FOREIGN PLAYS TO BE GIVEN THIS EVENING

"The Violins of Cremona" by Francois Coppee and "The Witches' Mountain" by Julio Sanchez Gardel will be given their initial performance upon the American stage this evening at 8.15 o'clock at Brattle Hall, when the Dramatic Club's twenty-third semi-annual presentation will take place. Tickets for tonight's performance at a special price of $1.65 for undergraduates of the University and of Radcliffe College may be obtained at the Cooperative Society, while regular tickets at $2.20 are now on sale at the Cooperative, Leavitt and Peirce's, the Little Building, and Herrick's. The performance will be followed by dancing until 12 o'clock.

Among the audience at the performance will be Mr. Jacob S. Fassett Jr., the translator of "The Witches' Mountain", and Mr. Lebowick of the Theatre Guild of New York.

Realistic Depiction of Life

The unusual feature of this production is the realism with which life is depicted, in the first play in northern Italy about 200 years ago, and in the second play in the Argentine mountains at the present time. The settings for both plays were designed by D. M. Oenslager '23 and executed under the direction of R. O. Rasch '23.

For "The Violins of Cremona", the setting shows an Italian violin shop littered with partly finished violins. The Dramatic Club's property department has obtained from Mr. Adolph Oettinger, a collector of mediaeval stringed instruments, a number of valuable violins, 'cellos, other Stringed instruments, and instrument cases, all antiques. The walls of the shop are very massive, and a large window at the back of the stage overlooks a street and a "piazza" in Cremona.

A very vivid contrast is offered in the outdoor setting for the Argentine play. A group of cabins on the wild slopes of the Andes is shown, being clustered on either side of the stage to permit a view of the mountains at the back of the stage. For this scene the cycloramic cone, a recent invention of R. L. Wayne 2 G., which creates an illusion of great distance, will be used.

The plots of the two plays, although based on the same theme, are treated in very different ways. "The Violins of Cremona" concerns a contest among the violin makers of that city for the hand of Giannina, daughter of the old violin master, Taddeo Ferrari. Filippo, the hunchback who wins the prize, shows his heroism by nobly renouncing his victory to avoid forcing his love upon Giannina.

The plot of "The Witches' Mountain" concerns the scheming and planning of three ranchmen to obtain the love of Inda, the daughter of a fellow ranchman. The story gradually works up to a powerful climax.

The casts for the play are as follows:

"The Violins of Cremona"Taddeo,  C. A. Fritz 1G.Sandro,  J. M. Brown '23Filippo,  K. O. Mott-Smith '22Giannina,  Miss Kathleen Middleton"The Witches' Mountain"Don Taddeo,  J. J. Collier '23Leon,  Burke, Boyce '22Daniel,  R. C. Burrell '23Juan de Dios,  B. K. Little '23Tobias,  Conrad Salinger '23Plquillin,  Philip Wardner '24Composanto,  F. S. Hill '22Inda,  Miss Mary Alice SecoyZoila,  Miss Ethel Woodwort