ember 2, 1978-The Michigan Daily 7 Players-the uncola actors _ - BY RENEE SHILCUSKY hat is an educationally oriented group doing in the bowels of iad four nights a week? And who s name are those crazies sitting naze-like basement reading 17th comedies while getting drunk? unique subgroup of the Residen- lege known as the RC Players, r the past couple of months, been working feverishly to their latest production into When they're not busy enter- themselves, they g t on the and present plays to the un- ing public. IS THOUGHT by many malists that the RC Players are e more of "those little hole-in- LI theater troupes." In fact, the s are the other University cal company, an alternative to rawling Speech and Theatre tment located in the Frieze ig. cross-campus physical tion from the Speech Depar- has perhaps helped to develop ically different philosophy of the ayers. The two groups do not each other; RC Players' mem- o participate in some Speech :ment activities, and Speech ment folks do sometimes lend a Photo by Larry Rich It's make-up time in the RC Players dressing room behind the RC Auditorium in East Quad. hand in RC Players' productions. But the Players, organized formally in 1970, are not as widely recognized, nor acknowledged as a valid theater group around campus.. The "Frieze freaks" at the Theatre Department sometimes accuse the RC Players of solely producing obscure plays that will not appeal to the general public. RC Players spokesperson Suzy Elder defends the troupe against that charge by citing the group's interest in educationally satisfying entertain- ment: "WE ARE interested in the educational possibilities made possible while working on a play. It's really learning by doing. It's not at all unusual for us to work four nights a week for three to four months in preparation for a performance. "We intensively examine the drama as literature, as well as entertainment. In many cases, we look at all the major plays of the author to pull out more meaning through aspects of style and content." Does performance suffer because of the educational focus? That depends on your definition of "suffer." The RC Players are not professionally orien- ted; actors involved in a production are not all headed toward the same goals. "SOME OF OUR best actors start out in an aspect of drama not related to performance," Elder notes. "We never cast on the basis of priority. Freshmen throughout the RC/EQ community are just as likely to be cast as anyone else." In addition, the Players encourage members to learn about make-up, lighting, set design, and costumes as well as acting. Workshops are held on all phases of production, giving anxious newcomers an opportunity to learn techniques specific to the trappings of putting on a live performance. Courses within the Residential College often help reinforce the educational opportunities available from intense drama study. LAST WINTER, a seminar course on the plays of Chekhov was the springboard for a spring production of The Seagull. Students benefitted from the study of the author's plays, and could observe the modifications of per- formance structured by the actors and the director. Many plays are directly related to RC humanities courses. The students can read the play in class, and also par- ticipate as an audience watching the performance. The players encourage the use of all the learning opportunities implicit in drama study. As Elder poin- ts out, "It is the learning-while-doing idea of play production coupled with a complete understanding of why we're doing it that makes an RC performance so exciting theatrically." The RC Players benefit from academically-oriented professors who are not professional would-have-beens in a University setting. "THIS IS A major plus for the Players," Elder notes. "We want to be known as a theater group. . . an educationally oriented company. For most of our major plays, we've printed a detailed playbill with comments and criticism on aspects of the text. "For that central reason, we also do student plays," she continues. Poetic Justice,' a play by Hopwood-winner Tom de Kornfeld, was produced last spring. Elder finds plays by student authors more challenging for a theater group. With the director, actors have to work hard to find their own inter- pretation of the character, and they can find no automatic answers in past per- formances. Elder muses, "It's exciting to have the playwright in the audien- ce." The RC Players cannot be considered a limited theater company. Within the last three years, they have produced Shakespeare, melodrama, Roman comedy, modern drama, theatre of the absurd, and Jacobean drama. They are currently producing Beckett's En- dgame, directed by. Hilary Cohen, professor of avant-garde theater. "WE ARE innovative," Elder proudly announces. "Endgame hasn't been done in Ann Arbor for six years." Innovative is the bon mot of the RC Players. Creativity knows no bounds - histrionics overflow even at the modest site of the RC Drama offices (in the basement of East Quad, of course). By the way, when was Beckett's Endgame last produced in Ann Arbor? "Oh," Elder smiles, "in 1972 - by the -RC Players!" The University library holdings number nearly 5,000,000. 1v/ 0004 WI L irnc REC OROS i h 00, t N r 4 Inner Secrets Santana Columbia EC35600 d t / Tony Silka Sherry Latcki 500 E. Liberty Just off State Bigger and Better Than Ever NOWEMBER :34,9 Friday, 3-10pm - Saturday, 10 - 9pm Sunday, Noonspm By TOM STEPHENS Last month, Santana proved their prowess as a latin-tinged rock'n'roll band at their triumphant Hill Auditorium concert; they kept the full house howling and on its feet through four superb encores, and left many of us wanting more. Well, that "more" is here - Santana's new LP Inner Secrets. The band is pretty much the one that appeared on Moonflower, the recent live set, with David Margren on bass, Greg Walker singing, and the fine percussion section of Graham Lear (drums), Paul Rekow (congas and percussion), and Pete Escovedo (bongos and percussion). Additions include Chris Solberg on rhythm and lead guitar, Chris Rhyne on keyboards and synthesizers, and Armondo Peraza on bongos and percussion. Only Rhyne is a disappointment, as he fails to reproduce the keyboard magic of former Santana organists Gregg Rolie and Tom Coster. THE ALBUM opens strongly with "Dealer," a composition by Traffic drummer Jim Capaldi that blew away Santana's fans last month. It features excellent rhythm work by Solberg and depends heavily on Walker's fine voice. The tune hooks into an instrumental called "Spanish Rose." In the tradition of the band's classic "Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen," Carlos Santana works out a lot of his distinctive latin and guitar sound on this tasty little number. The rest of the first side is a' reasonably interesting grab-bag of latin funk and r~ck, closing with a ballad featuring Wlker at his mellow-voiced best. It ocasionally verges on monotony, bit things never get too bad, because Caros is always on hand to step up tnd deliver another breathtaking flight on his guitar strings. The songs ill count on reasonably intelligent lyris and catchy rhythms to build the bands individual talents into a pleasing soud. The chorus of "One Chain (Don't Make No Prison)," penned by proucers Dennis Lambert and Brian 'Poter, is typical of the quality of the lyres: On chain din't mke no prison, Two wrongs don 'make no right, One rain don 't mae no river, One punch don't roke no fight. THE OVERALL ffect isn't bad, and doesn't detract fro the quality of the instrumentation, wich is almost un- failingly alluring, >t the band could use a poet, if the brds are ever to carry any real weight The second side is a definite improvement. "Well Xll Right," th classy Buddy Holly une, has bee reworked into a glitteig centerpiec for the album. Solberg'rhythm guitar riffs echo Holly's ownand Walker's ecstatic vocals, reaffir the song's promise of a full-tiltrock'n'roll existence: Wel/a/Iright so I've been foosh, Well all/right let people know, All the dreams and wisher youvish, In the night when lights are lo Well all right, well all right, I'll live and love with all my miit. Carlos is featured here with an original opening and closing gitar line and a couple of extended solos hat blow the- lid right off the song. knd the rhythm section works overtime to put Santana's trademake on a geat old tune. ANOTHER HIGH Point o a Iackto. back twin instrumental, "Life is a Lady/Holiday," composed {y Lambert- and Santana respectively. 'he first is an echo of Moonflower's beaitiful slow. ballad "Europa." It's the knd of tune that allows Carlos to spak very sensitively through his guitar. "Holiday" picks up the tenpo to. bouncy melody that continue to amaze, the listener with sheei guitar, virtuousity. But there's more to the sid. "Open Invitatiot" sounds like mor of the same rck-flavored rhythm witL slightly band lyrics until Santana and Solberg cit loose to end the song with an inspiring guitar jam. "Wham!" the final cut, oens up with a percussioni trio that bleds gracefully into a loud instrumentalrecalling the great "Soul Sacrifice" of the band's first album. But the tune i? less than 3:30 long and that is far toe short to work up the frenzied improrisation that made the former song a minor religious experience. Santana has 'rafted an entirely enjoyable album bre, and mny disc that offers this king of guitar wrk is bound. to escape' mediocity. If Carlos could only graft his styl onto some songs with the quality if some Jackson Browne or Neil You-type lyrics, then we might have E new color to appreciate on the nw wave of rock spectrum. r - I 3150 Carpenter Rd & 971-4310 * Ann Arbor .9:. . ICELANOIC H OMESPUNS- 50 GM SKEINS $x1.50 ICELANDIC TWEEDS- 100 GM SKEINS $2.85 LOPI- 100GM SKEINS $2.85 FREDICO FELLINI'S 1961 LA DOLCE VITA A sensational representation of contemporary Rome, which Fellini-sees unre- lentingly as hypocrisy, ruthlessness, and decadence. The final mammoth orgy scene, in which the hero and his companions face their loneliness and empti- ness, is justifiably controversial. Starring MARCELLO MASTROIANNI, ANOUK AIMEE & ANITA EKBERG. Fri: Cukor's ADAM'S RIB LOPI TROLLS - :'. -.' :;:. "j. ri9.. THE NEW, BUI 100 GI Y' :.. f~:. := :: " si ." "". , :. :":'' * : "" .*. . yiiis .""rrr "i. i "is : : 9" 9 it.9 " ""'.""9 9999999 LKY LOPI YARN M SKEINS S$ 2.70 CINEMA GUILD TONIGHT AT 7:00 & 10:00 Medlatrics presents: ALICE IN THE CITIES (Wim Wender) A warm, humanistic tale of a disenchanted German photog- rapher and his travels through Europe with a worldly nine-year-old girl. After escaping from America's pop culture and rock-n-roll, Philip returns to his native Germany only to find that his home has become Americanized as well. The result is a sensitive portrayal of human relationships, and the omni- present culture of modern society. FRI., NOV. 3 NAT. SCI. AUD. 7:00 & 9:00 -and- Thev Shoot Horses. Don't They OLD ARCH. AUD. $1.50 WE RE HOLDING OUT AS LONG AS WE CAN...... WHILE TIME ;RMITS -