Vancouver Little Theatre wins
B.C. festival with Annastasia

HE ‘7th B.C. Regional

Drama Festival, held at
York Theatre here from Tues-
day to Friday last week, fell
between the extremes ‘of the
two previous years — 1956,
Won by Koestier’s despairing
Darkness at Noon which was
singled. out for a banal intro-
duction; and 1955, outstand-
ing for the triumphant impact
of The Crucible and an in-
Spired adjudication.

Adjudications by British ac-
tor, producer and critic, Cecil

ellamy, were thorough in
their detail without much
Overall penetration.

The Calvert Trophy and $100
Cash for the best presentation
Went to Vancouver Little
Theatre’s production of Annas-
tasia. It) also won the awards
for best director (Joan Chap-
manl, best actress (Rae
Brown), best actor (Jack
Humphrey), and best visual
Production.

The trophy for the best sup-
borting player went to Verlie
Cooter, who played Linda in
the New Westminster Vaga-
bond’s Death of a Salesman.
The House of Bernarda Alba,
presented by White Rock
Players was adjudged the best

rama, aside from the winner;
and Blithe Spirit, presented by
Chilliwack Little Theatre, the

est comedy.

Both White Rock Players
and the New Westminster
Vagabonds deserve praise for

cir usual ambitious and
thoughtful material. The for-
mer improved over 1956, but
the Vagabonds did not do quite

SO well,

This year saw an entry from
Outside the Vancouver Metro-
Politan area — the first! in
Tecent years. On the debit
Side, only four plays were pre-
Sented and not one children’s
play, :

xt it se

DEATH OF A SALESMAN:
his famous characterization
Of the “successful” American
failure by, Arthur Miller. (au-
thor of The Crucible) received
Singere treatiment from the
€w Westminster Vagabonds.
ith its charp dramatic con-
trasts and challenging modern
Staging and lighting techniques
(not aided by the York Thea-
tre’s cramped stage), Death of
2 Salesman is an extremely
difficult project.

Al Lewis’ exacting visuali-
zation of salesman Willie Lo-
Man lacked the subtle varia-
tions needed for complete con-
Viction, although a memor-

le performance. He, like
hers in the play, tended to
live on one high plane —
Where everyone spent much
of their time “shouting” at
°ne another, as the adjudica-
tor pointed out.

Verlie Cooter was free of
this weakness. Her perform-
ance had the quiet contrasts
of voice and gesture, the nat-
uralness, which have supplied
so many finished portrayals
in earlier productions. The
supporting cast — especially
Rick Foote (Charlie) — was
generally strong.

xt be %

THE HOUSE OF BERNAR-
DA ALBA: A lyrical tragedy
of great beauty and sincerity,
this play was written by the
Spanish anti-fascist playwright
and poet, Frederico Garcia
Lorca, who was one of Fran-
co’s earliest victims.

Through the Alba household,
dominated by the proud, cruel
Bernada, we are given a vivid
picture of the life of women
in tlhe still feudal Spanish
countryside of 1936. Its out-
bursts of naked emotion rise
out of: a repressive mood of
near-horror.

CECIL BELLAMY

Needless to say, enormous
theatrical skill is required to

bring it off.

White Rock Players obvi-
ously invested much work and
thoughtful analysis in their
production. They achieved
some remarkably moving mo-
ments. But they did not quite

bring it off.

The first act was promising,
although the heavy menacing
atmosphere (which must be
built from the first) did not
really materialize. In the next
two acts it slipped away from

them.

If Bernarda (Felicie Mitch-
ell) had had the dominating
personality and physique to
bend the action to her, or if
director Franklin Johnson had
succeeded in setting her apart
and above the rest of the cast,
this might still have been ach-
ieved. Unless her personal-
ity is uppermost at all times,
whether she is off or on stage,

the play cannot come off as
it should,

Nevertheless, performances
by Miss Mitchell and others
in the quite large all-female
cast were thoughtful and il-
luminating. The grandmother
(Lorraine Amos) and Magda-
lena (Barbara Weston) were
outstanding.

Set, makeup, costumes and
lighting were exceptionally
good.

xt 5Og xt

BLITHE SPIRIT: Chilliwack
Little Theatre’s first entry in
the festival was this typically
empty and escapist Noel Cow-
ard play.

The cast was glib — lines
well memorised but not well
understood — but the most
disconcerting feature was
Cecile Gordon’s (Ruth) un-
happy affectation of acting

‘with her eyes closed — quite

literally — most of the time.
Tom Rannie (Charles) suffer-
ed somewhat from the same
disability.

The spiritualist, Madame
Arcati (Betty Rannie), may
have been too “fluttery,”’ as
Adjudicator Bellamy suggest-
ed, but after an initial awk-
wardness she seemed to fit in-
to the part adequately. Elvira
(Doreen Nuzum), ghost of
Charles’ first wife, was uni-
formly good.

The most satisfying charac-
terisation came from Rene
Lund as Edith, the maid. She
skilfully underplayed her
cockney mannerisms and, al-
though a secondary role, gave

- the scenes in which she ap-

peared a unique charm.
xt xt xt

ANNASTASIA: From the
standpoint of sheer technique,
Vancouver Little Theatre de-
served its many awards, al-
though the cynical and hack-
neyed play itself hardly de-
served such attention.

Except for Act II! Brushing
aside the trivial and inaccur-
ate context, considerable hum-
an sincerity ts expressed in
Anna’s meeting with the Dow-
ager Empress. Rae Brown
gave this role a deeply honest
and genuinely moving inter-
pretation — reaching a high
point in local drama. Edith
Dean (Anna) was not far be-
hind.

Jack Humphrey’s: Prince
Bounine was not as thorough-
ly sustained, without the in-
tense conviction of Miss Brown,
but it was also outstanding,
Over-acting by other perform-
ers weakened the. total effect.

Some of the play’s worst
implausibilities come in the
concluding act — and it was
at this point that the com-
pany slackened its previously
strong pace.

N. E. STORY

* Vancouver Civic Ballet Society has awarded its Marjorie

Bate scholarship to three talented young dancers toi

enable them to continue their
to right) Gail Donaldson, Rosa

‘training. The-three are (left!
me Hopkins and Lynda Locke.

The scholarship was established to honor the work done for
the society by the late Mrs. Marjorie Bate.

Scientists race time
to save old carvings

THANKS to some hurry-
up archeological activi-
ties (amateur and profession-
al) in reservoir areas soon to
be flooded by two Columbia
basin power dams, some head-
way is being made challeng-
ing the racist conceit that the
history of the Northwest be-
gan with the arrival of the
white invaders,

Fat from being a new coun-
try, this area in respect to
human habitation goes back
thousands of years.

In factl B. Robert Butler,
University of Washington sci-
entist in charge of the explor-
ations above The Dalles,
claims that -the Wakemop
mount is probably the site of
the oldest continuously inhab-
ited area in the world, going
back 16,000 years.

The Wakemop Mount and
an adjacent valley have yield-
ed hundreds of fine carvings
in bone and stone.

° Sam © 50

Then there is the mystery
as to the origin and meaning
of the stone carvings.

Work is now underway to
Save 14 of them by blasting
them loose in slabs ranging
in weight from 200 pounds to
ten tons.

The four surviving members
of the Wanapum tribe have
guided photographers to the
Picture rocks the Indians re-
gard as sacred. The Wana-

pums, while they worship the
petroglyphs, say they have no
idea as to who made them or
what they mean.

More than 100 photographs
have been taken. A repeated
theme is that of sunburst,
deer, paws of bears and men.
Many of the picture rocks have
deep notches and half circles
and other symbols with some
resemblance to a runic script.

Most of the larger picture
rocks are apparently doom-
ed when the waters rise. One
of those being saved will be
taken to the nearby grave of
Puck Hyah Toot, the last of
the Wanapum prophets who
died last September.

The four remaining Wana-
pums are the survivors of the
remnant of “River People”
who refused to go onto reser-
vation where their tribal iden-
tity would soon become lost
through intermarriage.

Though much will undoubt-
edly be lost when the waters
rise in the reservoirs behind
the mighty dams, the salvag-
ed slabs and photographs may
help scientists pierce the mists
of the past.

And it can well be that
much of what they seek lies
buried with Puck Hyah Toot
who as a prophet took with
him to his grave. the traditions

and lore of a people about to.

become extinct,
ACE ALLISON

FEBRUARY 8, 1957 — PACIFIC TRIBUNE—PAGE 18