PAGE EGnT-MCHIGAN DAIL 71MI 'A LITTLE BIT OF HOME' 'Our Town'in Italy Stars 'U'Student By CAROL ZACK The decorative royal palace at Ca- serta, Italy was transformed for two weeks in Dec., 1944, into a place called Grovers Corners, N. H., when a genuinely American play, "Our Town," was produced, under the di- recticn of its author, Thornton Wild- er, by a group of officers and enlisted men in the Allied forces. Jim Bob Stephenson, who appeared here in the current production of "What a Life," played the role of George Gibbs, the small town boy whom Wilder meant to be typical of American youth. Stephenson was U' Flying Club Makes Plans T POrder Plane Plans are being made by the re- cently formed University Flying Club to place an order for a light plane so that members of the group may begin flying as soon as possible, it was an- nounced yesterday by Evan Fraden- burgh, '46E. At the last meeting of the club Warren Curry, graduate of the CQl- lege of Engineering's aeronautical department, was elected president; Fradenburgh, vice-president; Frances Hamilton, '48, secretary; Dalton Mc- Alister, '47L, treasurer; and Don Mil- bourn, '48, operation's manager. All those interested in becoming members of the group who have been unable to attend previous functions of the club are invited to attend the next meeting which will be held at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in Rm. 1042 East Engineering Building. It will be decided at this meeting whether lectures will be conducted by the group for the benefit of those who have had no experience in fly- ing. These would be conducted by those members who held instructor's ratings and commercial licenses in the club. Be a Goodfellow Movies of A rmy-Michigan Game To Be Shown Today Movies of the Army-Michigan foot- ball game will be shown at 8:00 p.m. today in the Union ballroom. No ad- mission will be charged and everyone is invited to attend. Be a Goodfellow Cold Wave Spread's ((/P)) - Intensely cold weather pushed down from the North Pole and threatened last night to over- spread virtually the entire continent to the Gulf, of Mexico and eastward from the Rockies to the Atlantic. then a technical sergeant in the Army Signal Corps.r 'V' Student Starsa In a recent Daily interview, Steph- enson told how it happened that thef play was produced in the Italian at- mcsphere. "A group of theatre mind-< ed people," he said, "formed a theatre1 club at the Allied Force Headquar- ters, north of Naples. Thornton Wilder, a lieutenant colonel in the1 Army Air Force, was chosen as its president." "When I heard about the club and learned that Wilder headed it," hel continued, "I went to see him and+ persuaded him to let me help him produce 'Our Town.' Wilder was re- luctant at first," Stephenson ex- plained, "but he agreed to put on the play if I could recruit enough people for the cast." Experienced Cast "Approximately 60 people showed up for the first reading and enough members of the women's services, in- cluding the WACs, appeared to give us a wide choice for the feminine roles. After the first reading about half of these people vanished because they were shipped out, but we man- aged to acquire a talented cast, con- sisting of many people who had had stage experience in civilian life." "We managed to find adirector for the play, a boy from Italy who had directed a production of 'Our Town' before. iBut he was unable to help us until two weeks before the first per- formance. Wilder was responsible for most of the direction." Wilder Professorial "Wilder is middle aged, dignified and very professorial in his way of speaking," Stephenson said. "He is stimulating intellectually," he de- clared enthusiastically. "Working with him was a unique experience." "Wilder not only knew how the play had been done in New York, but he knew the characters as he wanted them to be. His insight into the mental attitudes of the people made our performances far more intelligent tian they otherwise would have been. There was barely a line that he didn't discuss with us, explaining why it should be done in a particular way." Lack of Scenery Stephenson feels that Wilder was stimulating because of his under- standing of human nature. "His main thesis is concerned with the human soul," he said. "Any man who de- votes his life to thinking about hu- manity is exceptional." "The lack of scenery required for the play naturally simplified this technical aspect of our work," he ex- plaineO. "Only a play with a great deal of imaginative quality can be produced without scenery and set- ting. Wilder believes that each in- dividual in the audience should be able, through imagination, to build up the story in his own mind, de- riving from the play what, to him, constitutes the best. Without scenery the play is universally applicable to all small towns. Scenery would make things too definite." 'Little of Home' "I never saw a cast hang on to the words of a play as that cast did," Stephenson remarked. "Upon each reading of the play we got more out of it. And we felt that we were bringing a little of home to that for- eign country." The royal palace, where the play was produced, was built by Carlo III when he was attempting to rival the royal atmosphere of Versaille. "In the back of the opera house was a royal box with gilded canopy of plas- ter made to resemble red plush," he said. "A huge crystal chandalier hung in the middle of the ceiling." Performs in Hospitals After the second performance of the play Wilder suggested that parts of it be shown in the Army hospitals. Monologues were taken from the first and second acts and worked into scenes for this purpose, with Wilder taking the parts of the fathers and Stephenson of George Gibbs. Stephenson, in the Army for four years, was stationed for a year in North Africa and a year in Italy. When he was drafted he was a senior here and is now completing his senior year, majoring in speech. A resident of Ann Arbor, he has appeared in Play Production offerings since his sophomore year in high school. U' Band Series To Be Edited by Prof. Ravelli Transcriptions, New Works Are Included Another Michigan "first" is the new "University of Michigan Band Series", edited by William D. Revelli, conductor of the University Bands, and published by one of the country's largest music publishing firms. This series of selected works for concert band and band methods is designed to present the finest avail- able original compositions as well as skillful and practical transcriptions in a form that will be found useful by university, college and high school bands. Composers will be commis- sioned especially to write for the series. Prof. Revelli will assist in the selec- tion of material for the series; edit the scores of all works to render them suitable for performance by the type of ensemble for which this series was conceived; and prepare explanatory texts if necessary to ac- company the works published. In order to maintain a suitable standard for the series, the Univers- ity Concert Band will try out each work before any recommendations, for changes are made. First number of the series and just off the presses is a Beethoven Mili- tary March, adapted for contempor- ary band by Felix Greissle. This is an original composition for band which has never been published in this country and has not been avail- able in any form for almost a cen- tury. Sidney Giles, New Carillonneur, Says Bells Among Largest in Size, Range Only four of five other carillons in the country are comparable in size and range to the Charles Baird Car- illon here at the University, accord- ing to Sidney Giles who is substitut- ing as University carrillonneur in the absence of Prof. Percival Price. Since the carillon is ope'ated by direct action, the carillonneur must have energy and endurance in order to be able to play for any length of time, Mr. Giles said. Keyboard of Levers, Pedals The "keyboard" of the carillon consists of hand levers and foot ped- als, Mr. Giles explained. This en- ables six notes to be sounded at one time, two with the feet and two with each hand. In rapid playing, the hand levers are hit with the bottom of the first, he said. Mr. Giles holds the position of of- fice manager of the central office of the University Extension Service. He is a graduate of the famous Mechelen Carillon School in Belgium, and has studied with Prof. Price in Toronto and Ottawa. Tones, Overtones Tuned Mr. Giles has served as carrillon- neur with the Scottish Rite Cathe- dral in Indianapolis, and was guest Democrats Elect Martin New State Chairman LANSING, Dec. 15-(IP)-A fac- tional fight in the Democratic high command vanished today as Walter C. Averill, Jr., resigned voluntarily as State Chairman and David M. Mar- tin, of Flint, former State Senator was unanimously elected to lead the party. carillonneur here at the University from March 10 to August 17, 1939. He has been employed by the Toronto General Trusts Corporation and the Public Service Company of Indianap- olis in various capacities in account- ing. Each of the fifty-three bells of= the carillon has several overtones, Mr. Giles said. Both the tones and over- tones are exactly tuned. These over- tones are what make carillon har- mony different from piano harmony, he explained. Chimes differ from carillon bells in that they are not exactly tuned. Al- though the sound of the bells car- ries better in cold weather, a small amount of snow will deaden the tone, he said. Polonia Club Will Sponsor Crafts Exhibit An exhibit of Polish costume, handicraft, and woodcarving, spon- sored by Polonia,. the Polish club of the University, will be on display through Friday in the showcase at the International Center. Handmade linen and laces, small rugs, Jewelry, carving, and dolls dressed in the traditional Polish cos- tumes, which were made by Polish mountaineers, make up the display. Two of the dolls belong to Alicia Wis- zowaty, while the other articles were brought to America by Estelle Olejar- czyk after the invasion of 1939. Buy Victory Bonds! JOS. W. MUNDUS tmrance ANN ARBOR TRUST BLDG. Telephone 3870 __ . _ \1 n Slurs on your qH- . ,:_. f t t r fi ' } Z ,. tt Sx; . . . FAMILY AND CHILDREN 'S SERVICE GILT 1 ' \ 3 r x * TEXTBOOK LENDING LIBRARY * UNIVERSITY GOOD WILL FUND GOYOOUO GOODFELLOW tD ILY -4® -r r ;- -. I for diary-designed dates .. Janie's whisper-soft (100/) wool jersey. Aqua, powder, luggage, olive or Kelly green, American beauty, melon. Sizes 9eto 15. lo ORROI f K 9$191 and Support- these Services - _ .