the sub- dued tone of the work. The cast, among whom were John Swanson, Earl Gister, Nancy Reed,. Tom Zuck, and Daye Unumb, profited by the extended production date which gaye them time to perfect their acting. For Players, the play was a sad one in a special re- spect as Mr. Pettet ' s last time as actor-director in Nl,T, his stamping ground for six productive years. His loss will be deeply felt. Is it not strange and strange? 20