Westminster College - Argo Yearbook (New Wilmington, PA)

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The Applause That Refreshes Cultural activity in New Wil- mington? It was no further than Orr Auditorium, Beeghly The- atre, or Wallace Memorial Chapel. The wide range of activities included the Celebrity Series, student theatre pro- ductions and the Mostly Music Series. The Celebrity Series was a program of major traveling productions which performed for the students and the gen- eral public. Planning by Dean Ellen Hall began in December of the pre- ceeding year to obtain such Tony Award winners as Da (a comedy by Hugh Leonard) and Ain ' t Misbehavin ' (a Fats Waller musical revue.) May- nard Ferguson was a popular Home- coming attraction. Later the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre heralded the Yuletide season with Tschaikovsky ' s The Nut- cracker Suite. Shields and Yarnell, a last minute replacement for the cancelled Kras- nayarsk Soviet Dance Company, was an overwhelming hit. Their pantomime and dancing antics were remembered and laughed over long afterwards. Student productions generally num- bered three or four per year and were under the supervision of the Speech and Theatre Department. Those involved took their art seriously and provided many highly entertaining shows which were free to students. Cathy Spoa, a senior theatre major, felt her participation had been benefi- cial as well as fun. The most valuable acting lesson for me has been to learn about myself. But the real fun goes on backstage. While the productions included The Runner Stumbles, The Water Engine, and Alice In Wonderland, the Richard Rodgers musical comedy, Two By Two, seemed to be the audience ' s favorite. It was the first to receive a standing ova- tion in two years. It was definitely the best one I ' ve seen yet, said Doris To- maselli. It shows what gifted and tal- ented people are on campus. The Mostly Music Series, designed for listening and learning, featured the Young Concert Artists — members of the professional organization founded to discover and launch young unknown musicians. Although most performers were mu- sicians, there was an occasional special event presented for series patrons. The Iron Clad Agreement, a repertory the- atre, was one such special event. The Blue Grass music of the McClain Fam- ily Band completed the series, jpm -Robin Speer H RESERVED TICKETS ■ MUST BE PICKED UP BY ■ 745 ■ PERFDRMANCE NI8HT H| REtTIIIIKTER tTUKNTt - W cum TlCttW lETIEEII w t:oo WD 7:io •CRFOmMKC NICHT 8

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Colorful costumes and signs brighten the conven- tion hail as seen from atop the visitors ' gallery. he real one? It wouldn ' t — m couldn ' t be the same as being there. Television would never again bring to life the color, the noise, the excitement or the spirit of the thing. We ' d had a taste of it and we knew. By the time the Mock Republican National Convention opened at 3:30 p.m. on St. Patrick ' s Day, the dele- gates in the crowded and disguised gymnasium knew that they would do little else but play politics for the next two and a half days. The road to the college ' s eleventh Mock Convention had begun the pre- vious spring with the selection of the Executive Committee and lasted for al- most a year until a final bang of the gavel brought it to a close. A lot of seemingly unnoticed work by those 12 committee members went oh in the Board Room of McGill and the red. white, and blue convention office in Hoyt. October ' s informational presen- tations and the announcement of Or- egon Senator Mark O. Hatfield as the Keynote Speaker were the first visible signs. Students were encouraged to partici- pate in whatever way possible. Commit- tee-people signed up early in the fall while the six campaign managers and the 54 state delegation chairs (for the 50 states, Puerto Rico, Guam, The Vir- gin Islands and the District of Colum- bia) were selected in late November. The candidates and the respective campaign managers selected were: Congressman John Anderson of Illinois - Susan P. Ruslink; Senator Howard Baker of Tennessee - Alan R. Boynton; George Bush of Texas - Deborah A. Sich; Governor John Connally of Texas - Daniel V. Grace; and Governor Ron- ald Reagan of California - John W. Brenner and Robert S. Hazen. A few last pieces of confetti fall on Ray Cumber- ledge as he prepares to leave the final session. -J. Jeletic 10