The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, April 15, 1987 - Page 9
R H Players confront social problems
By Lauren Schreiber
Open up your mind a bit. Tonight at 8 p.m. the Residence Hall
Players will take all those nasty problems of life and society and
present them in a double feature theatrical event in the Pendleton Room
at the Union.
The troupe was founded in the fall of 1985 by Scott Weissman, a
Resident Director in Mary Markley and MFA student in acting at the
University. His goal was to combine theatre with social issues. He
took his idea to the Housing Office for support. Marvin Parnes, the
Assistant Director of Residence Education, volunteered to sponsor the
yet-to-be-formed troupe. Now nearing the end of its second year, the
RHA Players are beginning to develop a following on campus.
Designed primarily for a student audience, the troupe deals with
issues that arise from group living and University life in general. A sort
of multi-media performance, the two shows to be performed tonight are
The Relationship Show andWhose Values are You? The first show
deals with all sorts of relationships including those between the student
and the University and professors, as well those between family,
friends, and lovers. Whose Values Are You? is meant to take people by
surprise. A bit confrontational, peoples values are thrown into question
before they realize it. The intent is to "separate the conditioned you
from the real you," explained Weissman. The group refrains from
prescribing any specific opinion or dogma. "As director," said
Weissman, "I have nothing that I want to tell people except how to
behave as an individual."
Weissman is aware that people may be offended or shocked by some
of the material. "We try to get feedback from others on any kinks that
could be ultra-offensive," he said. "But, if we were too sensitive to
everyone we'd have a very boring, lukewarm show....I'm certainly
willing to take some flak [in order] to have the freedom to make a
statement.
Auditions for the troupe were held in September. This year's troupe
consists of undergraduate students from various schools of the
University. The seventeen members include six returning members
from last year. Weissman directs the troupe and Susan Bailey, an
undergrad, is the assistant director.
Since late October, they have been performing one show a week at
various Residence Halls at the University. The group has also
performed at Hillel and through the Sexual Assault Center as a part of
Rape Awareness Week. In March, the group performed at the National
Conference of the Association of College Personnel Administrators
(ACPA) in Chicago as an example of innovative programming in
Residence Halls. "Yeah," said Weissman, "that was kind of a big deal
for us."
About tonight's performance at the Michigan Union, Weissman
said, "We wanted to open up the show for more of the campus
community." Although most of the troupe's members are. from the
Residence Halls, Weissman emphasizes that the material is relevant to
just about everyone at the University.
The script derives mostly from improvisation. Janet Hackel, an RD
at Couzens, and Weissman then take the material and put it into script
form. Sometimes, members of the troupe will come up with ideas or
rough drafts which Weissman and Hackel will then help edit. "I think
everyone in the troupe has a sense that the show is theirs and not just
the playwrights'," Weissman commented.
Believing strongly that theatre can be used to instill values and cause
personal growth, Weissman ultimately hopes "to move people to have
more compassion for each other as well as be more accepting of
themselves and their own choices." Not a bad idea.
This
is it! What
you ve
all been waiting for!
The Summer Daily Arts Page
Mass Meeting
Thursday, April 16th 6:30
It's more than a job. It's Art.
Records
(Continued from Page 6)
it is entirely. instrumental and
exciting, in that the vamps are
irresistably funky and danceable,
and it is all very well played.
Whoever is behind this band has
my hipshakin' heartfelt thanks. It's
like Booker T. for the '80s
generation.
Get it on before it gets away.
-Marc S. Taras
K.D. Lana
and the Reclines
Angel With a Lariat
Sire
This is fine new Country-rock
ILP produced by Dave Edmunds and
featuring the vocal work of K.D.
Lang. As one might expect, it
jumps lively and rocks honest.
Edmunds sees to that; but even
without his assistance, Lang and
her band would shine.
Moving along the same
tumbleweed terrain as Dwight
Yoakam's Cadillac crew, this LP
should be enjoyed by all, not just
by fans of the genre. Lang's voice
is husky and appealing and her band
plays as deliberately as she sings.
All of the material is strong,
polished grit. And the fact that
Lang pulls"of a beautiful cover of
"Three Cigarettes in an Ashtray" (a
big hit for Patsy Cline) earns her
some points with me. Can you
imagine
"Strange
Child"?
Linda Ronstadt trying
Fruit" of "God Bless the
This hootenanny's just startin'.
-Marc S. Taras
DO YOUR BEST ON FINALS
Attend
RELAX!
a peer-led workship offered by 76-GUIDE
Thurs: April16
7-9pm
3100 Michigan Union
Call 76-GUIDE for more info.
1
y Y
.
I.
. . !
\'
;.
S,
u ;. . t.
j ' ,
MY
1 9 8 7
HOPWOOD
AWARDS
The Kasdan Scholarship
in Creative Writing
The Arthur Miller Award
The Jeffrey L. Weisberg
Freshman Poetry Award
will be announced
- ~y:." . . :::
' ": . .ti/
\
--,
;
-/__
C
Wed., April 1
5at 4p.m.
Rackham Auditorium
Open to the Public
L e c t u r e
b y
}
s ,,
; ; ,
,.
,,
J
I,'
l //
/i, ,
~
JOYCE CAROL OATES
Author of: EXPENSIVE PEOPLE, THEM,
CHILDWOLD, MARYA: A LIFE, RAVEN'S WING
Part of THE POWER SERIES at the POWER CENTER
The Musical Theatre Program with the University Philharmonia
Brent Wagner, Director Mitchell Krieger, Conductor
Jerry DePuit, Musical Director Tim Millett, Choreographer