'“1
1
I
I
!
PAGE 2
THE TWIG
MARCH 29, 1973
MEREDITH’S THEATRICAL PAST
When the curtain rises Wed
nesday night, April 4, on the
MIRACLE WORKER, Mere
dith College will record the
1973 production in her long-
running tradition of dramatic
presentations. Since 1970,
Mrs. Linda Bamford has been
Meredith’s drama and speech
instructor and has directed a
major production each semes
ter. Students may remember
TWELVE ANGRY WOMEN,
THE CHALK GARDEN, THE
SOUND OF MUSIC. THE
GLASS MEN AGERIE,and
CAROUSEL. Noting these re
cent productions, THE TWIG
staff thought it might prove
Interesting to check into the
files of past productions and
discover what students and
faculty were viewing through
the last two decades.
In the spring of 1947, the
Meredith Little Theatre pre
sented A ROMANTIC YOUNG
LADY, directed by Catherine
Hilderman. The play was writ
ten by G. Martinez Sierra
and set in Madrid. The Span
ish - flavored production star
red more men than women but
was produced by an all-female
crew.
The December, 1948 pro
duction was that old girls’
school favorite, LITTLE WO
MEN, by Marian DeForest.
This play featured one Harry
Dorsett as Mr. Laurence.
A year later in December,
1949, Thornton Wilder’s OUR
TOWN was produced with a
30-member cast under a new
director, Delphine Murphy,
and starred such notables as
Harry Dorsett as the Stage
Manager (as well as being the
assistant director) and Car
lyle Campbell as Professor
Willard. One of the acknow
ledgements for OUR TOWN
included the PiKas, who donat
ed the use of an organ for
musical accompaniment.
The morality play, EVERY
MAN, was presented in May
of 1950, directed by Delphine
Murphy and Beatrice Donley,
assistant directed by Harry
Dorsett. The program for the
play quoted a few lines for the
audiences’ benefit: “The story
is of precious kind/ Yet there
remains a lot behind/ Which
you shall think of every day/
To mind the moral of the
play.’’ EVERYMAN was pre
sented in the courtyard.
In November of 1952, the
Meredith College Playhouse
presented THE HEIRESS, a
play in two acts by Ruth and
Augustus Goetz. Again star
ring Harry K. Dorsett, the
play was directed by Evelyn
Da Parma and had a produc
tion staff of 36 people.
Meredith got a taste of
Shakespeare in November of
1953 when AS YOU LIKE IT
was produced in a two-night
run directed by Evelyn Da
Parma. The RALEIGH TIMES
featured a picture essay on the
production.
Tennessee Williams’ THE
GLASS MENAGERIE was pre
sented by the Playhouse in
April of 1953 for two nights.
The four-character play was
acted by two Meredith and two
State College boys major
ing in heating and air-condi
tioning!
A four-act comedy, QUAL
ITY STREET by J. M. Barrie,
was presented in November of
1954 and was directed by Mrs.
Da Parma. Set in England
during the time of the Napol
eonic Wars, the play was e-
laborately costumed with the
aid of a costume company from
Haverhill, Massachusetts.
THE LATE CHRISTOPHER
BEAN by Sidney Howard was
produced in April of 1955 and
starred guess who? — Harry
Dorsett. The three act com
edy was described by THE
TWIG as “one full of clever
lines, wit and folksy charm.”
Meredith Playhouse went
classic in November of 1955
and presented an adaption of
Euripedes’ MEDEA, starring
Miss Margaret 'Tucker of
Raleigh in the lead role. Hav
ing acted in five major pro
ductions, Miss Tucker was
well-prepared for the play
which the Raleigh NEWS AND
OBSERVER of Saturday, No
vember 12, 1955, called “an
ambitious undertaking,” for
which “Meredith College
Playhouse is to be congratu
lated for delivering a finish
ed and polished perfor
mance.” MEDEA also fea
tured David and Joe Crook
as children.
Noel Coward’s BLITHE
SPIRIT was presented in
March of 1956 and starred
five Meredith girls and two
men, one a veteran of the
THE HEIRESS: NOVEMBER, 1952
THE GLASS MENAGERIE: SPRING, 1953
Raleigh Little Theatre stage.
In November of the same year,
Oscar Wilde’s THE IM
PORTANCE OF BEING EAR
NEST was produced under the
direction of Peggy Gorsage.
Playing a two-night run, the
show, popular tor college
theater, was engagingly cos
tumed and well-received.
The Playhouse presented
THE CRADLE SONG in March
of 1957, a two-act play set in
the cloister of a convent of
Dominican nuns -- and neces
sarily starred ten girls and
only two men.
In March of 1958, THE
SILVER CHORD was staged
for two nights, starring six
characters, including a State
College male and another boy
studying at Southeastern Sem
inary in Wake Forest.
Noel Coward once again
graced the Jones Auditorium
stage when his I’LL LEAVE
IT TO YOU was produced in
November of 1958. Again di
rected by Peg Gorsage, the
play offered Harry K. Dor
sett in the role of Daniel Da
vis.
In November of 1959, Shake
speare returned to the Mere
dith stage with a production of
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S
DREAM, starring a cast of 31
people. The play, the first
Shakespearian one in six
years, no doubt thrilled the
English Department and de
lighted the whole audience with
its charming moon-madness.
The decade of the sixties
opened with a production of
THE INNOCENTS IN Novem
ber of 1960. The play, writ
ten by William Archibald was
based on Henry James’ THE
TURN OF THE SCREW.
In March of 1961, Ruth Gor
don’s autobiographical
YEARS AGO was staged by
the Playhouse and was direct
ed by Peg Gorsage. Set in
Wollaston, Massachusetts,
YEARS AGO starred 9 cha
racters and one cat.
BREATH OF SPRING, by
Peter Coke, was produced by
the Playhouse for two nights
in November of 1961. Theplay
was set in London and fea
tured five female and three
male characters.
Sophocoles’ ELECTRA was
presented here in March of
1962, Again directed by Peg
Gorsage, the play featured the
classic chorus and starred
nine Meredith girls in addition
to four males.
THE HEIRESS, evidently
quite a popular play, was once
again produced on the Mere
dith stage in November of
1962. Suggested by Henry
James’ WASHINGTON
SQUARE, the play was set in
the year 1850 and the entire
action took place in one room
— the front parlor — of a
house.
BLITHE SPIRIT was pre
sented for the second time in
eight years in November of
1964. The three-act play was
given on successive nights.
Shakespeare’s TWELFTH
NIGHT was staged in March
of 1964. Directed by Peg Gor
sage, the production marked
the third Shakespearian play
in eleven years for the Mere
dith stage. The five-act pre
sentation starred both Mere
dith and State College stu
dents. The Playhouse cos
tumed the play with rented
costumes ordered from New
York.
The fall of 1965 saw the
Meredith stage transformed
into the 18th century draw
ing rooms of Richard Sheri
dan’s SCHOOL FOR SCAN
DAL, with ten male and seven
female characters.
After presenting THE
CHALK GARDEN in the spring
of 1966, the Playhouse pro
duced a reading of JOHN
BROWN’S BODY in the spring
of 1967. The Stephen Vincent
Benet poem was directed by
Ruth Anne Phillips and con
tained a chorus of 29 voices.
The chorus was directed by
Beatrice Donley.
In March of 1968, the Mere
dith Playhouse presented
ROYAL GAMBIT, a drama in
five acts about King Henry
Vni and his six wives. Di
rected by Mrs. Phillips,
the play was described as
representing a struggle be
tween the good and the evil
in modern man. ROYAL GAM
BIT was produced for two
nights.
SORRY, WRONG NUMBER,
a one-act play by Lucille Flet
cher, was presented in the
fall of 1969 and again in March
(Continued on Page 3)
THE SILVER CHORD: MARCH, 1958