Germania Acts Abroad

AN experiment which proved as successful as it was unprecedented was made over the summer by Germania, the undergraduate German Club, which took the play Durst across the seas to Germany and played to full houses in six towns in that country. With a cast of four students, the play, given in German, proved a popular choice and in spite of a near-catastrophe Boyer Chrisman '53 was drafted into the Army just before the ship sailed the show went on, as Prof. Stephan Schlossmacher, Germania adviser and coach, was able to find a German student at the University of Cologne to substitute for Chrisman.

The Dartmouth students, after living with German families for four weeks in Heidelberg, gave performances at the following places: University of Cologne; Recklinghausen; Mannheim Amerika- Haus; Erlangen, Bavaria; Bad Mergentheim; and Eschweiler. The Erlangen performance was given as part of the Fifth International Theatre Week of the Student Stage, and the Dartmouth players had the honor of being the first American group to perform. Two highly successful performances were given at Eschweiler, which is Professor Schlossmacher's home town, with proceeds going to the local church.

While in Germany the Dartmouth students were entertained by two alumni: Ray W. Smith '18, who is U. S. Commissioner with the Military Security Board in Coblenz, and Col. John T. Barrett '31, U. S. Army, who is stationed in Heidelberg.

For the students participating, the opportunities for getting to know other student actors and actresses, and living in German families, made the experience an unforgettable one. Members of Germania hope next summer to send another group to Germany on a tour which would provide more performances, and probably require an agent.

Those who took part in giving Durst in Germany, and who appeared also on the Voice of America, Cologne Radio and Radio Bavaria, were: Bob Jetter '53, Rolf Engelhardt '54 and Randy Deming '55, with Boyer Chrisman '53 a member of the original cast.