Munster High School - Paragon Yearbook (Munster, IN)

Page 29 text:

D eath stalks the night; fear seizes the hearts of all who cross its path. Sleep will not come until this bloody creature is put to eternal rest. His evil yet suave nature grasps and destroys the souls of the living beckoning them to the world of the undead. A mystical fog creeps in the room, strangling the air as this unearthly, immortal creature closes in on his prey; this creature Count Dracula . Chilling suspense gripped the au- dience as Dr. Seward ' s insane asylum came alive on Nov. 18 and 19. The play was sold out both nights with a total of approximately 2200 people attending. Count Dracula offered a new aspect of suspense and special ef- fects that had not been in any previous theatrical productions here, stated Di- rector Mrs. Renee Kouris. Disappearing people, mysterious flying bats, and bi- llowing fog created a supernatural fear. Count Dracula became more terrifying by a demonic green light and eerie organ music produced at his appearance. His ability to produce scarves and burning cigarettes from thin air made him almost realistic. Drama Club invested $1500 on royalties, scenery construction, and spe- cial effects. Under the direction of Assistant Drama Coach Mr. Phil Clark, English II teacher, and student director senior Marianne Lanman, the nine cast mem- bers combined devastating terror with a touch of humor. Practice began in early October and continued until the open- ing night. The action centered around the lovely, young mina, junior Colleen Walsh, a patient in Dr. Seward ' s, junior Joe Fow- ler, insane asylum. Mina became stricken with a strange illness brought on by the supernatural force of the count, junior Jim Szczepaniak. The unyielding terror was broken by the hilarious mischief of the schizophrenic Renfield, junior Tim Finley, and Dr. Seward ' s spinster sister, Sybil, senior Dalia Sidabras. Dr. Seward became worried about Mina ' s health and called in the Dutch specialist Heinrich Van Helsing, junior Thomas Bosch, and Mina ' s finance Jona- than Harker, junior Kevin Burke. They re- alized that Mina ' s illness was super- natural. It became a race against evil to save her from the world of the undead. As the sun rose slowly in a misty sky, it cast an unearthly glow into the forsaken crypt. There laid the lethal monster. The stake, driven in with hate, pierced his heart. At last, the town was free from terror. Fall Play 25

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Count I raciil a 1T€S 6 taste of snipe r natural wor. A of ui uni e a A ABOVE: Dr. Seward (junior Joe Fowler), Heinrich Van Helsing, (junior Tom Bosch), and Jonathan Harker, (junior Kevin Burke) discuss the critical condition of Mina. ABOVE RIGHT: Completely mesmerized and entranced, senior Dalia Sidabras (Sybil Seward) follows the com- mands given by junior Jim Szczepaniak (Count Dracula). ABOVE FAR RIGHT: With eyes facing upward and clasped hands, junior Tim Finley (Renfield) begs forgive- ness from his master. Count Dracula, for betraying him and disobeying his commands. RIGHT: While under the spell of Count Dracula, Mina, (junior Colleen Walsh) uses a quiet moment to seduce Jonathan Harker (junior Kevin Burke) in an attempt to bite his neck and suck his blood. FAR RIGHT: FALL DRAMA CAST. FRONT ROW: Joe Fowler, Colleen Walsh, Tom Bosch, Blair Barkal. BACK ROW: Tim Finley, Lisa Nisevich, Jim Szczepaniak, Dalia Sidabras, Kevin Burke. 24 Fall Play

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I t was a magical world; a world of castles and princesses, pumpkins and carriages, enchantment and dreams. It was a child ' s fantasy with all the magnificence of imagination. This was the fairytale world of Cinderella. With a touch of magic, the Children ' s Theater was presented on April 29 and 30. For the first time, a children ' s play was chosen for production instead of an adult play. It seemed appropriate to do a chil- dren ' s play with the time element and conflicts at that time with other school activities on the stage, explained Direc- tor Miss Diane Kubacki, English teacher. I also feel the hardest audience to play to is children-it ' s a challenge. Practices began four weeks prior to the play for both cast and crew. The sce- nery was detailed in animation in order to present a clear picture to the children. Disappearing fairy godmothers, pump- kins changing into royal carriages, and rags changing into riches made the magic of fairytales almost believable. Cinderella, written by William Glen- non, was the story of the mistreatment of a young cindermaid (sophomore Ja- nice Levy) by her stepmother (senior Blair Barkal) and her two step-sisters (sophomores Kathy Mills and Jill Barath). The cast played directly to the au- dience. At the early shows they were all very animated. On Saturday night, how- ever, they ad-libbed to entertain the more mature, mostly adult audience, stated junior Jim Szczepaniak, student director. As Jim summed it up, Cinde- rella was a success simply because we pleased the audience that the play was aimed at— the children. 26 Spring play