“In the first place we had a director-general who didn’t believe in doing things by halves. For nearly a month we rehearsed three times a week. That means after the day’s work was done we ate a hasty supper, hurried through the chores, cranked up the Ford and ‘beat it’ to rehearsal. And when we did give it we didn’t waste our efforts in a little schoolhouse with a stage consisting of a carpet on the floor and a sheet hung on a wire for the curtain. Nix! We had an outfit that any theater in a fair sized town might well be proud of. “Well, we had a full house and then some, they even came from Minot fifty miles north of here and from other neighboring towns. After it was over we got all kinds of press notices, nice complimentary ones, too. Our fame even went as far as Washburn and the County Supt. of Schools asked us to come down and give it at the Teachers’ Institute, Nov. 4, to give the teachers an idea what could be done in other communities y’see? We didn’t go though, didn’t have any way to pay expenses as he wanted to give it free. However, we went to Garrison, Ryder, Parshall, Makoti and drew a full house every time except once and that was due to insufficient advertising, only two days. We collected enough money to buy chairs and other furnishings for our new ‘Little Country Theater’ and also the salary of an instructor to our orchestra we are just starting. “Our stage is surely ‘great.’ The wings, interior set and arch are made of beaver board, with frames of scantling, the frame of the arch, however, is not scantling, but two by fours. It is all made in such a manner that it can be knocked down and packed away, when we wish to use the building for basketball or other games. The back drop is the most beautiful landscape I have ever seen, a real work of art. “The front drop curtain is what made it possible for us to get the entire outfit. It has the ad of nearly every business man in Ryder and represents something like $240. The complete stage cost us $200 so we still had some left over. “The theater which is not yet completed is in the basement of the new brick consolidated school. It will be steam heated and later electric lighted, two dressing rooms back of the stage, and well I guess that’s enough for a while. The auditorium will be about 19 x 40 ft. “Now I believe what we can do others can do as we are only an ordinary community, our director was a college graduate with a lot of pep and push, that’s all. “Do you ever loan out any of your scenery? Another party who has ‘caught the fever,’ is going to try the same stunt with modifications. I am getting to be a sort of an unofficial agent for your Extension Div. as people here are getting interested in these ‘doin’s’ so don’t be surprised if you get a letter from us now and then.