Page Eight
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Wednesday, August 27, 1969
Page Eight THE MICHIGAN DAILY Wednesday, August 27, 1969
i!-7
theatre
The student players
Classical
Popular
Folk
agreeable music
at an agreeable price
By JUDY KAHN
Ann Arbor has a well-deserv-
ed reputation for offering each
year a diverse and bountiful re-
pertory of theatre works.
Perhpas the most productive
of all the theatre groups - both
national and local-which play
in Ann Arbor is the University
Players. Sponsored by t h e
speech department, its w o r k s
are produced, directed, and pre-
sented by students planning
professional theatre careers.
However, any student who wants
to work in any capacity - from
selling tickets to acting or man-
aging -- is welcome to partici-
pate.
This year, as usual, Univer-
sity Players will present seven
theatre productions - including
one written by a student - dur-
ing the fall and winter terms.
These productions cover a wide
variety of styles. from classic to
contemporary.
This year's productions are:
The Balcony, by Genet; Titus
Andronicus, by Shakespeare;
America Hurrah, by Van Itallie;
Dark of the Moon, by Richard-
son and Berney; Esperanza, by
Shaw: Life is a Dream, by Cal-
A real show town
Off-campus theatre is alive and well in Ann Arbor.
You don't have to depend on the APA or University Players
for all dramatic presentations in town. There are some fine groups
on the fringes of the University and beyond.
Perhaps the most promising-and the newest-theatre troupe
in Ann Arbor is the recently-formed Black Theatre. The ensemble
made their debut during the summer, and were highly praised for
a combined poetry reading and presentation of LeRoi Jones' The
Baptism, a risque parody of the Father Divine era. The AABT is
certain to be back this fall with more excellent theatre.
The most unusual in non-establishment theatre comes from
the Lord Chamberlain's Players troupe, which last year received
a private foundation grant. The students and faculty in the troupe
specialize in little-produced literary and dramatic works. Last year
they produced plays like Manfred by Lord Byron and a more suc-
cessful version of Fielding's raucous Tom Thumb, which they
paired with a medieval play, The Creation of Eve.
Pleasant if orthodox entertainment comes from the Ann Arbor
Civic Theatre, which put on numerous shows last year, including
She Stoops to Conquer and musicals, and the recently-blossomed
Junior Light Opera, a group of high school age performers who
have won acclaim for their professional work in several plays, in-
cluding A Thousand Clowns and Wildcat.
Now dormant, the innovative ONCE group performed at the
Creative Arts Festival last year, and the student-faculty group
could well be back again soon.
deron, and Plough and the
Stars, by O'Casey.
Student Laboratory Theatre,
also produces a great m a n y
plays each year. Its main pur-
pose in presenting theatre works
is not to please large audiences,
but rather to give students the
chance to try their hand at var-
ious aspects of theatre work.
In the past, many of the po-
sitions, such as directors a n d
designers, have been limited to
students taking specific speech
department courses which are
related to the theatre. But act-
ing positions have been open to
all students.
Each year some of the scripts
used are also written by Univer-
sity students. Other plays are
often adapted to fit the limited
budget and space requirements
which face the Student Labora-
tory Theatre. As a result of
their goals and these limitations,
lab theatre productions are us-
ually intimate affairs between
audience and actors, and some
of last summer's offerings were
highly experimental.
The French and Spanish de-
partments each present a for-
eign language theatre produc-
tion during the latter months of
the winter term (generally in
March and April).
Students who participate in
these productions do not have
to be taking language courses,
although actors must have some
proficiency in speaking, memo-
rizing, and understanding t he
language spoken.
The department of romance
languages finances these two
plays, and students f r o m the
speech department who ai'e tak-
ing theatre courses usually vol-
unteer to help with the techni-
cal aspects of production.
-Daily-Thomas R. Copi
:iftKET'sCmel ta'
And
MUSIC
Vl 0h
breaks a
leg..
717 North University
Ann Arbor, Michigan
(1
)
CAMPUS 1969 IS WHAT'S
ROCKING THE SCENE
AT JACOBSON'S
... a complete campus
fashion store where you
can zap your wardrobe
right into tomorrow
with the vivid tapestries,
the layer-on-layer trick
of chains over vests
over pants, the lively
look of the long, long
scarf, and the terrific
knit takeover. It's where
any mix is a good mix,
and we have all the parts.
Come in and visit us soon
. . . we really dig YOU!
C
A
. ]14 .
,
a
.. --
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For those who have the desire to appear on the Broadway
stage, but haven't made their show biz debut yet, the University
provides several opportunities to carry out this wish.
Three major student groups provide the chance to appear in
Broadway shows. 500 miles from the White Way. The three-
MUSKET, the Gilbert and Sullivan Society and Soph Show-put on
at least one major musical production each year with a solely
student cast and crew.
But that these are student productions shouldn't be taken as
any reflection on their quality. Rather the casts are composed of
hard working drama, music, art majors (and a few lit school stu-
dents) who are seriously considering making the stage their career.
And year after year, show after show, these students put on produc-
tions that have attracted national interest.
Possibly the best known group (and you'll see how popular they
are if you want to get a seat) is MUSKET, MUSKET, an acronym
for Michigan Union Show Coeds too, usually puts on two shows a
year-often an original production plus a traditional Broadway hit.
In the past two years, this group has put on Camelot and A
Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. And they were
selected by USO for a year-long tour of military installations across
the globe.
Both the cast and crew are students--directors, producers, set
designers, musicians and actors. And for those whose talents lie in
non-theatrical areas but enjoy being close to the stage, the
MUSKET organization has numerous positions available for pub-
licists, costumers and stage help which demand no previous ex-
perience.
Although the name-Gilbert and Sullivan Society-indicates
the nature of their shows, it by no means restricts their scope.
While the group traditionally selects G&S favorites-HMS Pinafore
and Iolanthe in the past two years-this year they will be present-
ing Lerner and Lowe's Paint Your Wagon.
And if a non-Ann Arbor opinion is presumably rid of our bias
and thus somewhat more valid, a guest reviewer from the National
Observer last year gave the G&S society a rave notice in The Daily.
For those who wish to be in MUSKET or G&S society produc-
tions, the Soph Show productions provide an invaluable training
ground. The cast and crew, drawn from members of the second
semester freshman class. have consistently put on performances
that rival both MUSKET and G&S Society.
Working on the production, night after night for nearly a
semester, dance after dance, song after song, offers the practical
experience that few drama courses at this University can offer.
And the SRO houses and standing ovations testify that the effort
is not without appreciation.
In the past two years, Soph Show has presented Once Upon a
Mattress and Carnival. And similar to the other productions, there
is plenty of opportunity for extra hands on the crew and the
publicity staff.
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