[Playbill] [Who's Who in the Cast]

(Note:  Actor names are linked with the Internet Movie Database.)

ETHEL WATERS (Berenice). Miss Waters, unrivaled as a singer of popular songs and spirituals, established herself as one of the finest dramatic actresses in the American theatre with her performances as Hagar in ``Mamba's Daughters" and Petunia Jackson in ``Cabin in the Sky." Born in Chester, Pennsylvania, she was reared in Philadelphia. After winning an amateur night contest in a cellar cabaret she made her singing debut at the age of seventeen in a Baltimore vaudeville theatre at the magnificent salary of nine dollars per week. For many years Miss Waters was a favorite singer of blues in night clubs from Alabama to Harlem, then came to Broadway in a revue entitled ``Africana," wherein she sang everything from ``Eli Eli" to ``St. Louis Blues" and proved herself a star of the first magnitude. Lew Leslie presented her in ``Blackbirds" and ``Rhapsody in Black," and then she introduced ``Heat Wave" and ``Supper Time" in Irving Berlin's ``As Thousands Cheer," sharing honors with Clifton Webb, Helen Brodcrick and the late Marilyn Miller. She was co-starred with Beatrice Lillie in ``At Home Abroad," after which came ``Mamba's Daughters" in 1939. Miss Waters sang ``Am I Blue" in one of Hollywood's first talking pictures, ``On with the Show," and recently in ``Pinky." Miss Waters  turned down numerous Hollywood offers to return to the legitimate theatre in ``The Member of the Wedding." Ethel Waters' biography, ``His Eye is on the Sparrow," is a current best-seller.

BETTY LOU HOLLAND (Frankie Addams) is a southern girl who has already had a distinguished career on the stage. Getting her share of stock experience with such well-known companies as the Whitefield Players of New Hampshire, the Fairhaven Players (Mass.) and the Easthampton Players (Long Island), Betty Lou got prominent roles in ``Call Me Mister," ``Annie, Get Your Gun," ``Goodbye, My Fancy" and ``The Devil's Disciple." On TV she is known as Agnes in The Aldrich Family.

BRANDON DE WILDE (John Henry West) celebrated his ninth birthday recently. Although John Henry is his first theatrical assignment, Brandon has known stage doors and stage talk all his life, as his parents are both of the theatre. He won the Donaldson award for the best debut performance of the year.

JAMES HOLDEN (Jarvis). Mr. Holden acquired his Southern accent at home in Birmingham, Alabama. While studying at the Alvienne School of Acting, he eradicated it, only to find the accent required for his roles in ``Command Decision," and the road company of ``Dear Ruth." He also appeared in ``The Man Who Had All the Luck." His motion pictures include ``Sands of Iwo Jima," ``House Across the Street," ``Task Force" and ``Flying Squadron."

VIRGINIA MCMAHON (Janice) hails from Kansas City and made her debut at the famous Pasadena Playhouse where she also met her husband, James Holden. They appeared together in Arthur Miller's ``The Man Who Had All the Luck." A nationwide tour of ``Dear Ruth" followed for both of them and then leading parts in several television shows including Philco Playhouse, Hollywood Screen Test, Studio One and Martin Kane Private Eye.

FRANCES INGALLS (Mrs. West) attended the Neighborhood Playhouse School under the direction of Sanford Meisner and summer Mock in New Hampshire, New York and Pennsylvania. In television she has been featured with Helen Hayes, Gene Lockhart, Kay Francis and Barbara Bel Geddes.

JAMES MALONEY (Royal Addams) was born in New Britain, Conn., and after graduating from the College of William and Mary, he joined the staff of the Cleveland Playhouse. He made his Broadway debut in ``Detective Story" and played the same role on the screen which stars Kirk Douglas and will be released shortly.  Repertoire companies in Delaware, Connecticut and New York followed, and then TV, being featured in Priyate Eye, the Robert Montgomery Show, the Aldrich Family and The Hands of Destiny.

PATRICIA FAY (Doris) hails from Troy, New York, and first studied with the ballet. Miss Fay is making her debut with ``The Member of the Wedding."

MARY COTTERMAN (Helen Fletcher) is a graduate of the University of Dayton, Ohio, and was active in college and community dramatics. At the Yellow Springs Arena Theatre, Miss Cotterman played important roles.

BARRY TRUEX (Barney McKean) is a member of the gifted Truex family. Born in New York he claimed California early in life. Hollywood gave him his first chance on the legitimate stage in ``Macbeth" with Iris Tree. His father, Ernest Truex, rewarded him with roles in `Androcles and the Lion" and ``George Washington Slept Here," featuring the Truex family including Sylvia Field and daughter Sally. School intervened and then the ``Winslow Boy" with Ian Keith and later Basil Rathbone. ``Corn is Green" with Eva LeGalliene, ``Ah Wilderness" and ``The Swan followed. Television with The Truex Family was a highly successful interlude and then more stock company experience feauring no stars at all, as young Barry diffidently puts it. ``O' Mistress Mine" with Ruth Chatterton and now with Sylvia Sidney and Romney Brent brings this budding career to date.

PHYLLIS  WALKER  (Sis Laura).  Miss Walker started as a child dancer in vaudeville nd has remained in the theatre all her life. She lists among her plays the immortal ``Show bat," Lew Leslie's ``Blackbirds" and ``Stove Pipe Hat.

LOUIS PETERSON (Honey) has an M.A. from New York University. In addition he has attended Morehouse College and the Yale School of Drama. He was featured on Broadway in ``Our Lan'" and had the title role in ``Young American." He played the lead in an Italian  motion  picture  based  on  Molnar's ``Liliom."

AUGUSTUS SMITH (T. T. Williams) has played in practically every branch of the theatre, from minstrel shows to the legitimate drama. He toured for the Theatre Guild in ``He Who Gets Slapped," had leads on Broadway in ``Turpenne," ``Walk Together, Chillun" and ``The Long Way Home." He was the author of ``Louisiana," which he played the leading role. More recently he appeared with Canada Lee in ``On Whitman Avenue."

CARSON McCULLERS achieved literary distinction with two successive best-sellers—"The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter" and ``Reftections in a Golden Eye." The American Academy of Arts and Letters bestowed upon her an award, and she has been twice recipient of Guggenheim Fellowships.  Besides many short stories she composed ``The Member of the Wedding" by 1946. At 32, she enters the theatre with the dramatization of her own novel.  For ``The Member of the Wedding" she has been awarded Donaldson awards for best play of the year and the best first play.


HAROLD CLURMAN, noted director and critic, was one of the founders of the Group Theatre, whose biography he wrote in his book, ``The Fervent Years," and for whom he staged, among others, the memorable ``Golden Boy" and ``Awake and Sing." Besides many directorial assignments,  Mr.  Clurman co-produced the Critics' Award drama, ``All My Sons."  ``The Member of the Wedding" is his fiftieth production. Mr. Clurman received the Donaldson award as best director of the year for his direction of ``The Member of the Wedding."