Earlham College - Sargasso Yearbook (Richmond, IN)

Page 18 text:

Northwest of Carpenter Hall, just across the drive, a scene from Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream was reen- acted with the performance of the Merry and Tragical Masque of Pyramus and Thisbe, Seated on stone benches, the Duke of Athens and his bride, accom- panied by a group of friends, were en- tertained by a comic sketch, the villagers' portrayal of the tragic love episode of Pyramus and Thisbe, Difficulties with properties, forgotten lines, and general confusion, all a part of the play, combined to make this Shakespearean farce hilar- iously funny to both the stage audience and visiting spectators. The Duke and his bride were ably played by Myron Durkee and June Griswold, and Harold Zimmer- man and Stephen Randall, as Pyramus and Thisbe, were more than faithful to Shakespeare's characterization of the lov- ers. Full of action and romance, the colorful pageant of the Merry Men of the Green- wood, enacted north of the observatory, struck a responsive note in the hearts of all who viewed it. Everyone was familiar with the characters from Alfred Lord Ten- nyson's play, The Foresters, describing the deeds of Robin Hood and his merry men, of their encounters with Prince John in Sherwood Forest, and of the tender love of Robin and Maid Marian. Robert Rollf and Janet Stickney played admirably these last two roles. A popular spot was the green northeast of Earlham Hall, where ten jovial sword dancers combined colorful movement with entertaining dialogue in The Revesby Sword Play. Circling to the accompani- ment of tabor and pipe, these agile men executed difficult patterns with their swords, all woven into the story of a Foole and his sons and their involvement in a mutual love affair. Foolish to perfection was Wayne Guernsey, playing the part of the father. Chase Stage was graced with an assem- bly of lovely maidens, clad in Grecian robes of pastel tints. Dancing gracefully

Page 17 text:

Shepherdesses. leading l little sheepe, milk maydes. chimney ' d . ll went svn eeps an gypsies a . reveling on the eve of the first of May, . clothed in purple, green, and black, flashed their white kerchiefs in an effort to drive away the make-believe witches, and a colorful band of gypsies, their tam- bourines jingling, danced to the accom- paniment of an accordian. Tumblers tum- bled, chimney sweeps swept, and children mimicked the antics of their elders in their frolic on the green. A fitting climax to the festive scene was the performance on the green of the Old English play St. George and the Dragon, in which, despite the general slaughter of everyone, the day is saved by a special remedy of the Quack Doctor, who brings to life the hero and all the contestants. The revels ended. the spectators throng- ed onto the green to mingle with the merrymakers. scattering to various places on the campus to watch the Thespian groups bring to life Old English characters in four traditional plays. Each play was repeated four times at half-hour inter- vals so that the spectators and village folk alike would have the opportunity to wit- ness all the plays.

Page 19 text:

with a musical background by a string ensemble, the players made a charming picture as they enacted Chloridia, a masque written by Ben Jonson at the com- mand of Queen Elizabeth. This pageant, presented for the first time this year, beautifully combined terpsichorean art with a story of the crowning of Chloris as the goddess of flowers. Presented by the largest cast of any of the plays, in a set- ting of natural beauty, Chloridia was acclaimed a success by all. We who participated felt that there was something distinctive about the 1941 Old English May Day. Although there was the same general program and the same spontaneity, certain details of presentation added a new note to the festival-a Punch and Judy show under the direction of Dorothy Myrick, Pageant Wagons of L'The Creation and The Deluge, and novel decorative features. But in addition to these tangible evidences of uniqueness was the peculiar significance of the per- petuation of an Old English tradition at a time when all such traditions seemed to be threatened by a darkening future.