Pickering College - Voyageur Yearbook (Newmarket, Ontario Canada)

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The Voyatgeur The stage crew designed and created two beautiful sets. Fredllaganis backdrop and accessories gave the whole performance a finishing touch of almost professional quality, which was accentuated by the valuable con- tributions of Rudy Renzius, Mrs. Renzius, Wilfred Coutu, William lVIaresch, and other members of the school community. The director was exceptionally fortunate in finding John Newmark, a pianist extraordinary, who came to Pickering at the last moment and saw the show through its final rehearsals and the performances. uPatience of 1943, despite the many difficulties of the times, attracted audiences that were gratifyingly large and merits the right of being listed among the most successful productions of our Clee Club. Dramatic Club BROTHER ORCHID HE DRAMATIC CLUB last fall was under considerable pressure from its senior members to break away from the Shakespearean trend of the last few years and present a modern drama a little more within the grasp of amateur actors. After much searching the directors, Messrs. Beer and lVIosey, hit upon HBrother Urchidn, which had been filmed some time before, and had the happy combination of an all male cast, lots of action, interesting characterizations and also some social significance. The Club owes a real debt to Mr. Hagan for sets which certainly have never been surpassed in its history and also many thanks to lVlr. Jackson for the splendid way inwhich he handled the lighting of the stage. As for the acting itself, although one might find the usual criticisms of an amateur production, we believe that on the whole it was finished and sustained. Cornell portrayed the difficult transition from gangster to brother with ad- mirable skill and carried the audience with him throughout. Eshelby's portrayal of Brother Nasturtium with glimpses of his own sense of comedy shining through added a colourful touch to the play. Mareschis handling of Battista, the frightened ltalian, was a job of real acting. Mossop as the 23

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The Voyageur Glee Club HPATIENCEH ' HIS YEAR the Glee Club tackled HPatience -its eleventh annual Gilbert and Sullivan offering. This operetta, which presents unique problems to secondary school glee clubs, has been produced twice at Pickering College with outstanding success. This success was achieved through effective stag- ing, hard-working and enthusiastic choruses, and a group of experienced principals who are old Gilbert and-'Sullivan troupers. The boys, chorus was the largest in the history of the Glee Club. By dint of an enthusiastic persistence, they mastered the intricacies of the part- singing and gave a snap to the precision routines which set a standard for the show. The entrance of the chorus of dragoon guards marked a high point in Pickering College productions. This military smartness contrasted dra- matically with the languor of the rapturous maidens who contrived to be aesthetic without being anaesthetic, a choral feat of no small proportions. HPatiencew makes great demands on the girls' chorus, but this year's group caught the spirit of the part and handled the difficult interpretations with conviction, their treatment of Bunthorne's entrance in the finale of the first act was particularly good. Both choruses blended perfectly in ensemble numbers, the scintillating double chorus, HNOW, is not this ridiculous , brought flattering comments from some very competent critics. When we consider that the choruses were trained under no less than four pianists, the calibre of their work appears Worthy of high praise. In addition to Alice Rourke, Maire Jackson, Elizabeth Beer, Gertrude Clarke, Dorothy Pipher, and Robert E. K. Rourke, all of Whom took impor- tant principal roles with distinction, the cast of principals included members of the student body. Ward Cornell, as Grosvenor, won very favorable recog- nition for his interpretation of a difficult role, he teamed with Bunthorne in some very effective scenes. David Cottrill fa superb Colonell, Murray Gill fa dashing Majorl, and Daniel Sherry fa distinguished Dukej, formed a trio of dragoon officers capable of capitalizing on every situation. Their aesthetic trio. uIt's true that mediaeval art , was nothing short of a riot of restrained merrimentg they were, indeed, ujolly utterw. Peter Schopflocher was an able solicitor, as well as a capable chorister. 22

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The Voyageur Gimp, and Shubik as Abbot Jonquil, were particularly suited to their roles and both had the happy faculty of finding the back row. Marx, as the bartender, did a very fine task in holding the show together, for he had a lot of detailed 'cbusinessw to remember. The show was well rounded out by Garrett as Freckles, Gottrill as Solomon, Struthers as Geranium, Walton as Hollyhock, and Schopflocher as Dum-Dum. Many thanks to all of them for a line show! Congratulations to three students who brought distinction to the school on the honour matriculation examinations in June, 1942: DAN SHERRY JACK ARDENNE BILL RANKIN who Won the McDowall who won the Gordon and who won the Rutherford prize in Physics at Queen's Nickle Scholarships in Scholarship in Mathema- University, English at Queen's Univer- tics and Science at Victoria sity. College. 24