P 4€ E FOWL
Players Celebrate
25th Anniversary
The Penn State Players will celebrate their 25th anniversary
this year with a variety of programs. "Twelfth Night," a Shakes
pearean comedy being presented tonight and tomorrow, is the first
offering of the year.
In addition to the play an exhibit of scene ,designs and - water
; colors by Oliver Smith, co-producer of "On the TOwn" and a grad
uate of the College, will be on display in the Mineral Industries Art
. •
Ganery for two weeks beginning Monday. • •
• Players will publish a com
memoration booklet later in the
,year which will contain the his
tory of the dramatic group and
a record of its achievements dur
ing the past 25 years.
Other features being planned
for the coming semesters are ex
perimental productions, a guest
speaker on theatre subjects, and
several plays. An attempt is be
ing . made to have a nationally
known star appear as a guest ar
tist in one of the ensuing per
formances.
The Players will have an an
niversary dinner and dance at
the Nittany Lion Inn, February
17, for members and their guests.
PlaYers.rodute
,I,Vatied'Repettoire
In looking back over the history
of the Penn State Players, one
would think that the word versa
tility should be mentally associ
ated with them,
Plays have been chosen from
every period from the ancient
Greeks to the modern American
stage. Settings have taken the au
dience to China, England, France,
the U.S.A., and even heaven, as in
'ie last production, "Our Town."
Players began modestly with
►three one-act plays. In his remi
piscences, Arthur C. - Cloetingh,
head of the Dramatics Depart
ment, reveals that only 11 persons
chose to try out while 20 roles had
to be filled. Eventually, the roles
:Were assigned, and the plays,
tbawn," "Spreading the News,"
find "The Wonder Hat," were giv
en. Money clinked merrily in the
till and Players could prepare to
give their second full-length pro
duction, "The Importance of Being
Earnest."
.i•
In 1925 Players could, with all
of the assurance of a well estab
]ished campus group, celebrate
their fifth anniversary. They pro
duced "Children of the Moon," by
Martin Flavin.
"Children of the Moon" had
been contemporary. Next season
Players turned to the Greek clas
sics and presented "Medea," by
Euripides, That it was successful
was shown by the large audiences
attracted. The following season,
the campus dramatics group pro
duced "Oedipus Rex," by Soph
odes.
As their tenth anniversary of
fering, Players presented "Fran
cesca Darimini," an American ro
mantic tragedy. Elaborate souvenir
booklets detailing the, history of
Players were . distributed at this
time.
Until 1931 Mr, Cloetingh had as
sumed all the directdrial chores.
That year Frank Neusbaum, a
Player alumnus, directed Ibsen's
"The Master Builder."
Between 1932 and 1937 Players
produced such diversified plays as
the melodramatic "Uncle Tom's
Cabin," and the ultrasophisticated
"Devil's Disciple" by G. B. Shaw.
(Continued on page five)
Congratulations
Colleg'eAlumnus
Plays Leading Role
In 'Winged Victory'
Cpl. Don Taylor,. who 'plays the
leading role Of "Pinky" hi'"Wing
ed Victory"- now showing at the
State Theatre, was graduated
from the. College. in 1942. While
a student . here he was active in
the Penn State . Players, having
title roles in 12 produCtions: '
It was during a rehearsal of
. •
"The Taming of the Shrew" in
Schwab Auditorium that Holly
wood scouts ..'saw Taylor for the
first time a'rid•b4him to the west
coast for screen . ' tests. He was
playing minor . roles for %-* , Metro-
Goldwyn-Mayer when his draft
number came up.
Stationed with the signal corps
attached to the Army Air Forces
at Drew Field, Fla., when Moss
Hart wrote his "Winged Victory,"
Corporal Taylor was determined
to get a part. Hart was scouring
the camps for men with some ex
perience to come to New York for
tryouts.
Taylor was spending a furlough
in Pittsburgh last August, carry
ing his orders to report to New
York for a tryout during October,
when he slipped and twisted his
knee. He was hospitalized there
until the middle of September, and
upon his return to camp he found
the orders for New York had been
moved up. The train had left the
day before. .
Frantically he tried to have
his orders changed. He tele
phoned and telegraphed Mr. Hart
to await his arrival in New York
before casting, but received no
answer. In the meantime Hart had
cast the five leading roles but
couldn't find the sixth someone
to play comedy and heavy drama.
He realized that somewhere in
(Continued on page five)
Players on Their
25th Anniversar'y
CPL. DON TAYLOR
TEE COLLEGIAN
Drama Group
To Publish
Memorandum
A memorial booklet commem
orating the 25th anniversary Is
now being prepared by Players.
Prof. Frank Neusbaum is editing it
and is being assisted by Mrs. Mar
garet Tschan Riley„ former mem
ber of the organization.
The memorandum will' present
a story and pictorial history of the
organization since its founding,
February 6, 1920, by Prof. Arthur
Cloetingh. Faculty sketches of
Professors Neusbaum, Cloetingh,
and Lawrence Tucker, Miss Grace
Clayton and Mrs. Dorothy Scott
will also be included.
Several feature articles and
stories of general interest about
the stage will be published in this
booklet as well as a complete list
of all plays produced by the
drama group and comments on
past and present activities of the
actors.
A special article on the alumni
and their individual accomplish
ments since graduation is being
prepared by Professor Neusbaum.
Supplementing the booklet will
be a complete mailing and occu
pational list of the 541 alumni
which will be sent exclusively to
former Players. Included in the
alumni are only active members
of the organization and not every
student who participated in pro
ductions. "
In order to gather accurate sta
tistics concerning graduates of the
organization, Professor Neusbaum
has mailed questionnaires to each
one which are being filled in and
returned. The director said that
more than 30 per cent have al
ready, been returned to the Play
ers' office.
The memorial booklet will be
distributed to the alumni and to
college and community theatres
all over the United States. It will
be on sale for the general public.
Mrs. Frances Bolderoff, of the
Public . Information office, is de
signing the cover for the booklet
and is taking care of business ar
rangements.
Jerome Kern
Music Score
(Current)
Long the acknowledged dean of
American composers, Jerome
Kern was a natural choice to
write 'the music for Deanna Dur-.
bin's first Technicolor musical,
Universal's "Can't Help Singing,"
which is now at the C)haum
Theatre. There could be no better
combination of musical talents
than Kern's songs and Deanna's
golden voice.
The music for "Can't Help Sing
ing" culminates forty years of suc
cess for the composer. Although
these years have brought drastic .
changes to the world and to the
entertainment profession, Kern
has continued his parade of hits
without interruption. Music lovers
never will forget his tunes 'from
such shows as "Show • Boat,"
"Sweet Adeline," "Sally," "Rob
erta" and "The Cat and the
Fiddle."
Kern seldom is inspired to write
a single number. His melodies are
carefully planned to fit particu
lar stories and personalities. It
was in this manner that he com
posed "More and More," "Can't
Help Singing," "Elbow Room,"
"Any Moment Now," "Californ-i
-ay" and "Swing Your Sweet heart
'Round the Fire" especially for
Deanna and her picture. Those
who have seen the picture say that
the charming star has never been
in finer voice. ,
E. Y. Harburg, who_has
collab
orated with Kern before, and who
is a lyricist of considerable note,
teamed with,the composer in the
writing of the score.-.-Adv.
NOTICE
7
1 a,p.1,p.,,,e1.1.. : . 4., ptrrs, l' ot i l YeP c fl?4:_t
'tallied . their ennanen f atricul.
,
lation cards ay icip' go at; the re
gistrar's. office, - - -... .. ,
Oliver Smith Wins Theater's Acclaim
After Gaining Honors Al College
The success story about the lad
who achieved fame in the cold
world after being rudely unap
preciated in college doesn't ap
ply to Oliver Smith, Penn State
'39, who was busy at stage sets
for Players while only a fresh
man at the College.
Smithis • first set for Players
was done for "Uncle Tom's Cab
in," and after' that he designed
and personally painted the sets
for numerous Player shows.
His professional career began
in NeW York :with. the designing
of backdrops for two ballets.
After working with a summer
theatre in Scarsdale, N.Y., and
the Watergate Theater in Wash
ington,. he returned to New York .
to work for the Ballet Russe and
the New Opera Company.
One of the most versatile.-men
in the field, he has designed with
equal facility for straight plays,,
musical...revues, opera,. operettas,
and ballets. He alsoi is one of, the
more prolific •designers, hlVing
done_. seven shows in 1944, and
having deSigned no less, than 18'
shows in the last four years. '
In this same period, he has
established himself as an import
ant artist in water color, with a .
.record of having' been eXhibited .
in eight' important art galleries in
New York and Chicago.
Recently, Smith has entered
still another part of the ;theatrical
field as co-producer of the • mu
sical hit, "On the Town." He has
another play, "Undine", lined up
for next season, and will be in
Hollywood shortly to do the sets
for the new Danny Kaye movie.
COMES SATURDAY TO CATHAUM THEATRE
eanna Durbin and Robert Paige in a romantic scene
Singing," a Technicolor musical.
,N,EI 'THE' 'S
11111
um
FRIDAY, FFARUARY 9, . 1945
A showing of Smith's work,
scheduled for the Mineral Indus
tries Gallery, a feature of Players'
25th anniversary celebration, has
been delayed. because of shipping
difficulties. Notice of its opening
will be made when the exhibit
arrives.
Included in the showing will be
scene designs from plays, 'operas,
operettas, musicals, ballets, and
a number of photographs of
scenes, mostly from "Rosalinda"
and "On the Town." Some of
Smith's watercolors, gouaches;
will also be shown.
Some of the productions for
which he hal designed scenes are
Saroyan's "Hello Out There,"
Sam Son Raphaelson's "The Per
fect Marriage," "The . Merry Wi
dow," •"Rosalinda," "On th e
Town" and the ballets "Rodeo,"
with music by Aardn Copland,
" Fancy Free," with music by
Leonard• Bernstein, and "Waltz
Academy."
Difiner-Dance,Honors
New • Player Members
Players will entertain new in
itiates at a dinner-dance at the
Nittany. Lion Inn after initiation
February 17. There will be danc
ing to the music of the Campus
Owls following dinner.
Entertainment during intermis
sion will consist of songs and
skits by the dramatics faculty and
students. New and old associates
and cast and crew members of
"Our Town" and "Twelfth Night"
are invited, to the informal affair.
rom "Can't . Help
il=^i.
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