Thursday, February 23, 2017

Drama in School


Since our daughter is grown, it has been a while since we've had the chance to attend a school play.  I remember the "drama" of middle-school girls, but that's not what I'm remembering fondly in her case (or in mine).  I lovingly remember those days on the old stage at Steele School.  That gym/auditorium was the place for everything from PTA Christmas programs to end-of-school plays for 9th graders to musicals and other entertainment performed by civic organizations like the Lions Club.  In my case, those piano recitals were a vital part of my up-bringing as well and most of those were held at the old gym too and of course there was graduation when one was ready to move on to higher things.

I don't know about you, but I can picture the footlights that didn't seem to work too well except to blind the people on stage.  The curtains were great for hiding during practices.  I knew where every light switch and floor crack was.

I recall being hit in the head with a baton while practicing for a gala majorette routine performed to "Winchester Cathedral" in third grade, I believe.  I can still quote most of Luke 2 due to being asked to read that chapter for the PTA meeting when I was still in second grade.  It's always amazing to me that Miss French took every single person in her class home, two at a time, and sewed angel costumes out of white sheets so that we could perform "The Littlest Angel."  The horror of being required to accept a kiss from "Don Quixote" Dale Stracener in the fourth grade play is also part of my psyche to this day and then in fifth grade I had to recite this memorable line in our hillbilly play: "There's more tears than 'taters in that 'tater salad Ma's makin'."  What in the world kept me from Hollywood?

In our ninth grade play I had the part of the mother in the program.  I was so disappointed that I didn't get one of the more interesting roles, but looking back I can probably understand.

At any rate, I thought that I'd post one of the pictures from an operetta that occurred in the mid-1950's.  I'm not sure about the year of this photo but I have another one from 1954 that is labelled "Dedication of School Bldg" so I'm sure it's sometime after that.  The extravaganza in this picture was called "America: Yesterday & Today."  Written on the back is a note that says "entire cast of 150" which had to have been most of the children in the school.  Also on the back is written "Heads are bowed as they sing 'America' - the last verse as a prayer."  Try getting away with that in school now!  There are only two people identified  on the reverse side of the photo.  Since heads are bowed it may be hard to determine who the others are unless some of you recall your own participation.  "The Spirit of New America" was Fay Kilgore and I believe that she was the taller young lady in the center of the picture to the left of the flag.  "Patriotism" was portrayed by Vona Barron and I suppose she would be the girl to the right of the flag in the center of the picture.

Memories anyone?