London Central Secondary School - Golden Glimpses Yearbook (London, Ontario Canada)

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Q6 THE REVIEW H PIRATES just as the Little Theatre movement was beginning to take a real hold here, a tremendous impetus was given it by His Excellency the Governor- General. The active interest taken in the Drama Festivals by the various Little Theatre groups throughout Canada must have been very encour- aging to Lord Bessborough and his committee in charge. Colonel H. C. Osborne, the honourary director of the Drama Festival of April, 1933, made the following statement concerning the entries received, which is valuable in showing the distribution groups throughout Canada. There were a large number of entries from the west, twelve from Toronto alone and the same number from the rest of Southern Ontario. There were four English and four French plays entered from Montreal and four French plays from the Eastern provinces. Such strides have been made by the Little Theatre movement in Canada since that time that these numbers would have to be increased considerably to represent the number there now are. The best known Little Theatre in Canada is the Hart House Theatre of Toronto. It is con- nected with the University of Toronto and owns its own very complete theatre. One cannot think of the Hart House Theatre without thinking of Honourable Vincent Massey, who has done such very credible work in directing it. The Ottawa Drama League was one of the first Little Theatres to start in Canada which has survived. It began in 1913 with a membership of about fifty, and in 1927 had increased its number to fifteen hundred. The Vancouver Little Theatre started in 1921 and now owns a place of its own. The NVinnipeg Community Players is another which has pro- gressed so well that it has been able to buy an auditorium. ln 1932 this group took a very important step in hiring Mr. and Mrs. Craig to direct them. john Maselield wrote the following poem for the opening of a repertory theatre in Liverpool which is almost the same type of theatre as those about which we have been talking. I am going to take the liberty of quoting it here in connection with the Little Theatres of Canada. So many Englishmen give wealth to build The great museums with which our towns are filled, Our millionaires compete with so much rage That all things get endowed, except the stage. Men will not spend, it seems, for that one art, Which is life's inmost soul and passionate hearty They count the theatre a place for fun, VV here men can laugh at nights when work is done. If it were only that, 'twould be worth while To subsidize a thing which makes men smile,- But it is more: it is that splendid thing, A place where man's soul shakes triumphant wing . -Geraldine Hughes 'Yi Lights The lighting equipment of the stage consists of two rows of headers, or lights above the stage, the footlights, and two spotlights. Colour screens were made for all the lights so that the proper colours were obtainable for every scene. Each row of headers has a dimmer. The foots and spots also have dimmers. By means of these each part of the lighting equipment can be brought in or dimmed out slowly or quickly as the case requires. In the Operetta last year the colour screens on the headers were changed between scenes. The colours on the foots were changed by members of the orchestra. It is necessary for the electrician to know the show just as well as the players them- selves. Those on the lights last year were jack Laughton, Charlie Seager and Jack Morgan. -.7 ack Morgan '95 Not Quite Such a Goose One evening in April a most delightful production was staged on behalf of the Boys' Athletic Association. This production, a master- piece of comedy, was under the able direction of Miss Gilles and Mr. Webb. The characters were Beverley Brent, as the placid motherg Cam Taylor, as Albert, the woman-haterg Nora Waide as Sylvia, his sisterg Lillian Hall as Sylvia's I Continued on page 86 NOT QUITE SUCH A GOOSE

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THE REVIEW Q5 whole, however, they handled themselves remark- ably well. Laird Bovaird played the part of James Ryan, Stewart Miller the part of Tim Casey, and Charles Fisher that of Shawn Carly. Margaret Prior went out of type to play the catty housewife fMrs. Tullyj, Paul Smith acted the role of a stolid policeman U0 Muldoonj, and Gerald Wyant the part of the magistrate, a pompous Britisher. Wilson Reason and Betty Patterson played their parts well, and the deaf actions of Geraldine Hughes were very good. All these admirably represented Irish village types. Entertainment of this kind shows us that the life at L.C.C.I. is not entirely one of work, but that we have the opportunity to participate in many amusing and interesting activities. -Catherine Liddy '33 The Value of Dramatics Dramatics in our secondary schools is a field which is broadening and developing every year. Only a few years ago the production of real plays -not mere mock trials and poor imitations of senior plays-was almost entirely absent. Today the school curriculum requires that a certain num- ber of plays be produced each year by the students. Why has dramatics come to the fore in so short a time and why is it being stressed more and more as a definite course? The answer to this lies mainly in its value to the students. The average pupil is restricted by a single personality. He can understand and take part in only one or two phases of school life. With the introduction of dramatics all this is changed and each student can have the experience of play- ing all sorts of roles-villain, hero, comedienne, bandit and detective, cockney and Irishman and all the other varied parts. When the plays to be enacted are carefully selected, they are of great literary value to the students. Such immortal dramas as Shakespeare's plays and others are among the Hnest works of literature. Dramatics was the first form of litera- ture and is one of the best. In taking part in the production of plays stu- dents receive experience in stage and managing technique, in obtaining lighting effects and in directing the plays themselves. The effect of working in co-operation with others, the mental stimulus of learning and analyzing lines-all these serve to develop a student and exercise his powers. We at Central have our at disposal a live and efficient Dramatic society which produces each year several plays. Play the part assigned you in the play, or be an enthusiastic member of the audience. In either capacity, you are serving the interests of Dramatics. -Mary Dampier The Little Theatre Movement Most of us when thinking of the Little Theatre movement consider it as one of the many things proceeding from modern times. Yet it is twenty years since Little Theatres started in Canada, and it is over twice that number of years since they first started in Europe. However, it is true that during the war they were practically all discon- tinued, only to be started again with new zeal and eagerness. One of the factors which aided in this was the prominence of the movies soon after the war, making it necessary for those interested in the drama of the legitimate stage to take some steps in preserving it. Naturally, the first thing we wish to know when we hear of the Little Theatre movement is its object and purpose. Of course the original purpose of those who started the Little Theatres was to learn and practice the different phases of drama. The thing which especially distinguishes it, however, is its desire to experiment in different playwritings and in production. In connection with the latter the two factors of lighting and scenery are the most used. This experimental spirit is much easier to carry out in the Little Theatre because with an audience of about three hundred, for instance, an intimacy between the players and the audience is present, making it pos- sible to introduce new and special types of plays and simply representative scenery, or, in some cases, a novel type of scenery. Another important factor of the Little Theatre is its non-commercial- ism. There are no actors to be paid and the scenery is very simple and made at home with the minimum of cost. The play is not given for the sake of the money which will be received but for the interest of both audience and players. The Little Theatres have contributed a great deal to drama arts and it is expected that they will contribute even more in the future. Through them have been trained people who eventually went on the professional stage and some of them have even entered upon theatrical careers. A very important service rendered by the Little Theatre is that it is a medium for the hearing of new writers. One of the most important of the men who have made names for themselves through writing for the Little Theatre is Dunsany. Other authors whose plays have been made known through the Little Theatre are Mazo de la Roche, Duncan Campbell Scott, Marion Osborne, Merill Denison, Stephen Leacock, and A. A. Milne. The Little Theatre satisfies the long felt want of the production of one-act plays. Hitherto these could only be enjoyed by the reading of them, but now, thanks to Little Theatres, we are able to see them actually portrayed. In advocating less scenery the Little Theatre is doing another service for drama by centering the interest on the play itself and not so much on the scenery. In general the Little Theatre has greatly promoted the study of drama, and in Canada particularly, has pro- moted the study of native drama. We in Canada are especially fortunate, because

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THE REVIEW Q7 THE EDITORS' CO VE TIO N November 16 and 17, 1934, the Ninth Annual Convention of High School Editors, sponsored by Sigma Phi, University of Toronto, was held in Convocation Hall, After a welcome and opening address the delegates broke up into groups under an instructor, to discuss the various phases of publishing a school magazine. In these group meetings many helpful suggestions and new ideas were exchanged and in this way we were able to learn what was going on in the other schools of the province. In the afternoon, after two very interesting talks on Advertising and Illustration, we visited Brigden's where many secrets of the engraving business were revealed to us. The Banquet was held in Burwash Hall, where, after a fitting dinner, the prizes were awarded. The Star shield for the best magazine as a whole was won by the Kitchener-Waterloo Grumbler, with the Lantern of Sir Adam Beck C.I., London. second. The prize for the cover design went to the W'estern Technical and Vocational School, Toronto. The Lantern also won the 'Varsity prize for the best layout. First prize in the MacMillan short story contest was won by Ardath Huddlestone, North Toronto Collegiate, but we are glad to know that Miss B. Patterson and Mr. R. Moore brought home the two honourable mention prizes in this division. We congratulate the winners and wish them every success for the coming year. And now we wish to thank Sigma Phi, for the inspiration and splendid time which she aiiorded us, in an effort to create a wider interest in the High School Magazine. Her work, we know, has not been done in vainl -Editor if 5. Left to right-back row to front row. THE REVIEW STAFF 1-Peter Kerrigan, Dudley Thompson, John Moore, Mr. West, Jack Guthrie, Kingsley Vogan, Fred Hammerton. 2-Bette Inksater, Harriet Insell, Kitchener Hartmann, Mr. Hall, Miss McKee, Miss McCann,.Miss Gilles, Marion McNaughton, Laird Bovnird, George Wherry, Mr. Maddeford. 3-Alex. Smith, Dorothy Phillips, Walter Shrives, Elizabeth Harvey, Nora Fetherstone, Albert Goldberg, Joan M.acR:1e, Christine Bell, Charles McLeod, Evelyn Coughlin, George Schaef. 4-Jean Tennent, Leslie Wheable, Frances Beal. Donald Prior, Bill Smith, Pauline Crouch, Stuart Spofford, Alice Der Stepanian, Megan McNaughton, Margaret Prior, Donald Miller. 5-fFront Rowl-Geoffrey Miller, Betty Patterson, Jack Grainger, Helen Wong, Don McClennan. QAbsent-Miss Morrison, Gerald Wyantj