Marionettes, masks and shadowsMills, Winifred H. (Winifred Harrington)
Philosophy
Marionettes, masks and shadows
Mills, Winifred H. (Winifred Harrington)
Costume; Masques; Puppet plays; Shadow shows
A Christmas mask, when given in a school, may require the coöperation of
all departments. The English department may find the theme and place it
in a period and give it dramatic form and train the reader and maskers
in pantomime. In the art department, the masks will be made, the
costumes and properties will be designed and decorated. The library
furnishes books and plates. The sewing department makes the costumes.
The wood-working department makes the properties. The music department
finds appropriate music and trains the chorus. The printing department
prints programs, posters, and tickets.
Here is an example of the plan and development of a Christmas mask given
for children by the pupils of a junior high school. The first
consideration was the size of the stage and its possibilities. The
second consideration was the attention of the audience. It was thought
that an entertainment that lasted an hour would not be too long. The
problem then was to find or to make a story that would develop, reach
its climax and conclusion within an hour. Naturally this story had to be
dramatic, have a simple and clearly defined plot, and its characters few
and vivid. The story chosen was laid in England in the XVth Century. The
history, art, songs, and customs of that time seemed to lend themselves
so readily to a mask. The theme chosen was unselfish love. The
characters were the King, Queen, Sage, Lady-in-Waiting, Pages, Peasant
Mother, and her son, St. George, the Dragon, the Doctor and Jack, the
Giant Killer, and the Morris dancers. Beautiful old English carols were
woven into the story, which was told by a reader, accompanied by a harp.
The mask begins with the carol “Holy Night, Silent Night.” This is sung
by a concealed chorus of boys. The curtains open, the King is seated on
his throne, his Counsellor and Page beside him. The reader begins a
story of selfishness and greed that rule throughout the kingdom and with
a dream of the unhappy King. The Sage opens his great book and counsels
the King to send forth messengers to find if anyone in all the land has
done an unselfish deed. This alone can save the kingdom. The scene
closes with the departure of the pages and the singing of the carol: “We
three Kings of the Orient are, bearing gifts, we have traveled afar.”
The second scene is laid in a humble dwelling. Here an old peasant
mother awaits the return of her son from his day’s work. The reader
tells the story of their poverty, and of the old mother’s courage in
facing the day when her son must leave her to go forth into the world.
Distant carolers are heard singing:
Good King Wenceslaus looked out on the feast of Stephen.
While the snow lay round about deep and crisp and even.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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