For the Maryknoll Sisters, creation of entertainment has always been such a joyful and creative experience. One such creative endeavor that they have jumped into quite often is plays. From directing, to stage managing, to acting, to improvising, the Maryknoll Sisters always enjoy putting on a play, whether it’s planned or impromptu! While looking through the Maryknoll Distaff, I came across this entry from August 13th, 1922:
Impromptu!
The newly received group of novices and postulants met in the community room on the 13th to plan an entertainment for the evening, in honor of the Sisters destined to leave the following day for Los Angeles. An apology for a dress rehearsal took the time between supper and eight, and the attic was ransacked for stage properties, while Sister Juliana notified members of the cast of their order of appearance. They felt some tremors of stage fright as they peeked out and glimpsed the size of their “audience” which swelled the community room. However, the applause following their first number, “Where do we go from here?” brought reassurance and the rest of the program was given with so much gusto that the audience forgot they were attending an “impromptu” performance.
While searching for images to go along with the excerpt above, I found photos from a play done by the Sisters in 1923, which then lead me to the diary entry about it!
Upon diving back into the the Maryknoll Distaff to see what else regarding plays might have been mentioned, I found this entry [seen below] listing most of the plays that were “prepared and enjoyed” from 1942-1951! I was also able to find a Motherhouse diary entry and images from the 1949 play Life With Father mentioned on the list, as well as images from a later performed version [1956] of Joan of Arc. Take a look!
Life With Father, 1949
Joan of Arc, 1956
