THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Saturday, February 6, 1971
SL T: Students and theatre buck problems
By GLORIA JANE SMITH
The tense, magical drama that
surrounds any theatrical produc-
tion is present twice weekly while
as many as 350 students per se-
mester, working within a tight
schedule and with a phenomen-
ally limited budget cooperate to
see that the Student Lab Theatre
(SLT) bills go on.
In 1956, the Speech department
moved into the Frieze Building,
which had previously been the
Ann Arbor High School. Plans
were made to convert the gym-
nasium on the first floor to an
arena theater and a scene shop.
Although the room was thus de-
signed, the University ran short
of funds in the middle of their
remodeling, and the wall, which
was to divide the theater and the
shop; was never built. The arena
stood, meagerly furnished with a
green cloth drape designating its
boundaries. None-the-less, three
years later the SLT began to use
the arena on a nalternate basis
with Trueblood Auditorium.
Still another change came into
effect when, in 1962, the Profes-
sional Theatre Program began in
Ann Arbor under the direction of
Dr. Robert C. Schnitzer and
Marcella Cisney. PTP ' produc-
tions were given in Mendelssohn,
forcing many other groups, such
as the Gilbert and Sullivan So-
ciety, MUSKET, and Soph Show
to move to Trueblood Auditor-
ium. Likewise, SLT moved, so
that by 1964, almost all of their
productions were given in the
arena theatre.
At this time, productions were
offered to the public only on
Thursday afternoons, with an
invitational dress rehearsal on
Wednesday. Because of a grow-
ing audience d e m a n d, SLT
adopted the present system, with
performances both on Wtidnes-
day and Thursday.
Even today, audience interest
wWNW
need to arrange lights so that
they will not shine in the audi-
ence's eyes."
Yet, in spite of its idiosyncra-
cies and problems, Wyman in-
sisted that he would "rather work
in the arena than any other
place." Harding agreed, saying
that "SLT is bne of the most ex-
citing things that the depart-
ment offers for directors, de-
signers and actors to gain ex-
perience."
Over the years, SLT has under-
gone a gradual growth in quali-
ty," Halstead reflected.
Last Thursday afternoon, after
the final performance of Lab Bill
No. 10, the actors exited the
stage, the director perhaps filed
away important scribblings and
crews struck sets, lights, and
costumes, knowing that on fu-
ture Thursday, there would be
other bills. The Golden Screw,
And We Own the Night, Next,
The Wax Museum . ..And there
would be other students repeat-
ing similar actions.
-I
WHAT ARE CHABROL
FILMS LIKE ?
"In my next one," Chabrol says,
"I'l kill everyone, but it's no
big deal. They're living at the
beginning and dead at the end.
In between there's a story about
a man who breaks the Ten Com-
mandments one by one. CATH-
ERINE DENEUVE will star, and
of course ORSON WELLES will
play God."
-Interview with Roger Ebert,
Chicago Sun-Times, Jan. 24
CHABROL: Cinema Guild
Thurs.-San.
$650.00/SIX WEEKS
SUMMER STUDY IN
SOUTHERN FRANCE
w July 5-August 14, 1971
0 French Elementary, Interme-
diate, and Advanced Levels
0 Earn up to 6 University
Credits
* Information: Study Abroad
Office (Miss Apple): 764-0310
or come to 1223 Anqell Hall
* Application Deadline: March
31, 1971
J-
NOTICE:
CINEMA GUILD announces petitioning for mem-
bership on its board. All interested and qualified
persons are welcomed. Under-clossmen especially
encouraged.
SIGN-UP for interview appointments in Architceure Audi-
torium lobby. A sign-up sheet will be posted on the central
column there.
l-
Dial 5-6290
3rd and FINAL WEEK! was
drve
Does her anger to find
at a domineering of
husband justifyY
a WfeS taking
a lover?
diary of a mad h usewife
-Daily-Tom Stanton
records
Poco and
Young deliver
Listeners get i
steadily increases. Camille Har-
ding, SLT coordinator, explained
that "with the exception of the
first and the last performances
of the semester, we have had to
turn people away."
But although she estimates that
there are enough interested peo-
ple for two theatres, the expan-
sion of performances does not
seem probable, due to time fac-
tors and money problems.
"The productions are done on a
shoestring," commented Prof. Z.
the best
sic (they almost caused a riot
in Syracuse) is enhanced by the
band's infectious banter and
stage-frolicking, some of which
is present on Deliverin'.
In a way Deliverin' may be a
historic Poco album. The band
has been around since the
break-up of the Buffalo Spring-
field in 1967, and has undergone
a number of personnel changes.
Messina is only the latest to call
it quits., taking with him his
sweet high voice and fine guitar;
in recent appearances new man
Cotton hasn't been doing a n y
singing and it hurts the band.
Sadly, these constant chang-
es in personnel may indicate
that unless success comes soon,
Poco will dissolve like so many
other fine groups and leave sad
memories for country-rock fans.
--- - --
Weisfield, advisor for SLT Cos-
tume Designers during the past
eleven years. Costume designers
are rarely able to design and
create original costumes. "In-
stead, they must be stylized from
stock costumes," Weisfield ex-
plained. "This is caused by a lack
of money, time and experience."
Prof. Alan G. Billings, advisor
for SLT Scene and Light Design-
ers duringthe past five years,
agreed that SLT could use more
i4
By AL SHACKELFORD
Rock music is getting a strong
country flavor these days, as
bands like Crosby, Stills, Nash
and Young and the Grateful
Dead are hitting paydirt with a
commercialized sound sure ' to
appeal to all schlock-country
.fans.
Jerry Garcia of the Dead and
others have forsaken their old
acid-blues licks for the sweeter
sound of the steel guitar, to pro-
duce (at least in the Dead's
case) a new kind of off-key
country full of odd croaks and
chirps. Workingman's Dead and
American Beauty, classics of the
pseudo-country genre, are rid-
ing high on the Billboard charts.
Although too much of t h is
new country-rock music is un-
adulterated garbage, its accept-
ance by rock fans had had at
least one beneficial effect: Poco,
the best country-rock band in
creation, is finally starting to
get its due acclaim.
Deliverin' is Poco's newest al-
bum, a collection of some of
their best old material and five
new songs recorded live in
Boston and New York. The con-
certs took place last fall, before
lead guitarist Jim Messina left
the band to be replaced by form-
er Illinois Speed Press-er Paul
Cotton.
From the drum introduction
of "I Guess You Made It" to
the bang-up finish of "Conse-
quently So Long," this album is
a gas. Professionally, nothing is
lacking, as the whooping Poco-
boys run through forty minutes
of vital country and rock with-
out missing a lick. All of the
band's trademarks - Rusty
Young's consummate artistry on
steel guitar, the glad vocals hit-
ting high notes without strain,
Richie Furay's easy-does-it songs
-are shown off here in full
force.
Rusty Young has taken his
pedal steel guitar to beautiful
places that Jerry Garcia and
other dabblers never dreamed of.
His showpiece, three minutes of
spine-tingling "Grand Junc-
tion" is as tight as can be, as
Russ and Messina (on Telecast-
er lead) trade breakneck riffs in
a race toward the final Young
freakout.
My only complaint with this
album is that too often Young's
talents are channeled into pro-
ducing the scrambling organ-
like sounds that he has pioneer-
ed. He is satisfied to stay in the
background when he should be
out-front; "Kind Woman," done
here in typical Furay fashion,
suffers when Young steps aside
and lets Messina take over lead
guitar.
The high point of Deliverin'
(and of any Poco concert) is an
acoustic medley of pure country
music, featuring "You Better
Think Twice." Poco's recent 45:
"Herd Luck." a new song by
bassist Tim Schmit; aid a cou-
pte of golden Furay oldies, "A
Child's Claim to Fame" and
"Pickin' Up the Pieces." Young
switches over to dobro for this
and the band does some fine
"pickin, sittin and a-grinnin'."
The other new Poco songs,
three by Richie and one by Tim,
aren't as country as previous
Poco music but rock a l i t t l e
harder. "C'Mon" is a standout,
spiced by a couple near-acca-
pella interludes by the P o c o
choir - Richie, Tim, Jim and
drummer George Grantham -
and with Rusty taking care of
business on his Z. B. Custom
double-neck.
This album comprises most of
Poco's live material; only "Hur-
ry Up," the second side of the
Poco album, and their encore
number "We Are the Ones" are
left off. Poco's in-concert per-
formance of over-powering mu-
S-
Folk Group "Wind Borne"
flute and guitar
ALAN WARNER
STUART CHURCHILL
at RIVE GAUCHE
Corner E. University and Hill
9 p.m. TONIGHT
Admission 50c
Rome.
Before Christ.
After rellini.
An ALBERO GRIMALY P tcdxtn
"FELUNI SATYRIJCON
(English Subtitles)
COCOR byclw" dt NAsiOc® United Artists
TODAYD
FROM DA
1 P.M. l a 8-6416
ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL
ALL SHOWS
ALL TIMES
admission only
4
Order Your Daily Now-
Phone 764-0558
University of Michigan Film Society (ARM)
presents
... _ .. ...> s
i
{
;'r'