The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-05-30
IT'S REAL INDEED.
Washburn Students Give Play In
Natural Woodland.
"a Midsummer Nights Dream
in Beautiful Settings.
PLAY is WELL ACTED
Young People Appear at Home
in Characters.
A Large Audience Enjoys tne
Production.

in a natural amphitheater on tle 60 60
pus last night, was a metlIot Io"S EE;va
duction and a marked success -
hundred persons wltnesse1 nat If
had been postponed from oatuIut aS
and thar the weather again threateHSN
to force the play indoors. ..o
For years and years, Miss Charloete
Leavitt dean of the Engiisn uepa lith
ment OF the college, has pleaueu w. -
the club to stage some Hna IN beouI
PLAY out of doors in one OIL the T,a
tifuI hooks of the campus WOODS NJ
coming of Prof. F. H. Lane to the ue
nartrnept of dramatics furnished hel
a powerful ally and the result Wa t,Io
great success of last night Wnlch
doubtedly will be the beglnnlIs Lit ol
custom which will bring unique cleul'
to the school. -..,, If
when Ben Greet, the champion OF
Shaxespeare ION the ground, prouSHt
TO Topeka his production OF the SAM
play il was not to play IN tne open o.
where he had gained so VIDE a iepu
tation but in the Grand, WheLe ne 80
Dbonv orchestra, gave Topeka rare
entertainment But had Mr.. Greet peeli
Ioolrinp for an outdoor scene 1or d
production he could not nave lounu
one more naturally equlppeu La,
that used last night. On seIAl,S -,
lar sloping bit of campus close ~
conservatory of music, the oOV cLelIi %
which scarcely accommodated tne pa
irons were placed. CEDAR thlckeO
formed an enclosing wall almost Ine
whole way around the audience Inc
stage was set in small haI-clIcle u
evergreens which when interiors; go
with boughs afforded entrances exits
and the forest scene. Foctlghts were
run in a large circle, giving am PIE
snace for the players, and were paIlkeu
on the audience side with TURF anu
boughs in such a manner as 10 FORM
an unbroken floor of green BANKS Iol
the sleepy lovers to lie upon were CON
struc+ad in a similar way so that the
natural woodland scene conceived by
Shakespeare was carried out IN colh-
pletest detail. ., .
AS to the playing, Ben Greets peo-
pIe may have moved little smootheI,
but the collegians can read Wlillanl
with the best of the profe ssionals. MI.
Roy George as Lysander and MISS
Marie Vanderpool as Helena potn III
reading and acting, were especially
good. while Miss Rebecca Welty, as
Titania, queen of the fairies. was All
the dainty loneliness the TUE implies
At Miss Welty's disposal was a
flock OF fluffy fairies, winged and fllt-
ting. Here Ben Greet's orchestra was
sadly missing, but the gymnasium pl-
ano furnished some calisthentc music
and the fairies fairied around with
good deal of success in spite OF the
disadvantage. In musical comedy this
feature would be rated as the $5O,OOO
beauty chorus.
Puck, the mischievous chap. who
hurries around the world and brings
back the western flower purpled with
love from Cupid's arrow and pro-
ceeds to wrong and right the sun
dry love affairs, was made winning
sort of person by Miss Grace Gaines.
Very sprightly and with bells on her
toes" this fair coed brought a round
of applause for her laughing Lord,
what fools these mortals be-" Mr..
Warren Crumbine. as king of the
fairies-and son of Swat-the Fly, made
an elegrant master for Puck and ex-
posed a quarterback's running gear
with no little credit to himself.
Probably the greatest hit of the
evening was scored by Caleb Smick
as Bottom, the Weaver. both as the
leading light of the mechanicals and
as the wearer of the donkey's head.
He, too, read Mr.. Shakespeare very
truly and did so in pliable heavy set
voice and an ease which quickly won
Hmm raise. The play given for Duke
Theseus by these mechanicals was as
ridiculously produced az by the
Greets. In fact, they staged a bit of
comedy which no other production
can boast. Moonlight led a real
bull dog into the arena instead of a
piece of painted tin and the regular
dog could not get used to the imita-
ton lion. "A lion among ladies, is a
most dreadful thing" wrote Shakes
peare, but to a bull terrier last night
he was a joke. The bull dog reared
and growled and tugged at his chain
with the result that for a moment if
was feared Duke Theseus would see
no show. The predicament however.
served only to get closer to the au-
dience and was soon passed.
The costumes were accurately Sc
lected for the Athenian setting and
appeared to be very nearly nov,
Considerable expense was incurred in
assembling these costumes and in this
respect the show could not have been
judged an amateur production. The
players seemed to enjoy the enter
tainment as much as the audience and
more than in any show ever given nv
the college club were they next 10
their hearers.
The cast:
Theseus, Duke of Athens.
...........................M Mr.. Grover D,,nr
Egeus, Father to Hernia Mr.. Pra4t
Lysander. in love with Hernia. .......'
Demetrius. in love with Hernia mar ' George
Philostrate, Master of Reveis 70
Theseus -..'....-.--..... Miss McManimi,
Ounce, a carpenter. Mr.. PaIrneI
IN 7. tic
Bottom, a weaver. Mr. Srojo,
Flute, bellows mender. Mr.. Sander
Shout, a tinker. .-..............M Mr. TJneba
StarveIing, a tailor. ..........M Mr. 49,
Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons he
trothed to Theseus. ........ Miss Steven
Hernia, daughter of Egeus in love
with LySander. ............NB Misc cs-,ss..
Helena, in love with Demetrius. ~ --Ai
-: .::.-.... Miss Vanderpoo
Oberon, King OF the Fairies. -.
- 4. - :" MI. Crumbn
Titania, Queen of the Fairies Miss W.,
Puck, or Robin Goodfellow. Miss Cssino
Cobweb, a fairy. NTi.s -A e ~
Moth, a fairy. ................ Misc - ~
Mustardseed, fairy Miss sc Csc q
Titania 8 BOY. Douglas McTSacL
Other fairies attending their E5irs ar o.
Queen. Misses Wise, Foshay, Lyle Sbe al.
bers, stevenson, Small, Anderson. Hobsorl
Worley. AA0oSon
Save the little chicks by feedin,
Purity Chick Feed. Zimmerman Saa'