Sabetha High School - Blue Jay Yearbook (Sabetha, KS)

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THE DRUNKARD, this year’s junior class play, is world-famous. First performed in Boston in 1844, it is a genuine Temperance Drama, originally pre- sented seriously and sincerely as a plea for sobriety. The play was picked up by the famous P. T. Barnum, and embarked upon an astonishing career, during which it enjoyed almost continuous production for fifty years. Of course, dramatic styles change, and THE DRUNKARD is no longer performed seriously; it has become, rather, an instrument by which to burlesque the exaggerated acting and writing styles of a time gone by. Dozens upon dozens of college and commun- ity theatres over the country each year open their stages to careening--but later redeemed--Edward Middletons and evil, leering, mustachioed Lawyer Cribbses--with but one objective: to entertain the audience. Presenting THE DRUNKARD on the Sabetha City Hall Auditorium stage offered several challenges, those of scenery, costuming, music, casting, and adaptation to the acting style required for production of this type of work. Nineteenth century theatres used a type of setting called the drop and wing, consisting of large, painted canvas or muslin drops on rolls, that could be raised or lowered rapidly, and of canvas-covered wooden frames-- wings --placed at the left and right sides of the stage. Plays customarily contained many scenes, both exterior and interior, and, though the painting of the drops was often excellent, all scenery was two-dimensional and therefore non- realistic. THE DRUNKARD consists of nineteen scense, requiring at least ten separate settings. For- tunately, the stage possessed two excellent drops, both expertly constructed and painted, one of a rural scene and one of a city street. Though the script called for several rural scenes and several street scenes, these drops could easily be utilized for all of them. The stage also possessed a large number of flats, canvas-covered wooden frames, but these posed a problem of their own. The flats available were all sixteen feet high, enormously heavy, and several were severely damaged; they, like the drops, had been constructed in 1923. It was decided to build a limited number of new, ten-foot flats, to move the country drop further downstage so that it could be better utilized, and to make no effort at realistic scenery. A vigorous stage crew, headed by Rixey Werten- berger and Don Cleavinger, went to work with hammer, saw, square, clout nail, and clinch plate to build twenty-three new flats. After the flats were completed, a second crew, consisting of Steve Leuthold, Rick Wisdom, David Earl Spring, and anybody else who could be coerced into helping, went to work painting the new units. To cut down on weight and to increase the life of the flats, a glue- based, hand-mixed, washable paint was used. Moving the country drop from its position near the rear wall of the stage area proved a taxing and ulti- mately disappointing task. Scaffolding borrowed from Garber's Building Materials was erected on the stage and crew members, notably Ed Key and Rodney Noble, went aloft to detach the drop from the chains that held it aloft, to unthread its control lines, and to remove the pulley sheaves for replacement further downstage. This stage went without a serious hitch. Replacing the drop proved another matter: it proved impossible to properly align the pulley sheaves, so that there was a constant drag on the lines. This was recognized as an inconvenience, but not as the calamity it almost was. At dress rehearsal, the whole thing--drop, pulleys, sheaves, and lines--suddenly came plummeting down. The piece of galvanized drain pipe--already heavily repaired--that was used as a core for the roll was bent beyond repair. The drop itself was seriously ripped. And there was simply not enough time to replace the drop anyway. Many cast and crew members might remember the director's public lament: Well, there's no show. But of course the show went on. The audience might well have wondered why all countryside scenes were played in front of the act curtain--but the show did go on. A crew headed by Edna McFall meanwhile was tack- ling the problem of costuming the cast of thirty-eight, many of which required several costumes. Fortunately many things--such as long dresses--could be borrowed. Old-style policemen's hats could be purchased. But many things had to be made. Bar girls' dresses and policemen's coats were made of unbleached muslin and dyed appropriate colors. Several dresses and vests were also sewn by the crew--or their mothers. Sondra McClain was given the task of preparing music for the play, including theme music for most of the leading characters and sing-along music between acts, as well as music for specialties. She also had to rehearse the orchestra, consisting of Jeff Tennal, Don Shump, James Aberle, and herself. Debbie Shargas choreographed and rehearsed the novelty numbers. Both these young ladies had complete re- sponsibility for their tasks, and did their jobs with professional attention to detail. Since the cast was so large--forty-four separate roles--it was found necessary to dip into the senior class for some actors and to double roles, so that some actors played several characters. Delwin Strahm, Greg Newlin, Larry Burns, Jon Summers, Rixey Wertenberger, David Elwood Spring, and Charley Bacon joined the cast from the senior class. Adjusting to the exaggerated acting style was made somewhat easier because of last year's production of ONLY AN ORPHAN GIRL; however, that play had lacked the serious element contained in THE DRUNKARD and the characters in the earlier play were far easier to burlesque. David Earl Spring, as the villainous Lawyer Cribbs, managed to catch the spirit of villainy without imitating earlier villainous performances by Danny Montgomery and Pat Christine. Bob Campbell as Edward Middleton, the family man turned drunkard, had to be both manly hero and weak, drunken sot--mouthing high-sounding phrases all the while. His poor wife Mary, Joan Kurz, had, as her main acting duty, to look at all times supremely innocent, pure, and long-suffering. Dean Remmers as Sweet William Dowton had to be, of course, not too bright, but canny and VERY heroic. And one of the high spots of the play was the disgust- ing idiot-child Julia, played by Connie Schmitt. All of the problems were not solved, of course. The production wasn't perfect. The script was under-cut-- it was simply too long and some scenes were tedious. Some cues were slow. But the junior class's presenta- tion of THE DRUNKARD at last emerged as something in which all who participated could take pride: not just a play, but a production. 18

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True Love!! Merriment! ! Passion! ! ! Violence! ! The Management presented with PRIDE this MORAL DRAMA, and spared no EXPENSE to insure that the SPLENDOR of the action was UPLIFTING! 17 Moral Decay! !

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Homecoming Queen Ann Marcel Montgomery On Thursday evening, October 10, the annual bonfire was held on the football field at the high school as part of our Homecoming activities to build up school spirit. Friday, October 11, was our Homecoming football game. Halftime activities were, of course, centered around the crowning of the Homecoming queen. The Homecoming activi- ties were complete with a victory over Holton. The Homecoming dance was held at the armory immediately after the football game, with music provided by the Ice. Autumn Leaves of Love Attendants Debbie Skoch 19 Linda Lehman