Pickering College - Voyageur Yearbook (Newmarket, Ontario Canada)

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melancholy, has a fine moral sensibility and possesses intellectual genius. llenee it takes great power and imagination to portray these traits along with the feigned madness. David Beer filled this role successfully. He had the dash and verve ot a well educated young courtier who suddently has this terrible task thrust upon him. David was excellent in the famous soliloquies truly bringing out the emotional turmoil in Hamlets soul. Only once or twice did he falter. Perhaps the most noticeable occasion was in the verbal duel with Laertes at the grave yard. This was difficult to follow. Otherwise it was a first class performance. Ophelia is not a. dominating female. She is young, inexperienced, sweet and warm, the 'tRose of May . Everyone is attracted by her gentleness and innocence. Yet it also is a demanding role and necessitates a very light touch by the actress. Kay Richardson portrayed all of these qualities and added that indefinable some- thing which only a few artists put into their characterizations. Her performance was easily the best and the most moving of the whole show. Nmrlcs Beer, once he had conquered his vocal technique, gave us a real meddling, .loddering old fool of a Polonius. He had the mannerisms and the actions ot an elderly but amusing man. Peter Ryan. displayed fine acting ability as the impetuous and rash Laertes. There was real fire in his. passionate speeches concerning his fathers death and his sisters insanity and in his dying confession. The king, played by Bruce Lclitiifueii., is not a big man but the part does demand considerable talent to bring out his charaeterg Lelztinen did play a dignified role although at times his speaking was rather mechanical. Lorraine Pettigrew played a. stately but motherly queen even though her youth at times made one forget that Gertrude was a middle-aged woman. She rose to the challenge in the famous bedroom scene and carried it oft splendidly. Horatio, loyal, trusting, and scholarly, is one otf the best roles in Shakespeare. He is a noble person, noble in the sense of possessing an excellent moral character. Scott JIeNcill did an excellent job in his part and indeed was the stout champion ot his hero Hamletfs cause. The mechanics ot staging a Shakespearean play are extremely important. On them depends, in no small measure, the sustaining ot much ot' the dramatic effect. This particular performance on a small stage was excellent. The lighting was very effective and at times saved some of the scenes. The sound effects were well advised and aptly served the needs of the play. Both Jlr. -leieell and Jlr. f'm-nziehulcl are to be congratulated on their stark but effective design and properties. Jlr. Guy Arnold certainly produced a memorable effort. J. D. PITRIJY

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ramatics hanzlet Nivolri'UN.x'1'1ci.Y, llamlet is the most difficult Shakespearean drama. to present. Experience and insight into human attairs are almost absolutely necessary for all who would play Hamlet. lt is a true theatrieal test. It is, therefore, not otten given to youthful actors to portray this magnifieent eharaeter study. And eertainly those who are this fortunate . . . rarely attain the high degree ot sueeess and the thrilling' reward ot' achievement which were witnessed by those who saw the pertormanee of Hamlet. by the Pickering College Dramatic Club. ln reviewing' this produetion one hardly knows where to begin. One could look at some ot' the wondert'ul seenes ot' this play, the grave Yard. the duel at the end, or those fine little Dim-pg of dymmtfif- Imggugt- lmwem lelgmlt-f, Rosenerantz and Guilderstern. The latter were exeeptionally well done by the three ar-tors. But let us be legieal and start with the actual 1ll'l'fO1'lll2ll1C'U ot eaeh of the main characters. 313309 IWGVCIITS 0110 from m9Utl0ning in detail the lesser roles, the soldiers, CR, Ilons, If. V6ll7C, ill. Bcggsj the ghost, CPUMZ Ryflnli the clowns, CJ. Clare, If, Iiurtonl the ambassadors CB- B100WlflC'lfl, lf- 1300985 T119 Plf1Y91'S, CR- Iilrzclfstork, J. Boer, J. Downer and If. Sherryj. They should all be eommended for an excellent. effort, espeeially the ghost and the first player. Ilamlet is a most trying' role, demanding' a sustained and eontinued effort and even more, an attempt to ereate a balance between intelleet and emotion. The player, in a sense, must main- tain and push forward the dramatie sequenee of events, tor everything' depends upon Hamlet. He is a noble person ot' high birth, I Hamlet the Dane. But in spite ot' his breeding, posi- tion, and training he is stained with indeeision, a quality whieh eventually brings about his downfall. Ile is temperamentaI, alternating' his moods almost at will and for a time this delays the eonsummation ol' the awtul task ot revenge which has been plaeed upon him by his father's ghost. Hamlet is a eomplex person. He is Twewz ty-six

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glee club cox and box UDIUROVS eoMEDY and roniantie tragedy were the keynotes of this year's double offering' hy the Piekering College Glee Club. The one aet faree of Cox and Box hy .l. N'll.NZ'llfI7l and F. f'. Burizmzd and Down in the Valley hy K. Weill were the elulfs ehoiees. Vox and Box was based upon the simple theme expres- sed in its sub-title, t'The Long Lost Brothers. After several years of parting the two brothers are re-united after some amusing and tantastie incidents in the lmoarding'-house where they were rooining' unknown to eaeh other. Enthusiasm and a light toueh of huniour are needed to put this play over to the audienee. The three actors ear-h played his role superbly. Doug C'oel.'burn as Cox fulfilled the ner-essary eonditions imposed by this opera on an aetor. YVhile his voiee was ade- quate for the singing part, his niannerisins helped to portray a very tastidious eharaeter who had a large sense ot his own iniportanee. Box was played by Paul l'rmipln'll whose singing was proliahly the best in this pieee but who did not have the sense ol' huinour ne.eessary tor his part. The niost lnnnorous eharaeter is the i-onniying' Sergeant Bouneer, the: hoarding' house keeper. He is a retired army nian who ean not forget the military experiences of his past. and who in the end shows us that he is a devout British sulijeet. Bob Bloomfield carried out this part exceedingly well, sustaining' it with a good voiee and an exeellent understand- ing' olf the part. Hin opening night, owing to Bloomjieldfs illness, his part was taken hy the produeer, Guy ,ll'llUI!l, to whom the role of a British linperialist eanie quite naturally. el filaiety and mirth were exuded hy the skilful aetors in this pieee. 56 99 own n e Valley The other opera, Down in the Valley , is a tragedy hased upon the traditional Aineriean roniantie theme: of the inevit- ahle loye triangle, an interfering parent, and a depressing' ending: VVhile this theine is old and tainiliar, neyertlieless, it. tool: great singing' and ac-ting' ahility on the part of the leads to ln-ing' out the quiekly alternating nioods of happi- ness, joy, despair and gloom. The ineidents leading up to the Tiven fy-eight