St Scholastica High School - Scholastican Yearbook (Chicago, IL)

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CREATIVE DRAMAT'ICS There have been many successful ventures in creative dramatics during the past year. The object of this form of drama has been to make the ordinary curriculum act1v1t1es become a vital part of the students life. To start the ball rolling, the second year junior high pupils offered a bloodecurd' ling skit which revealed the horrible penalties of using bad grammar. As an added stimulus to Good Book Week the freshmen dramatized scenes from several of the most familiar books. Among them were Robin Hood, Daughters of the Manor, and Little Women. In order to show that language can figure in creative dramatics the junior French class presented an interessame scene contrasting Amer1can and French marriage banquets. The audience was on edge with excitement as well as being thoroughly entertained by the romantic b1111ng and cooing of the confused Don Juan in an 1nterpretat1on of The Ghost Story by Booth Tarkington adapted by the sophomores. Various vocations suited to young women were dramatized by the vocational guid' ance c1ass.Am0ng them were homermaking, journalism, interior decorating, social service, nursing, and teaching. In order to illustrate dress designing, the last scene showed an exclusive dress shop where the freshmen were gracefully modelling the newest creations. Enthusiasm and more enthusiasm marked the creative work staged by the Annual editor and the seniors. A model singing class accompanied the spirited gymnastics of the Athlet1c section. A riotous dramat1c interpretation was succeeded by a mock debate. We wanted advertisement and got it plus r0111ck1ng good humor. These creative dramatics are the results of the work of sundry classes who have tried scenario writing, directing, and acting. LILLIAN GRAFFT, 31. Page sixtyrone SCHOLASTICAN1931 xxx xvf xx; xx. V1 3;

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THE SWATTER FLY CASE llI say, Jane, tell me about that venture in creative dramatics which your class perpetrated. It was called The Swatter Fly Case, wasnTt it? Sounds like a murder mystery? Thatls just what it was. The freshmen B division wrote it and worked most of it out in pantomime. Instead of regular conversation they used aIbIci, language. iTll tell you the plot. The curtain rose on a crowd of people assembled at a house party. They were sitting in a drawing room fanning themselves with the queerest objects such as shoes, roses, and fly swatters. Presently all but Mr. Van Alpha, the host, left the room. He was sitting leisurely sipping a glass of water, when a man with a masked face and a cap pulled over one eye walked slowly into the. room. He demanded the glass of water. When Mr. Van Alpha refused, the visitor picked up a fly swatter and murdered him? lth, poor Mr. Van Alphalll ilThen the murderer took off his mask, and who should it be but Mr. Du Barry, one of the guests. He sat down and drank the water. The maid came in and when she saw what had happened she screamed, and the rest of the guests rushed in? ilWhat happened then? llYou couldnTt guess. Mrs. Van Alpha, ignorant, of course, of the real crime inal, appointed the murderer as detective. He questioned all the guests and finally said, liIXryIzT which meant sI killed him., Now, what do you think of that? TESounds rather queer to me, as if they all belonged in the insane asylum? llThatls just where they did belong. The play ended with the guards coming in to take the patients to their rooms? ROSEMARY RUDERSDORF, l344 SCHOLASTICAN 1931

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IKKKXK i e I'I'f n1 K. w,, . h ' 4!!! CECELIA RAY BERRY Ambition for supreme attainment in Choral and Glee Club activities is laudable and will bear analysis. It would use every means possible to find the highest per sonal expression through the medium of the only universal languageesong. What are these means? Voices true as to pitch, daily rehearsals, devotion to ideals, a certain esprit de corps, a capable director. This is very simple and possible. Given these means, the most beautiful song literature would become the very bone and marrow of school culture and the world would not only clear the path to the institution harboring such a class, but would write, urging them to bring this art to entrance audiences both in their own country and abroad. To witness: St. Olafls glorious Choir, the famous Paulists, the amazing Prague Teachersi Chorus. How about a trip to Europe, girls? CECELIA RAY BERRY. SCHOLASTICAN 1931