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Show Ss -' -k ml ""'if -1 ill V t SR LOCAL PARTICIPATION. Pariticipation by local musicians has increased rapidly due to expanded pre-festival program. Many residents willingly contribute their time and talents to help make the lestival a success. Unseen services vital to Festival of community help spans the 14 years of the Festival's existence. Cedar City has not been renamed "Festival City" as many people think it should be, but the cooperation of the community", monumental support sup-port of Southern Utah State College, and unswerving determination of Festival producers and supporters have combined to bring fame and credit to this fast growing southern Utah community. Of the approximately 150 people involved in the production of the Utah Shakespearean Festival, nearly 75 come from Cedar City and other Iron County communities. Some of these people are never seen by the public, but most play a vital role in the public relations aspect of the Festival. A group of Cedar City's most gracious women serve as hostesses, ticket takers, program dispensers, and ushers. These ladies are attired in Elizabethan style dresses which they had designed by Barbara Cox, a five-year veteran costume designer, and they sewed the dresses themselves. Talented community residents sing with wandering madrigal groups. Youthful dancers wind the maypole and cavort on the green to the quaint rhythms of the Elizabethan orchestra, also composed of townspeople. One especially gifted Cedar City family stages a Punch and Judy show which they have designed, built, and produced after extensive historical research into this ancient theatrical form. Another local family has handled concessions for many years, being on hand nightly through the four-week season to serve refreshments to Festival patrons. Many more services are provided in the community by civic organizations, businesses, and religious and educational groups. Many of the volunteers belong to the Utah Shakespearean Festival Guild which furnishes a special party for the Festival company during the opening week of performances each season. This group also provides a substantial amount of scholarship funding. The history |