Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1920-07-23
PAGEANT DRAMA
TWICE SUCCESSFUL

Seldom has a theatrical presentation
in Middlebury met with the universal
appreciation accorded by two crowded
houses to the Court of Fame, a pag-
cant drama staged in the town hall
last Friday and Monday evenings un-
der the auspices of the Woman's Club
for the benefit OF the District Nurse
Fund Samantha Allen, in the per-
son of Mrs. George c. Chaffee, wife of
the County Fish and Game Warden,
was chosen by popular ballot the most
entertaining of the two score charac-
ters in the piece. "Topsy", played by
Miss Pauline Sanford was second in
the estimation of the double audience,
only five votes behind Samantha, and
leading Mrs. H. B. Hagar, as the be-
loved Southern heroine of the North
Barbara Freitchie" by but a single
vote The Fund was made the richer
by Sl521S.
On other occasions the community
had had the opportunity to applaud
the efforts of home talent But it is
safe to say that the players of the
drama pageant, Court of Fame" un-
der the professional direction of Miss
Harriette Harris of Weymouth, Mass,
displayed ability of a calibre to sur
prise most pleasantly their friends and
townsfolk who attended either of the
performances or as was the case with
not a few, both of them, Only two
weeks could be given for preparation
Their success argued well for the gen
erous interest displayed by both pupils
and instructor in the rehearsals. They
worked hard and faithfully and at
real sacrifice of time and pleasure. The
results of their wholehearted devotion
to the task were delightfully."- apparent
to the audience.
The pageant drama is mostly only
pageant Without plot of any kind,
the piece consists of parade of some
of the famous women of history and
literature before the Goddess of
Fame, who respectively bid to be
crowned queen of Fame Their recita
tions of their individual merits vary
from the burlesque of the sCold Kan
tippe and the humorous trials and tri-
bulations of Samantha Allen and Mrs.
temperamental Ike, to the classic ap-
peal of Ruth, Martha Washington or
the Grecian Poetess But the crown
was given to columbia" perhaps for
reasons of patriotism, since each and
every claim addressed to the deity en-
throned was worthy in its own man
ner.
Mrs. I. N Bartlett appeared first up
on the stage as the Spirit of Fame and
after professional Interpretation of
the Greek dance, presented the ivy
crown to the Goddess, Miss Martica !
Saunders. When the deity from her
royal throne had directed the heralds
the crown entrusted to her judgment,
to call to her court all aspirants for
the lengthy procession began. The
greek dances were again seen when the
Misses Muriel Vittum and Mary Ed
ridge preceded the claimants for honor
and performed their difficult roles with
pleasing grace.
A detailed description of the pageant
is not within the scope of this article.
But suffice it to say that from the time
that the first suitor for the ivy wreath,
Hypatia, played by Miss Dorothy
Brainerd, to the last in the person OF
Columbia, with Mrs. H. H. Stone i'm
personating our Lady of America, the
audience was held in the strictest at
tention. There were no dull moments.
Each claim was brief and well express
ed. The costumes seemed to have
been worn by the happiest possible
choices for the various parts and lent
Continued on page FOUR