President of Players
Dick Hlavac wants to become a professional actor. Ever since his freshman year at Dartmouth he has been turning in fine performances with The Players in shows like Mr. Roberts, Arsenic andOld Lace, Henry IV and My ThreeAngels. But no one is kidding him about his chances and he realizes that his roles in Hanover, fine though they may have been, will not light any marquees.
He has learned a lot about getting into a role at Dartmouth, and says that he may be destined to play character parts and "dumb, tough guy roles," which fall to him naturally. This merely proves how good an actor he is: his directors and student colleagues know Dick as a "smart, enthusiastic, dependable guy" who can get the most out of a part. The walk-on that he had as a flag bearer in Richard II brought this out; he worked and worked on that bit until it became a real Entrance and, thereby, made Richard, who followed him on, all the more impressive.
In Downstairs Dragon, an original play by Professor Finch of the English Department, Dick played the dog. While ambling, dog fashion, down a flight of stairs during the first performance, one canine foot tangled with another and the dog tumbled. The audience loved it, but the dog knew that he was hurt and after the play he ended up in Dick's House with a swollen elbow. He instructed his substitute over the phone from his bed and had some confidence that the new man would understand the role. At a curtain call that night, someone lifted the dog mask and the audience was delighted to see that the stuffing for the dog suit was Professor Finch himself.
The rigors of being a member of the Dartmouth Players have made Dick's days as center of the St. Paul's School football team seem tame. In Mr. Roberts, he got well involved in a fight scene and found, suddenly, that he had a dislocated thumb. In the fine tradition shared by both football and the theater, he retired gracefully to the wings where The Players' trainer put it back in place and the play went on.
Last spring when Harvey was in production, Dick was chosen by the College to be the Green Key host for honorary degree recipients Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne. On the way into town from the airport, he explained that they could go to a reception or see the play. They made the right choice, of course, and were well pleased with the show. They asked Dick to keep in touch with them and, subsequently, have exchanged several letters, one of which had a heavy cardboard-like feel to it: the Lunts had enclosed tickets for their latest New York play.
Recently, Dick was elected President of The Players. We know, even without hearing any of the campaign speeches, that his administration is pledged to take on everything from walk-ons to starring roles. When Players are not acting in shows they will be backstage helping with the scenery, tugging someone into a costume or undertaking any other of the obscure jobs that have to be done if a production is to click. Dick will lead by example and we can be sure that Hanover's theatergoers are in for six fine shows next year. But this won't be unusual; we asked Dick why The Players were able to do such consistently fine work. "Two reasons," he said. "First, the direction of Warner Bentley and Henry Williams and, second, the care with which plays are selected." Casting, of course, is a problem in choosing a play and the inadequacy of both Robinson and Webster Halls is another. But the care is given and the plays turn out and people like Dick Hlavac make it all possible.
Dick knows that it is a long way from Hanover to New York. This summer he will try to close the distance a bit with work in the Buck's County Playhouse in Pennsylvania. After this next year of Players experience, he hopes to take dramatic lessons in New York, then do his two years in the army and then, straighten the tie, take the deep breath and walk out onto the New York stage. We hope that someday we will get from him a letter that has that heavy, cardboard-like feel to it.
Dick Hlavac '56
