Hootenany assists
new song magazine

A second Hootenany, held at
641 Granville Street here
recently drew an enthusiastic,
although slightly smaller au-
dience than the initial one in
December. (“Hootenany” is an
American word describing folk
music performance in which
both audience and_ soloists
participate. )

The projected Canadian mag-

azine of folk songs, to raise
funds for which the Hoote-
nanies were organized, Sing

Along, is now a reality.

The evening began with a
rousing Hopak by the excep-
tionally gifted Ukrainian
‘Youth Dancers. They were fol-
lowed by a young Englishman,
Keith Crowe, who sang songs

not only from England and
Ireland but an original ditty

about the PGE and a logger’s
song he “picked up” on Van-
couver Island. Enthusiastically
encored, his appealing vocal
style and instrumental tech-
nique make him a young sing-
er to watch.

Much in evidence, as he had
been in organizational prepara-
tions, Perry Friedman ran
through several of his special-
ities with his lusty baritone
and five-stringed banjo. Most
gratifying, however, was his
progress toward a wider Can-
adian repertoire — indicated in
the B.C. logger’s song, Grand
Hotel, and Making Hay.

Other participants included
Vancouver Youth Singers, Ray
Hull, Laurence Nowry, Helen
QOsipov and Forbes Hedrick.
Ben Chud acted as master of
ceremonies.

Compared with the first
Hootenany, Sunday’s program
showed considerable improve-
ment. A firmer orientation to-
ward Canadian music — less
preoccupation with American
—was evident. Secondly, much
fuller audience participation
was invited and gained, includ-
ing volunteer soloists.

If equal progress is made
with a third Hootenany, these
affairs can have aelively in-
fluence on local cultural .de-
velopment.

DRAMA

Ns Along, a modest little

mimeographed song: maga-
zine published in Vancouver,
is a welcome new addition to
a growing Canadian literature.
Ray Hull

Edited by and

cthers, it has a foreword by

Vancouver Sun music critic,
Stanley Bligh and a greeting
from Pete Seeger.

Central and most valuable
feature of its 16 pages are the
words and music for five folk
songs.

A Haida Greeting Song, col-
lected by Laurence Nowry in
Skidegate on the Queen Char-
lotte Islands, provides an ap-
pealing inroduction to Coast
Indian music; the first of many
it is hoped. Deep inland in the
Cariboo country, Perry Fried-
man collected Poor Lonesome
of a -wide-
cowboy Ik

a welcome

Cowboy, variant
spread song, from
Howay. These are
reminder of the latent store of
people’s music which lies close
at hand.

Making Hay has words by Joe
Wallace set to music by Van-
couver composer, Searle Fried-
and example of folk
music in the making. The other
two songs—The Plodder Seam
Pretty Polly Perkins —
came from England.

man;

Despite the constant barrage
of manufactured “pops,” such
efforts as Sing Along — how-
ever modest — can play a vital
keeping alive and
spreading genuine people’s art.

role in

Copies may be obtained at
the People’s Co-op Bookstore,
337 West Pender Street, Van-
couver, price 25 cents.

* In its tour of the United States, the National Ballet Guild of Canada has won the acclaim

of American audiences and critics _ me
layne Brandt.and Oldyne Dynowska pose at Mam,

Delibe’s ballet, Coppelia, and a new jazz work, Postcript.

alike. Here (left to right) Jacqueline Ivings, Ede-
where the ballet company presented

Vancouver movie-goers offered
choice of first-rank pictures

"elie months of indifferent

offerings by local theatres,
Vancouver movie-goers. this
coming week are actually being
given a choice of first ranking
films.

Most fascinating is the new
color remake of the celebrated
Road To Life, beginning a three
day run at the Hastings-Odeon
this coming Thursday, April
25

This is part of the new policy
of that theatre to present Euro-
pean films every Thursday,

Yellow Point wins central Islan

aa Cowichan High School

Auditorium was the setting
last week for the Central Van-
couver Island Drama ‘Festival
held under auspices of the
Community Programs branch
of the provincial department
of education, April 3-6.

The three plays chosen by
Mrs. Lily Harper, adjudicator,
to be presented at the honor
performance on Saturday
night, April 6, were:

A Battle of Wits by Norman
Williams, presented by~ the
Lake Cowichan Drama Club.

From Little Acorns Grow,

an original play by Mrs. A. L.
Bowron of Duncan, presented
by the Duncan Little Theatre
Guild.

_ Sganarelle, a play by Mo-
liere,presented by Yellow Point
Drama Group. :

The Lantzville Players and
Ladysmith Little Theatre also
participated in the presentation
of a total of ten plays during
the week.

Among the out of town
guests addressing the large au-
dience at the honor perform-
ance was. Robert Strachan,

MLA, who said that a festival.

of this type was a credit to
the whole community.

Mrs. Harper spoke of the
hard work, community sup-
port, and dedication necessary
to make a festical a success.

The winning plays were ex-
cellently portrayed and cos-
tumed Indeed, the winner, Yel-
low, Point Drama Group’s pro-
duction of Sganarelle would, in
the words of one seasoned
theatre-goer, “have done jus-
tice to the London stage.

The three plays, together
with the three best plays from

Friday and Saturday nights.
The Spanish Fly (no English
titles) from West Germany is
now showing. Subsequent
weeks will include Soviet
films The Immortal Garrison
and Nazar Stodolya (Ukrain-
ian dialogue), both with Eng-
lish titles.

Origina] version of Road To
Life appeared in 1951, the fea-
ture length sound film from the
USSR. Directed by Nikolai
Ekk, it dealt with rehabilita-
tion of the delinquent youth in-

festiva

the northern and southern Is-
land festivals, will compete in
the Nanaimo Festival, May 1-4.
Two will be selected to repre-
sent the Island at the B.C.
Festival in Vernon.

MYRTLE BERGREN

Little Folk Singers

The Little Folk Singers, a
group of 85 children ranging
in age from 4 to 14 under the
direction of Kay Rankin, will
make theit second public ap-
pearance on Saturday, May 4,
8 p.m. in Clinton Hall here.

herited from Tsarist times. It
was outstanding for its warm
understanding handling of 4
large cast of young boys an
has long been an accepte
screen classic.

The superb Soviet film of
Mussorgsky’s opera, Boris Go-
dunov, begins its second local
engagement at the Varsity
Theatre this coming April 22;
running all next week.

Directed by V. Stroyeva with
imaginative blending of colot
and sets, this 1954 Mosfilm }§
an abridged version of the con
plete opera. Particularly grat
fying is the opportunity to see
Mussorgsky’s original inten:
tions instead of the truncate
Rimsky Korsakov version; fot
example, inclusion of thé
crowd sequence in St.’ Basil's
Square, _

The parts are sung and acted
by famous Soviet ‘opera stars:
A. Pirogov (Boris), Georg}
(Dmitri), Ivan KozlovskyY
(Simpleton) and an_ utterly
lightful Varlaam by A. Kriv’
chenya. Others include M.
Michaelov (Pimen) and ©
Avdeyeva (Marina). Chorus
and orchestra of the Moscow
Grand Opera arێ directed bY
N. Nebolsin. Boris Godunov
truly exceptional — as a fil™
and as an opera.

N. E, STORY

APRIL 19, 1957 — PACIFIC TRIBUNE—PAGE ® |