University of Miami - Ibis Yearbook (Coral Gables, FL)

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 .cwtStays. IILACKOIT FOII FOOTLIGHTS 1915-3, the year of the telescopic drama department. When the semester began majors lounged in the three-office suite on the second floor and puttered around the 2100-odd square feet of backstage workshop. Equilibrium was as usual, and a season of five major productions and five hills of original one-acts was announced. Mrs. Opal Molter spent her free hours writing and producing “mellerdramas ' for the USO. Murid Smith, Mary Veach, Betty Bat-chellcr, the Dan Satins, the Sidney Cassels, Shirley llaimes Goldston. Becky Jackson. Ruth Jane Graver, Hazel Longnecker, Bick-lev Keenan and others capered around for the military, using ping-pong tables, barn floors, etc. as stage.-. October 21 saw the seventh hill of one-act plays. The “Hurricane reviewer wrote, ‘‘Sex reared its head and the armed forces monopolized the stage.' Note: telephone installed hack stage, ‘‘for business only. In November. Aniver Sari Saekheim directed a special performance for the American Association of University Women, a Mexican comedy, Sunday Costs Five Pesos.” In the production were Elaine Planieke, Howard Kaufman, Phyllis Schulmau, Sally Mantell, and Merry Lewis. The suite was usurped by Navy navigators Dee. 4, and the department moved as far away from the theatre as it could possibly he without lodging in the Administration building: 303. the old IRC room, hidden under the tower. Before the year’s end even that office was doubling as a women’s faculty room. In Christmas tradition, Mr. Koch read all of Dickens Christmas Carol at the Coral Cables elementary school. Play wnghl-actoi-director Koch look on while lack lawronco and ludy Weiss count toos in Smoky Mountain Road. Also in the spirit of the season. Mrs. Motter produced Family Portrait just before Christmas vacation. She designed the set, which was constructed by Lowell Veach ami Manny Roth. Pet of the cast was an owl, Appius Hadrian. The first production after the holidays was one-acts again: Lester Moore’s drama, Tomorrow Is Forever. and a college comedy by Bill Diamant, Passing the Hitch. And then came more military inroads into the arts college. Holders of subscription tickets to the five major productions were notified by post-card that there were to be no more, but “we would be glad to have your back (sic) with us next year. “Drama majors returned to school between semesters to find their “lab,” the production of full-lengtb plays, was discontinued for the duration. Even the greenroom had disappeared. Instead of cutting and sawing ami falling flats there sounded the brittle plinggh. and “Ham on rye with butter . .. no butter... all right. .. no bam.” and the juke box playing hot and loud. There was the slop shop, hack stage. And how does the department stand at the end of the semester? It still owns the tool cabinet, and about five feet of stacked flats. 23

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Mtu Barrett. Dr. Brigqa. Dr. McNicoll. Dr. Eckel, and Dr. Williams make up tho Social Science faculty. History honorary members: Patmeloo. Paetro. Malmud. Gross-man. Wattors, Hawk.and in the back row. Hallman. Clark. Feldman. Cannova. and Borlinor. of the drama department, taught sociology and airplane spotting until a local war-job swept him right off the campus. I)r. Charlton Tebeau, whom Mr. Koch replaced in rural sociology, had decided to put the theories of the course into practice ami go home to take over the operation of his farm in Georgia. After Mr. Koch left. G. Raymond Stone, assistant professor of psychology, took over the fast-moving course. Stone himself had been deferred from the draft at the eleventh hour. Students had given him a travelling-case farewell present ami Miss Georgia May Barrett, professor of psychology and department-head, had been scheduled to teach eighteen hours of classes during the second semester. Placed in the classification of social studies for convenience in Ibis make-up, psychology perversely showed a trend towards more and more treatment as a biological science, laboratory hours for the experimental course (four credits this year for the first time) were increased and a separate course in the experimental psychology of learning instituted during the second semester. Laboratory equipment was also used extra-currieularly in a program to aid grade school children reported by their teachers as doing inadequate work. Visual and hearing defects were discovered by eye-movement photography and ear-testing devices ami corrected to some extent by practice sessions. Analyses were made and re-made of the children's abilities. History, too. saw present-day applications, as Dr. Harold E. Briggs, head of the departments of history and sociology, explained: “We must not forget, in times like these, that what may appear at first to he the most impracticable subjects may ultimately prove to he of very real value in the diversified activities of modern life.' Putting this principle into pratice. members of History Honors Society read papers by faculty members and students at meetings, held lively discussions on current historical viewpoints. They also awarded a prize to the sophomore history major who showed the most promise at the end of the year in Honors Assembly. All juniors or seniors, history majors or able to present 18 hours of history with at least a B average in the important subject and a C average in others, members of the group are: William Feldman, president; Louise Wheeler, vice-president; Naomi Crtissman, secretary; Mary Lou Yahner, treasurer; Manfred Berliner. Ed Feigin. Bill Hallman, Robert Hess, Hardin V. Stuart, Frank Cannova, and James Clark. Dr. Paul E. Eckel, associate pro-fessor of history, with Dr. Briggs and Dr. Williams, is faculty sponsor. —MARY GENE LAMBERT 22

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Make-up classes arc being held in dressing rooms. The theatre is being used for government classes. Women's association meetings, and USO rehearsals. In addition to the latter, Mrs. Motter keeps classes going. And Frederick Koch, Jr., department head, also holds down a full lime job with the local WMC. —BEBE FINEMAN. RENEE CREENFIELD. Cne- ict 7( ene 'Jto-ta te Four Years of inspired drama graduates with the class of ’13. In the beginning, 1939, Fred Koch, Jr., said “Let there be plays.” Edith Rosenerans responded with “She’s A-Gonna Be a Boy, and Walter Fieldhouse with “The Green Dragon.” In May, 1940, Adele Rickel offered “Feathered Trouble: a Fowl Farce. Manny Roth made his debut with “Strange Glory,’' a war-tragedy, and Ralph Nelson presented his unsurpassed poetic play, “The Wild Plum. which had won first prize in a local contest. The next hill featured Manny Roth's second. “The I npromised Land. another tragedy. William Reich wrote “The Whistlers. an impressionistic satire of bricks, mortar. Nazis, and the communist internationale. Bebe Fineman offered the first domestic comedy, “Brother Trouble.” New feature on the fourth experimental program was a verse choir supervised by Sidney Head. Ralph Nelson's “Key West Ballad. Barbara Willock’s “This Is Our World,” ami Renee Greenfield’s, “Dream Prince, 1911. ami “First Night” were the poems orchestrated by a chorus of 20 speaking voices. Plays on the program were “We’re Homebodies Now. by William Ireland; '‘Strawberries,” by C. W. Sunday Costs Five Pesos and Planicko. Schulroan. and Rubin pay the price . . . tiying hard (or leads tn Smoky Mountain aro Ryald. Veach. M. Smith, and author Koch . . Substitute Swoethoarts gathers such cutios as Deutsch and Veach 'or roles thoroin . . . Kaufman and M. Smith deliver Ham and Borscht . . . Kaufman. Rubin. Shulman. and Planicke this timo working on Sunday Costs . . . Silvorblatt and Carponter dreaming about Ham and Borscht . . . and Hand again with M. Smith. Carponter and Diamant . . . the wholo gang on tho stage under the titlo Sub. Sweethearts.