Woodward Academy - Phoenix Yearbook (College Park, GA)

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Bye, Bye Birdie On March 26, 27, and 28, the Fine Arts department presented the musical Bye, Bye. Birdie. Birdie is a satirical and funny look at the rock and roll world of 1960. The Musical revolves around the chaos that is created when an Elvis Pres- ley type rock idol named Conrad Birdie is drafted into the army. Playing the leads in this production were: David King as Birdie ' s manager, Albert Peterson; Mar- tha Woodward as his secretary fiance. Rose Alvcrez; and David Lowry as Birdie. Playing other key roles were: Gordon Scott, Virginia Shapard. Leanne Koon, George Carley, Janita Poe, and Lisa Frost. The production was directed by Mr. Heck. Musical direction was by Mr. Ron Rodman, and choral supervision was by Mr. Alan McClung. More than 55 stu- dents from the Upper, Middle, and Lower Schools were involved with the produc- tion of Bye, Bye, Birdie. MUSICAL 69

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Our Town Woodward Academy opened their the- atre season with Thornton Wilder ' s American classic Our Town. This play won the Pulitizer Prize in 1938 and fea- tures a unique staging with an almost bare stage to emphasize its message that sim- ple, everyday things in life are what really matter. The main role is that of the Stage Manager, who is a sort of narra- tor and related the bits of action directly to the audience. The massive and chal- lenging role of the stage manager was effectively played by Jeff Stepakoff . Oth- er actors with major roles were: Janita Poe, Robin Porter, Chris Uberto, Mark Barron, Ria Smith, and Todd Shaw. Mr. Mike Heck directed the cast of more than 40 students in this highly suc- cessful production. Lighting and technical direction was supervised by Woodward Academy senior David Hicks. The suc- cess of the play drew large crowds each night. After all the long and dedicated practices, cast members were rewarded with experiences that they may benifit from in the future. The Woodward Academy Fine Arts de- partment ' s second production of the year was The Effects of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds. The suc- cess of Paul Zindel ' s play was due to the hard work of the director, Mr. Mike Heck, and a small but brilliant cast. Missy Brantley played the part of Tillie, and it is through her eyes that the audience viewed the story. Martha Woodward played the role of Beatrice and represent- ed the personality of a psychotic getting rapidly worse as the play proceeded. Also in the cast were Anne Morgan who played Ruth, Maria Luke who portrayed Nanny, and Melody Watts who acted out the role of Janice. The excellent acting of the cast and the exceptional work of the production crew insured the success of the staging of Marigolds. After the two performances at Wood- ward, the cast entered the Region AAA play contest and won second place hon- ors in the competition. Although this production was Missy Brantley ' s first chance at the stage, she displayed outstanding talent and compre- hension of her role. Marigolds 68 DRAMA

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Dance TeJented dzinccrs at Woodward Acade- my have the opportunity to become members of the Woodward Dance En- semble. Other students who are still working on perfecting their abilities may work as apprentices to the company. The major project of the Woodward Dance Ensemble was their Spring Dance Concert held on April 23, 1981. Throughout the 1980-81 school year, the members practiced to perfect their skills and produce routines for the concert. Other activities included participating in school and community activities, exhibi- tions, and workshops. Also during the year, the Dance Ensemble invited guest teachers to work with the group. Partici- pating in the guest teacher program were: Hal Linter who conducted a folk dance workshop, Lali Bail who held a ballet session, and Mari Kajawara who conducted a modern dance class. Several dedicated and experienced members of the dance group served as officers. Those students leading the group were: Beth Brown, President; Jeff Johnson, Vice President; Patricia Saker, Secretary; and Glynis Elliot, Treasurer. The Dance Ensemble ' s faculty sponsor was Ms. Milne Bail. LEFT TO RIGHT: Dana Tructman, Whitney Troope, Mary Alexander, Cheryl Merideth. Tia Smith, Lisa Merritt, Donna Lawson, Christine Rogers, JoAnn Alexander, Lea Landers. Kelly Cole. SECOND ROW: Beth Brown, Patricia Saker, Donna Woolf, Michele Staton. Glynis Elliott. 70 DANCE