Schuster School - Proscenium Yearbook (Cincinnati, OH)

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Spreading the News or The Promptefs Voice E might say, by way of explanation, that Spreading the News was written by one Lady Gregory, and was intended to be a clever comedy. We tell you this, you noble people of understanding who might have seen said performance, for fear you might be thinking it was a Hindu problem tragedy. Would it had been! and all the bad actors had been killed, never to play again. In our haste we almost forgot to tell you, iiclear readers, that the comedy Was pre- sented by the Schuster Players a or Slayers; isn't it strange we never can think which I Things are never all bad, so now we will relate the qualities of our actors. A young woman, a seventh daughter of a seventh daughter, in the part of Mrs. Fallon, created a riotain the dressing room. Never having played before, of course she knew all there was to know about stage make-up. 0, such a get-up for a character part! But we think she learned her lesson. Chief among the other actors was a trick basket, the central Figure in the play. Said basket refused to be upset, on which circumstance part, or most. of the plot hinged. We, too, would have refused to be upset by such a company. How the actors did sputter and gurgle their lines, the prompter's voice ring- ing out above these feeble efforts like a peal of thunder! Then came a great silence, but even at that the audience remained charmed. A few of the actors knew their parts and the parts of some others, but no matter how good they might have been under different circumstances, their work was lost in the general confusion. The bad ones we will say little about. Let all rest. But take it all in all, it was such a performance as had never been seen in the Little Playhouse before, and by the grace 0, God, such an one shall never be seen there again. The rest of the program that night of the sixteenth of March was in keeping with the play. But let all go down forever in the dead and buried past. Our mood is passing, and we grow kincl. Rest ye in peace, ye destroyers of Irish comedy. - The Prune, the Allen Dale of Punkville. Page thirly-three

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THE SERVANT IN THE. HOUSE Charles Rann Kennedy The Drain Man . . . . Mr. Power His Daughter, Mary . . . . Mrs. Power THE MERCHANT OF VENICE Shakespeare Rialto Scene Shylock . . . . . . Mr. Power Antonio . . . . . Mr. Boyd Agin Bassanio , . . . Mr. Allen Stelten OTHELLO Shakespeare Death Bed Scene Othello . . .h . . . Mr. Power Desdemona . . . . . Mrs. Power Emilia . . . . . Miss Gertrude Brice Between the scenes, Miss Emilie Rose Knox played so beautifully that the waits were scarcely noticed. We are not only indebted to Mr. Power for the most artistic performance of the year, but also for the needed changes he made in the stage. He gave us a better equipment as to lights, had the walls draped in dark green burlap that falls in mas- sive folds, making a beautiful background for any scene, had the proscenium arch painted to harmonize with the tiark paneling 0f the woodwork, and left us a curtain that falls noiselessly into place, instead of screeching along a Wire. uBy Jove, it's a bit of alright, eh, 01d chap? he said to Mr. Martin, when the work was finished. We agree with you, Mr. POWer, and we hope you will come again. Page thirtyetwo

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1J4 MISS BRICE AS QUEEN ELIZABETH Page Lhirty-four