Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Oak Yearbook / INSTANO Yearbook (Indiana, PA)

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THE ROBBER BRIDEGROOM fMI HUN Some down-home, rip-rodring country fun was presented in TheaterBy-The- Grove ' s musical production of The Rob- ber Bridegroom. The country flavor was obvious from the moment one entered the theater which was transformed into a barnyard, com- plete with hay and other country fixin ' s. Even the band wore blue jeans and flan- nel shirts and played on a make-shift hayloft. The show, which took place in and around Rodney, Mississippi in the early 18CXD ' s, centered around the activities of the two main characters, Jamie Lockhart and Rosamund Musgrove. After Jamie saves Clemment Musgrove ' s life, Clem- ment takes Jamie home to meet his daugh- ter, Rosamund. Although Jamie might seem like a nice young man with good intentions, he only wants to marry Rosa- mund to become part of the wealthy Mus- grove family. The plot thickens as Salome, Rosa- mund ' s wicked and jealous stepmother, sends Rosamund into the dangerous woods. Here Rosamund meets up with a robber who steals her new clothes. After another meeting in the woods, Rosamund spends the night with the mysterious rob- ber and they fall in love. Unfortunately, Rosamund doesn ' t know that the robber is Jamie m disguise and Jamie, alias the robber doesn ' t realize that the girl is Rosamund, and . . . Well, things do get a bit confusing, but of course ev- eryone lives happily ever after. The audience, who were encouraged to wear blue jeans and other country clothes, were a part of the scenery and almost became a part of the show as cast members spoke and sang to them. The cast did a superb job of communicating their country flair and boundless energy to the audience. From the evil Salome to her somewhat meek but comical husband Clemment, from the dashing Lockhart to the seeming- ly innocent Rosamund, all the parts were played beautifully. There were also added features such as a man who dragged his brother ' s talking head around in a trunk, a wise but ignored talking raven, and a sim- ple-minded boy named Goat whose method of speaking explains his name. The Robber Bridegroom gave the au- dience an opportunity to become lost in some country fun, and all who experi- enced the show left with a little country flavor in their hearts and a country tune in their heads. -Dana Smith Top lelt: Rosamund arw . Salome argue over Rosamund ' s new dress. Tpp right: Rosamund shows her new dress to her friends as Clem- ment and Salome fight in the background. Middle: As townspeople look on Salome plots to kill Rosamund. Bottom: Salome dances up a storm as she decides on Rosamund ' s fate.

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66 THE FOX The powerful play The Fox was per- formed this fall by the Theater-By-The- Grove. The Fox , a drama by Allan Miller based on the novel by D.H. Lawrence, is set in England in 1918. Two young wom- en in the play, Jill Banford, played by Jenni Sanders, and Nellie March, played by Deb Wisniewski, have developed a close relationship while living on a farm. Jill is a frail, feminine character who centers her life around housework and shopping, while Nellie does all the work on the farm mcluding the repair work and hunting. Life has been difficult for the women. Top lell: Henry enjoys tea with Nellie and Jill. Top right: Nellie keeps Henry at bay. Middle Henry and Nellie argue at the woodpile. Bol torn: Henry Greinfel, played by Matt Giehl waits for the lox. They have sold their heifer, their chickens aren ' t laying eggs and a fox has been steahng the chickens. Then, Henry Greinfel, played by Matt Giehl, enters their lives. He is a strong young man who is on leave from the Ca- nadian Army for a week. The girls decide to take him m, and he immediately begins to make changes in their lives. He catches pheasants for the girls to eat, fixes their barn and catches the fox. However, the plot develops as Henry begins to manipulate Nellie and eventual- ly convinces her to marry him. The final scene is emotion packed. As Henry, who is obsessed with the farm and hunting, picks a rifle and begins to point it at the girls and eventually shoots Jill. Nel- lie IS overcome with shock, and Henry comforts her by telling her the plans of their life together. The play was directed by Malcom Bowes of the lUP theater department, and the set was designed by Nadine Gra- bania, an lUP graduate student. The au- thentic-looking set was constructed from scratch by lUP students. After the show, members of the audi- ence would touch the walls to see if they were real, Cheri Meiser, stage manager, said. This year The Fox was the theater department ' s entry for the American Col- lege Theater Festival. - Barbra Smergalski 24 Activities

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The Dining Room The Theater- By- The Grove ' s production of The Dining Room takes an entertain- ing look at 18 dming rooms of upper mid- dle class families across the United States. The play, written by A.R. Gurney Jr., was set in an elegantly furnished dining room and took place during the last 50 years from sunrise to sunset. Each scene gave an amusing and sometimes touching view into the lives of different families dur- ing various time periods. The six actors played an average of eight different parts throughout the play. These students were Barb Blackley, Chuck Conway, Angelica Bellomo, Ty- rone Dixon, Karen Seergae and Bob Carbonetti. The show began with a tape of about 60 excerpts from TV and radio broadcasts from the time period of the play. Some of these were The Cosby Show, I Love Lucy, Martin Luther King and Dragnet. Bob Carbonetti, one of the actors said the play was a good experience for him and, It was a lot of work, but it was fun work. -Maryann Kolenchak 26 Activities Top Left: The Din ing Room ' provides insight into this family ' s life Top Right: A family celebra- tion IS portrayed in one scene Bottom: Another family ' s life is shown throu gh The Dining Room.