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PAGE EIGHT THE MICHTCAN DAILY
THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 1953
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'Vanity
Flair'
Opening
To
Continue
JGP Tradition
This Weekend
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DAILY
PHOTO
FEATURE
Story by
BEA JOHNSON
Pictures by
BETSY SMITH
Play History
SCENERY BUILDERS- (Left)
These scenery builders are part
of the team of over 20 coeds who
created the settings for "Vanity
Flair." Here they are demon-
strating how to work with tools
but the room where they worked
never looked like this.
OPENING NUMBER - These
junior coeds are part of the
groupthat will "roll out the
carpet" in one of the scenes
from the original musical com-
edy. Tickets for the play are
available from 2 to 5 p.m. to-
day and tomorrow at the Lydia
Mendelssohn box office.
Tells Story
Of 'U'_Life
By BEA JOHNSON
East and West will combine as
the junior coeds bring "Vanity
Flair" to the Lydia Mendelssohn
stage at 8 p.m. today, tomorrow
and Saturday.
This year's version of the an-
nual Junior Girls' Play will cli-
max nearly a year's work for the
juniors as they present this three
act play.
* * *
WRITTEN BY Jane Thompson,
directed by Sue Shafter and pro-
duced by a majority of the fem-
inine portion of the junior class,
"Vanity Flair" tells the story of
two girls out in the cruel world
for the first time.
In keeping with tradition, the
theme of the play is kept secret
until the first performance
which climaxes Senior Night ac-
tivities.
This year's show will join the
procession of JGP skits which be-
gan at the University in 1904 as
an outgrowth of a skit presented
at the traditional Senior Swing-
out which was later discontinued.
JGP ORGANIZERS-Jane Thompson, author, Sue Shafter, direc-
tor and Mary Hodges, general chairman, are planning last minute
staging for the "Vanity Flair" opening tonight. The .script for
the play was written, for the most part, during the summer.
THE 1904 SKIT was staged in
Barbour Gymnasium by six wom-
en and told the story of Buster
Brown at Michigan.
Mrs. Myra Jordan, dean of
women, suggested at the time
that the juiior women write
and present a play in honor of
the graduating class.
The idea took hold as the jun-
ior women turned the suggestion
into the original show, "Every-
senior," a travesty on the old mor-
ality play, "Everyman."
THE 1907 production entitled,
"Don Quixote, the Coed Knight"
marked the beginning of interest!
in the play on the part of men.!
The men expressed their de-
sire to see the show in a Daily
editorial that read: "The mascu-
line element of the campus re-
sented being barred from the
gay little functions held under
Mrs. Jordan's eye."
It seems that the male journal-
ists of that day had the same ob-
jections about being barred from
a show that they hold today. I
S *
"THE COME BACK" in 1915
was the first JGP production to
be performed outside of Ann Ar-
bor when the cast traveled to To-
ledo to perform.
This play represented the
University in the year 2002 as
an institution of learning for
women only, since all the men
had left years ago to fight in
the World War. The theme
dealt with the return of men to
Michigan after a fierce battle
with the dean of women.
For the first time the senior
women attended the 1915 JGP in.
a body wearing their caps and
gowns, a tradition that 'was con-
tinued until last year.
ALSO IN 1915, Prof. John L.
Brumm of the journalism depart-
ment undertook the direction of
the play for the first time and
continued as director until 1925.
Man suffrage as far as JGP
was concerned did not take place
until 1923 with the presentation
of "Jane Climbs a Mountain."
Although the main purpose of
JGP was to honor senior women,
the play became popular with all
students on campus and to Detroit
Alumni who viewed the femme
production every year from 1917
to early in the 1930's when JGP
road shows were discontinued.
FOR MANY YEARS the JGP
script stuck to a local atmosphere
but in 1949 the tradition was bro-
ken and a play entitled "Fate of
the Union" was given.
Last year the juniors reverted
back to a college day theme after
the years of more worldly set-
ting, when they presented "Heav-
enly Daze."
For the first time in over 20
years, the entire 1953 JGP cast
will also travel to Detroit to pre-
sent "Vanity Flair" on March 25
in Rackhain Hall. The University
alumni in that city are sponsoring
the show.
Complete
Work
For PlayOpening
This is the story of 28 junior
coeds who have been working for
almost a year to present a show
for campus theater-goers.
These women were the mem-
bers of the JGP Central Com-
mittee who worked, cried, budget-
ed their time, laughed and wor-
ried for several months to com-
plete the costumes, scenery, pro-
grams and everything that goes
into making a show a hit.
Many. of them were unsung
heroes who never had their
names publicized but they were
on the job just the same.
Cathy Wilson, assistant direc-
tor of the play, was Director Sue
Shafter's right hand man as she
helped arrange rehearsal times,
hactedas a stand-in where ever she
was needed and gave coaching to
the members of the cast while
they were learning the script.
Then there was Joyce Clem-
ents, program chairman, who
shopped around for printers,
looked for a week to get a com-
plete history of JGP, and in gen-
eral tried to make the program
a memorable souvenir for all the
college days scrapbooks.
-41
REHEARSAL BREAK-Between rehearsing'dancing numbers these members of the dancing chorus
take the pause that refreshes to catch up on homework and just relax and talk. Practices com-
bining all parts of the play have been held every day for the past two weeks. Before that time
each dancing, singing and speaking scene were rehearsed individually. Although the practices ware
hard work, choristers had the opportunity to meet and make many new friends. Members of the
cast devised various methods of studying during the rehearsal hours. The noise did not interfere
with some of the junior players but most of them had to resort to ear plugs.
I I
In the costumes department
Jackie Shields and Jinny Jones
reigned over the bevy of coeds
working on the yards and yards
of material for the 120 member
cast. Sometimes panic would take
over in the League sewing room
when the seamstresses wondered
whether they would meet the dress
rehearsal deadline.
JGP ANTICS-Members of a
square for the square dancing
number in "Vanity Flair" clown
around at rehearsal. This group
is part of the 120 members of
the JGP cast who will present
the play tonight before an all
senior audience and tomorrow
and Saturday for the public
performances.
JGP Committees
s
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Regular $7.50 and $5.00 values
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Photos, see
PfALMER STUDIO
208 Michigan Theatre Building
II!'
4
69
each
Riley's Capitol Market
Open every evening until 1:00
Sunday until Midnight
or 3 for 5.00
1111
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