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"The Man of Destiny" The success of the 1952 production of "The Tempest", the natural beauty of the school's setting, and the physical difficulties involved in staging a play under cover with the school in its present stage of development, have all encouraged those concerned with dramatic productions at Woolverstone to regard an open-air stage as an integral part of the school plays. The handicaps of such an arrangement were made obvious in July 1953. The play represented was 'The Man of Destiny' by George Bernard Shaw. A stage had been specially constructed with much labour for the performance. Terraced seating gave a good view to most of the audience. The weather was perfect, but for one thing - a breeze which so rustled the leaves of the trees and bushes that much of the performance was inaudible to a great part of the audience. It was a fault which on this occasion could not be avoided, but one which must be overcome in future, or the school plays will be a bore instead of an entertainment. To the actors themselves, only praise is due. I. McCulloch, although perhaps a trifle taller and fairer than one's conception of Napoleon, brought more maturity to the character than one would expect for his age. This, too, was true of A. Szepesy, as the Strange Woman. The playing of a woman's part by a boy is always a severe test; Szepesy passed this test in fine style, and his woman really lived. She appeared quite capable of the bluff and deception which she engineered, and was obviously too intelligent for the brash, bumptious Lieutenant, very ably played by T. Davies. R. Cox as the innkeeper tended to swallow most of his words, but was much appreciated by the audience. In conclusion, may it be said that the play was well costumed and the production was of the high standard which one now expects from Mr Bell. Both choice of play and acting were more adult than in 1952, representing a very great advance on the part of the School Dramatic Society. If this standard is maintained we can await further productions with keen anticipation. R.T.C. |