Newspapers / North Carolina Wesleyan University … / March 11, 1968, edition 1 / Page 4
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THE DECKKK FAGS 4 A BILL OF ONE-ACTS by Shirley Hildthrand March 7-9, saw the Wes leyan College Theater in action again, as they christened their Experimental Theater, This time they presented “A Bill of One-acts,” under student direction. First on the bill was “Hello Out There,” written by Saroy an and directed by our own Barbara Brown, Some very solitary music made the au dience receptive to what would first meet their eyes. When the curtains opened, a young man (George Watson) ;3at on the floor of an abstract cell, thinking intensely. That is perhaps the key to the total favorable impressions of this particular one-act: intensity. Barbara pulled out that inten sity from her set design and from her central male char acter. George pulled it out of himself, put it into his char acter, and gave it to the au dience, Under careful direc tion and with much practice, George Watson was able to in volve his audience with him in what was happening. It seemed a shame, though, that the other could not get as involved in the play’s action and main char acter as the audience did. When the young man died, I found myself shocked at the reali zation that I was actually more distraught at his death than the girl (Judy Johnson), I wish the young man could have ut tered one last “Hello, out there” before he died. If he had, probably the whole audi ence would have answered, “Yes, we’re here, and we all love you,” ■ ■ ■ a young man sat in a abstract cell, thinking intensely.” f After a quick and efficient change of scenery, a new mood was set with what resembled caliope music. The curtain opened; “Not yet. We’re not ready;” the curtain closed, A strange opening that was! But by now the audience knew that they could not know what to expect from Dr, Davis’ “Thursday Friday Afternoon.” As the play progressed, every movement or sound was made to seem both precise and ab surd. The director. Bill French, certainly knew how to make his well-selected actors work together. The characters were shallow, on purpose. The relations between characters were shallow, on purpose. Per haps, too, on purpose, the au dience reacted to the play’s situation with almost simul taneous laughter and crying. We laughedbecause of the play’s apparent nonsense, but we cried because we knew the signifi cance of “jello’' and “Charles ton” all too well. Maybe Davis and French ought to team up again soon on drama. “Talk to Me Like the Rain and Let Me Listen” showed us Tennessee Williams’ impres sions of the married life of what I'd call a representative Mr, and Mrs, Sounding Board, The man and woman in this play (Bryan Stearns and Ei leen O’Grady) were the fullest characters we had seen all evening. They both were act ing and reacting with each other; they seemed in complete control over anything that might hap pen on stage. Needless to say, those of us who have watched the acting careers of Bryan and Eileen, must have noticed how this play and Bill French’s direction of it made them grow even more Into real drama people. But then, who are the real drama people atWesleyan? Us ually they are more than we see, i,e,, actors-plus. They must include former students, now teacher Gene Stowell, who was technical director for these one - acts. Certainly the student - directors Barbara Brown and Bill French are. Judy Johnson and George Watson star in “Hello Out There” directed by Barbara Brown "Thursday Friday Afternoon” Bil French Directs U)e9lei|an college Presert+s " ^ n Bill of i*| IV. P»V(S ■foi'V i*ISE ihurs(hy,-fn^^^ Saianki^ ^7?^ 8-30 pnri rooff} crucially involved, Nann Brown designed most of the sets; An gie Powell became stage man ager; Jimet Town gathered props; Ann Douglas made sure costumes were right and ready; Ann Van Wagoner supervised the actors’ make-up. These are some of the people now essential to Wesleyan’s dra matics life. They make things work together, almost family style, in one of the most hu manly creative ways. It is out of love for them that I have written this article, full of theater prejudice in their favor. After seeing how well their Once Upon a_ Mattress was received, I do not see how they could possibly give us a show they felt satisfied with, that we would not love. Be sides, for $,50, two beers could never produce anywhere near an equally stimulating effect to that of WCT’s “A Bill of One-acts.”
North Carolina Wesleyan University Student Newspaper
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March 11, 1968, edition 1
4
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