Theater
Drama with Mary Gwen Owen
By Elizabeth (Liz) Larson Spangenberg
While at Macalester I was in Drama Chorus with Mary Gwen Owen for many happy hours; she always made it memorable!
Fowl play
By Merrilyn Thompson Dawson
I worked on props for the play "Jack and the Beanstalk." It was my job to chloroform the chicken so that the actors could handle it on stage.
Dark of the Moon
By Carol J. Lohse Tveit
When Dr. Hatfield decided to direct Dark of the Moon, a mythic play set in Appalachia and populated by a Conjure Man, witches, mountain folk and young lovers, I was given the job of student director. During one performance everything seemed to be moving along well, the lighting was appropriately dark, John Boy had crawled around the mountain-rocks looking for his lover and then disappeared into the cave shrouded in mist. Later I heard the witches circling the mouth of the cave and crooning their siren call, "Conjure Man! Conjure Man!" The intensity of their calls mounted from a sexy plea to a panicked alarm. Their voices took on a desperate tone. I realized that our Conjure Man was not responding. I frantically scrambled around looking for him in the Green Room, under the stage, outside the stage door, while the witches continued to sing, chant and circle the mountain. Mr. Hatfield rushed backstage, breathless, and found our Conjure Man asleep in the cave. Talk about a relaxed actor! The lesson learned: what ever your role in life, show up!
Reaching new heights
By John F. Roschen
Registering for first semester classes as a freshman, I noticed Speech 201 was offered during one of my open periods. It looked interesting to me, but Professor Douglas Hatfield informed me that Speech 101 was a prerequisite. He asked me if I had had any acting experience, and I told him I played the lead role as Elwood P. Dowd in my high school senior play “Harvey.” Noticing my six-foot-four-inch height, Hatfield said, “You may take Speech 201 if you will be the Giant in the children’s play Jack and the Beanstalk scheduled for early December.” They put six pairs of wooden shower clogs together to elevate me even taller. [See Mac Weekly archives, December 7, 1956, page 1, for a photo]