Elmwood School - Samara Yearbook (Ottawa, Ontario Canada)

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12 SAMARA in movement but in the main, these and the many other mascuhne roles in the play were done with a great deal of credit to both the girls themselves and their talented directress, Miss Miriam Graham, the mistress responsible for their advancement. As the title implies, The Lady With a Lamp is the story of the life of Florence Nightingale. It is a graphic picture of a life spent in self-sacrificing, unselfish work, a life in which obstacles and disappoint- ment were there to be overcome and a life which saw in full measure the ideals of am- bitious youth fulfilled. It glorifies Woman and depicts, wha t a mere male is forced to admit, that the contempt of the determined woman for precedent and red tape brings needed reforms into being more speedily than they ordinarily would. Although The Lady With a Lamp is a story of the past, Reginald Berkley makes much of the dialogue equally applicable to the present. His jibes at the Treasury Board and its cheese-paring attitude during the Crimean War drew from last night ' s audience appreciative laughter. So did his contempt for hidebound official regulations and the horror of officialdom of trying to get things done in business-like ways. Brilliant Performance Last night ' s presentation, as we have al- ready said, was excellent. It was made remarkable by the outstanding performance of Jacqueline Workman who played Florence Nightingale in Acts I and II. It was dif- ficult to realize that the part was being played by a school girl. Possessed of one of the most beautiful speaking voices it has been our privilege to hear from any stage, Miss Workman made her heroine live and breathe again. Florence Nightingale ' s lovely personality, her determination in the face of almost insufferable obstacles, her re- solution and above all her true womanliness were all drawn with what almost might be called inspiration. It was a tender and moving portrayal. Elizabeth Edwards played the leading role in Acts III and IV, the later periods of Florence Nightingale ' s life. While her per- formance was perhaps not so appealing nevertheless it brought out to the full the great woman ' s resolution and the love of work for work ' s sake. Her portrayal of the end of a wonderful life at a great age was beautifully done. It is impossible to mention individually the performances of every member of the cast. For one thing there were so many roles that some of the girls had to play as many as three parts, and for another reason that space forbids. However, we should like to mention the Elizabeth Herbert ' s of Elizabeth Hardy and Nancy Kennedy, the kindly and un- derstanding Lord Palmerston of Avril Crab- tree and the Dr. Sutherland of Dorothy Davis. The latter was especially good and would have been better had she not had to try so hard to assume a Scottish accent. The Corporal Jones of Anne Binks was an ex- cellent bit of comedy and so was Nancy Bowman ' s Lady Heritage and Lord Mayor. A word of sincere praise must also be given for Mary Osier ' s interpretation of the well meaning but mistaken garrulous Mrs. Night- ingale. Joan Creighton too, was very good as Sidney Herbert. One Disagreement On the side of criticism we have to say that we disagree most emphatically with the touch of burlesque given to what was mea nt to be the impressive scene of the belated recognition of Florence Nightingale ' s life work at her investiture with the Order of Merit. While, undoubtedly, it was funny, it was entirely out of place and could not have been remotely near the actuality. It seemed to discredit the heroine. Then also it seems impossible for a girl to bring realism to a love scene when she has to play the male. Girls in masculine roles never seem to know what to do with their arms but then, male amateurs are equally at fault in most cases. Make-up was better than last year but there was still room for improvement. Costumes were really wonderful and in keeping with the periods. Settings were as usual ex- cellent and the lighting good although a little spotty in places. Audibility was prac- tically perfect. We notice that one of the girls, Nadine Christie, was stage manager and with so large a cast and so many scenes to deal with it must be said that she did ex- cellent work. The scenery was painted by the senior art class under the direction of Miss H. Mabel May and the school choir in

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SAMARA 11 DRAMATICS ON March 29th, the presentation of Reginald Berkeley ' s ' The Lady With a Lamp by the Senior Dramatic Class was the highlight of this year ' s dramatic work. The audience was most appreciative, and we felt fully repaid for our efforts. The play gave great scope for characterization and we thoroughly enjoyed working on it. We are most grateful to Miss Graham for her excellent direction, and we should like to thank her for her perseverance. This year the House Plays reached a very high standard, Fry gave the winning per- formance in Rose Latulippe, a charming and unusual play of old French Canada. Keller ' s comedy-thriller Blackout ranked a very close second, containing some ad- mirable character studies, which were most suitable to the setting, a country inn, Some where in England. Nightingale came third with The Thirteenth Guest, an enjoyable comedy, with some commendable pieces of acting. The two leading plays were pre- sented as an added attraction at the bazaar the following afternoon. The Senior Intermediates, aside from joining in The Lady With a Lamp have been working on Barrie ' s The Admirable Crichton and Shall We Join the Ladies, also Thirty Minutes in a Street and Lady Precious Stream, all under Miss Graham ' s direction. The Intermediates are busy re- hearsing Michael and The Poetasters of Ispahan. We hope to have an opportunity of seeing all these before the end of the year. Once again we are very grateful to Mr. Kendall MacNeil, who attended the Senior Play, and gave us the following criticism; we should like to thank both Mr. MacNeil and the Citizen for allowing us to print it here. ELMWOOD GIRLS MAINTAINS HIGH DRAMATIC STANDARD The Lady With a Lamp. Story of Florence Nightingale, Is Ambitious Of- fering Presented in Excellent Fashion. We have seen many of these annual plays so that it is with a certain amount of know- ledge we can say that The Lady With a Lamp is one of the most ambitious attempts in the history of the school. It is a play which presents difficulties even for the most experienced amateur cast and these dif- ficulties are multiplied when it is undertaken by girls in their teens. Imagine, if you will, the roles of such personages as Lord Pal- merston and Sidney Herbert being inter- preted by school girls and you probably will be inclined to smile. Yet last night they appeared real and vital and were in no sense caricatures of these statesmen of other days. True, there was a certain amount of stiffness

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SAMARA 13 the concluding scene was directed by Myron McTavish, Mus. B., F.C.C.O. Appearing in the various roles were Anne Binks, Joan Creighton, Avril Crabtree, Mary Osier, Elizabeth Hardy, Nancy Kennedy, Jacqueline Workman, Elizabeth Edwards, Nancy Paterson, Ogden Blackburn, Mary Wurtele, Anne Powell, Norma Wilson, Nancy Bowman, Marise Bishop, Priscilla Aylen, Helen Christie, Dorothy Davis, Pauline Watkins, Nita Nichols, Felicity Hastings, Joyce Haney, Joana Rowlatt, Shelagh Nolan, Lois Lambert, Felicia Magor, Betty Caldwell, Noreen Haney, Veryan Yarrow. — M. A.B. LECTURE NOTES This year as in other years we have been privileged to hear a variety of interesting lectures. On October 30th, Dr. Horwood of the Toronto Conservatory of Music gave a lecture on how music is composed. He gave many amusing illustrations on the piano, showing us how popular music is very often made up of several well known tunes borrowed from other composers. Major McKeand paid us his usual visit on Armistice Day. His lecture made us all think more seriously about our place in the world after the war. On November 14th we heard a most en- joyable lecture by Mr. Humphrey on British Columbia. As well as telling us of the many beauties of that province he showed some wonderful coloured slides. I am sure that after the lecture we all felt we should like to spend our next summer holidays in British Columbia. On November 20th Miss Hazel told us about her annual caravan trip to outlying settlements in the west. We are always glad to welcome Miss Hazel and she tells us many new interesting experiences each year. In February Miss Foster told the mernbers of the Intermediate and Junior school about the work of the Nasic hospital in India. The school has been supporting a cot in this hospital and we were very interested to hear about the work being done there. On March 8th Miss Warren gave a delightful lecture on the Scandinavian countries. It was made all the more in- teresting by the showing of slides of her own paintings which were lovely. On April 30 Mrs. Milton F. Gregg told us about her experiences in England. She described her work in a Toe H canteen and a hospital for Canadian soldiers. Her in- formation about what articles of clothing are most needed was very useful to those of us who are knitting or sewing for the war effort. A. P. FICTION LIBRARY NOTES Fiction Library Staff: — Felicity Hastings Paula Peters Ann Goodeve We have tried to get the fiction library fully organized this year, and with the help of Miss Spencer most of the books are catalogued and every member has a library card. This year we have had many members especially among the Juniors and they all make great use of the library. Two new books have been bought French- man ' s Creek, by the well-known author, Daphne du Maurier, and ' My Friend Flicka, by Mary O ' Hara. Both books have been very popular among all ages. A few books are being given to the Shernfold School and perhaps some to a hospital. F. H. LIBRARY NOTES Library Staff: — Nancy Kennedy Betty Caldwell Anne Binks Veryan Yarrow. This year a new system of filing and taking out of books was introduced into the library. The books were re-arranged into three sections; Fiction, Non-Fiction, Poetry and Plays. Displays of various types of books were presented throughout the year, and it is felt that these displays helped to stimulate