Evening star., 1932-02-22
|c0t0RFU[ PICTURE
GIVEN AT MASQUE
Distinguished Audience Sees
Washington's Greatness
Portrayed.

A colorful symbolic picture Of Amer
lean history was presented at Consti-
tuition Hall last night when Percy Mac
Hayes folk-masque, Wakefield" was
staged under the auspices of the George
Washington Bicentennial Commission.
A distinguished audience, led by Vice
President Charles Curtis, witnessed the
performance In which several hun
dred elaborately oostumed Washing
tonians participated. The central
theme OF the n1asque was a Midwinter
nights dream of the birth Of WASH
ington The masque opened with the
chorus of the ages-with an impress
sive scene as the large blue -robed
chorus, each member bearing a lighted
candle, passed down the aisles, followed
by the spirit of Washington. played by
the Rev. Earle Whitley The spirit
emerges from the dinness of folk mem
ory, casts its shadow upon the rock
symDolizing the American background,
and then passes into the rock itself
where later historic tableaux visions of
his will to freedom" are revealed. The
whole prologue voices the master theme
OF the maSque, the conflict between the
"
OF Washington. and the muddled self
enslaved spirits symbolizing drift.
Folk Spirit Appears.
Then appears the maternal folk spirit,
Wakefield played by Margaret Anglin,
who hears the voices of the symbolic
characters Free and Brave lost in the
wilderness. Scene after scene fellows,
showing the conflict between these
CrNSr rif nral he ir,t - &~,ft
which the long pageant of American
history is enacted in a series of scenes
the New World explorers, the characters
OF American folk lore. the pioneers and
representations from Shakespeare, Eng
lish history and the Bible. Then all B
broken by the re-entry of the spirits of
fog.
Then comes the second part Of the
maSque, symboliZing the various folk
elements that have entered into Amer
ican life. There are l3 processionals-
Scotch. Welsh, Irish. German, Nor
wegian, French, Danish, Italian, Greek,
Swedish, Czechoslovakian, Polish and
Russlan-for which the singers were
furnished by the various local national
groups Wakefield welcomes them.
Then, within the rock, a rapidly moving
series OF tableaux is revealed, showing
significant events in the life of WASH
lngton, at the end of which the majestic
figure of the first President appears
high on the rock and the nasque ends
Of the entire assembly joins in a new
stanza Of The Star Spangled Banner"
written by Mr.. MacKaye.
Given by Large Cast.
The cast of the masque is as follows:
Washington, the Rev. Earle Wilfiey;
North Star. Arthur White: Or on,
Maurice Jarvis; Cassiopeia Grace Peters
Johnson; Wakefield. Margaret Anglin:
Folk-Say. Robert Chase; Wap, ,rcomo,
Black Bird an Omaha Indian, .lxmus,
Edward Muth: free. Hugo SC .ulze: drift,
Caroline Mckinley; Cabal. Wallace
Wright; fear. Ruth Mckenzie: muddle,
Thomas Cahill: poverty. Anne Ives:
persecution. Eldred Wilson; brave,
Harry Schonrank
The chorus of the ages" was pro-
vided by the National Capital Choir,
augmented by l40 singers. Scenes were
presented by the Caroline Mckinley
dancers. Avondale country school, how
ard University. knights Of Columbus,
Indians from the Indian Bureau Of the
Department Of the Interior, Shake
speare Society OF Washington, Henry
c. Spengler Post and auxiliary, Ameri-
can Legion; Washington Federation of
Churches and Jewish Community
Chorus, Neighborhood House and the
Anlericanization School Association and
cooperating national groups and
Friendship House.
Tableau scenes were presented by the
260th Coast Artillery Of the District Of
Columbia National Guard, Southern
Society. Virginia State Society and the
Washington Club.