Washington and Lee University - Calyx Yearbook (Lexington, VA)

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CAST: Brad Listen, Dan Scott, Don Hogle, Alex Bourdrez, John Ellis. Win Harrington, Mike Gallagher, Peter Goss, Gray Coleman, Skip Forsyth, Peter Quinn. Pam Wise, Craig Strachan, Brian Garr, Rick McHan, Bobby Ramirez, Johnny Hargrove, Chris Willet, Margot Marcucci, Bill Hirschmann.

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The Birds Directed by Robert Lecky Stone, Jr. Setting and lights designed by Waiter Romanchul Costumes and masks designed by Walter Romanchuk Choreography by Don Hogle Old Comedy, such as that of Aristophanes, devel- oped directly out of the festivals to worship Dionysus, the god of wine. These festivals were origi- nally drunken orgies in the streets, with the crowds carrying huge phallic symbols and screaming insults at all who refused to participate. The comic plays which evolved were therefore bawdy and fast-paced. The spirit was high, and the cast enjoyed performing as much as the audience did watching. Unfortunately, Aristophanes wrote for a small city where every audience member was familiar to all others, at least by name and reputation. This gave the playwright the opportunity to use personal, inside jok es to supplement the main sexual and verbal humor of his script. The Greek is filled with refer- ences to specific people, as well as with hundreds of puns. Many of these are lost in translation. The purpose of this production of The Birds at the University Theatre was to perform the play in the spirit which the playwright intended. The modernized translation by William Arrowsmith and numerous changes by director and cast were designed to make the stock elements of the play more obvious to a modern audience. Many of the personal references were cut, and new puns were added. The caricatures of each part were also modernized (as with one bird imitating Groucho Marx) to allow the audience to identify them more easily. This production was also a tremendous educa- tional experience. For the actors, wearing face masks and phalluses gave an entirely different approach to character devel opment than modern theatre requires. Facial reactions and thought processes were ignored, and vocal variety with phys- ical action was stressed. This was also an experi- ence for the director, who had never been formally trained in the use and handling of a chorus or in the use of face masks. Lecky Stone, Director

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Morris Udall October 28, 1975 Sponsored by the 1976 Mock Democratic National Convention