Los Angeles Valley College - Crown Yearbook (Valley Glen, CA)

Page 104 text:

Theater arts comes of age if , 5 A Director Peter Mauk returned the theater to Valley wrth the theater art departments enthrallmg perform- ance of Robert Anderson s play Tea and Sympathy It was wlthout a doubt the finest example of college showmanshlp to be exhlbrted on the set rn years So powerful was the product1on that rt was next to tmposslble to srngle out the part most convrnclngly portrayed Each was handled with complete naturalness grvmg the college productlon a professronal arr The marquee at the corner of Ethel X, and Burbank heralds the coming of Tea if and Sympathy to the college Putting on one of the most moving performances rn the College s drama history Jan Burnett appeared as the warm Laura Reynolds With his emblematic guitar before the opening performance, leading man Jerry Brown prepares in the dressing room. f' r ,' ' 1, , , - use Q , .. 'r'v. .. -A Rx w

Page 103 text:

Counseling assistant Rose Siegel checks to see if the high school or college transcript has arrived to allow com pletion of registration. '-l Ia.T.,,, Q- , ,, He's cl little young, but his parents can still enroll in the Evening Division, as do Assistant Dean ofthe Evening Division Helena Hilleary answers a telephonic question for a prospective student. many adults who work during the day supporting families. ,. ew2IiZfY:f : J V, ' l' ' Evening Division Dean Donald Click directs the activities ofthe largest group on campus-the Evening Division students. lOl

Page 105 text:

, Roy Lennert played a that swept the range of theatrical emotion. So good was the plot, characters and message that it would be easy to pass over the professional work of the production staff. With precisioned timing, the light- ing was excellent. The tempo of Tea and Sympathy never slowed, with action always exploding on the two-stage setup. Its technical excellence, along with well-schooled ac- tors, made it a fast-moving play with a lasting message. Team came as a surprising breakthrough in the college theater with its emphasis on the message of tolerance. Val1ey's Tea and Sympathy was, indeed, drama at its best. jerry Brown delivered his stellar performance with overpowering command. In his part asa sensitive youth, fighting for manhood, he outwardly craved the love which Miss Burnett, as Laura, was ready to give. So good was Brown's showing that he drew notice to the universality that man is too quick to judge other men and often hates in them what he actually dislikes in himself. Magnetically Miss Burnett showed such genuine warmth that it seemed in complete keeping with her own character. It was as if she were playing herself. As the pulse of Tea,'t she gave the play the affection which made it a hit. Truly, Miss Burnett lived and was Laura Reynolds. Roy Lennert was so convincing in his part as Tom Lee's father that his acting provoked hate at times, and in other instances the audience was moved to sympathy for the man who was so out of touch with reality. On the other hand, jan Crawford was just as dy- namic in his character of Tom's somewhat understand- ing roommate. He instilled hope, companionship and love into Tea, emotionally packed rincipals Laura and to grips with reality. Y The original star ot the Broadway version ot Tea and Sympathy, .lohn Kerr, attended a Saturday night performance with his wife, center. They are conferring outside the theater with an interested member ofthe audience.