_____________THE MICHIGAN DAILY T
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1
Discusses
Problems
Of rh1
By MILDA GINGELL
"An author must be able to
transfer what most writers say to
the level of a child's world which
is narrow because of its limited
experience," Prof. Clark Hopkins
of the classical studies department
said.
"The book must be able to ex-
press the child's feelings in the
way he would want to say things,"
he continued.
Prof. Hopkins addressed the
Michigan Writers Conference in
the Union Ballroom recently,
speaking on the difficulties in-
volved in writing children's stories.
He went on to say that the
characters in the stories should be
separate, distinct, interesting and
individual. He cited examples of
this type of character by reading
descriptions of Cyrus, a character
from his book, "Cyrus Hunts the
Couger."
Whereas the vocabulary in a
child's book was once limited to a
few hundred words, authors now
tend to use many new words in
order to stimulate the imagina-
tions of children, he continued,'
but, of course, not too many new
words should be used.
He also emphasized that the
author must consider whether the
parent or the child will read the
book and the age of the child.
Prof. Hopkins decided to write
children's stories after reading and
disliking the stories he read to his
small son many years ago. His
two books, "Indians; Fire Engines
and Rabbit" and "Cyrus Hunts
the Couger" are published under
the pen name Roy Lee.
Director Discusses Problems of Short-Run Drai
By BRUCE COLE
"You get to the point when ac-
tors have learned their lines and
everyone on the set knows what
to do, and you find your time has
run out," John O'Shaughnessy, di-
rector of the Drama Season pro-
ductions said.
Discussing the problems of di-
recting a series of plays which
begin on Tuesday and the follow-
ing Monday is opening night.
Wants Time
He noted that although there is
not half as much time as he would
like, the actors give their all in
the production and they improve
throughout the week because they
learn where their weak points lie
through audience reactions.
"Many people do not realize the
great value of the audience to the
performers. An actor's audience is
his greatest help, especially in tim-
ing," the director disclosed.
O'Shaughnessy said he watches
the show on opening night and
then three or four nights later to
see if there is any change. "After
all, once the shows goes on, the di-
rector's job Is finished."
Discusses Problems
The Drama Season director com-
mented on the particular Drama
Season productions and their spe-
cial problems. "Macbeth," he said,
was unusual in that not only the
staging, such as the presentation
of the witches, but also the lines
themselves were presented differ-
ently."
"We changed soliloquies and
scenes around in order to build up
to a better emotional climax," he
revealed.
"Howie" was not too difficult to
do. The main problem here is,
conveying the comedy without
having it looked forced. This play
is, as Charles Hohman desribes
it, a two-dimensional production.
"There is no philosophic mes-
sage nor critcial comment which
the audience must get. It is a play
that should be taken as it is seen,
with no hidden morals or mes-
sages."
More Complex
"Waiting for Godot," n e x t
week's production, he described as
probably "six dimensional."
He said the play is a complexity
of conflicts and meanings which
present a real challenge to the di-
rector, because, "unless it is done
right, the audience will not see the
message of the play."
Another problem with "Godot,"
he said, was movement. This play
does not have the action of either
"Macbeth" or "Howie" and an
audience will get very restless if
the characters m e r e l y s t a n d
around throwing out dialogue but
not doing anything."
It is the movement of a produc-
tion that keeps it alive, he em-
phasized.
O'Shaughnessy then discussed
the theatre-in-the-round which is
growing in importance in the
American scene.
Emphasis Differs
"It is necessary to realize the
different emphasis in this type of
theatre, as well as the burden of
the actors," he remarked. An au-
dience may identify itself with the
players more in an arena situation
because they are not separated by
a proscenium. "Of course this
makes it hard for the actors since
they are totally out in the open
and they really have to live their
parts and have the necessary con-
tact with the audience," he said.
Another reason the audience
may identify more with this ar-
rangement is that it has freer
reign of imaginations, since the
scenery is fairly sparse and more
has to be imagined. "You don't
have the flies and backdrops that
you find in a conventional the-
atre," he said.
Types Vary
O'Shaughnessy commented that
although most play material can
be done in either type theatre,
pageantry should be confined to
the proscenium. "Because of the
openness of the arena, the pagen-
try cannot be as successful as it is
on a regular stage."
. He cited opera as an example
which cannot be done very suc-
cessfully in the arena because of
the pageantry and the emotion
which needs to be built up through
the color and staging, including
elaborate sets, and of course the
music and singing.
After completing his work with
Drama Season (this is his fourth
year as director) he plans to go to
his Long Island home for a brief
rest. "There is : some repairing,
building, landscaping and fishing
I'd like to get in before heading
To Perform
to the Poconos," where he is resi-I
dent director of the Pocono Play-t
house, a summer stock theatre, he1
revealed.]
Stock Not Difficult;
He said stock is not very difficult,
to do, since it is non-creative now-
a-days, because most of the shows'
are "package productions."
"This means all the sets, floor
plans and actors are flown to the
various summer theatres, and all
the resident director does, mainly,
is to see that everything is in order'
and manage the operation of the
theatre."
Next fall he will direct a new
play, "Cut of the Axe," on Broad-
way and he is currently working
with playwrite Shepard Kermin in
order to complete the script. The
play deals with a town marshall
who lets himself be ruled by the
boss of the town and who begins to
feel a responsibility for his' duty as
a law enforcement officer.
Wants To Settle
O'Shaughnessy also puts on a
few plays in Washington during
the year. His major complaint is
that he wishes he could settle down
and stop living out of a suitcase.
However, he admits he loves his
work and he loves actors, "they
really aren't tempermental, in fact
they are easy to get along with
because they always want to im-
prove themselves," he said.
Sometimes there is a profes-
sional conflict, such as andactor
*who has been in a play under one
director and then does the play
under another director who wants
it done a little differently; "but
these usually work themselves out
through -compromise and then
everything is smooth again," he
said.
"Yes, it's a fine business, and the
rewards are among the greatest,
for you can see your own creation
form in front of your eyes, and this
is the most wonderful feeling there
is," the director concluded.
Band To Give
Pubic Concert
The University Symphony Band
will present a laboratory concert
at 4:15 p.m. today in Hill Aud;
Members of the band will act as
student conductors, and will con-
duct works by Weinberger, Morris-
sey, Gould, Milhaud, Bach, Wag-
ner, Holst and Cowell.
U
JOHN O'SHAUGNESSY'
... discusses directing
run for a short time as opposed
to the long run production, 0'-
Shaughnessy, noted the frustra-
tion of the director in not having
the time to polish the plays.
"It is somewhat disheartening to
have to see a play go on before
you have done everything to your
satisfaction," he remarked.
Usually, a Broadway production
will have weeks and weeks of
practice. However, during Drama
Season, rehearsals of a new play
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DIAL OA2-3136
STARTS TODAY
IT'S A GAY, GORGEOUS,
GLORIOUS, LOVE STORY
OF A BLUSHING BRIDE
. a French hubby with
ideas of a romance that
will tickle you with
laughter.
Tonesco Play
"The Bald Soprano" by Ionesco
will be performed at 8:30 p.m.
June 5 and 6 in Lane Hall.
Tickets will be available at Mar-
shall's Book Store and the Disk
Shop.
The production, directed by
Philip Diskin, will be presented by
the Dramatic Arts Center Work-
shop.
Unique acoustic and lighting ef-
fects will accompany the produc-
tion.
A
Deborah Kr 1.oItoTnoraz;
Mauice Cbevalber
4
Asian Group Announces
New Course for Fall
NEXT
ACADEMY AWARD WINNER
SUSAN HAYWARD
in "A WOMAN OBSESSED"
r17,
L ui
..
By CAROL FELDER
.W
a
- 11w"o'""ow
English: LOWEST MAN IN THE COMMENCEMENT CLASS
Thinkilsh translation: The only courses this bird absorbed
c Awere the ones served in dining hall. The only examinations he
passed were the ones his dentist gave him twice a year. After
five years of work (at a two-year college), he finally got ,his
diploma. Obviously, the word for this fellow is gladuate! Of.
course, being a Lucky fan marks him as a man of high degree
.. . with extra credits for good taste. Get the honest taste of fine
- tobacco yourself. Spend this summa cum Luckies.
EnglS'.. CMORI:" 01.1:r ::.English: ANGRY JAPANESE
ThrnkhshhI'nkTALhGU
HOWT -
:.LUCKY.
MAKE ~ 5 SRIKEJ
Take a word-magazine, for example. With
it, you can make a burglar's weekly (swaga-
zine), a liars' club bulletin (bragazine), a
mountain-climbing gazette (cragazine) and a
pin-upperiodical(stagazine).That'sThinklish
-and it's that easy! We're paying $25 for
the Thinklish words judged. best-your check
is itching to go! Send your words to Lucky .
Strike, Box 67A, Mt. Vernon, N. Y. Enclose
name, address, college and class.
Creation of the South Asian
Studies Committee by the Uni-
versity last March was an attempt
to rationalize, expand, and de-
velop the courses dealing with
South Asia that are available both
to graduates and undergraduates.
There were three important
reasons for its development, Prof.
Robert I. Crane, chairman of the
South Asian Committee, said.
The University already had well-
developed programs of study in
the, Near East and Far East. The
new program for South Asia was
an attemept to round out and fill
in the gap between these two.
Resources Exist
Resources on South Asia were
in existence at the University
which needed organizing and addi-
tional strength in order to make
them effective for training pur-
poses.
Also important was the grow-
ing conviction among Asian spe-
cialists at the University that
South.Asia was an area that de-
served much more careful under-
standing because of its importance
in the world.
At this time Congress passed the
National Defense Education Act
which, included Hindustani as one
of the major languages of critical
importance to the United States.
Under the Act the University re-
ceived fellowships and counter-
part government money for costs
of instruction to expand and 'de-
velop. its: program of studies on
South Asia,
Adds New Courses
This assistance not only makes
it possible' for us to bring good
students here on fellowships but
also helped the University to in-
stitute new courses dealing with
South Asian staff, Prof. Crane said.
Next fall there will be nine new
courses offered through the Asian
Studies Committee.
In the language department
Elementary Colloquial Hindustani
is being presented as an intensive
study in reading and speaking of
the major language of India. Em-
phasis is placed upon general con-
versational ability and mastery of
the essentials of sentence pattern,
pronounciation and basic vocabu-
lary.
In Several Departments
Political Science 148, The Gov-
ernment and Politics of South
Asia, and Political Science 269,
Proseminar in the Government
Q.vA UnlfiQ f Crnli+1-, A cia ar
The Geography of South Asia;
Geography of East Asia; Fine Arts
91, The Art of India; Introductory
Sanskrit; and Buddhism 117 com-I
plete this list of new courses.
Asian Civilizations 1 and 2, a
two semester course that was or-
ganized this year, will again be
offered in the fall although it is
not listed in the catalogue, Prof.
Crane remarked.
The one year course is an intro-
ductory study of the major peo-
ples, civilizations, and problems
of Asia, open to underclassmen.
Arrange Programs
The committee 'has also been
able to arrange degree programs
at the graduate level with special
emphasis on South Asia in the de-
partment of fine arts, geography,
history and political science.
The Program is now soliciting
applications for fellowships under
the National Defense Education
Act from students at the Univer-
sity who wish to take training in
the Hindustani language as well
as take degree work in the depart-
ment.
Interested students should con-
tact Prof. Crane as soon as pos-
sible for application forms and
information.
day, to those among us-"
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