This is tape number 15.
This is a Ruth Page documentary with Theoflom Productions.
The channel one audio is going to be the boom microphone and channel two will be the lavalier on Ruth.
Channel one will also have a mix of the speaker when they are speaking as we can get them to mix in with some of the crowd noise.
And this will be a minute of bars and tone on channels one and on channel two will be the lav microphone.
Here it is.
Check one two, check, check, checking one two three four.
Thank you ladies.
Thank you, thank you.
One two, one two.
The countdown for now is four three two one.
Is that a Sandy Coker? Your husband's up behind you, don't walk in with your.
Thank you darling.
Oh there are lots of, it's a big party.
Hi.
How are you? Whatever it is darling.
I'm glad to see you.
Congratulations.
I don't know what it's for.
Well isn't that wonderful, you know the halls.
Yes, hello.
Parker Halls.
I don't know where my husband is, I want to introduce him but I don't see him.
He's here.
Well Don Lubin, your host is over there.
Oh which one is he? With the glasses on facing you.
The glasses? You see there's a man with a glass.
Oh yes, yeah I see him.
Thank you.
Alright.
I'll let you know if you need me.
Oh, hi.
How are you? My old pal.
Are you in good hands now? Oh yeah, sure we are.
Hello.
Don Lubin, how are you? Nice to see you.
So wonderful that we are having this event.
How long has Virginia been going? Well there is.
This is supposed to be the 15th.
Well we measure our history in two ways.
You see it started, the park opened in 1904 as an amusement park.
Oh I see.
The owner of the Chicago North Shore Railroad wanted a reason for people to use the railroad so he built an amusement park there.
But shortly after the amusement park opened they started to present symphonic performances and then operas.
And that's where I'm at.
And that's when you started.
So how was the day from the side? Oh, then that was...
He didn't know anybody.
He's actually here.
I'm Ravi Shankar.
How are you? Oh no, I wanted to be with Ravi.
That's Ravi Shankar.
I can't really do it for you.
And I don't know what to do with him.
And I don't know what happened to Andre.
Andre is out that way.
Right at the door.
Maybe he should stay with Ravi.
You go and introduce yourself to him.
He's a famous...
I will as soon as I find my wife and get rid of my keys.
Hi, Ryan.
He was telling me about Rovinia.
The other piece of it is that then it closed in the early 30s because of the Depression.
And it opened again in 1936.
And the present Rovinia Festival Association was organized in 1936 to operate it.
So this is the 50th season since 1936 operated by the present association.
But you danced there 60 years ago.
What was the date? That's exactly right.
I was born in 1990.
Well, you're having a big week this week is what I read in the newspapers.
You had a big week in Chicago.
In Milwaukee.
I spent most of my time in Milwaukee.
That's the problem.
You were dancing at Rovinia.
Oh, well you see Rovinia was a very important thing to me because it was the first job I ever had.
How are you? How are you? Good to see you.
This is a nice party isn't it? Delightful.
How are you feeling? You've been on a real night.
I'm worried about Ravi Shankar over there.
You know him? I brought him with me.
It's been a while since I met him.
He's marvelous.
I heard he's going to be something of a...
I don't know if I'm right or...
I can't even say.
But he is awesome.
You can't believe it.
Hello.
How are you? I always said I was looking at you.
I feel your clothes.
How did you come tonight? She's teaching at the school.
Oh, she is? Hello.
I'm paying Mrs.
Clark tonight.
Yours is a big piece of plaque.
Don Leuven.
Don Leuven.
Or Rodney Irwin.
And Amy Coller.
How are you doing? I'm good.
How do you like your pictures up over here? We've got you captured in various poses around the years.
Around the house.
They're all around the room.
One of you in the arrow mask.
A number of people are asking to keep these.
We're going to have to sell copies.
It's going to be a new fundraising project for Virginia.
That's a good idea.
That's a good idea.
That's right.
Yeah.
See, that one there is in book.
I'm trying to get out of your way.
Red Russian dancers.
They're sending us a letter.
Yeah, look at trouble damages.
Trouble damages everywhere.
But some of the paintings are only three cents.
Right? But they will put a card in all the unsold books saying that it's really you.
Well, it makes me awfully mad.
I'm sorry.
It's my great pleasure.
You're so very famous.
I know, I know.
You're very famous.
You should have something.
I don't want anything.
No, she never eats.
Oh, no.
Never.
Don't you want one, three? I'd like something soft.
I don't think that, like...
What do you want? I can get something myself.
No, I guess we...
What would you like to drink? We're going to get a Coke and Coke.
I think that's a good problem.
I haven't stayed here in just a minute.
This guy is my way and I couldn't...
You can wait.
Jerry.
Could you come back? I couldn't get to wait.
Tell me what you're doing in Chicago.
I came to...
I'm not going to be here.
Are you going to go? Are you? I don't know.
I'll see what this is going to be.
It's over there.
Over there.
Oh, over there.
Where is he? He's here but he's probably hiding.
You're wearing it on the floor.
There he goes.
I don't know where he is.
Oh, Marv, it's you.
Hi.
This is Ravi Shankar.
This is for you.
Is this too small for you to get a counter here? Nice and intimate.
They should have you here.
This is a...
Yeah, that's how they see you.
Are you here as well? I guess it's all right.
Where are you? Oh, hello.
This is...
This is Robert Ravi Shankar.
He's here just for the day.
So nice to see you.
This is Ravi Shankar.
So nice to see you.
This is so exciting.
Are you getting bored with being on Earth? No.
No? Do you like it a lot? No.
We deserted Lyric Opera for you.
That's fine.
I feel it.
I feel so.
I know.
I know that your schedule is very heavy, but one day soon I would love to be able to do an interview with you.
Perhaps come over to the school.
We could look that out on the day.
I mean, I would like to interview everybody who's...
I just got there.
What were you doing there? I was lobbying.
You know, for my bill it's going to be passed.
What bill is that? You told me not to get in.
I have an old one, I'm Andre.
And you sent him straight to...
I had to get a loan from that nature.
I told them I was bagged today.
And they said that you...
They said you're free.
So I can show you...
We wanted to have to go through all that written rules.
I didn't want to have to go through all that written rule.
He is my friend.
Can you get this from your view? How do you do that? I called the police today and they said that they had sent you free.
And you asked me if I was not? Everything is free.
But you know I'm very, very upset about not being able to see you.
I wish you would.
Because he thinks that...
Hi darling.
Are you going up to the...
Yes, good.
Can you get a picture of the three friends? Three rundowns, three rundowns.
He said sorry.
Ladies, if we could get you up in the same picture.
Come on, stay close.
I want you to sort of turn the corner.
You can keep your glasses down for a little while.
It won't look like you're at a party having a good time.
Oh, I love it.
Are you? Hi.
Thank you.
Have a good night.
Bye.
All done? Are you going to go party to that thing? Which thing? Friday night.
Do you want to go party night with us? Well...
Yeah, he's picking her up.
Friday night.
Yeah, means you better not have a time for ordinary parties.
Oh, that's nice to hear.
Hi darling.
How are you? Very excited.
What stage is this? Yeah, very excited.
Isn't this pretty? I think it's proper that you be right here.
In the arts club.
Yeah, I love the arts club.
I love it too.
Have you met Ravi Shankar? Oh, this year? Yeah, I want to make a close -up.
Oh, I would.
So I would naturally make a close -up.
He's from India.
Oh, I see.
Where is he? He's over there.
That's an incredible show.
But you know, we have an India festival.
Starting from Turkey.
I'm sorry.
The reference.
Oh, let me see.
Just be right in close to his face.
I can take a picture of the two of you real close together.
There's Steven.
Oh, I see these.
Hi darling.
You look so good.
Hello.
I'm a member of the executive board of the community.
We're so pleased to have you.
My friends at Goddard.
That Romanian thing, it's has so many different faces.
I don't know, we had a couple of funny stories about him.
I remember your husband.
Yes, he was.
He was a garland.
Yeah, very tall.
That's what I mean by beautiful.
Beautiful and very tall.
Well, you know, I had a girlfriend who fell in love with Uday.
Oh, she was...
Many of them did.
Sure.
She went out to the airport and was going to go off with him to India or wherever he was going.
And he finally called her mother and said, how can they take your daughter home? I don't know.
I think she was from the political.
No.
She was a society girl.
We always laugh about it.
And Simki was a good friend of mine.
It was really fantastic.
Yes, that really was.
And the girl who followed Simki, who was that? Kana Klata.
That is my cousin, the other girl.
Oh, Kana Klata.
Yes.
And later on, there was another girl called Zora.
I don't remember her name.
But I think she was one of my cousins.
They came to visit.
Oh, wow.
You go back to India very often, you know.
Yeah.
I stay most of the time.
Well, we'll come one day.
I love India.
Oh, it's such a marvelous place.
I think people should be invited and see their family so they won't have their independence.
Something like Corsica or something.
Can I have your attention from other place? Why don't you rest a little bit? Oh, let's sit down.
That's a good idea.
That's a good idea.
Sit down.
Good evening.
Welcome to our very special celebration.
In this year of important Ravigna anniversaries, our 50th season will start on June 28th.
We are honoring Chicago's own Ruth Page, whose international career as a celebrated dancer and choreographer included several summer residencies at Ravigna during the Golden Age of Opera.
Seven years.
Tonight we are paying tribute not only to an illustrious period in Ravigna's history, but also to Ruth Page, who is part of that history.
This summer will mark the 60th anniversary of Ruth's first appearance at Ravigna in 1926 when she staged the dances and danced the lead and opera performances that were presented in Ravigna's first pavilion, the famous 1400 seat wooden pavilion open on three sides and enchantingly lit by Japanese lanterns.
Ruth Page added her own special go to the stage in such acclaimed productions as Sampson and Deliah and Louise and Marouche.
It is somehow strange to be talking about Ruth's past glories and reflecting on her former triumphs when her successes keep going on and on and on.
We are seeing new productions of her merry widow, Billy Sunday and Frankie and Johnny on our television screens as well as her legendary production of Nutcracker every Christmas season at Aerie Crown.
Her Alice based on Alice in Wonderland has been taped and will be shown on national television.
Her involvement and dance today is as important as ever.
Her Chicago school is training young dancers.
Her books on dance are highly regarded and she is in great demand as a lecturer.
There is so much to say about Ruth Page that we cannot compress it into this brief message of welcome.
The photographic tribute here tonight depicts different periods in her career and we hope you enjoy looking at them as much as we have enjoyed displaying them for this party.
Now we are going to all go into the other room and have some dinner and then hopefully we will have a special surprise announcement for you after dinner.
Thank you.
