Notes from the Archives of Peter Zavon: Pinafore '67

Auditions for this production were in two phases. On Tuesday and Thursday, open auditions were held. (At the end of the Thursday auditions, Richard Traubner performed his Yiddish version of "I'm Called Little Buttercup.") Call-backs were held on Sunday, and the final casting was announced shortly thereafter. Sully Schlegel set a useful precedent. She had been accepted as Production Manager when she was informed that she was on academic probation, and thus was not permitted to "hold any office in any University or College organization and/or represent the University in any capacity." After some discussion, it was decided that the post of Production Manager did not come under these prohibitions. Carry-over from the cast of Patience '67 was very light. Among the principals, only Richard Traubner and Bob Osolinski were not new to BUS. In the chorus, only Linda Cundif was returning. The men's costumes were rented. The women's costumes were made by the costume crew. The opera was set on a World War I iron battleship. The women wore roaring twenties costuming. There was a lively discussion as to whether Sir Joseph should be called "the ruler of the King's Navy", but nothing ever came of it. The set consisted of flats, a back-drop, and a six inch riser across the back. There was a wall across the back of the riser, signifying the rail at the edge of the deck. There were also signal flags spelling out "Pinafore." Richard Traubner, as founder-in-residence, took an active part in the production, as can be seen from the program. I am told that there was a strong personality conflict between Larry Jordan and some othe members of the cast. However, I was not aware of it at the time and cannot report on the implications. Also during this production, conflict began to appear between the director, Mrs.Edmonds, and some members of the production staff. It centered around set design and lighting. Rehearsals were often held on Sunday afternoons. It became a custom, after a Sunday rehearsal, to go to the Deli-Haus in Kenmore Square for dinner. (Most of the cast were dorm students, and thus had to eat out for Sunday dinner anyway.) The cast party was held at Juliet Cunningham's apartment after the Saturday evening performance. There was still a Sunday matinee to do. The party lasted well into Sunday morning. As a result, some of the cast performed with large hangovers, and without benefit of a night's rest. Also, over that night, Bill Pribisaukis became too ill to perform, although he did not go to the cast party. His place was taken by Mike Hayes for the matinee. At the general meeting in December, the membership elected officers and organized to find a more suitable stage. Fern Volkman was elected Mascot. By unanimous vote, it was decided that "the names of our founders shall appear on all future programs." The founders have generally been assumed to be Seth Schweitzer and Richard Traubner.

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