Hope College - Milestone Yearbook (Holland, MI)

Page 31 text:

Hedvig (Deborah Grimm), to scrimp and save in order to provide him what little opulence they can. Old Ekdal (Daniel Huizenga), Hjalmar’s father, is a humorous old gent. His eccentric idiosyncrasies demonstrate his disillusionment and the effect years of humiliation have had upon his life. As the plot unfolds, Gregers forces Hjalmar to discard his facticious life illusion by informing Hjalmar of the true father of little Hedvig. Hjalmar cannot face the fact that Hedvig is not his own child; in his frustration he withdraws the love for which Hedvig lives. Gregers observes this behavior and persuades Hedvig to certify the love she feels for her lather by sacrificing her beloved pet. a wild duck. Gregers' plan backfires, however, and Hedvig takes her own life instead. In the end we realize Hedvig was the true wild duck. Once she reached the murky depths of the swamp she could never again resurface. The performance, aided by symbolic lighting property effects, and executed with a style both polished and professional, was directed by Jussi K V. Tammi. CAST HAkon Werle George Ralph Gregers Werle Robert A. Schultz Old Ekdal Daniel J. Huizenga Hjalmar Ekdal Paul Daniels Gina Ekdal Kathie Smith Hedvig Deborah Grimm Mrs. Sorby Abby Jayne Rolling Eric S. Fitzgerald Molvik Mark W. Farnsworth Pettersen Brad Aspey Jensen Jonathan D. Hondorp GrAberg Russell Curtis The Guests at Bill Lawson Werte's Dinner Michael McFaden Stanley Sajewski Music peformed by Susan Ward ◄A love lor what he believes to be his daughter, Paul Daniels, as Hjalmar, enjoys a rare moment with Hedvig played by Deborah Grimm The Wild Duck 27

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Cfjrtetma ©esper It was the last year that acolytes, whose duty it is to light and extinguish the beeswax. Christmas candles, were not required to begin 15 minutes before the service As a result of a mandate by the fire marshall, the 86 candles that have traditionally illuminated the fore of the sanctuary were replaced by evergreens sparkling with white lights. And flanking the torch lights were just two candles now — the last remnants of a service characterized by a seemingly countless array of candle flames and the atmosphere of rev- erence and beauty they created Traditions die hard. Vet. the Christmas Vespers have been subjected to change throughout its 36 year history The first Vesper service was conducted on December 7. 1942 to commemorate the anniversary of Pearl Harbor At that time. Vespers was not a service for Christmas, but a musical post- war celebration. As time passed, and the memory of Pearl Harbor and World War II faded. Vespers took on a more liturgical appear- ance and since the event occurs just prior to the dismissal of classes for Christmas break. Vespers evolved into the yule- tide celebration that it is today. In the early 70s. the popularity of the Vespers service swelled beyond the capacity of Dimnent Memorial Chapel Many in attendance were forced to stand in the aisle throughout the program This proved unsatisfactory to the fire marshall and consequently, two Vespers services were conducted. Soon, two services were incapable of handling the popularity of the event and the program was extended again — to three services, all held on Sunday. Another growth in demand soon followed and complimentary tickets were issued This was followed by the addition of another service on Saturday and a nominal charge for entry. Irregardless of the difficulty of accommodating the mas- sive turnout. Christmas Vespers maintains the musical and liturgical excellence with which it was initiated in 1942. Today the acolytes light only two candles, but in all other essential respects, the service is still an inspiring orientation to the Christmas season. The service begins and ends with the processional and recessional of the Chapel Choir, the College Chorus, the chaplain and most importantly the cruci- fer and torch bearers The music aids in sustaining the tradi- tion of Vespers in the perennial singing of ’'Torches throughout the processional, while the recessional anthem, also traditional, portrays the significance of the event of Christmas Vespers, for as ”... the child grew. he also .. waxed strong in spirit.''