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Show Westminster College of Salt Lake City Marilyn Scharines Last Lecture: Christmas Is For The Birds American Pop Theater, Pre-TV Leslee Gregg Forum Staff Writer For a young girl growing up in the early 50s, television didnt have the impact on popular culture that it has today. Marilyn Scharine, who now teaches speech and theater classes at Westminster, was much more impressed by a Broadway actress who performed once in her hometown of Whitewater, Wis., when she was 12. Scharines Last Lecture, on Nov. 23, was dedicated to that actress, Cornelia Otis Skinner, who had inspired her so many years ago. Skinners career reflected much of what was typical of American popular theater at the time, although, as Scharine said, most scholars would not describe those plays as academi-- , cally viable or as great pieces of literature. It was simply good entertainment. Skinners early professional life was influenced by a woman named Ruth Draper. She had perfected the art of the single woman monologue, Scharine' said, a type of show that Skinner would later adopt for herself. Skinner, however, created whole scripts for her menu of characters, where as Draper performed only simple character sketches. Other theatrical influences for Skinner included her parents, Maud Durbin and Otis Skinner, both accomplished stage actors, and the famous Sarah Bernhardt. Cornelia Skinner later wrote, among other books, a biography of Bernhardt that included considerable background information on French theater history. Entertainment in 1919, when Skinner first fledged as an actress, shows, the circus and the movies. Radio and the recording industry would develop into powerful entertainment media in the coming decade. And the first experiments with television were just beginning to show promise. The constellation of the stars of that era included the Marx brothers, W.C. Fields, Harry Houdini, Will Rogers, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Lillian Gish, Gloria Swanson, Rudolph Valentino and A1 Jolson, to name a few. The year that Cecil B. DeMille produced his monumental movie The Ten Commandment, Cornelia Skinner won roles in the plays Will Shakespeare, Tweedles and The Wild Westcotts. By 1925, George Gershwins Rhapsody in Blue had sold over a million copies, and Skinner, at 24, had written the first of several plays, Captain Fury. It opened on Broadway and featured her father in the leading role. She also created the first in a series of monologues, Scharine said, and began touring the U.S. and London. Cornelia Otis Skinner went on to become an accomplished actress and worked with legendary figures such as Cecil Beaton and George Bernard Shaw. As television began to make inroads into the audience for movies and theater, Scharine said, Skinner pursued another interest. Over the years, she wrote several books, as well as a radio show called "William and Mary. In her book, Madame Sarah, Skinner says of Sarah Bernhardt, Life engenders life. Energy creates energy. It is by spending oneself that one becomes rich. wild-we- st For Marilyn Scharine, the magic of included vaudeville, shows, medicine shows, literary read- theater has certainly enriched her ings, traveling minstrel and magic everyday life. Sub For Santa To Hold Drawing Peter Gom Contributing Writer The annual Sub For Santa drive is now well under way, and the ASWC is holding a series of drawings this week to help raise money so that this years nominated families can fulfill their Christmas wishes. Prizes for the drawings include tickets to watch Utah Jazz basketball, tickets to see the Utah symphony and seats for the Ballet West. Purchasers of tickets also have a chance to win gift certificates or discounts at selected restaurants in Salt Lake City. Tickets for the drawings can be purchased in the ASWC office during their will also regular hours. have a booth set up in the Shaw building this week during the lunch hour to encourage ticket sales. and doThe deadline for nations has been extended to Dec, 16. Gifts should be brought in as soon as possible to facilitate their distribution. It is worthwhile to note that if every student donated just $1 to the drive, the ASWC could raise approximately $2200, a serious contribution to needy families in the community. Sub-for-San- ta gift-givi- ng Sub-for-San- ta photo by Alexandra Sanders WCEE members Kirsten Dyk, Dr. Ty Harrison, Dave Neisler and Alex Smith decorate a Christmas tree in Tanner Plaza. The tree is decorated with edible ornaments, so that birds and dorm students can graze. Ellipsis Debut Party Coming Soon Leslee Gregg Forum Staff Writer The debut of the Fall 1993 issue of Westminsters literary magazine. Ellipsis: Literature and Art, will be held at 8 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 9, in Nunemaker Place. The event is free and open to the public, and refreshments will be served. The writers and artists whose work was accepted for publication have also been invited to attend. Those authors will have the opportunity to read selections of their published or new material. Robin Larson, editor of Ellipsis, expressed appreciation for all the support received from Westminster students. All of the artwork and prose submissions for this semesters edition were by Westminster students. Work from other authors were accepted from as far away as California and Tennessee. Ellipsis is published twice each academic year by ASWC, with additional support from the Utah Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts. |