Charlotte High School - Witan Yearbook (Rochester, NY)

Page 25 text:

Back Stage The Dramatics classes have in the pa t year produced seven one- act plays in assemblies and one after school. They have tried to put the principles learned in class into practice in these plays and were in most cases fairly success- ful. Kaeh play was followed by a ] eriod of criticism and discussion The reasons for its success or fail- ure we noted and in this way the errors were prevented from recur- ring:. But perhaps I should tell first of some of the preparation necessary for one of these plays, aside from rehearsal, the need for which is obvious. Each play had a series of pro- duction crews whose duties were varied. The building crew, meet- ing several weeks before the per- formance. built the scenery and any special props which might have been necessary. The paint crew then converted the scenery and every- thing else in the immediate vicinity to the color desired by the director, rite prop crew and costume crew meantime had been collecting and lairrowing such furniture, articles of clothing and admonitions not to “let anything happen to this” as re- quired. The light crew and stage crew then started work; the stage crew at learning the position of the scenery and how to move it. the building crew and everyliody else stood by and prayed that it would last until the play was over) and the light crew placing and adjusting the spotlights so as to light the stage best and most completely blind the actors. The stage manager had been busy prompting in the everlasting rehearsals and in learning the sets, props, and many cases even the lines of the play by heart. At last after a short hour or less the play was over, except for the criticism and our loyal director could, if he was lucky, go home and rest for a few days before work for the next play started. Many dramatics pupils feel that this course is more fun. more in- structive, and more hard work than any other course that they have ever taken.

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Welcome Back Walter T. Enright Dramatics Director We would like to take this opi»rtunity to welcome Mr. Enright hack after a year’s leave of absence, studying in the Department of Drama at S ale University. Mr. Enright came to Charlotte High School in 1930, directly from the University of Rochester where he had majored in English and had hecn received in- to the honorary fraternity Phi Heta Kappa. He taught English and Dramatics lure for three years lx fore leaving tor Vale. Since returning he is conducting dramatics activi- ties on the largest scale ever attempted at Charlotte High School. Personally, he combines the respectable dignity and severity of the teacher and scholar with a spirit of fellowship and a sense of humor which belie his gray hair, so that at times he seems almost to secure the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde effect. He is really a man of cliangeable personality and one's conception of him would depend largely upon how well one knew him. He likes most sports: tennis, bas- ketball. ice skating, swimming; dislikes golf. In many of these he is disgustingly proficient for an English teacher. Whether it Ik to impress the cast, to fortify his dignity, or to guard against a cold response from the audience, lu never gets a haircut from the time he starts rehearsal until he finishes a play. Then when he walks in with his shirt collar in plain sight again one lias difficulty recognizing him. He likes certain movies as well as certain plays and dislikes others just as intensely. pparcntly lie prefers solitude even to New York, which lie endures merely for the sake of its stage. His popularity with the pupils can be at- tested in many ways. You need only hear flu joyous response which greets his announce- ment of. Rehearsal every night next week. and yon have heard something 1 haven’t heard. However, lie secures their cooperation and flu concensus of opinion among those who know him is that lie is a regular fellow al- most good enough to be one of them. If you don’t believe that, you should get to know him better. Charlotte Xuimtoriu.m

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Beggar on Horseback On December fourteenth, nineteen hundred and thirty-four this famous expressioni Stic play “Beggar on Horseback was presented by the class of June, '35. The play was distinctly different from any ever presented at Charlotte in that only the fir.«»t and last scenes were realistic and the others were acted in exaggeration as a dream. With the help and imagination of our director the play was enjoyed by stage crew, actors, and audience. Come Out of the Kitchen On April seventeenth, nineteen hundred thirty-four the class of January. '35 found itself busily engaged in presenting their senior play, a comedy. “Come Out of the Kitchen. Under the direction of Jesse L. Ogden the play was presented before a large and appre- ciative audience. Despite the fact that the play was preceded by the presentation of South in Sonora and followed almost immediately by that of Pirates of Penzance it was a financial suc- cess.