ARTS The Michigan Daily Tuesday, October 28, 1986 Page 5 A classic symbol crowns a new direction This Thursday, October 30, the Department of Theatre and Drama's professional theatre program, Project Theatre, will open its Fall season with a highly stylized production of Sophocles' classic drama OEDIPUS. In anticipation of this event, the Daily will run a series of three articles covering various aspects of the production itself and the surrounding circumstances that have brought it about. By Noelle Brower 4 Upon his arrival as the new chairman of the Department of Theatre and Drama last Fall, John Russell Brown found a department that had fallen behind the times; R- one that needed to be cleaned up before it could go forward. At the time both the Dance Department and the Department of Theatre and Drama had recently been brought . under the collective umbrella of the School of Music, so it was an appropriate time for a new beginning. From the start, Project Theatre has taken risks. Last year's two productions, The Daughter-in-Law and Antique Pink, were uncon - ventional in both style and subject matter, anticipating the course that Project Theatre has set for itself. The current production of Oedipus , a production of mighty proportions, follows this newly established tradition. If the necessary steps and trial by fire had not taken place last year, chances are that the present production, with its larger-than-life scale, would not have been possible. But what exactly is Project Daily Photo by SCOTT LITUCHY Theatre? Two things, really. First of all, it is a forum bringing theatre John Russell Brown pauses for a moment during the production of professionals, mostly from the New Project Theatre's long-awaited Fall presentation of Sophocles' drama York area, to Ann Arbor for the 'Oedipus' which opens this Thursday at The Lydia Mendelssohn theatre. duration of a collaborative produc - tion. Secondly, with this pro - fessional, streamlined approach, Project Theatre should serve as an example of quality theatre from which students in the Theatre Department can learn. Dr. Brown presents an apt analogy: "I want a professional theatre here the way an English Depart - ment wants books in its library. You must study what you're doing.. It's very important for an English student to learn how to write and study novels and poems, of course the two go hand in hand. When it comes to theatre, you can't study it from a book, you must see it come to life." This is the heart of Project Theatre. During the production period, departmental students have access to both the rehearsals and the performers themselves. The actors, in turn, visit undergraduate classes to discuss the production, their roles in it and to answer any questions the students might have. Thus the actors are not just actors, but serve as instructors, as well. "I hope it will serve the University as a whole," explains Brown, "like an art gallery. Bringing Oedipus is like building the Taj Mahal in the middle of campus for a week. The attempt to do Oedipus is exciting. However successful or unsuccessful it turns out to be, it surely is interesting. I hope Project Theatre serves the University as a whole and the community, as well. I would hope that it could turn into a regional theatre." In its attempt to regroup, the Department of Theatre and Drama has stressed the reinforcement of its undergraduate program. "We now have Benedict Nightingale as our associate chairman for the under - graduate program," explains Dr. Brown. "Now I've got someone to give full-time attention to the undergraduate program. We're do - ing it together, but he's taking the lead." One of the most exciting implementations of Brown's admin - istration has been the reopening up of the Arena stage in the Frieze Building for the exclusive use of undergraduate students. Hillary Cohen, an acting and directing teacher within the department, is in charge of this program and says that the response among students has been enthusiastic. "We're really pleased with the amount of response we've had from students who are interested in directing their own projects," she says. Cohen cu - rrently has two student productions scheduled for this Fall. "Our hope is that we'll have something going every couple of weeks either during Winter term or looking ahead to next year so that there are student productions all the time," she explained. Presently, the Department of Theatre and Drama is comprised of two parts: Project Theatre and University Productions. The latter heads productions by the University Players, the School of Music-Opera and the Dance Department. Need - less to say, this has been a busy year for University Productions et. al. with two successful University Players shows under their belt so far, and a dance concert, opera, black theatre workshop presentation and a Shakespearean production all in the near future. Oedipus is a test of sorts for the department' as a whole. Not only is it a col - laborative effort among the various departments within the School of Music, but it is also the first in a series of three productions that Project Theatre will oversee in the coming year. There is whispering in the air around the Department of Theatre and Drama, an excitement sug - gesting that things are finally rolling in the right direction after a year of hard, hard work. Hopefully, this week's production of Oedipus will only confirm what the rumors say. Prime Rib Dinner ONLY includes: 7 oz. Prime Rib choice of potato ONLY AT TUESDAYS 338-S. State 4:30 -10:00 No depth ound n Soul Man' Art of Truth-Making method in Early Chinese Philosophy ROBERT ENO INDIANA UNIVERSITY Center for Chinese Studies Brown Bag Lunch OCTOBER 28, 1986,12:00 NOON LANE HALL COMMONS ROOM p} By Brian Hall What a silly cat am I that cannot write a simple review of a seemingly simple movie? Soul Man initially appears as the run-of- the-mill tits and zits flick for the college crowd; just the type of film serious-minded students engaged in the pursuit of a little happiness find so refreshing at this point in the semester. (Hey, Hollywood under - stands us.) However, Soul Man transcends the normal October movie fare by trying to tackle the serious problem of racism while still remaining a comedy. Soul Man is about your typical college student, Mark Watson (played by C. ThomaskHowell) He smokes pot, screws a lot; owns a great stereo system, and has a hate-hate relationship with his alarm clock. Mark and his best friendGordon (Ayre Gross) get accepted into that 'other' law school. Life is kind. Unfor - tunately, one small problem arises. Mark's parents decide they no longer wish to fund their son's educational endeavors. Can you relate? Unable to beg or borrow the money, Mark is emancipated by a scholarship that will go to the most qualified black applicant. No prob - lem. And faster than you can say the movie, it's hard to picture him as ever having been white. Chong is pretty good, and Gross, who plays Gordon with total party- animal fervor, is the film's unofficial scene-stealer. Sadly, the only sore spot in the actin category is from the usually superb James Earl Jones. His black John House - man character looks awfully silly. So, here it is: decent acting, laughs, sex and general college debauchery. What more could any - one ask for? Well, now comes the difficult part. Being a psuedo- intellectual, I assume I would enjoy a film that tries to preach about the evils of racism. I did not. Not only does it make this often amusing film appear far too pretentious, it blindly exposes the writers' own cultural biases. In telling the viewer to beware of racism, the film offers up an entire slew of stereotypes: the rich are all snobs, the 'Havad' student body is a bunch of preppy jerks, all whites are racist, and Eastern women want nothing but sex. Furthermore, Sarah, the 'true' black person, is single and has a child. Give me a break. Soul Man is an average mindless film that tries to be more than it really is-a simple comedy. Viewed as such it can be quite enjoyable. Viewed as anything else, it can be very irritating. I guess that wasn't so hard after all. QUESTIONS ABOUT LAW SCHOOL? The Undergraduate Law Club presents A panel of law students to answer your questions about law school. TODAY, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 28th 7P.M. Kunzel Room of The Michigan Union C. Thomas Howell, before and after, takes the lead in 'Soul Man.' Affirmative Action, Mark (who now looks like Michael Jackson in The Wiz) is off the'Harvard. "This is the Cosby decade," he tells a skeptical Gordon. Mark is in for more than he bargained for however, as he quickly becomes the brunt of a very racist community. Cops harrass him, basketball coaches fight over him, and white women fantasize about him. To further complicate matters, he falls in love with black student Sarah Walker (Rae Dawn Chong.) It is quite funny watching Mark try and act the way he believes blacks act. It's like having Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor in one person. Unfortunately, watching his racial awakening is not quite so enjoyable. Director Steve Miner, who must have graduated from the Smurt's School of Subtlety, fol - lows Mark's progress by showing him relaxing in a chair with a basketball in his hands, and by having him begin to dislike the Beach- Boys. Ingmar Bergman must be off somewhere killing himself. Despite this nauseating dir - ecting, Soul Man is a pretty good flick. Howell pulls off the dual role quite well, and by the end of I 320 S STATE STREET - Phone 663-4121 - ANN ARBOR. MICH Books .Bobbie Ann Mason In Country Harper & Row 245 pp. ,$6.95 It was the year of George Orwell's 1984, Bruce Springsteen's dynamic U.S.A. tour, and Sa - Kentucky. When Sam's mother remarries and moves to Lexington, Sam decides to stay and take care of Emmett while finishing her senior year of high school. Sam is constantly asking him questions about the war, reading books about it, and talking with Emmett's war buddies in hope of immv ,-rinc . ha~t rciv 1 ih'., r i in can begin to understand the father she never knew. This is a story of Vietnam rarely told. It does not deal with the factual causes of the war, nor does it offer the detailed account of the wounded veteran. Instead it is Viet - nam in the eyes of today's fas - cinated youth, one according to a fun? She is asking questions, how - ever, that a generation of people would rather forget. The novel is especially effective in its compassion and perception of today's youth. Mason's characters could be friends, or family. The author's respect and love for her characters is evident on each page. HeTr acciiracv of the fars of the iday We have a large selection of costumes, candy, make-up, and masks for Halloween fright and fun!