PACIE. TWO THE MICHIGAN DAILY FRIDAY. DPCEMRVR A. 1 OAS PAGE TWO TIlE MICHIGAN DAILY A' wll:]1 , turll.LSJ, U *un Q GROOVIEMOVIE: SquareRoot' Proves Radically Different Pilot Proj ect: Problems, Prospects I UNIVERSITY PLAYERS Department of Speech present By JOYCE WINSLOW At The Campus Theater' "Alan," whispers Jane, biting her lip, "I've got something to tell you. I'm eight days late." "For what?" "No, you don't understand. I'm eight days late." "So? Oh. . .Oh my God!" "Aan, you promised me you'd be good." "I was good, darling, I was good." There will now be a pregnant pause while I explain to you what is happening in this scene. Like you didn't know, right? The scene is from "The Square Root of Zero," which is radically different and hysterically funny. The whole story evolves around Zero, a beatnik writer. While most writers do a lot of writing and no thinking, Zero does a lot of think- ing and no writing. The result is the same, though. His characters make it around the pads he cre- ates. Zero and his painter friend Alan row to a tent resort island in Maine. Also there 'is the wealthy Liggett family, who have pitched an "estate" of tents. Alan falls for the daughter, Jane; Zero is left to a dull platonic relation- ship with Jane's mother, May, whose husband (Arch) is always off on his yacht with Nell - a prostitute on a busman's holiday. Complications arise. May doesn't approve of Alan for Jane. Nat- urally-she's her mother. May doesn't approve of Nell for Arch, Naturally - she's his wife. doesn't really approve of Naturally. All beatniks smoke May Zero. mar- ijuana. The greatest thing about this wild, wacky film is that it is o :natural. Characters say things you wish you had the nerve to say. And they say things, satir- .ically, which ybu've heard too many times before. For example, Jane, thinking she is alone with Alan in th6 fore- castle of the boat, suddenly hears her father making love to a pros- titute. "Oh," she says, distraught, "Mummy will be furious." Other examples of great lines: after Alan learns of Jane's preg- nant condition, he hides out among some craggy rocks on the shoreline. Jane pursues him and upon finding him cries out, "Alan, I've made you some sandwiches." Alan, overcome, proposes mar- riage. Jane accepts. She then tells Alan that everything is okay. She made a mistake about the date. Poor Alan falls off his rock and drowns. Jane watches him go down. "Oh nuts," she says. Later, at a eulogy on the beach, Zero .pours out his feelings. "Alan, was my friend, you know? Like a friend is a guy who likes you any- way." Writer -director -producer Wil- liam Cannon has lived up to the promise of his advertisements and has given Ann Arbor one of the best films I've ever seen. Chuck studying for finals for two hours onie day and see "The Square Root of Zero." This "grooviemovie" really grabs you. (Continued from Page 1) with a similar complaint adds that "the ideals are great, but they, just don't carry them through enough." Another claims it "has just boiled down to seeing the same old faces every day." In general, though, students seem to agree that the pilot proj- ect as a whole is a "good idea., One girl comments that "It's a good way to get to really know people. I always have people to walk to class with and to talk with about my courses when I feel like discussing points that bother me. The extra meetings and meals add an extra 'feel' for what is going on." This, says Haber, is the aim of the project. "We are trying to combine the advantages of a small university, where students can be excited about their courses andR use of social psychological prin- bers and three residence hall offi- visers-to make the project as ef- ciples, and cials, has reported to him that the fective as possible-must involve a 3) An approach to the decen- project has been "a great success." great deal more time and money. tralization of the structural or- Haber disclosed recently that the . . ganization of the University. committee has recommended thatshortcomingsthe George Smith, the coordinator the project be "expanded with all Poject's ideals have met with fav- of the pilot project, says that the possible speed." The possibility of those involved ith it. The pos- central goal of the project is "to expanding the program to include sibility of expanding the project a make students like education by the entire freshman class was also costly proposition, has nonethe- providing a better environment strongly suggested. less met with widespread admin- for the cultivation of intellectual Haber commented last night istrative support and even en- pursuits." He says, "We are do- that "whether this expansion can;thusiasm. It would seem that such ing something new and exciting! take place or should take placerepnemywlsonbigid in undergraduate education." depends primarily on: 1) Whether response may well soon bring wide scale enlargement of the program Many parts of the University the educational value of the proj- to include, in Haber's words, "more4 have an interest in the pilot proj- ect, which this committee states courses, more students, and more ect, The Center for Research on as being substantial, has in fact'residences." Language and Behavior and the been established. This needs fur- Center for Research on Learning ther study, and Teaching are both involved 2) Expansion of the program with the project. The French de- requires trained personnel, effec- partment, the department of so- tive direction, and, unquestionably, cial psychology and the planners considerable financial support. A of the residential college are also college executive committee will HENRY VI, Part 2-Last time tonight! Part 3-Dec. 5, matinee 8:00 P.M.-TRUEBLOOD AUDITORIUM BOX OFFICE OPEN 12.30-8 Parts 1,2, a . t DIAL 5-6290 Shows at 13,5, 7 and 9P.M. Feature 10 Minutes Later have someone around to discuss using the pilot project for experi-' that interest and to stimulate more mental purposes. independent investigation, with Pilot project students are chos- the benefits of the large and di- en at random from among those verse university." who volunteer by checking a blank "Thus," Newcom adds, "we are on their residence hall application. trying to create the advantages ofj residrVnce halls trday. Gaylord, explaining the "pilot" the residential college in our resi- nature of the project, says the project represents: 1) A "handle on undergraduate education, a method of stepping back and getting a new perspec- tive," 2) An experiment that makes This year all students who re- quested to be placed in the pilot project were accommodated. An ad hoc committee under Newcomb's leadership has recent- ly investigated the general reac- tion to the project as a whole as well as the feasibilities involved in expanding the program. Ac- cording to Haber, the committee, consisting of three faculty mem- need to be satisfied about all of these problems before the programI can be substantially expanded." He added that a large scale extension of the program, possi- bly to combine men's and wom- en's houses into the same dorm, would not even be feasible until at least next year. "The administra- tive difficulties of scheduling com- mon courses are quite large. Mov- ing people around in dorms also involves quite an administrative burden." Further, to schedule effective and meaningful seminars, and to hire and train qualified floor ad- fK t 4 perfumed q. .. n c apgne. music. the I yurelcditoh most. :::: :^:. :is$ii ........ sa tteri g sc ne s flmed 4.~ #": - m d 9 2P ti{ j:: F .. NOWA Shows at 1:00-3:00 5:00-7:00 & 9:00 f >' ,, >: , , x:x:>{ #:::< : NEXT WETMISS Ann Arbor Civic Theatre's production of Arthur Miller's towering drama A VIEW FROM THEBRIDGE Dec. 9-11, 8:00 P.M.-Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre Thurs. $1.50, Fri.-Sat. $1.75 Box Office (668-6300) Ope ns Monday at 10.00 A.M. # 1 1 ! 1 U TONIGHT at and 9 I # f # f ! f tOdd Man Out # U Starring JAMES MASON I ROBERT NEWTON Brought to Ann Arbor ; by Special Request. ii IN THE ARCHITECTURE AUDITORIUM i ADMISSION: FIFTY CENTS *w w w mw wwws ..wr w wa w w w w r r mrw "w . mw" m mm. wUN with The Dazzling Star of "The Collector" lieturn A Journey Into The Diaholical? ST AAAl MAXIMlUIAN S6HIfLSMANiTIIA GGAR NORID IHUIt'1-ERB[RT[f OM SUBSCRIBE TO BOTH A.C.T. AND PLAY OF THE MONTH AND RECEIVE AN EXTRA DISCOUNT! 0.. - ICM W(choke) LAVEI E U ' I J~ Pi THE ~ ~U OF ZERO WORLD PREMIERE NOW of the foo grooviemovie I I- B~~~~~~~~~~~~~~- --Ak,..I§ ~ ~ ~ 7LflK __ B~fhU~ :i-EWT.xr-