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March 15, 1925 - Image 9

Resource type:
Text
Publication:
The Michigan Daily, 1925-03-15

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Feature
Section

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Feature
Section

VOL. XXXV. No. 123.

ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN, sun1--XDA, . :i 1, 1925

EIGHT PAGES

JUN10I

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Tuesday Night is Date Set for Premier of Annual Junior Girls' Play

This Year's Production has Settings in Ann

Arbor and Northern Spain

Work of Months Nears End as Finishing Touches are

Added to Musical Show

Spanish Atmosphere Prevails

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Upper Left: Dorothy Waldo, part of Jim Bentley (Rentsch-
ter photo). Dorothy Ogborn, part of Bob (Dey photo).
Upper Center: Norma B. Bicknell, general chair-
man, junior Girls' play (Rentschler photo).
Upper Right: Margaret Wilkins, part of
part of Marjorie Hentley
(Rentschler photo).
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Center Left: Margaret Effinger, part of Mr. Billings (Dey
photo). Center Right: Mary Lou Miller, part of Jose
(Rentschler photo). Loner Left : Elizabeth
Blackwood, assistant general chairman, Junior
Girls' play. Lower right: Amy Loom
director of Junior Girls' play. Center:
Chorus of Spanish girls.

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By Phoebe Bent
*WHILE the Junior girls are not going to
to build castles in Spain for everyone
who ,goes to see their play, they are go-
ing to deliver two and one half hours'
entertainment for the approval of all who see it.
There are only two acts in the play, the first open-
ing in a dormitory for girls where a party is being
given for faculty and students alike. Business men
and professors jostle elbows familiarly. It is worth
the price of admission to see how they do it.
It is discovered that all the guest assembled at
the party are there for one purpose, to acquire in
some fashion (any fashion being acceptable as is
understood before the play has progressed very far)
funds to complete the Women's League building. A
worthy purpose, you will agree. And when you dis-
cover that-in the play-even professors and
"fussers" are pleading for the building you will un-
derstand just how vitally necessary it becomes to
fulfill the need. There are two love affairs to be
watched as the play progresses, two pairs of dis-
concerted lovers when fate intervenes, one triangle
well developed, and one jealous Spanish girl, to say
nothing of the Supervisor of League deportment and
her "once in a life time." Of course, there is a
wealthy old uncle who is just about to give the
needed money but wants to be coaxed a little, teased
a little and bullied a little. He gets it all, the prb-
fessors coax him; the co-eds tease him and the
supervisor bullies him. And then a hitherto per-
fectly respectable Spanish student falls in love and
leads professors, business man, co-eds and supervi-
sor all astray.
The second act is laid in a small Spanish village
in the mountains of northern Spain. There has been
a general immigration from the University of Michi-
gan including professors and all the other interested
characters. It is disclosed that one of the professors
wishes to see a bull-fight and the manner in which
he sees it proves to be startlingly funny. The jeal-
ous Spanish girl mentioned previously takes an ac-
tive part in stirring up trouble for everyone con-
cerned-and so the play progresses.
Startling as it seems there are more male charac-
ters in the cast this year than female. Following is
a list of the major participants: Jim, Dorothy
Waldo; Marjorie, Mary Van Buren; Bob, Dorothy
Ogborn; Sally, Margaret Wilkins; Mr. Billings, Mar-
garet Effinger; Jose, Mary Lou Miller; Miss Turner,
Harguerite Dutton; Professor Harley, Dorothy Pud-
rith; Professor Black, Jane White; Professor Green,
Elaine Stevely; Professor Brown, Henrietta Voor-
Iheis; Mrs. Harley, Genevieve Goodman; Miguel, Al-

I

After having created a definite reputation for her-
self and her dramatic work here on the campus she
went to New York where she attended the Academy
of Dramatic Art, for a year, later becoming a part of
the Montauk Stock company of Brooklyn. She con-
sidered a long time before finally accepting the po-
sition offered her by the junior girls. It doubtless
seemed something of an undertaking and it has
turned out to be all that she had expected.
The play that has been given Miss Loomis to
work with was prepared by a committee of three
junior women, Ruth Carson, chairman, Helen Ram-
say and Lucy Wilson. The Spanish atmosphere of
the second act allows of a worthwhile scenic effect.
While the sets will not be extremely elaborate this
year, they will be of a modern design and something
more artistically and technically correct than the
average musical show. The first act scene will be
the interior of a dormitory on this campus, carrying
out the idea of the Italian renaissance period, with
its long grilled windows and arched doorways. It
will have an arcade effect and the series of arches
will divide the stage into two levels, an effect which
is said to be quite new and unusually distinctive in
this type of production.
The second act set is in the mountainous region
of northern Spain, depicting a small village. landits,
Spanish officers and matadors will lend to the
scenic effect. O. S. Davis of Detroit has made the
sets for this year's production. They were taken
from old sketches of Spanish life found in the col-
lection of the Detroit public library. 'l'he bac-
ground( 1s suggested by the landscas (1of Z til aga n

limp ___ __I

that the tunes are quite catchy and that many of
them, particularly the dance numbers are extremely
appropriate. The Spanish setting of the second act
lends itself unusually well to picturesque music and
chorus work, and songs for this act are notable for
their typically Spanish rhythm. There are 14 num-
hers in the complete scores which will be placed on
sale the day of the opening of the play. The score
cover will be a reproduction of the poster that is
being exhibited in several stores in the city dur-
ing the play.
Rehearsals of the entire cast have been held at
various intervals during the preparation for the pro-
duction of the play. It is believed by those most
intimately connected with the play that "Castles in
Spain" will be a good production.
Arrangements of the dances have been done by a
dance committee, appointed at the beginning of the
year by the general committee, assisted by the direc-
tor who has brought from New York new ideas for
steps that should inject an entirely new spirit into
this year's play. The dances are remarkable for
their effectiveness both in execution and idea. The
Spanish coloring of the last half of the play has
given a number of opportunities for the introduction
of various Spanish specialty numbers.
Costumes are being made by the costume comn-
mittee except two sets which will cone from Christy,
in New York. They are the Matadors and the Span-
is!i shawls used in the second act.
"Thank You ladam" last year's play bore the re-
sponsibility of nroving definitelv that nublic pre-

their performances from other campus productions,
the Union Opera in particular, would vanish in an
effort to popularize the undertaking.. "Jane Climbs
a Mountain," given by the class of 1924, was present-
ed to the public as an experiment and seemed to
elicit praise from all sources. It was still fanciful
with that touch of amateurishness which women
playing the parts of men necessarily give.
The Junior Girls' play has always had local color
incorporated in its book.. Much of the. comedy de-
pends on satire about current Michigan customs,
especiallly since one of the acts is laid in Ann Arbor.
Besides the technical possibilities of each perform-
ance of the play, however, it is an institution well
established in the lives of Michigan women. It fur-
nishes in an admirable way the means for the junior
class to become better acquainted.
Last year especially an unusual endeavor was
made to incorporate local jokes and situations in an
effort to disclaim the idea that campus productions
tend to become professional as they progress. Prof.
John R. Brumm who has previously directed the
play is in Europe this year. For the past ten years
he has had entire charge of directing and producing
each Junior Girls' play. This year the play should
be very unique in every way having an entirely new
director and inspiration.
A tradition of the play not ordinarily stressed
but very vital is that as many girls as is possible
are incorporated in the cast. This of course neces-
sitates using people who have never before partici-
pated in anything of this sort, giving to the direc-
tor an additional worry. It is surprising to see how
quickly the steps are picked up and how uniformly
executed. Even some of the cast members are new
at the game, having no previous experience. Doubt-
less the enthusiasm and spirit of good fellowship
that pervades the preparation of the play is in part
responsible for the finished state of the production.
The book last year was slight, as a musical
comedy book should be. It was about a college boy
who fell in love with a co-ed who later became a
movie star and almost inaccessible. His efforts to
attain her and retain his dignity furnished the gist
of the story which was well carried out. Each-
year a comedy part stands out as unusual and last
year was no exception. - It is hard to prophecy of
course but it is expected this year that Marguerite
Ainsworth as the active bookagent and Jane White
as a typical professor will carry off the honors.
Special attention has been given to details this
year in every respect, concerning the play itself,
the scenery proper and the actual casting. Featured
in the second act of the plav is a bunch of "siemDre

_...... ... ,

senior women. Growth and tradition have gone to-
gether through the twenty one years of the. play's
existence. Two years ago it was op)ened to the
general public, prior to that time only women were
allowed to attend. With the change the play itself
broadened and grew----and it is still growing.
Especially is this growth apparent in this year's
music. It will be played by a professional orchestra
with Phil Diamond, well-known Ann Arbor musi-
c(iai, directing. With eight pice s in his ensemble
and the music specially orichn nit r ed for him by a

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