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October 16, 1968 - Image 2

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Publication:
The Michigan Daily, 1968-10-16

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Page Two

THE MICHIGAN DAILY

Wednesday, October 16, 1968

Page Two THE MICHIGAN DAILY

The theater
of great discontent
The following article is, admittedly, flackery put out by
the San Francisco Mime Troupe in behalf of itself. But there
is actually no better way to understand radical theatre and
what it attempts to accomplish, then to hear about it from
those who practice it. The Mime Troupe opens its commedia
dell' arte presentation "The Farce of Patelin" at Canterbury
House on Friday night. They will appear there through
Sunday.-Editor.
"Radical, theater in its practitioners' sense of the term-
-radical not only in political content but in its rejection of con-
ventional theater methods and economics ("How you do it is
maybe even more important than what," says Mime Troupe
director R. G. Davis)-is a recent phenomenon: the Mime
Troupe, founded in 1959, may be the oldest surviving example.
Others are several New York groups, particularly The Bread
and Puppet Theater, The Gut Theater, and The Pageant Players.
All these companies operate without permanent premises,
without box offices, and without the government and foundation
grants that subsidize established "serious" theaters. They are
supported by their audiences, who are the young, the poor, the
man in the street, as opposed to the affluent middle-aged who
buy ticlets to the plays.
The Mime Troupe's home ground is the public parks system
of the San Francisco Bay Area, in which the Troupe has per-
formed updated comedia dell' arte plays every summer since
1962. The company survives on the collections taken after each
performance. The idea is to abolish walls, including the fifth
wall, money. Outdoor performance heightens the challenge to
the actor: sky, dogs, and ball games compete for the attention
of the audience which, having invested nothing in advance,
will not hesitate to leave it bored.
Evidently, there are no color TV's in the Mime Troupe.
Actors received $5 per show, the balance goes to pay expenses.
Some live on the $25 a week this afford them, others have part
time jobs. The Troupe's growing reputation (in May it received
a special "Obie" award for Off-Broadway excellence) enables it
to supplement its park earnings with engagements, but it still
labors under an accumulated debt (most of it the result df
expensive legal hassles with an affronted Establishment) that is
larger 'than the Troupe's annual income.
Despite its contention that the "total spectacle" (perform-
ance which is continuous with the world around it) is the mes-
sage, the Troupe's productions are specific, and, radical, in
social-political content.
Their political preoccupations have earned for the Troupe
labels like "cheerleaders of anarchy" and "bludgeon-wielding'
propagandists." Their answer is that "art which does not speak
to vital concerns is soulless; it is not worth seeing if it has
nothing to say."

theatre
O'Casey's favorite closes APA season

CINEMA II
"MY NAME IS IVAN"
Russiii

171]

What Irish playwright Sean
O'Casey regarded as his favor-
ite play, Cock-a-Doodle Dandy,
previewed last night as the final
production in this year's APA
Repertory season.
The play, termed "farcical and
fantastic" 'by director Jack'
O'Brien, opens officially tonight
at Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre
for a two-week run. Donald
Moffat, considered by many to
be the company's most versatile
actor, plays the leadingsrole.
Also featured in the cast are
Philip Minor, Katherine Hal-
mond, and Richard Wgods.
I
' Second class postage paid at Ann
Arbor. Michigan, 420 Maynard St., Ann
Arbor, Michigan, 48104.
Daily except Monday during regular
academic school year.

i
14

Bes CSIPcture,

Ven ice

Film. Festival

FRI.-SA T., OCT 18-19, AUD. A
1.D1 es.
Try DaiyClassif ieds n

_ il1

-J. Edw. Bailey
Moffat, Miss Helmond, Woods, and Minor work for O'Casey
- musc
'Premieres and magnetic tape

UNDERGROUND
RETURNS TO THE

By MARCIA ABRAMSON
The latest In music-includ-
ing a nocturne for magnetic
tape and two world premieres-
will be presented in the music
school's annual Festival of Con-!
temporary Music which begins
Friday.
The first three concerts of the
series of five will be presented
Friday, Oct. 25 and Nov. 1. The
second part of the festival will
be held during the winter term.
The University Philharmonia
will play the world premieres of
"Concerto for Violin and Or-
chestra" by Prof. Paul, Cooper
at the opening concert at 8 .p.m.
Friday in il Aud.
Cooper was a member of the
music school faculty until this
year and is currently composer-
in-residence at the University of
Cincinnati.
The concerto is divided into
seven connecting sections of
varying materials and tempi

with brief periods of quasi-im-
provisations, Cooper explains.
Pitches are indicated but may be
played rhythmically from within
a given metered time span.
The second concert, in Rack-
ham Aud., will feature the world
premiere of "Variations" by
James Dapogny, a faculty mem-
ber of the music school. The six
short variations have no theme.
Each variation presents one
specfic treatment. of the pitch
succession whichunderlies the
e n t i r e composition, Dapogny
says.
Traditionally the Contempor-
ary Festival has centered around
the works of a guest composer
who also presented an address
on some aspect of his work. This
year's guest is not a composer
but a performer-Bethany Bear-
dislee, who will sing Schoen-
berg's "Plerrot Lunaire," Op. 21.
The second concert will also
present "Nocturne" for mag-

netic tape by Jack Fortner, an-,
other music school faculty mem-
ber.
The third concert is part of
the music school's Contemporary
Directions series. The Michigan
Contemporary Directions En-
semble will play the entire con-
cert, including "Divertissement"
by Prof. Ross Lee Finney, the
University's composer - in - resi-
dence. This concert will also be
held at Rackham Aud.
The Contemporary Directions
Program was b e g u n several
years ago by the music school
to perform new works. This year
the project is being supported
by a Rockefeller Foundation
grant, which has made possible
establishment of the Contem-
porary Directions Ensemble as
a permanent group.
The festival is supported by
the music school. There is no
admission charge for any of
the concerts.

" ''r f .By
f Y~t + ES e a n
OCasey
Directed by Jack O'Brien
Music by Bob James

4

[r

:Il

Vth Forum

Thur., Fri., Sat. & Sun.
11:00 P.M.

Expanded Cinema is a revolution. A new way of see-
ing. A new way of thinking. A new way of being.
The image is the idea is the word is the act. Expand-
ed awareness. A taste of the essences. Expanded
Cinema says it. It says: Revolution!

R: H. Philipp, Owner
1031 E. Ann, near the hospitals
DELICIOUS SANDWICHES, SALADS, SOUPS
95c DAILY SPECIAL
Open 1 1:00 a.m. 'til 8:00 p.m. Daily
CLOSED SUNDAYrS

11

GRADS...

F'

UNDERGUADS ..

o

Run for

SGC

Nov. elections

VAW

MADALYN
MURRAY
speaks on
ATHEISM

Petitions now being accepted at
SGC offices for six seats on Counci

I

4

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File Now.!

HOMECOMING 1968 PRESENTS
DI ONNE WARWICK

Sunday,
2:00 P.M.,

October 20
Hill Auditorium

Petitioning for Nov. 12, 13.
Election closes 5:00 p.m. Oct. 28.

I

1E

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24, 1968
48:30 P.M.

TICKETS ON SALE WED., OCT. 16
$1.00 at Diag (11.12) and
Union Desk fall day)
TICKETS ON SALE AT DOOR
BEFORE PERFORMANCE

SHOWS AT
1:00-3:00-5:00
7:10-9:10

NO 2-6264

NEXT:
"HEART IS
LONELY
HUNTER

A

IMPORTANT MEETINGS
of the
IFC PLEDGE
STUDY COMMITTEE
WEDNESDAY, OCT. 16:
Policy meeting for all interested
Rm. 3511 S.A.B., 7:30 P.M.
Q A TR T1 A v f CqT 10.

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