1~ PAGE EIGHT THE MICHTCAN DAILY THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 1953 0 i i f i V 1 1 V 1 11 R 1 L 1 Z a HTaT.RSaV~ .r ACH lla a 1f~lO 0 'Vanity Flair' Opening To Continue JGP Tradition This Weekend c: 1a" SVii: ".K :....:f.~~Ii 4, } 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 1k -7 -7. iJll - - " Regular $7.50 and $5.00 values by MOTHER'S DIY PORTRf4ITS and MARXMAN & WEBER 71j Several Shapes and Sizes to choose from. 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