Vaughan Road Academy - Acta Studentium Yearbook (Toronto, Ontario Canada)

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ACTA STUDENTIUM Page 27 In any dramatic production most of the work falls on the director, and it is work that is unseen, and therefore un' realized by the audience. So we are going to say here, Well done, Miss Tighe, you certainly made the very best of the material on hand, and gave us a most pleasant memory to add to the other pleasures you have affored usfl Mr. Bowley directed the musical part of the production. As a result the musical numbers had the sparkle and melody of a truly finished performance. It is impossible to give sufficient credit and thanks to Mr. Bowley for the time and talent expended on our musical entertainments. Everything went swim' mingly, and the finish of the musical number showed the amount of work that had been expended upon them, Miss Taylor was responsible for the costumes and an excellent job she made of them. The colour scheme was cleverly planned and the styles well in keeping wi-th the setting. Miss Husband assisted by a group of girls, and Mr. Beale worked hard with the makefup. For weeks, Mr. Smith, with the able assistence of F. Rayfield and Calvert worked at the stage settings and were well rewarded by the results. Mr. Moreau directed the painting of the back drop and Rayfield jr. D. Parker, Isaac and Bannister were the cofartists. Bulbul was well advertised by posters, the work of the Art Club and by a huge banner, produced by Isaac and Bannister. Mr. Coumans, Niek:ies, Woodhouse, Langlands and May were responsible for the excellent lighting effects. To all these workers behind scenes, we owe a great deal of the success of our per' formances. Mr. Horwood was, as heretofore, the ideal business manager! his organization left no room for conf presion. We are sure he hands over lots of money to the treasury. A little of the appreciation felt by the performers for the thought and patience exercised by the staff of the school, was expressed at a tea dance held Thursday afternoon, April 11. Gifts were pref sented and everybody had a lovely time singing some of the most popular numbers of the operetta and dancing to the strains of a firstfclass orchestra. Miss Helen Waugh and Mrs. Evans acted as hostesses. And now that all is over, we look back and realize how very enjoyable it all was. Time spent, pleasure given up, homework neglected, it was all worth it, and we are ready and waiting to do it again next year. HE Dramatic Club of our school The first effort resulted in the prof lllDlllK14klll4llQfk.6lll'lli4l'3 Hlfsllillllb OFFICERS President . .... ......... R obert Green VicefPres . . . . . . Jean Langman Sec.'fTreas. ......... Mallie Westren Council .. Mawson, Piper, Kerr, King, J. Meyers, J. Stewart, C. Barber launched itself on a new and im' portant venture his year when its members assumed the entire responsif bility for the production of various onef act plays. Although Miss Tighe gave the club some very practical advice and assistance, and Miss Hayden most adequately watched one of the groups, the final responsibility for each detail of makefup, scenery and management rested with the students. duction of 'kSeeing the World coached by Rosemarie Schawlow, and excellently staged and presented. On the same afternoon, under Pipers direction, Lights Out delighted the appreciative club members. Both staff and students offered constructive criticism and sug' gestions. Then the real work got under wayfthe holding of a public Dramatic Night. The difficulties were gradually ironed out, new scenery was made by

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Page 26 ACTA STUDENTIUM could have been better displayed. In this case, that feeling was conspicuous by its absence. First of all we wish to mention the two octettes. The maidsfof-honour were charming and graceful, and the sweet voices, the colourful dresses, and the finished effect of the movements and pantomine made a picture that will not easily be forgotten by its many beholders. Miss M. Waugh was responsible for training the girls' voices. The pedlars sang remarkably well, and their mis' chievous teasing of the maidsfoffhonor greatly amused the audience. Mr. Cunf ningham supervised the boys' voices. And now for the principals. VVe offer our most hearty congratulations to But Green, who had the difficult role of King Iamit to interpret. His rendering of the fussy, complaining, important little man was most skilful. It is not easy to play a comedy role. Gne shade too much of the farcical element, and the character is lost, and one shade too little and the audience is bored. Again conf gratulation, Bud. Through all the diffif culties of holding on your crown, and arranging your girth, you never for one moment, lost sight of your role, or allow' ed yur audience to do so. C. Schneider and G. Oliphant were excellent foils for the kingly jests. They played their parts well, anfd the walk land air of tghe Keeper of the Royal Spectacles was a thing to be remembered. The luguf brious air of the Keeper of the Royal Cashboxn was so real that one felt quite sympathetic every time the cashbox had to be opened. Isabel Stewart had a very difficult role to portray in the part of the Lady Ida, the Court Chaperon. It was not one to arouse the sympathy of the audience, yet it was so well sung. and so superbly acted that one could almost have wished for two heroines. We can heartily congratulate Kay Vousden on her Princess Bulbul. Her voice. though excellent, was almost over' shadowed by her acting. She made an instant appeal, even before we had heard her lyric soprano tones. Her gowns were beautiful, especially the white one worn in the last act. It was hard to believe that one was watching an amateur per- formance. Ralph Loney made a most picturesque prince charming or rather, Caspian His pleasing tenor voice fitted well into the part. Excellent, Ralph, we hope to hear you soon in an' other role of that kind. Eilleen Sheppard as Lilla and Walter Kent as Alain were also outstanding throughout the performance. Their roles were exacting and they filled them to perfection, They were necessary to every group and had to be on hand for every practice. Their final duet, We are happy as can be , took the audience by storm. Eileen was also invaluable as accompanist for the choruses while Joyce Edwards was engaged with the orchestra. Miriam Severwright and Stewart Steven gave us a charming duet, which, by the amount of applause it evoked, left no doubt as to the apprecif ation of the audience. The chorus not only provided an ex' cellent backgrown for the ensembles but it also delighted the audience with its color,movement and song. The Soldiers' Chorus and the Finales we could well have heard again and again. And how we all enjoyed the housemaids'f! The minuet and the country dance left pleasant memories of a wellftrained group, for which we have Miss Mason and Miss Haydon to thank. And we must not forget the moonbeams' Dance directed by Miss Prettiefthe whole en' hanced by the clever lighting effects. The orchestra under the able direction of Mr. Beale sustained its part in a man' ner which left nothing to be desired and showed the results of weeks of effort. And to Joyce Edwards our pianist, we owe more than we can say in these few words. Only hard work and patience could result in such a finished perform' ance. Joyce was ably assisted during the practices by Eileen Sheppard and Gladys Pedwell. Miss Tighe was again the director and stage manager of the operetta, and I think that she must feel very content with the result of her untiring efforts.

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Page ACTA STUDENTIUM Gough. Dunford, Calvert, Rayfield and King: lighting problems were handed over to Woodhouse and Menzies: make' up to Connie Barker and the business management was under taken by Walter Kent. Soon an intensive program of rehearsals began. The support of the orchestra and Art Club was enlisted and both added greatly to the ultimate suc' cess of the evening. The commercial department typed the plays. Cn February Sth the curtain rose on the culmination of the seasons activity. The first play, The French Maid and the Phonographf' coached by Miss Hadden was enthusiastically received and the audience paid ample tribute to the wellftrained cast. Second came The Man in the Bowler Hat, under Bob Kerr's direction. Its humorous situa' tion and whimsical comedy went right across as the applause of the audience testified. In the third play, Lights Out, directed by Piper, the students again showed remarkable dramatic ability. This play had a most effective climax. Because of the success of this experi- ment, it is hoped that the Club may carry on an even more extensive program next year. This year has clearly demon' strated that we have many students highly talented not only in the dramatic line but also in the field of business management, scenic effects and art. VVe hope to extend the opportunities the Club offers to the Third Forms, as well as to the Fourths and Fifths. Our aim is to find an outlet for every one inf terested. Finally, the Club is financially sound. We started with an empty treasury and finished with a considerable surplus. ij lDllRl13llHllllE5S6lIfllR