June 5, 12, 1938

The Sleeping Beauty of Loreland, by Frances Homer, was directed by Tom Herbert, playwright, radio commentator, formerly of the University of Washington drama department.  Herbert directed plays for The Mountaineer Players in 1938, 1939 and 1940.  

Fairies, elves, dwarfs and all the other little people seem right at home in the Forest Theatre and fairy tales, such as Sleeping Beauty, dominated the early years.  Audiences commented on the enchanting effect created when birds sang in the forest around the Theatre to accompany the human voices raised in song on stage.

“Attendance at The Forest Theatre reached a new high when over two thousand people attended the sixteenth annual presentation, ‘Sleeping Beauty,’ on Sundays, June 5 and 12.

“The well-loved old fairy tale, rewritten in clever modern dialogue, delighted children and adults alike.  Outstanding in the cast were Ola Todd as the Queen of Loreland, Glenn Dexter as the King of Loreland, and Phyllis Clark as Princess Beauty.  Norbert Schaal as King Tuffy, Burbank Rideout as Bumps, the Butler, and William C. Darling as Prince Rupert were responsible for the various comedy sequences.

“To Mr. Tom Herbert, the director, goes much of the credit for the final success of the production.  His skill in character delineation and ability to foresee the possibilities of each scene of the play give a distinctly professional finish in the presentation.

“Once again William Darling designed the lovely costumes.  Miss Frances Spalding, of the Spalding School of the Dance, coached the fairies and the effective offstage singing.  A special vote of appreciation should go to Mary M. Pugh and her hard-working committee for their tireless efforts which contributed so much to the ultimate success of the play.”   

from The Mountaineer, 1938