THE S A L E M1T E
May 1, IQ-,
Sad Prince Will Find Queen Of Beautj
Magicians, Unicorns, Oranges
Mix To Make May Day Magic
By Betsy Lilas
“Y’all please come out and help
decorate.” Since last week when
the 1. R. S. and the May Day
committee first announced the an-
nual May Day program, swirls of
pastel crepe paper, a grinning uni
corn’s head, and gay red and yellow
diamond-checked costumes have
floated over the campus.
All cf Salem wears a festive air;
not only are Salemites giggling and
whispering about, “Well, who are
you gonna ask?” and “I got the
cutest dress for the dance,” but
Mr. Lawrence has scrubbed the
benches and christened them with
a new coat of white paint and Mr.
Gorsuch has trimmed the grass
to a natty angle.
Joanne Bell, chairman of fhe
May Day committee, also wears an
ex-cited air. To smiles, “Oh, May
Day’s coming fine, and of course,
it’s going to be sunshiny.”
Jo has worked with Anne Low-e,
vice-chairman, and Anne Rhyne,
treasurer, on the pageant and
they have developed a complete
script with dances and jigs, mons
ters and dragons, witches and little
joys, and three six-foot oranges.
Prince Searches
The script, which was adapted
from the opera “The I.ove pf
Three Oranges” by Prokofiev, is
the story of a sad young prince
who tries to find happiness.
M a r i ;i n Lewis, who plays the
prince laughs, “1 have the hardest
time trying to look sad. Every
time 1 look at my mother (Ann
Campbell) who tveeps almost real
tears, 1 giggle.”
open :iud free the Queen, Ann
TTughes.
Each afternoon at five the cast
has practiced in the May Dell with
Jo Bell directing from the George
Washington bridge. Ann Camp
bell. besides weeping “real-hke”
has been changed from so many
different positions that she always
greets Jo with “'Well, where do I
stand today?”
And Jo always answers, “Right
thar.”
“Right whar?” puzzles Ann.
Sally Recites
Sally Reiland, narrator, leisurely
recites her part from a big swing
under the oak tree, but Kay Cun
ningham, who hides under the uni
corn head, complains that she
can’t see through the eyeballs or
the nostril holes and that shell
surely fall in the stream.
Louise Fike, a monster, is being
given lessons by Miss Riegner, ad
visor, on “how to' .wdther away”
when Marian stabs her.
A n n e Edwards, the menacing
witch, sighs wdien she tells how
she will be hoisted up to the se
cond limb of the oak tree for her
flight.
“I’m so excited, I've already been
measured for my pulley harness
and I swish down in a big burst,
of smoke bomb. You reckon I’ll
make it ?”
Eleanor Johnson, director, says
in a terribly impressive director’s
voice, “Of course you’ll make it.”
Other committee heads are Mar
tha Newcomb and Ellen Bell, who
have dreamed up costumes with
bells, diamond checks, gold braid,
Emily Heard, Diane Knott, Sally Reiland, Gertie Johnson and Kay Cunningham admire the pan*
.vhile waiting to marshal campus visitors to the May Dell. |
Lee, Myra Dickson and Elsie- In the middle of the dining room, will be presented on the pordull
Macon mysteriously slip around
tending to little last minute details
of the May Court dresses.
Traditionally, they refuse to give
even the littlest hint of the color
of the dresses, but the court will
wear long bouffant dresses with
hoops and big picture hats. They
will carry fjouquets of flowers
which Norma Williams and Car
men Johnston, the flow-er com
mittee, declare “will be heavenly.”
Queen 'Will Awake
May Day will begin at seven
o’clock Saturday morning when the
Choral Ensemble will awake Ann
Hughes chorusing “Awake awake,
my pretty, pretty maid.”
Ann will spend the night in
fitting so that other early risers
Betty Morrison, Anne Moye, Jean Shope and Mary Anne '
start transforming the gym into a southern mansion for the 1. K S.
sponsored Old South Ball.
Ann says she likes to do things and lots of “tres gaie” touches
EVENTS
7.(X) a.m.—■
Choral Ensemble sings to May
Queen.
f:10 a.m.—
Morning Devotional in front of
Science Building, ,
5 :00 p.m.—
May Day Pageant in May Dell.
6:15 p.m.—
Buffet Supper in Corrin Re
fectory.
9:00 p.m.—
Formal Dance in Gymnasium.
1:00 a.m.—All in.
two tables will be reserved for the the southern mansion and cookie,
queen and the maid of honor. Mrs. { peanuts and mint julep (minus tk
Cummings lists chicken salad, baked ; julep!) will be served to the soiitl-
ham rolls, pimento cheese sand- | cm belles and their dates in tli
wiches, candied pears, brownies ! Club Dining Room
and Russian tea on the menu. i .M'ter the last dance in the g\i
Dapce Will Begin ' the Salem belles have permissiti
That night at 9 o’clock, Salem’s , to entertain their beaux until
’Lil Ole South Ball” will beg-in as o'clock on the Salem campus, ft,
couples sway under a canopy of VV’right, the night watchman, iflt
green and white streamers to the . .
music of Jimmv Myers in the gym. . mnnut
, e, j -u i. prophesies a big Southern mooiic
lean Shope describes how the ‘ '
gym will be transformed into the lend plenty of “mood atmospliert
old south with white picket fences, ! Salemites Prepare
a Southern mansion with big white! May Day draws nearer if
columns, a real tree in an old |
fashioned garden and a fat Negro , . , - ^
rpi • 1 i. r *11 the billowy skirts of evcniB(
mammy. The picket fences will nniuuy
be entwined with pink roses and dresses; as the phone calls,'
lavender wisteria. ; Davidson. Raleigh, Chapel Hill,
The receiving line will be com- j^y^ham ring; as Jo Bell cross
posed of Ann Hughes and her date, ■ 'J' , . j y
T-, . 7 Cl j c her fingers for sunshine aiw W
Ed Altman, lean Shope and her I
(late, Stan Kennett, Mr. and Mrs. practices peeping out of the M
Warren Spencer, Captain and Mrs. in the unicorn head, and jourw
Benbow Merrimau and Miss Eileen to beauty shop begin, Salemslti
Smoke. live air grows and awaits thecW'
During intermission the court ing of the May!
realistically; for the queen mother
vis so sad that her son is unhappy
that she and her thusbknd (King
Fae Deaton) moan and gnash their
teeth throughout the whole page
ant.
Court Is Called
All the king’s court is called to
make the young prince smile. But
even Connie Murray, who is Truf-
faldino, the fool “who wants to be
a fool forever” and wears bells on
her ties, fails.
Finally, Anna Katherine Dobson,
powerful magician, chants and
mumbles to conjure up the Queen
of Beauty who will surely cause
the melancholy prince to smile.
But alas, a mean witch who
sails through the trees (Anne Ed
wards, who actually will fide a
pulley rope) has imprisoned the
Queen of Beauty in one of three
magic oranges.
Marian, Connie and Betty Riddle
(the wind), following an enchanted
orange ribbon, set forth to free the
Queen. After tangling with red
derils, monsters and a dragon, they
discover the magic orange, slit it
1 uha Moore and Peggy Ghears
head the sound effects department.
Julia has the honor ,of clanging
the symbols and Peggy is the but
ton puncher of the tape recorder
machine.
Peggy and Julia announce that
this is the first May Day that the
music has been tape recorded;
Jiefore, records have always been
used. Also Peggy and Julia love
to count the hours they have spent
recoi-ding.
Dances Planned
Emily Baker, Angela Howard,
Fae Deaton and Loma Fae Cuth-
bertson are the choreographers for
the dances. They have not only
planned a May pole dance, hut
countless little dances and jigs that
are performed to make the melan
choly prince happy.
Betty Tyler, who handles the
properties, has collected everything
from a unicorn head to a converted
spitoon for a flower pot and a
four-foot green watering can.
On the dress committee, Faye
at Salem can hear the Choral En
semble, too.
At 8:10 the marshals wilt pass
out Miss .Anna’s yellow and purple
pansies at m o r n i n g devotional.
Until 5:00 that afternoon, the mar
shals, the committee heads, and
(Salemites will fly about the cam
pus preparing “for the tourists.”
Pageant Will Begin
Then as the sun fades behind the
oaks in tlie May Dell, Peggy will
push the button on the tape re-
forder, Ann will smooth her white
dress for the last time, and the
pageant will begin.
Down the periwinkle slope will
come Ann, attended by Pe'ggyan,
maid-of-honor, and the court; Con
nie Barnes, Rooney Barnes, Claire
Chesnut, Jane Fearing, Nancy Flo
rence, Saress Gregg, Bobbi Kuss,
Lit Long Ogburn, Guillemette Rous
sel, Sarah Sue Tisdale, Helen Carol
Watkins and Mary Joyce Wilson.
After the last spectator has
pulled himself from the grass and
the joys and the devils have be
come Salemites again, a buffet sup
per wilt be served in the main
dining hall of the refectory.
Eleanor Johnson and Jo Bell are pictured as they first conin'’,'*
idea for May Day—a pageant featuring the story from Prokofi®''®
“The Love for Three Oranges.”