Come Back in May

l:EIME BAl:K IN MAY

'A Man for All Seasons' tops Alumni-Aumnae \Veekend, May 16 and 17

It's spring on the University of Richmond campus and the dogwood is at its peak. Also in full bloom are preparations for Alumni-Alumnae Weekend, May 16 and 17. Co-chairmen William B. Graham, '43; and Jean Brumsey Biscoe, '48; are planning the events (see calendar) to provide two full days of welcome.

Topping the weekend's activities will be two performances of "A Man for All Seasons," produced by the University Players under the direction of the beloved Alton Williams. For the matinee performance University Players who worked under his command will come back in an "I LUV PROF" demonstration. Returning Players will march into their reserved seats, on cue, just before the opening curtain.

Earlier, it will be classes as usual on Friday at Alumni-Alumnae College. Saturday is set aside for business first, on both sides of the lake, and then pleasure, co-ed style. Saturday morning will be highlighted by the dedication of the T. Justin Moore Memorial Hall, named for a former rector of the University Boa rd of Trustees. A late afternoon reception will be a pleasant interlude between the two performances of "A Man for All Seasons" in the James L. Camp Memorial Theatre in the Fine Arts ·Building. Class reunions will be held both Friday and Saturday nights.

Clarence J. Doane, '49, co-chairman of the "I LUV PROF" event, noted that "Saturday's play is particularly appropriate for this tribute to Alton Williams who has taken a key role in drama on the University campus and in the greater Richmond community for more than 30 years. For those of us who tread the boards or worked backstage," Doane said "Prof is truly our man for all time."

Old grads, as well as those of recent vintage who claim less than 30 birthdays, also will be particularly interested in returning to the classroom on Friday. The lectures, scheduled by Mary Owen Miller, '61, can be attended without such former "benefits" as notes, examinations and semester credits.

Beginning at the very respectable hour of 10:30, Dr. Irby B. Brown, '54, of the English Department, will discuss "What Is Pornography?" Dr. Brown will look at current movies and television programs and relate them to the present and future trends of morals in literature. At 11:30, Dr. Warwick R. West, Jr., professor of biology, will launch off from the topic, "I Can See a Hundred Milestones." He will speculate on research in marine and space biology and anticipate the effect on American living. After lunch, classes will resume at 2 o'clock when Jean Nesmith Dickinson, '41, of the psychology department, will sketch a profile of the "Contemporary Co-Ed." From her firsthand knowledge of today's campus, Mrs. Dickinson will discuss student awarenes and their problems as well as the challenges that students present to the faculty and administration.

The "I LUV PROF" demonstration is being staged under the direction of a crew of former players which, besides Doane, includes: Carlson Thomas, '40; Henrietta Sadler Kinman, '41; Carolyn Gary Hugo, 41; Jack Noftsinger '40; William Etheridge; '46; Hansford Rowe, '50; and Mary G. Sherer Taylor, '42; with the able assistance of William Lockey, '44, in checking out the list of performers from ancient playbills.

The playbills tell the story of Prof's years on the University campus, beginning in 1935. For some of that time he ran the show alone, alternating between the classroom, backstage, and out front, where he was both director and producer. His productions have ranged from classic Greek tragedy and Shakespeare to dramas penned by the students themselves. A display of the playbills, along with the pictures, will be on hand as footlight reminders and proof of campus stardom.

The scene shifts also have varied. Originally, there was the playhouse on the hill where deathless speeches competed with whistling radiators. Next there was the cozy intimacy of a quonset hut. And always, weather permitting, the amphitheater beckons with its grassy slopes, heavenly eves, and dressing room distributed descreetly among the pines. Today, the Players operate from their spacious new home in the Fine Arts Building which has been hailed as one of the finest student theaters in the nation. "Such a theater," Doane pointed out, "has long been Prof's dream. Those of us who have had the good fortune to be associated with him realize he had much to do with planning the facilities and seeing them materialize."

Theater people traditionally are known for trying to steal the spotlight and bygone University Players are no exception. But that's only part of the show. There's a full bill; two whole days of continuous performances beginning May 16.

Curtain. Lights. Action. It's that time of year. You can come home again.