The little country theaterArvold, Alfred G. (Alfred Gilmeiden)
General
The little country theater
Arvold, Alfred G. (Alfred Gilmeiden)
Little Country Theater (Fargo, N.D.); Little theater movement; Theater -- North Dakota -- Fargo
Three outdoor spectacles, “The Pastimes of the Ages,” “The Enchantment
of Spring,” and “The Master Builder” revealed the infinite possibilities
of the drama in picturing “tongues in trees, books in running brooks,
sermons in stones, and good in everything.” All of these pageants and
many more aim to teach the people who live in God’s gardens to appreciate
their surroundings. “The Pastimes of the Ages,” as well as the other two
outdoor plays, was presented on a flat prairie, a parade ground about
three or four hundred feet from The Little Country Theater. Over fifteen
thousand people saw the spectacle and twelve hundred people took part
in it. The scene was a most impressive one. At one end of the natural
outdoor amphitheater the silent sphinx and three pyramids rose in all
their Oriental grandeur. At the other stood a temple of glittering gold,
in which the Spirit of Mirth reigned supreme. The play opened with Mirth
running out of the temple singing and dancing. In the distance she saw a
caravan approaching the pyramids. She beckoned them to come forward. The
grand procession followed. On entering the temple the sojourners were
greeted by flower maidens. Mirth then bade the caravan to be seated on
the steps of marble and witness some of “The Pastimes of the Ages.” The
Greek games were played. An Egyptian ballet was danced. Forty maidens
clad in robes of purple with hands stretched heavenward chanted a prayer.
Two hundred uniformed Arabs drilled. The chimes rang. Mirth gestured for
all to rise and sing. The bands _en masse_ struck the notes of that song
immortal, written by Francis Scott Key. The caravan, having seen all the
pastimes in which men and women have indulged in ages gone by, journeyed
back to the place from whence it came. And the story of the most gorgeous
spectacle ever seen, on the Dacotah prairie ended.
“The Enchantment of Spring” was a pageant in two episodes, with its
theme taken from the field of agriculture. The setting was The Temple
of Ceres. The Herald of Spring came to the temple with Neptune the God
of Water, Mother Earth, Growth, Apollo the God of the Sun, Persephone
emblematical of the vegetable world, Demeter the Goddess of Grains, Flora
the Goddess of Flowers, and Pomona the Goddess of Fruits, to announce the
approach of Spring. The trumpeters signaled the coming of the east and
west and north and south winds. They met, they quarreled and Fate drove
the north wind away. The three winds then counseled with Neptune, Apollo,
and Mother Earth, companions of Growth, as to her whereabouts. They
finally discovered Growth at work and bade her to go to the temple. The
welcome and the rejoicing followed. At the entry of Spring, the flowers
awoke. Ceres called to Spring to come to the steps of the temple. The
Crowning of Spring ended the pageant. When it was produced, it opened up
the vision of many people as to the latent possibilities of the drama in
the vocation of agriculture.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account