Reviewer June Maffin:Living on an island in British Columbia, Canada, Dr. Maffin is a neophyte organic gardener, eclectic reader, ordained minister (Anglican/Episcopal priest) and creative spirituality writer/photographer with a deep zest for life. Previously, she has been grief counselor, broadcaster, teacher, journalist, television host, chaplain and spiritual director with an earned doctorate in Pastoral Care (medical ethics i.e. euthanasia focus). Presently an educator, freelance editor, blogger, and published author of three books, her most recent (Soulistry-Artistry of the Soul: Creative Ways to Nurture your Spirituality) has been published in e-book as well as paperback format and a preview can be viewed on YouTube videos. Founder of Soulistry™ she continues to lead a variety of workshops and retreats connecting spirituality with creativity and delights in a spirituality of play. You can find out more about June by clicking on her Web Site.
ISBN: 978-1-4502-6070-1
Author: Muriel Gold
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN: 978-1-4502-6070-1
In the 1930‘s, two
entrepreneurial, dynamic and visionary women from Europe (who shared
a mutual love of theatre and love for children), met and a unique
friendship developed. Over time, the friendship relationship
between Dorothy Davis and Violet Walters evolved into a business
relationship when they co-founded the Children’s Theatre school in
Montreal, Canada.
Following the British tradition of
children’s theatre, these two actress-turned-businesswomen, trained
students in acting skills, line memorization, playing to an audience,
clear enunciation, correct pronunciation, proper body alignment,
always teaching a professional attitude of punctuality, commitment,
reliability, consideration, respect for others, and co-operation.
How do I know? I was one of their students. Miss Davis
and Miss Walters’ primary goals were ‘good speech, self-esteem
and confidence’ rather than the creation of young actors and
actresses, though it’s not surprising that many of their students
went on to have professional careers in movies, radio, television and
theatre as drama teachers/administrators/coaches, film
directors/producers, writers, on-air personalities, actors and
actresses.
Combining personal experience (as both student and
teacher at the Montreal Children’s Theatre school), academics
(Master’s thesis in Developmental Drama), and a grant from the
Conseil des Arts et Lettres du Quebec (to research the history of
three children’s theatre schools), author Muriel Gold wrote and
published the “Dramatic Legacy of Dorothy Davis and Violet
Walters.”
Gold provides a wonderful ‘trip-down-memory-lane’
through the inclusion of monologues, voice/breathing exercises,
poems, and listing of theatrical productions. Conjuring images
of little girls, curtseying and little boys, bowing. at the beginning
of each class with smiles on their faces, distinctly pronouncing each
consonant and syllable, projecting their voices, and clearly
enunciating as they greeted their teachers with “Good afternoon,
Miss Davis. Good afternoon, Miss Walters,” the author writes
of a time when ‘children were children’ and were enamoured with
the magical world of make-believe.
The gift of Muriel Gold’s
book is both in its unique window into cultural influences in
Montreal over the school’s seventy year history. and in its glimpse
into the lives of two exceptional women, Dorothy Davis and Violet
Walters. Gold writes with loving respect of the two women who
dedicated their lives to the children they taught, wrapping their
high expectations of their students in an embrace of unconditional
love, while teaching them lessons of respect, punctuality and
self-discipline. As Albert Einstein wrote, Miss David and Miss
Walters taught their students “joy in creative expression and
knowledge” and, thanks to Muriel Gold, the legacy they leave behind
will not be forgotten.