The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1919-01-15
VI. TOWN GIVES
COMMUNITY DRAMA
&
Residents of Whiting May
Decide to Produce it
Every Season
DEVELOPMENT OF
PUBLIC SPIRIT
Pastor of Community Church Directed
Play Which Depicted the Whole
Scriptural Story of the Birth of
Christ-Finding Talent Difficult.

ChriSt-f1ndlng Talent Difficult.
The town of Whiting, snuggles down
in Champlain valley with the range of
the Green Mountains to the east, the
Adirondacks to the west and Lake
Champlain shnmmering beyond low
bluff Within tie natural walls of the
valley the town is comfortably nestled,
all by itself and away from the hustle
and hustle of commerce and industry
| The whole people are farmers, or. Yer
monters who till the soil tap the maple
trees and live peaceful, quite lives.
In the community they have organ
| lied a community church; town and I
,family affairs are community matters
and their latest achievement in COM
munity effort is a community drama
similar both in scope and detail to
the world-famous Passion Play as pre-
scented every decade by the villag-
ers of Oterammergau in Bavaria
Whiting 5 community drama may be
presented each season and the players,
as in the Passion Play, will be chosen
4 '
new parts selected each wear
A community drama. depicting the
birth of the Savior was a daring de-
parture in eyeu the little village where
movies and ''thrllefs" were oeca-
sionally presented. The suggestion was
talked over for many months before
any concerted effort was made TO pre-
4 sent the play. The questions of seen
4 cry. characters and costumes was veX-
ling The people looked upon the whole
! Ian as one TO be approached with rev
l crenee and awe, and when the PLAYERS
were finally selected each part was TAX
4 ea by enc OF the townspeople who was
4 worthy and whose 'demeanor in his or
ifer every day Fife was in keeping with
I the character 10 Re portrayed
The Rev. Francis ]. Malzard, pastor
Is of the Community church, was director
4 of the play and his wife, his helpmeet
\ in pastoral duties, became his assistant
I Together they had entered into the
I spirit of community life in Whiting
4 with wonderful results The tive
churches of the little town became one
1 and the better and larger church was
I selected as the community church il
Il which all of the people of Whiting
y worshipIed cd, and it was there they
I learned the stories of the Christ CHILE
I and His Mother: of the Three Wist
I Men: King Herod and the other char
I acters of Biblical drama. As at Ober
b ammcrgau, the people were revereutls
Il impressed with the possibilities of til,
4 great life drama in which they were t.
4 appear, some as prineipals and actors
\ others as the people of Jerusalem.
\ The natural scenery of the village
4 furnished the setting for the play. Tn,
Z hills and mountains. the pastures an,
4 fields, all resembled the setting in far
B away Palestine, where the great histor
I zeal drama was staged nearly 2,00
kkvears before.
Through the village runs the oil
I Crown Point road, built by Gen Am
r herst when he marched his soldiers t
y Ticondcroea. and stories of Etha1
= Allen and his Green Mountain boys ar
/ fresh in the minds of the people VIII
now live along the route the first sol
4 dlers of this country marched
The Rev. Mr.. MalZard has been
Jealous worker in other fields in easter
Vermont. He was called TO Whiting be-
cause the community needed vieorou
young minister to stir the people j
their religious zeal. When the churcl
es federated and all Whiting folk
worshipped at the Community churc
the young minister put into action hi
plans for a community drama. Wit
1 Mrs Malzard 5 aid he modified tn
forces of the people, Young and old. Th
actors We're chosen for their varior
\ parts. and then followed many month
II Of Nv Iptl I'd hoo
was planned to depict the whole scril
I tural story of the birth of Christ
n With a single general store in Viii
ing. and no other general stores With
many miles. the problem of costum,
was serious one but was aquickl
solved From Vermont attics in while
they reposed for years and wears, liner
Of the finest quality were brought fort
\ Porticres which once did service
\ parlor doors, with their tinsel and gi
bfocades, Furnished rich and froyi
4 puppies, and to supply the deficit plai
I cheese cloth made into robes and tn
kFbans. toaas and nantes, completed Il
wardrobe
The drama was presented at I'll
town hall The villagers and farme
and shepherds participated
Some difficulty was encountered
finding talent for the parts of Il
drama, but community interest WI
reused to high pitch. and everyone a
sisted in whatever way the othe
thought best. Three stalwart your
farmers, Sherwood Denton, Lloyd See
and Teddy Webster. played the par
of the Three Wise Men Chester Ra,
SON Robert Muzzy and Kenneth w
Hams were the shepherds of the hill
They were farmers sons and tend,
\ aocks on the .hiIisides of Whiting
( In the Angel choir. were all OF t
\ Young girls of the village. while for t
other parts Mrs. Malzard, Mrs. Raul
4 Keller and Mrs. Lee Rawson we
chosen Maud. Molly and Thee We
stcr, Eta Rawson, Anna Wooster al
u -