VTW Winds Up 'Henry IV' Casting, Chooses 27 Out of 100 Candidates

Five months of sifting and sorting more than 100 aspirants for roles in the Veterans' Theater production of "Henry IV" came to an end last night when president Jerome T. Kilty '50 came out of a huddle with Workshop officials to make known the 27 actors who will start rehearsals on Thursday.

The five leads were cast during one-week tryouts last April, and have been spending summer months digesting Shakespearian dialogue. They are Bryant N. Haliday '49 as Henry, Prince of Wales; Kilty as Falstaff; Mendy Weisgal '45 2G as Hotspur; Thayer David as King Henry the Fourth; and Robert L. Wechsler '49 as the Earl of Worcester.

Tryouts for the remaining parts took place yesterday, when some 70-odd candidates, "an unbelievable turnout of acting talent," showed up, Kilty said.

Nagel Nahan Ruppenthal, wife of Philip Ruppenthal '45 IL, will play Lady Percy, and HDC veteran Helen McCloskey will portray Mistress Quickly.

The remainder of the cast includes:

David M. Hollister '51 as John of Lancaster; Robert E. Rockman '46 as Earl of Westmoreland; Richard Atkinson as Sir Walter Blunt; Timothy G. Foote '50 as Mortimer; Donald H. Kaplan '51 as Earl of Douglas; Robert Clafiin '50 as Owen Glendower; Charles Sedgwick 2G as Vernon; Anthony A. Piano '47 as Poins.

Alexander C. Suczek '50 as Gadshill; Stephen P. Clement '51 as Peto; Arthur Levine '47 as Bardolph; Sherman H. Hawkins '51 as Francis; George A. Clugston '50 as Sheriff; W.F. Scott III '50, William A. Gaston '51, James K. Dow, Jr. '50, Heinz P. Stern '50, Robert D. Ouimet '51, Robert P. Hubbard '51, and Lucian C. E. Parlata '50.

Christopher Holabird '48 will take over the duties of production chief for "Henry IV."

VTW decided to go ahead with the production on its own, Kilty reported, when no reply from HDC was forthcoming on the proposed merger of the two College drama groups