Members of the Williamsburg High School Class of 1925 were busy early that year preparing for their Senior Class Play, “The Gypsy Rover”, a romantic musical comedy in three acts by May Hewes Dodge and John Wilson Dodge written in 1909. They gave two performances in the Town Hall on February 19 and 29, 1925, to raise money for their class trip. The play, set in the years 1778 to 1780, follows the mystery, adventures, and romance in the life of Rob, The Rover.
Most roles were played by seniors, joined by sophomores Alice Nash and Ruth Tetro, with a chorus of students from the other classes.
- Meg, Rob’s foster Mother: Alice Nash
- Zara, Belle of the Gypsy Camps: Gertrude Dobbs
- Marto, Meg’s husband: Darby Cook
- Sinfo, Gypsy lad in love with Zara: Bruce Nash
- Rob, the Gypsy Rover/Sir Gilbert Howe: Robert Nash
- Lady Constance, daughter of Sir George Martindale: Ruth Tetro (and 2 West Springfield High School girls, when the actor became ill)
- Lord Craven, English fop: Wilbur Purrington
- Sir George Martindale, English country gentleman: David Hoxie
- Nina, second daughter of Sir George Martindale: Elizabeth Burke
- Captain Jerome, Captain of the English Army: Edward Foster
- Sir Toby Lyon, Society Butterfly: Robert Smiley
- McCorkle, song publisher of London: Edwin Breckenridge
- Lackey, a servant: Frederick LaValley
- Chorus, Sir George’s English girls and Gypsy: Undergraduates
The musical played to very appreciative audiences—which gave the actors rave reviews, as reported in “The Tattler”, the high school yearbook, in the Local History collection of the Meekins Library. (The “Tattler” is also online through Meekins). Were any of your family members in the cast?
Daria D’Arienzo, Meekins Archivist. #throwbackthursday; #tbt.
Posted to Facebook 3/3/2022