High-resolution, full color images available online
Search, browse, read, and print yearbook pages
View college, high school, and military yearbooks
Browse our digital annual library spanning centuries
Support the schools in our program by subscribing
Privacy, as we do not track users or sell information
Page 26 text:
“
KING CHARLEMAGNE (Dan Caine) is interrupted at prayer by his son Pippin (Mitch Florer) in dis- guise. AFTER HIS FATHER ' S DEATH an inexperienced Pippin (Mitch Florer) assumes the crown. He dealt with the military aspects of office in receiving Field Mar- shall Tim Day ' s messages from the front. MEMBERS OF THE COMPANY Lisa Rogers. James Hannay and Tonya Russell don exagger- ated military costumes for the song War is a Science.
”
Page 27 text:
“
Casting a J g the cast of Tippin ' worked magic that lingered with performers and viewers alike by Suzanne Tidwell e ' ve got magic to do just ■ you ; ' ve got miracle plays to »y ; ' ve got hearts to warm rts to perform ... The opening song of the ephen Schwartz musical ippin issues an invitation the audience to join the tors in a magical world of Jnance, war, religion, hu- 3r, and intrigue. The Department of eech Communication and heatre spring production tended that same invita- n and took the audience a journey of excitement, icovery, and theatrics at finest. This was accom- shed by director Robert Al- 1 Holder and 60 of the uni- rsity ' s most talented ac- rs, dancers, singers, sicians and technicians. The play concerns the gn of King Charlemagne d his youngest son, Pip- 1, in the Holy Roman Em- eof 780 A. D. The title role Pippin was played by ju- )r Mitch Florer of Gadsden, veteran of university pro- ictions. The portrayal of a ung man eager to try ev- thing, searching for fame d glory and ultimate hap- ess, come naturally to rer. Pippin is me, he said. Sut he ' s more than that — •t s everybody. Pippin is the jljrt of every person that kpnts everything that life r s to offer. Of the production itself, fbrer said that the cast was uality all the way. I am so proud of it. It ' s the best show I ' ve ever done. It was a dream that I saw come true. The charismatic Lead- ing Player, the narrator who guides Pippin through his ad- ventures, was played by ju- nior Richard Welborn. The Leading Player is a flashy song-and-dance man, and Welborn has had enough experience in both fields to shine in the role. It was perfect, said Welborn. It was a really ex- citing show — ' Pippin ' is pure theatre. Just as there is a Pip- pin inside everyone, search- ing, there is a Leading Player inside everyone urging him on, saying ' Go for it! ' said Florer. King Charlemagne was played by Dan Caine. Junior Tripp Storm appeared as the obnoxious, arrogant son Lewis. Cissy A shley made her theatrical debut as Char- lemagne ' s vampy wife Fas- trada. It was the first time I ' d ever done anything like that, Ashley said. There ' s a lot more involved than I ever would have thought. I learned a lot about perform- ing that can carry over into other areas of my life. Elizabeth Ragsdale, a veteran of major roles in both university and community productions, was a member of the company of players in Pippin. The players stepped in and out of small roles and served as the chorus. It was much different than other shows I ' ve done, said Ragsdale. In the chorus you were a member of a troupe without a specific as- signed role. Robert Allen Holder gave us complete freedom to create a charac- ter on our own. We designed our own costumes, our own make-up, our own personal- ities. She added that each performance was different for the cast. We never did the same things the same way twice. We were very free to create and respond within the feelings of the particular scene. That freedom felt great. Another member of the troupe, Tonya Russell, agreed that the show was dif- ferent from most others she had done. The finale gave me chills every night, Russell said. When we reached out to the audience to draw them into the show, I felt a real closeness, real contact. I ' ve never felt that before. There was a unity, a oneness be- tween every person on the stage and every person in the audience. They weren ' t just blurs in the dark — they were people. It was special. Russell admitted that she is usually a very nervous person on stage, but with Pippin she wasn ' t as scared as usual. ' Pippin ' felt so good. Everyone had really worked and we were close. We reached out and we touched those people out there, said Russell. Pippin is also differ- ent from many more tradi- tional musicals in the sheer amount of music involved. There are many more songs than a typical Oklahoma! — type musical, and almost all the dialogue is under- scored. This was the first pro- duction for transfer student Kevin Robison, an applied pi- ano major who served as re- hearsal pianist and choral di- rector for the show. It was very difficult music, Robison said. It was definitely a high point in my life. Director Robert Holder felt that the play filled a very important need on campus. Musical theatre is Ameri- ca ' s contribution to the world ' s stages, he said. It is vital for students ' of the theatre to experience and understand the musical. It ' s equally important for mu- sic students to work with an aspect of musical perfor- mance other than bands and recitals. We ' re both perform- ing arts, he added. We need to understand and sup- port each other. As for the specific expe- rience of Pippin, Holder said, With Pippin ' we ' ve proven that we don ' t have to do Rogers and Hammerstein all the time. We took a fanta- sy, an avant-garde allegorical piece of magic and commu- nicated it to an audience. We were successful. Perhaps an audience member expressed it best when he said Pippin ' com- pletely carried me away. I was totally caught up in it — it was magic.
Are you trying to find old school friends, old classmates, fellow servicemen or shipmates? Do you want to see past girlfriends or boyfriends? Relive homecoming, prom, graduation, and other moments on campus captured in yearbook pictures. Revisit your fraternity or sorority and see familiar places. See members of old school clubs and relive old times. Start your search today!
Looking for old family members and relatives? Do you want to find pictures of parents or grandparents when they were in school? Want to find out what hairstyle was popular in the 1920s? E-Yearbook.com has a wealth of genealogy information spanning over a century for many schools with full text search. Use our online Genealogy Resource to uncover history quickly!
Are you planning a reunion and need assistance? E-Yearbook.com can help you with scanning and providing access to yearbook images for promotional materials and activities. We can provide you with an electronic version of your yearbook that can assist you with reunion planning. E-Yearbook.com will also publish the yearbook images online for people to share and enjoy.
