34 
House & Garden 
The opening scene is a Greek pastoral effect and may be depicted by even such a simple device as a shepherd lad driving his sheep across 
the lawn before the shrubbery background of the garden spot 
AN AFTERNOON IN ARCADY 
A Pastoral Play to be Given by a Garden Club in a Garden 
on a Sunny Summer Afternoon 
CLARENCE STRATTON 
A LL of the eleven 
roles may be per¬ 
formed by women. 
If fewer than eleven per¬ 
formers are available, the 
number may be reduced 
by doubling, as follows: 
Aphrodite and Myrrha; 
Youth and Clinias; Ares 
and Cleon; while the two 
soldiers may be reduced to 
one. When the roles are 
taken by men and women 
the same doublings may 
be assigned. Timon, per¬ 
haps, should always be 
played by a girl. 
The number in the 
groups may be varied 
widely. If few persons 
are used, change of cos¬ 
tumes will provide for all 
differences. If men dan¬ 
cers are difficult to secure 
to attend Ares, a group of Amazons will serve. 
The processions should suggest the beauty 
of Greek friezes; the dances, the grace and 
vivacity of decorations on antique urns. Their 
number and length depend entirely on the 
length of time desired for the performance. 
While lighting changes add to the effect, 
they are not absolutely necessary. The imagi¬ 
nation of any audience will follow the acting 
and speech of the performers. The play may 
be produced under the clear light of a summer 
afternoon. 
Nearly every director will be able to choose 
appropriate music, but the following sugges¬ 
tions may be helpful. For the processions: 
War March of the Priests from Athalia by 
Mendelssohn, Spirit of Independence by Holz- 
mann. For the warrior dance: Marche-Mili- 
taire, Schubert, Opus 5, No. 1. 
For dances: Intermezzo from Naila, Delibes. 
Forest Spirits by Chalif. Stephanie Gavotte 
by A. Czikucka. Voglein by Grieg. 
The characters of the play are: 
Agathon, an old man 
Timon, a hoy 
Melitta 
Aphrodite 
A Youth 
Ares 
Clinias 
Cleon 
Meton 1 Soldiers attending 
Jason ) Cleon 
Myrrha,mother of Melitta; 
villagers; shepherds; shep¬ 
herdesses; nymphs; war¬ 
riors or amazons. 
The pleasant open space, 
bordered by shrubbery and 
trees, and marked here and 
there by a fallen log or a 
tree stump or a cluster of 
bushes, remains bare for a 
short time; then there ap¬ 
pear a few animated, chat¬ 
tering youths and maidens, 
and older villagers in 
groups, who cross from one 
side to the other, disappearing among the trees 
in the distance. Some of them are shepherds 
and shepherdesses preceded by a few sheep or 
followed by dogs. One leads a donkey, laden 
with faggots for the hearth. After these vari¬ 
ous groups have passed, there is a slight in¬ 
terval; then there hobbles into view a wrinkled 
old man. From the way he ambles along it is 
plain that he would rather lie down than go 
off to the fields. He stops, shades his eyes 
with his hand to gaze after the others, then 
looks back to see who is following. His face 
lightens; his expression indicates that he has 
a plan. He waits just an instant until Melitta, 
a winsome young girl, and Timon, a slip of a 
boy, stroll into view. She is finishing some 
story which holds the lad entranced. 
Melitta: He dared not gaze 
Upon the monster’s face, but in his shield 
He caught his horrible reflection; and struck, 
Again—again; the creature gave a roar 
Like bellowing thunder; smoke poured out 
like blood; 
He fell;—the brave young man had won! 
