ELT Logo 1944

This article appeared in the A Majority of One Program book in November 1964.

Notes of a Twenty Year History

by Eva Taylor

In looking over the records of Elmira Little Theatre one is impressed by the large number of individuals who have been a part of its twenty year history. Some have served as board members and officers. They have had the tasks of dealing with budget and housing problems which have sometimes been acute. So acute indeed that there have been a few times when nothing less than heroic measures have saved Little Theatre.

Others have served among those unseen, and often unsung, workers — the backstage crews. They have designed and constructed eyefilling and complicated sets, more often than not in inadequate quarters. They have made, borrowed, and seemingly conjured out of thin air beautiful costumes of many styles. Others have been equally ingenious in rounding up props. There have been lighting and make-up crews, sound effect experts, public relations and hospitality committees, play readers and ushers. There have been other committees and other experts as special projects have developed.

All of this work is of course simply to support the directors of the plays and their actors. No other group activity uses so many people of such varying talents as the theater.

Although the theater is the group activity par excellence, no group was involved in the beginning of Elmira Little Theatre. The idea and the rounding up of the first enthusiasts was the work of one woman — Eleanor Emery. A newcomer to Elmira, Mrs. Emery felt that the city needed live theatre. She started a one woman telephone campaign, and by March 21, 1944 had enough recruits to call an organization meeting which was held in the lecture room at the Steele Memorial Library. There were thirty present and each put $1.00 into the first budget. Meetings were held monthly throughout the spring and summer and one act plays were given in the loft of a barn owned by Dr. Joseph Lewis at 218 W. Church St. After serving Elmira Little Theatre in many capacities Mrs. Emery is now Honorary President.

The first officers of Elmira Little Theatre were Eleanor Emery, President; Barger Crusade, Vice-President; Beatrice Austin, Secretary; Richard Emery, Treasurer. Other members of the first Board of Governors were Ernfred Anderson, Frances Brayton, Lucy Brodie, Geraldine Quinlan, and Evan Vaughan.

By December 1944 Elmira Little Theatre, although still very young, was strong enough to give a fine performance of a full length play, The Man Who Came to Dinner. It was directed by George Mellor and presented in Cowles Hall, at Elmira College. In the cast was a group of players who were to be in many another Elmira Little Theatre play and who were to become favorites with Elmira audiences — Roger McGrath, Robert Bolger, Barbara Hardin, Mary Stewart Pollack, and Edith Lee.

In the backstage crews of this first major production were workers who would serve in various ways for many years — Mabel Leupelt, Gertrude Hoffman, Edna Klungle, Barger Crusade, Eila Anderson (now Mrs. Crusade), Richard Emery, Alec Falck, Ernfred Anderson, Dean Taylor. Later two presidents of Little Theatre were to come from this group. As the years came and went many other workers were equally faithful. We mention these because they were the pioneers.

During our first season we presented the first of a series of outdoor Christmas pageants on the campus of Elmira College. The 1948 pageant was an outstanding one. Edna Klungle was in charge. The Elmira Civic Chorus under the direction of their professional leader, Guy Frazier Harrison of Rochester, sang many of the well beloved-Christmas songs. The animals were particularly satisfactory that year, especially a little donkey who carried Mary to Bethlehem.

The pageants were presented on the hillside between Cowles Hall and the lake and covered considerable territory. The production problems were formidable. The lighting crews strung much wire and climbed trees to put up spots. "Working the lights" was no easy task. Moreover, we had two extremely cold Decembers in succession which cut down the audiences. So the Christmas pageants were given up but they were fine while they lasted. They were called "Little Theatre's Gift to the Community."

The second play of our second season was a more serious play than we had attempted before — Watch on the Rhine, directed by Karen Featherman. It was presented in the Sunday School wing of Hedding Church. The acoustics were not all that the director desired so the stage crew borrowed room size rugs, tacked them on wooden frames and stood them against the side walls. This play introduced to Elmira an actor from Vienna, Oskar Burger. With the rise of Hitler Mr. Burger came to Elmira from Vienna where he had acted with an amateur theater group. He was a fine actor and had an old world courtesy that charmed everyone. He was in a number of other plays and was a highly valued member of Elmira Little Theatre until he returned to Austria.

During our first and second years there was an active workshop group which gave one act plays at the Steele Memorial Library. At that time there was no stage in the lecture room at the library so the members of Elmira Little Theatre built one. It must have been well built because it is still there and makes the room a more desirable place for lectures, book reviews, and other programs than it would otherwise be.

In March of 1946 Elmira Little Theatre moved into the Federation Building, now the Jewish Community Center. At that time the building was in poor repair. ELT members scrubbed and painted, built an excellent lighting panel, put in a grid for hanging scenery, bought material, and made a cyclorama curtain. This last was used as a background for one act plays and play readings. Play readings were a Sunday evening feature. For several years we sponsored a festival of one act plays to which schools, clubs, and churches in Elmira and neighboring towns sent representatives. These festivals usually ran for five nights with three plays each night. We had community players from as far away as Cortland, and college groups from Keuka and Mansfield as well as from Elmira.

At this time there was an active apprentice group for teenagers in charge of Vic Fancher. They studied acting and production, had a social life of their own, and produced one act plays. They furnished junior players for major productions. They folded and addressed Cue Sheets and did many another chore. There was also a radio workshop that studied radio writing and production. This group put on radio skits for the Community Chest, the Christmas seal committee, and other good causes.

While in the "Fed" Elmira Little Theatre sponsored a Beaux Arts Ball. This did not have the public response we had hoped for, but the decorations were lovely, everyone had a good time, and there was a profit of $246.60.

In October 1947 a bit of pleasing recognition came to Elmira Little Theatre. The New York State Community Theatre Conference met in Ithaca and we were asked to give the conference play. We took to Ithaca a production of Personal Appearance which we had given for three nights in Elmira about a week earlier. We played in the beautiful theatre in the Willard Straight Building at Cornell before a most appreciative audience.

In 1949 Daniel Fuhrman, actor, stagehand, and a former president of ELT was elected to the board of the New York State Community Theatre Conference. This board was made up of recognized leaders in the community theatre field.

The time came when the Jewish Community Center needed all its facilities for its own program. Since then the Elmira Little Theatre has been akin to a band of strolling players. Plays have been given in the Parley Coburn School and the old Elmira Free Academy in Elmira; in the Mary Thurston School in Elmira Heights; in the parish house at Grace Church and in the Park Church; in the carriage room at Strathmont and in the Mark Twain Ballroom; in the old gymnasium at Elmira College and the attractive, comfortable little theatre in the Emerson Activities Building at the college. We also produced The Caine Mutiny Court Martial in the Chemung County Court House.

Throughout its history Elmira Little Theatre has suffered from inadequate space for constructing sets, and storing flats and props. A heatless loft on Railroad Avenue used for several years was enough to have killed a less hardy group of people. A member's barn served as a storage place for a number of years. This was particularly inconvenient in bad weather. The many auditoriums which we have rented for performances were often unavailable for more than one rehearsal. This has often been a severe handicap.

Since the history of Elmira Little Theatre includes war years someone may ask "What did you do?" In the forties we were often well in the black and we bought war bonds. We wrote and performed skits for bond rallies and other patriotic causes. Sailors from the Sampson Naval training station on Lake Seneca were admitted free if they were in the city on show nights.

The President of the United States asked that community services and recreation be kept as nearly normal as possible, especially in war industry areas. That meant us and we did our part.

From late in the forties until late in the fifties individual members of the Elmira Art Club drew covers for our printed programs, each cover suggesting the content or the play. The time came when it seemed that we could not, in good conscience, continue to expect so much from the artists, especially since several individuals had drawn many covers each.

We therefore sponsored a contest for a cover design that we could use on each of our programs. This contest was won by Harwood Taylor Jr. with his drawing of the two masks which is familiar to us all. This season we have a new cover drawn by John Fell.

Beginning in the fall of 1950 Elmira Little Theatre had a series of professional managing directors. From the beginning of our history we had had a group of volunteer directors who had done work of professional quality, but the time came when it seemed that we were expecting too much of them. This will be more easily understood if we recall that from our second season we had been producing five major plays each season in addition to one act plays, pageants and skits of various kinds.

Moreover it was hoped that a managing director, having more time, might be able to arouse a greater interest in ELT in the community at large. This hope was not realized but the period of professional direction is an interesting part of our history and covers nearly half of our twenty years.

Florence Evans who was an active member both before and after her term as a professional, was our first managing director. She gave us our first Shaw play, Arms and the Man. It was a successful production in arena style in the old gymnasium at Elmira College.

Michael Sinclair was an Englishman who came to Elmira from two years as a Fulbright scholar at the University of Georgia. His greatest success for us was a stunning production of The Importance of Being Earnest. His American wife, Ruth, and Lucy Van Duzer were in charge of costumes and the entire play was done in black and white.

Mr. Sinclair has had considerable success in the New York theatre since leaving Elmira. Last season he was stage manager of the New York production of "The Private Ear; the Public Eye," and was in a national touring company of the same play. We understand that he is to be in an Alan Jay Lerner-Burton Lane musical on Broadway this season.

Mr. Sinclair was succeeded by Donald Wilson. During Mr. Wilson's tenure we had the greatest box office success of our entire history — a production of Jennie Kissed Me. This play depends so much upon one man that we feel we must mention the ELT veteran Ernest Friedman who played a Roman Catholic priest with an Irish brogue.

We next had an English couple, David Linnell and his wife Rosemary. They came to us at the suggestion of the Sinclairs. Rosemary was on leave of absence from her teaching position at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London. An unusual event during their stay was the presentation of an Easter play on Easter Sunday evening in Hedding Church under the sponsorship of the Council of Churches. The play, The Least of These was written by Mrs. Linnell.

Ian Kirk came next. We think we might say that he gave us our Noel Coward year. We presented two Coward plays, Private Lives and Hay Fever in that one season.

Mr. Kirk was followed by Jay Broad who directed our second Shaw play, an excellent production of Pygmalion. He also directed noteworthy productions of I Remember Mama and the The Rainmaker. He married Elmira's own Lois Near.

Last season Mr. Broad directed an Off-Broadway production of a Spanish classic, Life is a Dream by Calderon. For this he received much critical approval. This season he is to direct Advise and Consent for the Fine Arts Center in Atlanta. Following that he is to be guest director for three plays at a repertory theatre in St. Paul.

The late Lin Swearingen worked with Mr. Broad as set designer and technical assistant and succeeded him as managing director. This was the year we did our first Arthur Miller play, All My Sons. There was also a fine production of On Borrowed Time.

The season of 1958-59 was our last season with a paid director, Paul Talley. He will be remembered for giving us our first Shakespeare, a creditable production of Macbeth in Park Church. He also directed The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial in the Chemung County Court House, another serious play of more than passing interest. Mr. Talley is now teaching and working for a Ph. D. at the University of Wisconsin.

When the financial report was given at the annual meeting in the spring of 1960, it showed a deficit. This meant the end of our period of paid directors. There was some doubt whether enough volunteer directors could be found, and there were those who felt that this was a crisis which we could not overcome.

The doubts were illfounded. Actually the sixties have been very good years. This has been due chiefly to a group of talented and devoted volunteers who have been willing to take on the arduous tasks of play direction — Dr. David Kaplan, Frederick Townsend, Keith Horton, Betty Rothermel, Faye Epstein, Joan Gray, Joyce Krempel, Joni Mattice, Daniel Safford and Dorothy Williams.

These volunteers have not shunned serious and difficult plays. They have given us Death of a Salesman, Glass Menagerie, and Anastasia among others often considered too difficult for amateurs.

In the spring of 1962 Mr. Frederick Townsend, director of Anastasia took the recognition scene from that play to Corning to appear before the New York State Theatre Festival Association.

In 1963 Dr. David Kaplan who with Daniel Safford directed Middle of the Night took that play to Corning to appear before the same organization.

The New York State Theatre Festival Association is an organization of college and community theaters. It is subsidized by Corning Glass to the extent that the company gives the association the free use of the auditorium in the glass museum.

During the sixties and for a few years before, Elmira Little Theatre has had a puppet division known as "The Punch and Judy Playhouse." Lynn Rebeck has been the director of this group as well as one of its skillful puppeteers. Shirley Maguire and Mr. and Mrs. Gene Jennings have also done notable work with the puppets. Marsha Murphey has been their musical director, and Thomas Burt the stage technician. The group has written its own plays, some original, and some adaptations of folk tales and other popular stories. Peter and the Wolf, Little Red Riding Hood, and the Three Little Pigs have been favorites. The Puppeteers have given free performances in the children's wards of the local hospitals, before brotherhood groups, and for various good causes. They have appeared before many organizations and at private parties on a fee basis.

During the sixties a long held dream has become a reality — the cooperation of the Elmira Symphony and Choral Society and Elmira Little Theatre. Their first joint production was an excellent The Mikado in February 1963. It was jointly directed by Peyton Hibbitt director of the musical group, and Joan Gray representing Elmira Little Theatre.

Experienced members of Little Theatre were responsible for the backstage work. Edwin Hecht was stage manager, set design was by John Fell assisted by members of the Elmira Art Club. Jacob Ruppenthal was in charge of set construction; wardrobe was in charge of Inga Pineo; make-up was directed by Ernest Friedman; and lighting was handled by Richard Melling. Faye Epstein represented ELT on a joint committee for management of the house; Eila Crusade handled part of the publicity; Catherine Craig edited the printed program, and Martin Townsend took care of program advertising.

In February 1964 a fine production of Die Fledermaus was jointly given. Little Theatre's part was much the same as for the The Mikado. Joan Gray was again co-director with Mr. Hibbitt. Faye Epstein was part of the business and box office management. Eila Crusade was production manager and handled publicity. Edwin Hecht was house manager and Robert McQuaid stage manager. John Fell again had charge of set design with Robert McQuaid in charge of construction. Richard Melling and Joseph Saccone did lighting and Audrey McQuaid properties. Catherine Craig was again in charge of the printed program.

We cannot bring these notes to an end without a word of appreciation of our faithful advertisers. Some have been with us from the beginning; others for more than half of our twenty years. Their cooperation has not only enabled us to have interesting and informative printed programs, but has also helped with the general budget. We are also grateful to our patrons and to all our faithful members who have helped keep live theatre in Elmira.

Considerations of time and place prevent our naming all the good plays, fine players, and faithful workers who have been a part of our history. Each of our readers will remember his own favorites and can make his own list. We hope that a collection of old programs on display at our first play of our new season will help us all to remember.

Eva C. Taylor

(The compiler of these notes is indebted to Faye Epstein for help when the records seemed to lack clarity; and to Martha Greenough who typed the manuscript).