Quality Productions Provide Outstanding Experiences for Students This year's theater productions began with the Second Annual Searcy Summer Dinner Theater. Students were able to gain coll ege credit , work in different areas of production , and create quality drama while working in a Christian atmosphere. A stage , lights, candlelit dinners, and music transformed the Hammon Student Center into a quaint din - ner theater. The first two shows of the season were directed by Robin Miller. Hold Me, written by Jules Pfeiffer, was performed June 21-23. This "tongue in cheek" play takes a look at how we see ourselves and how others see us. The second production, Sarsaparilla, Please ran July 5-7. This melodrama came complete with the audience hissing at the villain and cheering for the hero. The second half of the season opened on July 26-28 with I Do, I Do, a musica l version of The Fourposter, directed by Morris Ellis. August 9-11 brought Agatha Christie 's The Mousetrap to the Searcy Summer Dinner Theater and ended the season. In the fall semester the murder-mystery The Mousetrap was performed once again for the regular student body, and then the production went on to the American College Theater Festival in Fort Smith. At the festival the cast earned a number of awards , in - cluding the nomination of three Harding students to advance in the Irpne Ryan auditions in Fort Worth, Texas in January. The three were Margaret Medlock, Chris Truitt , and Jean Ann Bell. Medlock and Robin Starck each received a plaque for "Best Actor ," while junior Paul Lockhart received a certificate for excellence in acting. Two other productions during the fall semester were Neil Simon's I Ought to Be in Pictures and Jona Oberski 's Childhood. Connie Hill , a student director for the Neil Simon production, says of the drama department, "The Harding theater department is unique to work in becasue students have a chance to work in all areas of play production. They are able to participate in quality shows that have Christian values." ~ 1 ought to be in Pictures. Eddie Hinson, Phillip Thames, and Julie Grahn per/rom Niel Simon 's play in the Little Theater as a Readers Production. - photo by James McCreary. Angela. Wenoka Verkler and Dan Billingsley perJorm in the drama production of the play Angela which was written and directed by Verkler who is a student at Harding. - photo by Leslie Downs. One-Act Plays 25
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