House Groups Oppose Actor Limit Scheme

The heads of the various House dramatic groups yesterday expressed strong disapproval of the recent Opera Guild proposal that each House production be produced and acted only by members of that House.

A statement to this effect was released after Ernest Winsor '58, president of the Leverett House Dramatic Society, called a meeting of the House Dramatic group heads yesterday morning to discuss the proposal.

Although it is desirable to use as many House members as possible "for the purpose of House spirit, fun, and mere convenience," the group heads felt the quality of the productions would suffer if they were limited to each House.

"We always do encourage people from the Houses," said Michael J. Stone '58, president of the Lowell House Music Society, "but couldn't get performers from one House alone, not even unsuccessful ones." Lowell House has had to import singers for its Opera and Winthrop usually has to find technicians.

The House drama heads denied that they had an unfair advantage over the regular dramatic organizations in their ability to use House and Ford Foundation funds. They pointed out that in many cases the Houses did not allocate this money to the dramatic groups.

Lewis M. Steel '58, production manager of the Opera Guild, David E. Green '58, former president of the HDC, and Victor N. Claman '58, president of the Harvard Gilbert and Sullivan Players, issued a joint statement criticizing "open casting and staffing" in House productions as "definitely against the spirit of the University regulation which prohibits one undergraduate organization from duplicating the function of another."

Cushman Opposes Merger

Meanwhile, the basic Opera Guild proposal that it, the HDC, and the Harvard Gilbert and Sullivan Players should merge certain administrative efforts met with strong opposition from Allerton J. Cushman '58, president of the HDC, who said he could see "no advantage" in such a set-up.

Claman, however, stated that while all the conditions of the proposed plans were not acceptable, "the plan has several definitely worthwhile points which should not be discarded."

William E. Schroeder, Jr. '59, HDC executive board member, added that such cooperation as now exists between the three groups must be put on an official basis.