Thursday, September 6, 1973 THE MICHIGAN DAILY Pace Sevarlu Thu rsday, September 6, 1973 THE MICHIGAN DAILY F %.Svc ti7C V -- I t I Surv ing By GLORIA JANE SMITH Scanning stages cross-campusa it becomes immediately obvious that Ann Arbor is indeed a hot- bed of dramatic activity. Produc- tions, both amateur and profes- sional, conventional and experi- mental, are presented by no less than a d o z e n active theatre groups Outstanding on the local thes- pian scene is the University's Professional Theatre Program (PTP), an organization that hosts top - notch professional produc- tions, some already New York hits, many in pre-Broadway en- gagements. Last; year saw such notables as the 1925 musical comedy No, No, Nanette, Tony Award - winning mystery thriller Sleuth and the musical Godspell. PTP also sponsors small prom- inent theatre groups such as last year's performance by the New Phoenix Repertory Company. It is undeniably PTP that has given Ann Arbor its reputation as a national theatre center. Audiences from communities as distant as Detroit, Toledo and Windsor travel here for their productions, THE "OFFICIAL" s t u d e n t theatre group is University Play- the ers, affiliated with the spe partment. Each term, th ers produce a varied sche plays, sometimes with s success, sometimes failure. Highlighting last year's was their Showcase Produ which they presented a experimental approacht ter's Old Times. Other i ingly progressive prod were Beckett's Endgaw .Rabe's anti-war play The Training of Pavlo Humm A more informal exten the University's drama p is found in the Student L 'hotbed' aech de- atre which presents student-pro- act: e Play- duced one-acts a l m o s t every ofn edule of week io the intimate surround- abl tunning ings of the arena theatre in the (Mi dismal Frieze Bldg. Too In addition to this, various lan- for season guage departments, including eve .ction in French, Spanish, Latin and Ger- L novel, man, present classical and mod- Wes to Pin- ern plays throughout the year, Sho nterest- such as the classical depart- N ductions ment's Seligson Players presenta- were ne and tibn of Plautus' Haunted House. gro e Basic sen el. AFFILIATED with the Resi- the ision of dential College d r a m a depart- ed rogram ment are the Residential College ab The- Players, a group that presents C a variety of avant-garde plays, thri some of them original, student- are written works. Last year saw Sull such works as Williams' Some- und thing Unspoken, Ionesco's The dom Lesson, and Chekov's The Three gre Sisters. A There are also a variety of gro of ive groups that are comprised non-drama majors, most not- y Soph Show and MUSKET Ichigan Union Show, Ko-eds ). While Soph Show is only sophomores, MUSKET is for ryone. ast year MUSKET brought us st Side Story, while Soph w presented Cabaret. Newly organized this past year re v a r i o u s other amateur ups. The UAC Players pre- ted Play It Again Sam and South Quad Players present- a play entitled Apple Tree. OMMUNITY THEATRE also Ives in Ann Arbor. Musicals presented by the Gilbert and ivan Society, a group which erstandably p r e s e n t s pre- minantly the works by the two at masters. nother a c t i v e community up is the Ann Arbor Civic Ir ama Theatre, which last year pre- sented a variety of productions, including Lion in Winter. An interesting, although not so active group is the Ann Arbor Theatre Company, who present original adaptations of books and poems. This year they presented Dracula. A final youth-oriented com- munity group is the Junior Light Opera which last year presented Mousetrap. There is also an occasional appearance by out-of-town groups, such as last year's visit by a Chicano guerrilla theatre group supporting the lettuce boy- cott. To say the least, Ann Arbor's theatre scene is bountiful and diverse. There is literally a play presented for every dramatic taste.'But go out and experience it for yourself. Friendly Atmcsphere . plus POOL TABLE, COLOR TV, and r " PIN BALL all at LUI3rE kf7Y I IMlN COCKTAIL BAR 112 West Liberty-Ann Arbor 668-91 63 (GRILL FOR LUNCH) - Poetry readings: Oral gratification - R B *< GUITAR D A y ", I D A Hash Bash ... Out of the closet and ri ht on the Diag By ERIC SCHOCH supplement co-editor What campus event this past year drew the largest crowd (not counting football and basket- ball)? No, unlike years past it was not a student protest againt the war, the Regents, or any- thing else. It was, in fact, an event whose only point was to openly. smoke marijuana onl the Diag,' the' Second Annual Ann Arbor Hash Festival. As two seemingly disinterested members of Ann Arbor's finest looked on, 5,000 students, freaks and one state representative toked up on dope and generally had a good time. The first hash bash was held on April 1, 1972, the day the new state law reducing possession of marijuana to a misdemeanor went into effect. That day, 500 participants braved freezing tem- peratures and snow flurries to flaunt their dope and their of- fiilhash bash T-shirts. LAST YEAR, however, it was a different story, as people be- gan gathering early under blue skies until their numbers grew to a peak of 5000. Five hours later, 1000 die-hards were still at it, braving a late-afternoon drizzle. All during the day, a lone evan- gelist urged the crowd to repent of their sins and turn to Christ, but he seemed to make little headway. The most famous participant at this year's event was liberal state representative Perry Bull- ard (D-Ann Arbor), who posed with his joint for the benefit of news photographers, saying with a giggle, "There's nothing wrong with it." DESPITE THE ostentatious consumption of the illegal weed, no arrests have been made either year. The first year, three uni- formed police were in view, and a few plainclothesmen tried to look inconspicuous in their trench coats and crew cuts, but police attitudes toward the hash fests were summed up by one's dry comment, "I don't see anything." Organizers of the festivals have remained mysteriously anony- mous, spreading the word by festival lies, of course, in the basic hedonism of many students mouth, leaflets, occasional clas- sified ads in The Daily, and ex- tensive use of bathroom wall graffiti. Part of the success of the hash and freaks, but the timing of the hash fests has its influence as well. After the long gray Ann Arbor weather, with its rain, cold, snow and bitter winds, campus residents find the first day of April to be just a good day to get high and have a good time. By DIANE LEVICK supplement co-editor ff tortured high school word- by-word analyses haven't turned you off to poetry altogether, you may find that Ann Arbor's num- erous free poetry readings by the authors themselves open up a whole new enjoyable experi- ence. Leading off the list of sponsors is the University itself, which runs one of the most active poetry reading programs in the U.S. "We're the envy of other schools," contends Donald Hall, poet and University English pro- fessor who has given several readings locally. Consulting Hall and others, En- glish Prof. Bert Hornback puts together the poetry programs with financial backing from his department and its Extension Service. Averaging 20 readings a year now, the program brings in nationally famous as well'as local poets. FOR INSTANCE, Robert Hay- den, winner of the Grand Prize for Poetry at the First World Festival of Negro Arts, gave a reading of his works in the Modern Languages Bldg. last March. Having taught creative writing classes at the University since 1969, Hayden seeks a wide audience for his poetry: "I want people to understand what I write and react to it . . . I don't want to be so obscure that only intellectuals can understand me." Among nationally-known poets in the reading program have been Richard Tillinghast, poet- and songwriter from Berkeley, Calif.; Galway Kinnel; Richard Wilbur; Robert Bly; and poet-in-resi- dence at the University, Russian exile Joseph Brodsky. Once held in the UGLI Multi- purpose room, the readings have been moved to the more com- fortable Modern Languages Bldg. The atmosphere of the readings varies, but most of the poets are "very personable people," according to one poetry fan, and are happy to answer questions on their personal lives and philos- ophy of writing. THE GROWTH of the Univer- sity's poetry reading program has been sparked by favorable student response. Hall says that the audiences vary anywhere from 60 to 400 and frequently overflow the available room. He reports that this fall's poetry reading schedule is not yet finalized, but those he expects "for sure" will include: Robert Duncan from San Francisco, Michael Harper, George Mac- Beth from England, and Lemual Johnson, who teaches at the Uni- versity. Both Johnson and Hall partici- pated in poetry readings at the Ark coffeehouse on Hill St. this past year. The free Sunday night{ readings were organized by Hop- wood winner Linda Silverman. She and six to 12 others-many of them teaching fellows in the University's English dept.--haveI held a poetry workshop for three years. Designed for those who are very serious about their poetry, the workshops give par- ticipants a chance to work col- lectively on their pieces. Silver- man says the workshop will con- tinue this fall and hopes to carry on the readings at the Ark. ANOTHER OUTLET for stu- dent interest in poetry is, sur- prisingly enough, the Pyramid Gallery on N. Main St. The art gallery ran a series of six poetry readings this spring and intends to run another program this fall. Gallery director Marty Nyrk- kanen says the poetry is "part of the idea of getting involved in more than just the visual arts." I L Instruments, Accessories, Lessons Instruments MADE and REPAIRED BUY WITH CONFIDENCE ULRICH'S GUARANTEE: IF OUR PRICES ARE NOT COMPETITIVE-A FULL REFUND WILL BE GIVEN as long as the item is RETURNED within TWO WEEKS with CASH REG. RECEIPT-ITEM MUST BE IN SAME CONDITION AS PURCHASED. ULRICH'S BOOKSTORE "A FUN PLACE TO SHOP" 209 SOUTH STATE 665-8001 (upstairs) I i E ijjS t I M ,. k/hat ol '-U ad '74 A "Bell Party" is your birthday celebrated at the PRETZEL BELL. Any Monday or Tuesday evening, bring your friends, sign in the register, and enjoy the relaxed atmosphere of Clint _ _ -t "Bell Party" Flick's Bar' The best-known guide to edible (ond non-edible) The best-known guide to edible (and non-edible) mushrooms, designed for use in the field- Alexander H. Smith THE MUSHROOM HUNiTERS FIELD GUIDE Revised and Enlarged Edition "As an introduction to the art of mushroom hunting . . i can think of nothing better than Alexander H. Smith's The Mushroom Hunter's Field Guide Donald Malcolm, New Yorker Usi this guide, beginners as well as experts can identify mushrooms in a matter of minutes. The descriptions are tinged with humor and wisdom, making the use of this q u i d e a pleasant and rewarding experience. Nature lovers, photographers, and es- pecially those for whom the mush- has LIVE ENTERTAINMENT Monday-Saturday Nights 9:30 p.m.-1:30 a.m. (BLUES: 4 nights per week) Castor's PRETZEL BELL. Michigan students have been celebrat- ing "Bell Parties" for years, and as the oldest restaurant in Ann Arbor, the PRETZEL BELL will continue to combine the pleasure of food and drink for your enjoyment. Enjoy the R.F.D. BOYS' BLUEGRASS MUSIC, live Wednesday through Saturday nights SC/imt CaOto i'i~Wel - 11 I it F lini Dn i I