PAGE SIX THE MICHIGAN DAILY THURSDAY, OCTOBER 21, 1965 PAGE SIX THE MICHIGAN DAILY THURSDAY. OCTOBER 21. 1qE5 a.ms {,!m mi/im i.} 1~{!A {/a/LaV N1} 1ilV l . 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 4 JOIN THE MICHIGAN DAILY STAFF - i . , 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.) I