Pomfret School - Griffin Yearbook (Pomfret, CT)

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THE VALIANT directed by Robert Dentler Walter Howard Paul Canham Susan Cameron Rodman Davis Pomfret with 35 as as 35 james Dyke Warden Holt losephine Paris Father Daly rviav 16, 1952 li X year reflect superior lead acting, compe- tent direction and adequate preparation. Still, both The Devil And Daniel Webster and The Valiant fell through. The problems of both productions cen- tered around atmosphere. The Devil stands or falls on the contrast in mood between the gay wedding scene and the grim courtroom. lf played over the proper at- mosphere. the lines of the principal play- ers would gain stature. Lack of atmosphere can be attributed mainly to the inexperi- ence of the extra players. Usually recruit- ed on the spot, their importance to the drama is never fully realized. Essentially, The Valiant lacked sustained tension also. Here, despite heroic effort and rewriting, the audience was not fully enveloped by the drama. Some thought it a grade school melodrama, below Pom- fret's undertaking, The play remained be- yond belief. ln spite of the talented contributions of the leading actors, The Devil and Dan- iel Webster didn't quite make it, and The Valiant died once too often. -N. Polsby 23

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ACTIVITIES - - DRAW? ln choosing its program for the year, the Dramatic Society followed the prece- dent set in earlier years and decided on two more small cast, one act plays. The reason for selecting plays with a minimum of fe- male players is obvious, but now a growing number of people would like to see the drama group undertake more ambitious projdcts. Ideas for these projects center on two suggestions. Some would like to see longer plays put on, possibly with a girls' school to get the needed feminine complement. As it is now, whenever a second former appears on the Pomfret stage, we are sup- DRAMATIC LEADERS Left to Right-Roudebush, Chapman, Morris, Marcotte. 22 THE DEVIL AND DANIEL WEBSTER directed by Marcel Marcotte with Williom Hall as labez Stone Susan Cameron as Mary Stone Ogden Nield as Daniel Webster Lloyd Cutrell as Mr. Scratch Pomfret November 20, l 951 posed to think he is a girl. This sometimes takes great effort. One danger in this suggestion is that the drama group would consist of mem- bers more interested in the girls than the play, a situation like the one currently plaguing the chorus. No one has quite seen a way around that problem, short of mak- ing the school coeducational. The other suggestion is to institute a half-course in drama which would take up all aspects of stagecraft. lt is thought that this workshop experience would mean more than the present arrangement. This is not to say that Pomfret produc- tions are totally without merit. On the contrary, it means that the Pomfret stage is ready to move on to bigger and more challenging things. Both productions this

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CHORUS Pomtret's chorus suttered because it was a multi-purpose body. Some boys joined to sing light glee club numbers. Others joined to sing more serious choir music. Far too many joined not to sing at all, but to participate in the dances that came af- ter the concerts. This last group made more noise than music both in rehearsal and in performance. lt is unwise to measure the choral music season in terms of success, because Mr. Brown has tried for something differ- ent than the highly polished brand of sing- ing Pomtret has grown used to. lt has been the choral director's intention to in- terest people in singing and music as an end in itself, rather than as a vehicle for the exhibition of showmanship. We feel that this approach is valid, and we hope that Mr. Brown is able to encourage more Pomtret people to think along these lines. Beside the mammoth chorus, several splinter singing groups sprang up through- out the year. Billed at various times as The Penguins , Three Shaves and a Haircut , and The Six lor was it Sevenl Sons of Spain , these smaller singing groups fought hard. Sometimes what came out was music. This has been a year of change in the whole conception of music at Pomfret. From the polished productions of the past, we have begun to shift our emphasis to the pleasures ot the experience ot music itself, -N. Polsby