Wednesday, August 27, 1969 THE MICHIGAN DAILY Page Three 'Dionysus In 69': Indecent exposure for 'U By JUDY SARASOHN The Performance Group was warned that they would be ar- rested for performing in two nude scenes of Dionysus in 69 in Ann Arbor -- but they chose to accept the challenge of cen- sorship in order to create a test case on the basis of Constitu- tional guarantees of freedom of expression. And in many ways the circum- stances surrounding the entire Dionysus incident became a test case for the attitudes of the University - supposedly a home for freedom of expression -- and the surrounding commun- ity. Richard Schechner, director of Dionysus, says he chose Ann Arbor for "frontal exposure" be- cause the University atmos- phere was better than that of Detroit. But the reaction from the University, state politicians and the local police was either1 hostile towards the play or at least very guarded. The controversy began days before the Performance Group set foot in Ann Arbor w h e n police notified University Ac- tivities Center President D a n McCreath of the possibility of arrests in conjunction with the performance. UAC was sponsor- ing the play as part of the Crea- tive Arts Festival, and the police had received a complaint about the nudity. Those responsible for bring- ing the Performance Group to the University -- the UAC of- ficers and the boards of direc- tors of the Union and the League - were immediately forced to take positions c o n- cerning the coming perform- ance. After intensive debate and controversy among the s e n i o r board of UAC, the officers re- leased a statement defending the production. "Dionysus in- 69 is a serious dramatic effort and should be accepted as such," they said. "The production was brought to the University community as legitimate, topical, experimental theatre." But final authority for t h e production still rested with the boards of the Union and t h e League. After a hastily called meeting, the board agreed to al- low the production to go on. However, conflicting state- ments by different members in- dicated that some believed the Performance Group had agreed to perform clothed as they had in Minneapolis and Detroit during the preceding week. Schechner justified the cloth- ed performance in Minneapolis as "artistic experimentation." The Performance Group de- pends on spontaneous expres- sion and thus no two perform- ances are exactly alike. The night of the perform- ance, the Union Ballroom was An jinocent bystander at lireaIDionysus peCrforman(11ce eg,.where the Uis By TOBE LEV Often criticized for overem- phasizing "straight" big name entertainment, the University Activities Center this year h a s promised to open the way for a greater variety of performers. Many students became disil- lusioned last year when UAC feature concerts provided no major rock or blues groups but instead stuck to such establish- ed performers as Bill Cosby, Johnny Carson, Dionne W a r - wick, Judy Collins and Aretha Franklin. "Next year UAC will try to provide the opportunity for dif- ferent types of kids to do t h e things they want to," says UAC president Wally Stromberg, '70. As a result of this new atti- tude, UAC supported in August what may be the biggest blues festival ever held in the Mid- west. Organized by an inde- pendent group of students, the festival brought 25 different groups and performers to Ann Arbor for concerts, workshops and seminars. However, Stromberg promises that the straight entertainment will not be cut down, because UAC believes it is this most stu- dents want. In addition. UAC also re- deemed itself in cultural circles somewhat last year with t h e major creative arts festival whlch brought theacontroversial Dionysus in 69 to Ann Arbor. The arts festival brought many other avant-garde and experimental performers to the University with its theme of "Experiment in the Arts" and was widely praised for the var- iety and depth of the programs. The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, the Believers, the Theatre of Cruelty, and the Committee were some of the top attractions, not to mention Dionysus. Critic Clive Barnes, Greek sculptress Chryssa, and Les Levine's Total Environment were also among the many fea- tures of the festival. Although last year's festival was jammed into two weeks, this year the program will in- clude more fall activitiesStrom- berg says. The major portion of the festival will still be winter term and will feature a series of weekends, with each weekend specializing in a particular form of the arts. The arts festival, however. is not a typical UAC program. The UAC year centers around ma- jor social weekends, Homecom- ing and Michigras, Homecom- ing includes the football game, a big parade with floats, alumni events, a major artist concert, filled to capacity - publicity surrounding the controversy had made the production a major attraction. And along with the students, faculty mem- bers and residents of the con- nunity who attended the play, there were a host of newspaper reporters, a delegation of police, and two state legislators. But despite the controversy- and despite the ommission of the nude scenes in Detroit and Minneapolis - the play went on as it was usually performed in New York and other cities. In the first nude scene, five men and four women stripped off their clothes on stage. With the four men lying on mats, the women formed an arch over them. A fifth man was shoved through the gap to the sounds of groans in the symbolic birth of Dionysus, the Greek god .of wine and fertility. Following the birth, the ac- tors - all still nude -- per- formed a frenzied dance. A similar arch was formed at the end of the play as cast members doused each other with red fluid symbolizing blood. A man was forced into the arch, which fell in a heap on t h e floor, in the enactment of the death of Pentheus, king of Thebes. While an angry crowd of 200 Dionysus supporters waited af- ter the performance, Police Chief Walter Krasny informed Schechner privately that his cast was under arrest for in- decent exposure. Although everyone else was visibly upset by the arrests the University administration main- tained an air of mild disap- pioval. In a statement issued the day before the performance, Presi- dent Robben Fleming said that the nudity did not necessarily constitute obscenity, but reject- ed the sanctuary concept of the University, saying, "The law ap- plies on campus as well as in the community." The Regents later issued a mildly critical statement after a stormy closed meeting. They requested campus groups to carefully consider the contribu- tions which "invited guests and performers can make to the state." The Regents cited "substantial public criticism of the Univer- sity," and said there was "min- imal value attached to the performance as measured against the loss of good will which the University might suf- fer." At the closed meeting, how- ever, conservative Regents had pressed for a stronger state- ment censuring President Flem- ing for his handling of the in- cident. Ironically, F 1 e m i n g' s mild statement drew more crit- icism from conservatives than from liberals. But the major concern of the Regents was clearly to avoid criticism for allowing the play to be performed. One highly placed University official de- scribed the Regental statement as "an attempt to placate the people of the state." There was also an apparently unjustified concern that state legislators would react unfav- orably to Dionysus and cut Uni- versity funds as a result. "There are many state legislators who are quite concerned about this sort of thing," Fleming admit- ted. However, one legislator who did attend the play, Sen. Gilbert Bursley (R-Ann Arbor) reacted favorably to the production . "The dramatic techniques were most unusual and interesting," he said. "I enjoyed it." And there now appears to have been little substance to the fears of legislative reaction. Krasny met with University officials, UAC representatives, and Schnechner before the play to find out what the perform- ance would be like. Although the police reserved judgement until the play actually went on, Krasny indicated that action would indeed be taken. "I don't feel the moral stand- ards of the community should be set by a fraction of the pop- ulation - the student body of the University," said Krasny. He explained that until the com- munity decides to change its laws, he intends "to enforce existing laws." Schechner insists that the central issue is "not the simple question of nakedness, but of freedom of expression." The prosecution, however, is not charging the cast with ob- scene conduct - for this would give them the burden of prov- ing the play appealed to t h e prurient interests of the aud- ience. Apparently, the p o 1i c e felt the charge of indecent ex- posure would be easier to sub- stantiate in court. But Schechner and his play- ers intend to force the issue and demand that the state prove the actions of the actors were indeed indecent. Under U.S. Supreme Court rulings, a community can set standards like those embodied in an indecent exposure law -- but only if those standards re- flect the views of the commun- ity. And the state many have some difficulty isolating which community - the University or the city - is involved., As this supplement goes to press, the Dionysus case s t ill awaits a ruling from District Court Judge Pieter Thomassen as to whether there is sufficient evidence to try the ten-man cast. Thomassen has indicated that he would consider the relevant community in the case as a cross-section of the University community. Thomassen's ruling - and a trial, if one is held - could be significant in defining just what constitutes the University com- munity and whether there is any basis to Fleming's state- ment that the same laws apply both within and outside the University. Obscenity cases are not new to the University community -- in a sense, the controversy is only a re-run of a similar dis- pute which began in 1967 with the confiscation of the f 11 m Flaming Creatures during a Cinema Guild showing. But those arrested -in con- junction with the Cinema Guild case were unable to put up a strong court challenge because of lack of funds. One student was eventually convicted of a lesser charge. Although the Flaming Crea- tures case was a disappoint- ment, Dionysus will also be de- fended on the basis of First Amendment rights - if the case ever goes to court, "We are not trying to win the Dionysus in 69 case on a technicality," says defense at- torney Peter Darrow. "It's simply a question of the First Amendment's ability to protect people nude on stage for an ap- propriate artistic performance." One of the questions that might be answered if the case goes to court is what is "good" art and who should judge it. According to Schechner, Krasny confirmed a statement he made on television to the ef- fect that Dionysus was "bad art." But Krasny also told him that he never saw the perform- ance. "The evils of hypocritical and oppressive and fundamentally unethical law-making system are being challenged," s a y s Schechner. And he believes that It is good that it is Euripides' play in question. "For no one knew better than Euripides the com- plicated relationships between community, art, personal com- mitnient and tryants who used 'democratic processes' to op- press those who might choose to dissent." Dionysus cast leaves the arraignnents --DtIIy-Eric Pe.,'e' ux jIohn niy (ICarsiS it the Evencits Iiltg.--iie Cepitome 11*of j"straighst' (JAC shows games on the Diag---you name it. Michigras is a similar event in the spring which features a skit night. Homecoming last year pro- yoked an issue which has not yet been resolved when 1967 Homecoming Queen Opal Bai- ley, a black student, refused to crown her white successor on grounds that the selection com- mittee discriminated racially. A black candidate for queen had charged that the committee asked her questions overly- oriented towards race. The com- mittee said its criteria were beauty, poise and charm. No decision has yet been made on whether a queen will be chosen this year. UAC also sponsors a lecture series and an international week. The popular lecture series last ycar featured such speak- ers as Sen. William Fulbright,' Julian Bond, and Francois Mit- terand. A winter symposium featured lour major events, including an experimental film festival and sleep-in led by Robert Rimmer, author of The Harrad Experi- ment. International Week sponsored an Arab-Israel debate, a Ravi Shankar concert. and a discus- sion of American economic imi- perialism. Stromberg says In- ternational Week this year will be held in conjunction with the UAC World's Fair, which fea- tures exhibits and entertain- ment in a fair setting at the Union. UAC has about fifteen staf committees concerned with overall operations. It also has tour coordinating committees for homecoming, Michigras, Soph Show and Musket. Soph show is a UAC spon- sored theatrical performance, usually a musical comedy. It is performed and produced by sophomores. MUSKET stands for Michi- gan Union Show and Ko-Eds Too and is a musical production open to all students. Last year's production was Camelot. UAC is entirely student-fin- anced and student-run. The or- ganization receives an alloca- tion from the Michigan Union which conies from student fees of 50 cents per semester for each enrolled student. Budgeting for all UAC activi- ties in the course of a year runs around $300,000. "We're never in debt but we never "make a fantastic profit," Stromberg says. "We usually wind up about $3,000 in the black. Creative arts festival was the big loser, Homecoming always makes money, the speakers programs break even and Michigras just about broke even," he explains. Although UAC has been ac- cused of domination by frater- nity members in the past, Stromberg says the group is working to involve more Inde- depndent students. "Michigras for example work- ed very hard for independent groups to enter its skit night and carnival," he explains. rrI~Xri$OOK% UP TO 130FF The Student's Bookstore "WELCOME," says Don Dascola, M '36, TO THE 3 DASCOLA Barbershops * Campus-Arborland-Maple Village " Hairstyling for MEN, WOMEN & Children " Coloring-Straightening-Hairpieces 0 Razor Cutting-Shaving "Where sanitation, workmanship, service excel," o rage lblossom' itanwxd rtw, u From $225.00 From $125.00 To the girl who knows what she Mac or syl wtho BUYING BOOKS FOR THE FIRST TIME? 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