Woodward Academy - Phoenix Yearbook (College Park, GA)

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r Ah Wilderness! Amahl And The Night Visitors Three-Act and Christinas operetta This year ' s Three Act Play, Ah Wilder- ness!, directed by Scott Perkins, was a pro- duction of Eugene O ' Neil ' s comedy of home and family life set in 1906 Connecticut, with a sympathetic look towards the follies of mankind. Members of the cast included Da- vid Epps as Nat Miller, Mary Smith as the Mother, Essie Miller, Arthur was played by sophomore Tim Holt, the character Richard was portrayed by Greg Kaiser. For the first time, the Woodward Acade- my Performing Arts Department presented Menotti ' s Christmas operetta, Amahl and the Night Visitors. To begin the evening, the concert band and the string ensemble per- formed, followed by intermission in which small choral groups which sang Christmas carols in the gallery as the audience drank hot wassail. The part of Amahl was played by eighth grader Wayne Bunker and Senior Marie Dalton as a dual role. The roles of the three kings and the page were played by Jay Tedder, Jeff Higgins. Randy Geohagan and Kevin Brumlow. Zanice Muckler, a private voice instructor and parent at Woodward Academy, played the part of Amahl ' s moth- er. Members of the dance ensemble also performed as village people. The perfor- mance of the operetta this year served as a fitting opening of the Christmas season for students, faculty and parents. 1 David Epps as Nat Miiier explains his ideas to his wife Essie Miller 2 Mary Smith and Ted Challenger make some last minute preparations before the play begins 3 Members of the cast of Ah Wilderness. gather around the dinner table 4 Wayne Bunker as Amahl describes his day to his mother, played by Zan- ice Muckler. 5, The kings and their page spent the night at Amahl ' s house while on their journey following the Star 6 Amahl hesitantly goes to bed after a scold ing from his mother 7 Nat Miller lounges in his living room 8 Ah WlldernessI focused on the life of a family in 1906 Conneticut 2fa2 DRAMA

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A Thurber Carnival Godspell A Thurber Carnival The Theater Division of the Woodward Academy Department of Performing Arts won statewide acclaim and praise during the 1983-1984 school year. Thurber Carnival, Woodward ' s entry in the Region 4AAA One-Act Play competition, won first place honors above ten other regional contestants. The Best Actor and Actress awards for Re- gion 4AAA also went to Thurber cast members Harrison Long and Lisa Shatterly. Under the direction of Linda P. Wise, the Thurber Carnival cast (Harrison Long, Ron Bertram, Chris Dietrich, Stacey Holt, Lisa Shatterly, Tina Garuin, Christine Burrell, and Karyn Gimbel) adapted the full length play for a compact thirty-five minute perfor- mance for competition purposes. Through the improvisational acting method, the com- pany developed its own creative movement, characterization, and choreography shaping the familiar James Thurber short stories into a unique and exciting piece of ensemble the- ater. In January of 1984, the Thurber group traveled to Americus to compete in the State AAA finals and proudly brought home to Woodward Academy the State Championship trophy. Godspell The 1984 musical cast of Godspell de- lighted its audience in a lively celebration of the Gospel as told in St. Matthew. The famil- iar parables and teachings of Jesus were told with humor, love, and delight by the cast of clowns in improvised costumes. Many the- atrical devices such as pantomime, chil- dren ' s role playing games, charades, pup- pets and varied dance styles were used to share the Biblical stories with the simplicity and exuberance of children. Because the en- tire cast remained on stage for the full show and since all the scenes, characters, and transitions were developed by the cast through creative improvisation, Godspell would have been a challenge for the most advanced theater troupe. The Woodward Academy Godspell cast also under the direc- tion of Linda P. Wise, shared with its audi- ence through laughter and tears the love, respect, joy, and sacrifice which must be in the heart of each man in order to release his spirit into the larger heart of mankind. Through wonderful songs and jubilant an- tics, the Godspell cast and audience joined together to sing about love. 1 The cast of Godspell perform one of the many stirring musical compositions of the show. 2. Stacey Holt played the lead in the Academy musical Godspell. 3. Lisa Shatterly takes on the characterization of a bearskin rug in A Thurber Carnival 4. Many facial expressions were displayed by the actors of A Thurber Carnival as Harrison Long and Karyn Gimbel time each held movement. 5 In Godspell. the character of Jesus teaches Marie Dalton the lesson of loving one another. 6 A Thurber Carnival was the acclaimed win- ner of the One-Act State AAA Championship Play. 7. Tina Garvin played the part of a loud, big-mouthed telephone operator in Woodward ' s adaptation of A Thurber Carnival- 8 Harrison Long and Lea Landers enjoy painting each other ' s face in one representation of a parable in Godspell. 264 A THURBER CARNIVAL GODSPELL