Delaware County Daily Times from Chester, Pennsylvania • Page 8

Tuesday, July 20,1976 DELAWARE COUNTY DAILY TIMES Bicentennial mural as formidabletask Mrs. Gerry Morrts sits beside ber Bicentennial mural at wildman Arms in Swarthmore. Washington Deity TtoM by WALT CHERNOKAX and Lafayette are at the left By Barbara Ornuby Daily Times Correspondent SWARTHMORE-For artist Gerry Morris the task of creating a Bicentennial mural for the lobby of the Wildman Arms Apartments was a formidable one. "It was the first mural I had ever attempted," Mrs. Morris said.

"I prefer portraits and my taste runs to modern art." But when William Wildman commissioned Mrs. Morris to do a mural, she accepted the challenge and the result is a striking scene of George Washington and LaFayette reviewing Revolutionary War troops at Valley Forge. "I went to Valley Forge to look around but it was a struggle to work out the details in my head," the artist recalled. Thriving theater group sees new'Llght' BY GERRY OLIVER Daily Times Staff Writer Three years ago, a band of disgruntled theater peoPle: dispossessed of their right to perform at Hedgerow Theater, Rose Valley, launched their own venture as the Hedgerow Theater Corp. at Westtown School.

A year later the group reorganized as the People's Light and Theater Co. and set up shop at Strode's Mill on Lenape Road, West Chester. Now, two years later, People's Light has become a thriving, growing, innovative group that has grown beyond the capacity of the the little "theater in the square," where they have won a host of supportive friends. So, the theater company is in the process of moving into a new 200-seat theater in the Center for the Performing Arts, Art School Road, Chester Springs. The new theater, where People's light will have its opening performance of Brecht's "Mother Courage" at 8:30 p.m., July 24, is an 18th century stone and stucco barn.

The structure, along with others in the area, served as the first Army hospital in America. The same buildings, including the barn, served as a Civi; War hospital, an orphage and a fine arts academy. In a continued tradition of community service, the old barn has now been converted into a center for the performing arts. According to a theater spokesman, People's Light will continue to offer a a "variety of the world's finest literature for the stage." In addition, People's Light plans to continue its programs of touring children's theater to schools and camps and touring shows especially tailored to play in Temple hosts Russ The Russian Festiva; of music and dance, presented by the Soviet Union as "a tribute to the American Bicentennial year," is the featured attraction of the sixth week of the 1976 Temple University Music Festival at Ambler. The Russian Festival will run for four nights, July 26 to 29, and will include a company of 175 performers chosen by Soviet Choreographer Igor Moisevev.

Highights of the festival incude The Ukrainian Dance Company featuring the Gopek dancers, who were first introduced to the United States in 1962; The (M Georgian State Dance Theater, which first appeared in this country in 1959 The Piatnitsky Folk Choir, the nation's odest and most acclaimed chorus; Mengo Dance Ensemble, a group of 15 Eskimo dancers and musicians from, Kamchatka Isthmus in eastern Siberia. The Ambler Festival is the Russians group's third stop in a tour of eight American cities, under the direction of Hurok Concerts. Richard Keeter, technical director and lighting desijj for the People's Light Theater, sits in new surra at Center for Performing Arts in Chester Springs prisons and juvenile detention centers. Also, acting classes for all ages and levels of experience will continue to be offered. In the new theater, staging will be variable, since the free-form playing area will permit a change from "round" to "three-quarter" to proscenium stage with ease.

In addition, no member of the audience will be farther than 45 feet from the playing area. In an effort to broaden the scope of presentations, People's Light also will continue to sponsor Sunday evening concerts by area musicians. Personnel of People's Light is predominantly professional. Heads of the staff include Richard Keeler, technical director, who has had a 40-year career in theater, having worked for the late Jasper Deeter. founder of Hedgerow Theater; Danny Fruchter, administrator and Meg Fruchter, costumiere, who are among the founders of People's Light and Louis Lippa, an Obie-Award winning playwright who is teacher and director.

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FOLSOM i- A nM TO i i ra PIKE at LIMA LO 6-6212 LO 6-9962 ifiafi 15 1 i Keeer has designed more than 300 productions for some 50 organizations, including dance and opera companies, in addition to theatrical groups. He has been responsible for the restoration of Strode's Mill and also is among the founders of People's Light. Fruchter initiated and supervises the theater's work with adult and juvenile correctional institutions. Mrs Fruchter specializes in costume and graphics design. Lippa who has been an artistic director, off-Broadway director, technician, actor and acting teacher during his 25 years in theater.

Among the works he has directed for this company are "Othello," "Nude with Violin and "Marat Sade." Lippa will direct "Mother Courage," which is Brecht's concept of "epic theater" and his most realistic play. It is set in war-ragaged Middle Europe in the 17th century and is regarded as a "masterwork of European drama." Music will be provided by Paul Dessau. In the title roe will be Alda Cortese, who has appeared with People's Light as Ruth in Pinter's "The Homecoming" and other important roles. "So it really evolved as I was actually painting." Mrs. Morris did not work from any sketch and she gave the mural the illusion of depth by painting some of the soldiers near the corner of the back wall and then continuing the line of soldiers along the side wall.

The two dominent military figures are seated on horses in the rear wall part of the mural. "The mural is at the elevator entrance of the lobby and people were always so curious about the mural that they would usually stop getting on or off the elevators to ask me dozens of questions," Mrs. Morris said. "And the thing most people asked me was 'why is that horse she said, "I had to explain that once I put a glaze on the horse it would look more chestnut brown. 1 like to paint horses." It took Mrs.

Morris two months to finish the mural and she did the creative work while keeping house, looking after her two children and working at the Media Court Diner. Mrs. Morris attended night classes at the Fleisher Art Memorial School in Philadelphia for three years and won the Gimble Award while she was a student. "The award was for a portrait I did," she explained. The artist began drawing when she was just three years old and apparently her love of art rubbed off on her 17-year-old aon, Jeff because he is a commercial art student at Aston Vocational-Technical School.

"I think my daughter Lori, 14 feels left out because she has no aptitude for art," Mrs. Morris said. Both children attend Sun Valley High School and the family lives in Parkside. Mrs. Morris' art work used to hang in a Swarthmore restaurant where she once worked and the exhibit resulted in 13 commissions from customers who liked her work.

She would like to do more mural work thoqgh it is time consuming. "Even though my personal taste is for modern art when your have a client you must give them what they want," the artist said. 3r SMASH JUST MMms our WHMN6TOH, OH. BRANMAR CINEMA EVES 7:15 I 9:15 SAT. EVES DULY 6.1.

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