South Side High School - Totem Yearbook (Fort Wayne, IN)

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. Q +1 Q nat.-2 Fe' First Row: B. Zeigler, R. Zeller, Hickman, B. Burt, R. Fish, M. Morgan, W. Baney, M. Clark. Second Row: Schaffer, A. Rolape, P. Flosenzier, D. Rison, A. Haller, M. Current, R. M. Vogel. M. l.. Feller, Miss Hutto. meae ugyaiguu pu! Wang olaefi Ship ahoy, matesl Put into port and hear about the Marionette Club. About thirty members make up the crew, composed of both boys and girls who are par- ticularly interested in the art of making and manipulating marionettes. The club is divided into two parts-the beginners and the experienced mem- bers. The work of the beginners is to learn the first steps in the actual building of the marionettes and the way in which they are operated. This group also has charge of the minor plays used at P-TA meetings and home room programs as practical preparation for more advanced work. On the shoulders of the experi- enced rests the production of the annual play. This accomplishment is the ulti- mate outcome of the whole course in marionette artistry. The marionettes are made by the boys who carve them from blocks of wood in the shapes of the characters they are to represent. The girls have the job of dressing the marionettes. Most of the clothes for the marionettes are designed especially for the character by the girls. Since the course of the Marionette Club has been charted by its captain, Miss Blanche Hutto, the workshop has been moved from its previous basement site to Miss Hutto's art room where conditions are better suited to stage and marionette construction. The club has also obtained a new stage which is kept in the art room work shop and used for practice and dress rehearsals. The old stage, kept in the basement workshop, is still used for the actual presentation of the annual play. The new one is portable and can be moved to the place where the play is to be given. The admittance price for the play is 10 cents which covers the cost of the production and gives a little capital for the following year. The plays produced are chosen by a committee and then voted upon by the cntire club. The scripts are usually obtained from books of plays. During the past year the beginners' play was a preview of the major produc- tion, Aladdin and the Wonderful Lampn. This play was chosen last year, but was not produced and so it was carried over until this year. The play itself, given by the advanced students, has a cast of twelve characters. The members of the crew who are to play the parts are chosen for their voice suitability to the char- acter and their ability to manipulate the marionettes. All the members take part in the presentation of the play either as marionette manipulators or as stage hands. During the year a bon voyage has been enjoyed by the whole crew. 96 Pres., A. Haller Vice-P., R. M. Vogel Sec., M. L. Feller Treas., M. Current