PAGE SIX
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 21, 1965
PAGE SIX THE MICHIGAN DAILY THURSDAY. OCTOBER 21. 1qE5
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FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY:
Speech Faculty Dramatizes
Chronology of 'U' Players'
AT FORSYT HE GALLE RY:
Patel Display Demonstrates
Unusual Copper Treatment
it
By JOHN CRUMB, JR.
In celebration of the Univer-
sity' Players' fiftieth anniversary
this semester the faculty of the
speech department presented a
history of the theater group in a
speech assembly in Rackham Aud.
recently.
Prof. William P. Halstead, of the
speech department, coordinated
the program, first introducing
Prof. Richard D. T. Hollister, di-
rector of the first Play Produc-
tion performance in 1916.
Hollister said he and Prof. True-
blood founded Play Production, as
University Players was then called,
"the first such accredited course
west of the Alleghenies." Halstead
mentioned that Hollister had been
cast in "Henry VI," the forth-
coming University Players play
billed for Nov. 17.
History
Prof. Richard J. Burgwin of the
speech department, then spoke of
the history of the University Play-
ers from Valentine Windt's direc-
torship in 1928 until Windt's death
in 1957.
Valentine Windt immediately
expanded Play Production's bil-
lings from two to seven per school
year; he produced during the sum-
mer session for the first time; he
announced with Prof. Kenneth
Rowe of the English department,
the annual play-writing contest.
The winning play was produced by
Play Production.
Windt cooperated with Prof.
Blatt of the School of Music to
produce an opera in 1939. Blatt
called Windt "the finest stage
director I have ever worked with,,,
and produced 40 more operas with
him.
Windt did all of these things
despite the Play Production's
grossly inadequate facilities, Burg-
win said. When Windt came, Play
Production's home was the twice-
condemned University Hall now'
occupied by the Angell Hall audi-
torium.
Move
In 1929, Play Production moved
LABORATORY THEATER:
'Helen of Troy' Farce
To Be Performed
to the Union's Mime Theatre. This
was also condemned by fire mar-
shal, so Windt moved to the Tem-
porary Classroom Building locat-
ed behind Health Service and the
University Laundry.
The speech department moved
into the Frieze building in 1957.
a year after Wind't death.
At this point Halstead intro-
duced Prof. Jack E. Bender of the
speech department who showed
slides of some of the major pro-
ductions for the last 15 years.
Bender said that the department
has more photos dating 50 years
back on the walls of the Frieze
Building.
Not mentioned was the fact that
Halstead was director of most of
the plays shown in the slides.
He has been executive secretary,
vice-president and president of the
American Educational Theater
Association and a member of the
Board of Directors of the Ameri-
can National Theatre and Acad-
emy before Windt left the depart-
ment.
Natural Successor
Windt's colleague and well-
experienced director, Halstead was
the natural successor of Windt.
Since 1957 Halstead has been
responsible for the curriculum of
the theater area and the plays
and productions of the University
Players and the student laboratory
theater. He is director of parts I
and III of Henry VI and chose
the trilogy to mark the University
Players' fiftieth year.
In the past, Halstead's choice
of University Players' billings have
run to the established "classic"
repertoire, yet he has produced
new, modern plays that had not,
as yet, gained critical-recognition.
He produced Brecht's "The Good
Woman of Setzuan" before Brecht
had made any impression on pro-
fessional and educational theater.
Though indifferent to personal
recognition, he is acclaimed by
his colleagues. Last Aug. 24, Roger
L. Stevens, special assistant to
President Lyndon B. Johnson on
the arts, conferred the American
Educational Theater Association's
Award of Merit pn Halstead.
William Statler of the speech
department said on the occasion,
"The honor accorded Halstead re-
flects the great contribution he
has made to educational theater
both at the University and na-
tionally."
TERRANO II by Prof. Frank Cassara is part of the show now on
display at the Forsythe Gallery in Ann Arbor.
Gallery To Exhibit
Cassara Textures
By LINDA WALZER
"Helena's Husband," the sec-
ond production of the Student
Laboratory Theatre this year, will
be presented admission free Thurs-
day, October 21, at 4:10 p.m. in
the Arena Theatre, located in the
Frieze Building. "Helena's Hus-
band," written by Phillip Moeller,
is a one-act comedy. The char-
acters and situation are lifted
from the legend of Helen of Troy,
but given a farcical twist.
Helena, an aging beauty is bor-
ed with her drafty palace and
peace-loving husband, Menalus.
The third party in the famous
triangle, Paris, arrives, disguised
as a sheepherder, to save Helena.
Menelaus, whom Paris mistakes
for a eunoch, is more than will-
ing to aid the sheepherder, for
this seems the solution to both
their problems.
Paris and Helena meet and the
inevitable abduction scene takes
place, and all .should be bliss.
But Menelaus discovers that the
shepherd is Paris, Prince of Troy.
To save face and uphold a treaty,
Menelaus is forced to fight for
the wife he doesn't want.
Helena is played by Patricia
Ralph, Grad. Menelaus is played
by Samuel Goldstein, '66. Helena's
servant is portrayed by Susan
Dailey, '67. Chris Carpenter, '68,
completes the cast as the king's
librarian, Analytikos.
The director, John Munsell,
Grad, explained that even though
written in 1915, the play still has
a freshness and flair which will
make it most enjoyable to con-
temporary audiences. Miss Ralph,
designed the sets. The costumer is
Gary Kohow, and Jack Creech,
Grad, serves as lighting designer
and stage manager.
Since 1957, the Lab Theatre
has staged approximately 225 pro-
ductions, Michael Gerbach, direc-
tor of the University players, said.
The actors are volunteers chosen
through audition by the director,
who is always a student working
under the supervision of an ad-
vanced directing instructor. Crew
members are usually students ful-
filling obligations of their speech
courses.
The Arena Theatre, which seats
197 people, is a "theatre-in-the-
round"; that is, the production is
in the center of the audience and
the actors are seen from all four
sides. This presents both advan-
tages and disadvantages. The di-
rector must see that all actors are
seen from all four sides. The set
must be arranged so that- every-
one can see, and, therefore, the
scenery and props just suggest
the objects they portray. Since the
actors are very close to the au-
dience, they must remain in char-
acter at all times. Makeup, light-
ing and movements must all be
very subtle for this reason. This
creates an intimate atmosphere,
and enables the audience to iden-
tify with the characters in the
play.
Future productions include G.
,B. Shaw's "Press Cuttings," Jean
Anouilh's "Cecile," Tennessee Wil-
liams' "Auto-Da-Fe," and an orig-
inal play from the play-writing
class of Der. Kenneth Rowe of the
English department.
By FRANCES HEYNES
Beginning this week and last-
ing until Nov. 11, the Forsythe
Gallery will present another of
its elegantly framed exhibitions.
The prints displayed are the work
of Prof. Frank Cassara, of the
art department.
Complexity of texture and sub-
tlety of color comprise the chief
attraction of the prints displayed
in this exhibit. The predominant
colors are earthy browns, blacks,
and' reds, and a particularly deli-
cate pale turquoise, interspersed
with infrequent dots of a brighter
yellow or red.
Cassara's studies in texture fail
to be consistently engrossing, and
his compositions, in general, lack
unity. Beyond the textural studies
and the color, there is n.t much
to engage the attention of the
viewer, aside from the complexity.
of the composition.
The prints have an effect of im-
penetrable flatness, and while this
in itself is neither ground for
KOREAN GIRLS:
'Little Angels' To Present
Traditional Dances Sunday
condemnation or praise, the view-
er has the uneasy feeling trat he
should be able to sense some de-
gree of spatial articulation, uhile
lacking the proper-faculty for do-
ing so. There is a disturbing am-
biguity as to the existence of
spatial development or lack of it.
Texture Basic Attraction
Generally static and largely
symmetrical, the works lack the
dynamism to really excite the
viewer. Cassara's shapes, which are
never purely geometrical, some-
times suggest an organic origin.
When the artist does choose to
depict the human form, he
achieves neither profundity of
humanistic expression nor worthy
formalistic composition; again,
the texture studies constitute the
almost singular'attraction of the
works (frequently even the colors
fail to contribute much to the
painting).
Perhaps, -Mr. Cassara's techni-
que is the most impressive aspect
of his works. He describes the
technique used in one print:
"Della Terra is a multicolored
print technically dependent upon
a combination of traditional sub-
tractive and contemporary addi-
tive methods.
The result is a plate raving
shallow relief that makes possible
the simultaneous printing of many
colors. All colors are applied to
the various levels of the plate in
a combination of intaglio, stencil
and roller inking before printing."
Lack of Contrast
The colors used in most of the
works are of relatively the same
intensity, which results rather fre-
quently in a boring lack of con-
trast. However, in Terrano II, Cas-
sara departs from his usual mono-
value system to make a large
orange circle surrounded by a
white rim contrast dramatically
with the turquoise and brown
background of the print. Although
Della Terra won the first prize
in the West Michigan Art Exhibit,
in Grand Rapids, this work is
probably the most important one
in the exhibit.
While Cassara's use of color is
not eminently exciting, it is sen-
sitive and interesting; his com-
position is professional, his tex-
tures in most cases unique. In an
art world where bright colors are
the rule, Cassara fearlessly con-
centrates on a unique develop-
ment of textures and the use of
subtle colors.
The Forsythe Gallery, located in
Nichols Arcade, has exhibited the
work of nationally and interna-
tionally famous artists, as well as
doing extensive framing work for
local artists.
By LUCY KENNEDY
The paintings and sculpture of
Narenda Patel recently exhibited
at the Forsyth Gallery could only
be expressed in Patel's unusual
medium.
His striking paintings are made
with copper that has been heat-
ed and treated with chemicals in
such a way as to create bright
metallic colors and abstract de-
signs. Some paintings have been
polished and arranged in a man-
ner that disguises the metal in
them while others plainly reveal
their composition with unusual
three-dimensional affects such as
hoops, nails, or frozen drops of
molten metal.
The colors in the paintings vary
from metallic greys and coppers
to bright turquoises, red, green,
and orange. The principal color
in most of the paintings is cop-
per or bronze with flashes of
bright color or contrasting grey.
Frequently Patel places the bright
colors in a certainearea to draw
the eye to the center of the paint-
ing or toward the edges.
Sculptures Vary
Like his paintings, Patel's sculp-
tures vary from a high finish to
a very natural look. Some of his
wooden sculptures are polished and
enameled while others still have
bark on them. His metal statues
have a molten appearance some-
what like his picture, while his
stone sculptures are for the most
part polished but are not brought
to a high finish.
Patel says of his style, 'My
work leads me rather than me
leading my work." Some of his
sculpture looks like birds, some
of his sculpture is unidentifiable
although many have a floating
appearance due either to place-
ment or color. Some of his paint-
ings are plainly houses, cities or
animals; but on the whole, they
are based on an emotion rather
than an object.
In producing his works, he us-
ually does not have ap reconceiv-
ed idea, Patel says. He usually
just works with the medium until
he gets a combination of colors
and shapes that inspire him.
Sometimes, he says, he can't
come up with a finished product
that satisfies him and he scraps
the. work.
Patel feels that each viewer
should get something different
from his paintings. In fact, he
gives his paintings numbers rath-
er than names, so each buyer can
name his painting according to
his own interpretation.
Pleasing Effects
Patel was originally a sculptor,
but about three years ago he
started to produce his metal paint-
ings after noticing the pleasing
variation of colors and forms that
could be produced. To his knowl-
edge, he asys, he is the only artist
using this form.
Patel uses a sheet of copper
instead of a canvas. He then adds
other metals as though they were
paint by melting them over the
copper or soldering them. He adds
more unusual colors to these bas-
ic metallic colors by applying more
heat or oxidizing chemicals. In
heating, he works from a metal
of high melting temperature to a
metal of low melting temperature.
When he completes a painting, he
seals it so the colors will be pre-
served.
It is at this point that the critic
of abstract art steps in and says,
"Why doesn't he use paint and
draw things I can recognize -
doesn't he know how?"
Despite what some think, ab-
stract art does not mean the artist
doesn't know how to draw. Picas-
so, for instance, who originated
cubism, was also a fine tradiition-
al painter. A painting is abstract
when the painter has used a scene
or a person as a stimulus or a
point of departure,' rather than
equating the stimulus and the fin-
al creation. When dealing with
abstraction, the artist frequently
has to use unusual media to ex-
press his ideas.
Abstraction is a result of a trend art, using a new medium such as
that has been developing since metal, are examples of this search
prehistoric times when primitive for new means of expression.
artists drew only what they knew. Patel is successful, then, in his
Through the ages, artists discov- use of abstract art, because he
ered more about perspective, color uses colors, textures, proportions
and proportion allowing them to and planes in such a way that a
more clearly represent what they separate emotion is created from
say until painting became a per- each picture and piece of sculp-
fect representation-like a photo- ture. Some of his paintings create
graph. In the Renaissance, this a drizzly, dark feeling while oth-
exact representation was contin- ers are so glowing that they
ued with one major difference. kindle the same kind of response
Artists began to capture scenes firecrackers generate.
which the eye would never see but Patel has degrees in painting
which could happen. In other and sculpture from India, his na-
words, the artist was putting more tive country, as well as a masters
and more perception into his work. degree in sculpture from Wayne
Artists were putting more of
their own personalities into their
paintings and sculptures, then;
and as a result, they needed a
variety of ways of expressing
themselves. Cubism and abstract
State University. Presently he is
teaching and studying as well as
being a free lance artist. He has
currently been working with three
dimensional affects by pounding
his paintings from the front or
back.
$.
'~
THE PAUL TAYLOR DANCE COMPANY, shown above in its
performance of "Party Mix," will appear Saturday at Rackham
Aud. as part of the Chamber Dance Festival. They will present
"From Sea to Shining Sea."
Dance Festival To Feature
Spanish, Modern Dances
A
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JOIN THE MICHIGAN DAILY STAFF
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tRp'tva:,,.
By LINNEA HENDRICKSON
The Little Angels, a company of
little Korean girl dancers will
perform traditional dances in the
Chamber Dance Festival on Sun-
day,, Oct. 24, at 2:30 p.m. in Rack-
ham Auditorium.
The dances are based on an-
cient legends and folk tales, and
are said to be livelier than the
stately ritual usually associated
with oriental dances. Among them
is the Fan Dance, in which open-
ing and closing of the fan ex-
presses joy and excitement; the
Mask Dance, which relates the
ancient legend of the wife of a
philandering .noblemen who dis-
guises herself, as a young village
girl, with predictable results; and
the Sword Dance, in which the
little girls impersonate ancient.
warriors.
The Korean Dancers bring with
them many gorgeous costumes, ex-
otic stage props and fascinating
ancient instruments.
Court House Orchestra
More than 50 instruments are
played during the course of the
performance by five adult musi-
cians who comprise the "aak," or
Court Music Orchestra. These in-
struments bear such strange
names as the hai-kuem, the tang-
pipa and the chang-ko,- and in-
clude an hour-glass shaped drum,
a mouth organ with vertical bam-
boo pipes, and an assortment of
oddly - shaped stringed instru-
ments. The- a-thaing is a 7-string
zither "bowed" with a stick of
polished forsythia wood.
Only half of the 26 dancers
usually appear on stage at one
time to allow time for the fre-
quent costume changes. Each
number they perform will be an-
nounced and explained in English.
The little girls, all of whom are
between seven and 13 years old,
were selected in a nationwide con-
test for an ensemble which would
represent the finest of Korean
dancing, combining the ancient
traditions of Korean culture with
elements of contemporary folklore.
They have been undergoing in-
tensive training for three years
under the guidance of Sung Ok
Park, Korea's foremost choreog-
rapher and leading authority on
Court Music, and Miss Soon Shim
Shin, the country's foremost danc-
er.
Coast-to-Coast
The Little Angels' performance
here is part of a coast-to-coast
tour of the United States arranged
through the joint efforts of the
Ministry of Public Information of
the Republic of Korea and the
Korean Cultural and Freedom
Foundation, Inc., of Washington,
D.C.
During the past year the com-
pany has given many perform-
ances in its native country, but
this is its first foreign tour.
The Chamber Dance Festival
will include two very different
groups this year. The program
varies from the Spanish dance
company of Maria Alba and Ra-
mon de los Reyes which will ap-
pear Friday night to Paul Tay-
lor and his modern dance troupe
appearing Saturday night.
While both types of dancing
are considered interpretive, they
differ greatly in style. Both
"From Sea to Shining Sea" be-
ing presented by the Paul Tay-
lor dance company and "El Gi-
tans" (the gypsy) being presented
by the Alba Reyes dancersconvey
a message to the audience, but the
modern dance tends to center on
the story while the Spanish danc-
ers tend to center on a moment
or an emotion. The Spanish danc-
ers try to bring the audience to
an emotional state which they
call "pellisco".
This state, which makes the
Spanish audiences applaud and
shout 'Ole!, is the unexpected
emotion created by the dancer in
his personal execution of the
dance-it cannot be a planned
part of the dance. The modern
dancer, on the other hand, has
a definite message to convey by
subtle hand and body move-
ments.
Variety
There will be variety in each
presentation, since the Paul Tay-
lor presentation will vary from
"Aureole" with music by George
Frederick Handel to "Post Meri-
dian" with music for magnetic
tape by -Evelyn Lohoefer. The
program of the Spanish company
will vary from "El Gitana," one
of the basic flamenco works, to
a dance of Colombian origin.
The Paul Taylor company ap-
peared here last year, but this is
the first appearance at Rackham
for the Alba-Reyes company. The
audience should pay particular at-
tention to the female lead in the
Spanish company, Maria Alba.
who is an American. She was
born in China of a Spanish moth-
er and a father who was an
American newspaperman.
She originally planned to be a
ballet dancer and studied in NeN
York and Washington, but she
found traditional ballet to confin-
ing and turned to Spanish danc-
ing. De los Reyes says that Miss
Alba is one of the few Americans
who understands Spanish danc-
ing, because she has what the
Spanish call 'solera" and "aire."
"Solera" translates as a "quali-
ty found in old wine" and it
means what the dancer says be-
special air or character each per-
yond technique. "Aire" is the
former gives to the various rhy-
thms, of the dance.
Paul Taylor has won the
"Dancer of the Year" award from
London, "Best Choreography"
from the Festival of Nations in
Paris, and has toured the world
with his company.
The two groups represent com-
pletely different fields of dance,
but they are both outstanding
representatives of their field.
Vf'
Outside the Classroom this Week
By VICKI LASSAR
& DALE GOLD
~
IT'S HOT!
Due to the unseasonably warln
weather
Todd's has a tremendous supply of sweaters,
all sizes, all colors, all styles.
Prices start at 8.98
- 4
-4-
In Town
Art
Forsythe Gallery, 201 Nickels
Arcade--"Color Intaglio," an ex-
hibit by Frank Cassara. (Week-
d a y s 10-4; Saturdays, 10-1;
Through Nov. 11.)
Cinema
Cinema Guild, Architecture and
Design Auditorium - "Olympia,
Part II," winner of Edinburgh and
Venice awards, filmed in Hitler's
Germany, with German newsreels.
(7 and 9 p.m., Oct. 21, 22).
"To Have and Have Not," with
I Oct. 22-28.) commemorative program prepar- Lawford and Joey Bishop. (Chan-
State Theatre, State St.-"The ed from recording by the Finnish nel 2, 9 p.m., Oct. 21.)
Hill," with Sean Connery. 1, 3, 5, Broadcasting Company; The Lov- Saturday Night at the MoviesI
7:15, and 9:30 p.m., Oct. 21-26.) er Suite, Op. 14 . . . String Quar- "Stalag 17," with William Holden.j
"The Faces of Fu Manchu," tet in B-flat, Op. 3 . . . Cantat: (Channel 4, 9 p.m., Oct. 23.)
(Oct. 27.) "My Country," Op. 92. (7:30 p.m., Premiere Theatre--,'The Great
Oct. 21.) Imposter," with Tony Curtis.
Dance Record Collector - With Prof. (Channel 7, 11:25 p.m., Oct. 23.)
Ann Arbor Public Library, 34 S. Warren Good and recordings by Sunday Night Movie-"A Fare-
Fifth Ave.-Ann Arbor Dance Jascha Heifetz of works of such well to Arms," screen play of
Theatre workshops in dance and composers as Rimsky-Korsakov, Hemingway's anti-war 'n o v e 1
related arts present "Dance and Gluck, Debussy, and Rossini. (7:30 (Channel 7, 9 p.m., Oct. 24.)
Archistructure," an art process in- p.m., Oct. 22.) Festival-First of concert series-
volving the projection of images Football-U of M vs. Minnesota including Toronto Symphony
on dancers, using them as living, at Minnesota. (2:15 p.m., Oct. 23.) playing, Mozart: Symphony No.
moving screens. (8 p.m., Oct. 21; New York Philharmonic-Leon- 35 in D major . . . Beethoven: Le-
free.) ard Bernstein conducting, Sipel nore Overture . . . Wagner: Ein
* ius: Symphony No. 6 in D minor, Schwert Verheiss Mir Vater and
Music Op. 104 . . . Stravinsky: Violin Die Meistersinger. (Channel 9,
Out of Town
Art
Toledo Museum of Art -- Con-
tinuation of "Art Across America,"
prepared by the Museum of Mod-
ern Art in New York. (Through
Oct. 31.)
Collection of paintings by Caro-
lyn- Gassan Plochmann. (Through
Oct. 31.)
Theatre
Quirk Theatre, Eastern Michi-
gan University - "The Fantas-
tiks," off-broadway hit presented
by EMU players. (Through Oct.
24; reserved seats, $1.25, available
at Quirk Theatre Box Office.)
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