Evening star., 1915-03-10
STAGE ARTISTS PLEASE
WITH VARIED PROGRAM
Dramatic Club Gives Entertainment
for the Prisoners at
Occoquan.

| Seven hundred prisoners men and
women, composing the Districts work
house colony at Occoauan, Va. were
| guests last night at the first theatrical
entertainment to be given at the work
| house since it's establishment four
years ago The Occoquan Dramatic
| Club, led by Ralph Whitaker, son of
W H. Whitaker, the superintendent
of the institution, and numbering
| among it's members prominent resi-
dents of the town of OccoQuan, was
host of the occasion. Such a success
was scored that the club probably Will
be made permanent organization for
the purpose of providing diversion for
the inmates of the workhouse.
There was a furry of excitement
among the prisoners when they learned
that they had been invited to real
snow Preparations for the event, IN
Guiding the construction of a stage in
the mems assembly hall. had been un-
der way several days. arousing the
greatest interest among the wards of
the institution.
Woman Prisoners Honor Guests.
Woman prisoners were the honor
guests, being provided with q section
of the choicest seats in the hall. It
the institution that members of the
male and female departments had been
brought together in joint assem-
blage. In a brief speech opening the
entertainment Supt. Whitaker an
nounced that the giving of future
shows would depend upon the conduct
of the audience. Perfect order reIgned,
but there was enthusiastic applause Tor
every act and insStent demand Tor
encoreS.
The show consisted of several vaude-
vile sketches, mostly of the black-face
variety. Miss Virginia Weldon and
James and Jack Weldon of Occoquan
opened the program with a sketch en-
titled Train Tomaurow, which was
so we'll received that they had TO re
peat portions of it. Following, Ralpn
Whitaker and Ray Tannah appeared
in a burnt-ccrk duo and cracked some
Jokes at the expense of officials ana
employees of the Workhouse "hlch were
received with much relish by the audi
ence. Next came an entertaining bit
of minstrelsy entitled "A Coon Creek
Valley Courtship," in which Miss Pearl
woodward, daughter of Capt. WOOD
ward of the workhouse, and Jack wee
don starred.
Boosters Club Big Feature.
The big feature of the program was
the last number. 1.-The Boosters Club OF
Blackville." with the following cast:
Ralph Whitaker, as Rufus Rastus
Guggenheim; Fred woodward, as Judge
Johnson; Ray Tannah, as Alexander
Thicklips; Robert woodward, as
Charles Augustus Hotfoot; Samuel Car
ter, as William H. Muchmouth; Norman
Selecman, as Francis H. Fussfeathers'
Winston Beach, as Johnnie Overalls:
Albert Lacey, as Francis H. Wishbone;
Tom Carter as Nose Smith. and Wilton
Davis, as William H. Cutup.
An unexpected addition to the pro-
gram was furnished when John Selec-
man, one of the stage hands,, VINO
was supposed to light n fuse with
which to blow up Judge Johnson" ac-
cidentally applied the match to the
wrong end of the fuse. There was an
explosion and Selecman emerged
minus eyebrows and lashes, but suner-
ed no serious injuries.
Music for the show was furnished by
Miss Epps, teacher in the Occoquan
school, at the piano, and Ralph Whit
taker in cornet solo. In addition to
the prisoners, the performance was
witnessed by large number of guests
from Occoquan.