Page 8 - The Michigan Daily-Thursday, April 14, 1988
Female playwrights offer
'Other
I
Voices
' at Performance Network
By Maura Troester
Performance Network kicks off a female
playwrights' festival tonight with Other Voices:
Portraits of Women, Then and Now.
You can catch the "Then" presentation tonight
with Here We Are by Dorothy Parker, Trifles
""' Susan Glaspell, and A List by Gertrude
,in. The "Now" presentation on Friday and
Jnday offers Personality by Gina Wendkos and
ood and Ice by Liz Lochhead.
Presenting the plays in two separate evenings
hlights the incredible variety of works by fe-
le playwrights. Ann Stoll and Linda Kendall
nceived the series as a vehicle for presenting
srongly written, yet rarely performed plays.
Each play is a gem, but because of their length
they don't get performed often," explains
Kendall. "When you put them together, they
(makea fascinating collection."
Perhaps most unlike the others is A List by
Stein. Director B.J. Wallingford read the script
that has no plot, no definition of character, and
no location, and said, "I don't understand it. I'd
love to do it."
After 30-or-so re-readings of the script, he and
Co-Director Peter Knox explain it as an experi-
ment in language - in "word selection, not in
its meaning, but in its sounds and rhythms."
Through small details given, Knox and
Wallingford developed a sort of plot, gave it a
location, and worked with the actors to develop
character histories. The added elements are an at-
tempt to "ground" the piece for the audience.
Unlike Stein, Pulitzer prize-winner Susan
Glaspell relies heavily on location to propel the
plot of Trifles forward. Set in a dreary rural
American kitchen, Trifles is a murder mystery in
which two women discover another woman's
motive for killing her husband while collecting
some personal belongings to comfort the mur-
derer during her stay in jail.
Systematically, they destroy the evidence, be-
hind the backs of sheriff and the county attorney
who have accompanied them to look for the evi-
dence.
At issue, according to director Janet Hoffman,
is "the way these women related to each other and
pick up on the subtler things in life, the little
things which are so important."
Parker's Here We Are is about a newlywed
couple's realization that they are now married.
The guests have left, and the flurry of the wed-
ding is over. As the honeymooners ride the train
to their hotel in New York City, the meaning of
marriage hits them like a cold shower.
Their fears of marriage transform into argu-
ments. He says he prefers another hat to the one
she is wearing and she responds with, "That's
nice, isn't it? The first thing you say to your
wife is that she has terrible taste in hats."
"What I like best about the play," says direc-
tor Linda Kendall, "is the moments of compro-
mise. In those short, fleeting moments, we see
that they really do love each other."
Kendall has updated the staging by adding
passengers in the train. Frozen in tableau, or
moving minimally, the passengers (members of
the Performance Network's La! ensemble) add a
contemporary European mime flavor to the
innovative production.
OTHER VOICES: PORTRAITS OF
WOMEN THEN AND NOW begins its run at
Performance Network tonight. The "Then" group
of plays will be presented Thursday and Saturday
at 8 p.m., and the "Now" group will be presented
on Friday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 6:30 p.m. The
series will continue for two more weekends,
April 21-24 and April 28-May 1. Tickets are $7
and $5for students and seniors. For more infor-
mation, call 663-0681.
King Cotton
'Mr. Superharp' James Cotton and his nine piece big band appear
tonight for two shows, 10 p.m. and 12 p.m., at the Blind Pig.
Earlier in his career, Cotton was featured with both Muddy Waters
and Howlin' Wolf.
BFA
showcases. spectacular
media
-r
With a Master's in Public Health,
You Can Make a Difference!
N
By Avra Kouffman
Something exciting is happening
at Rackham Galleries! Five graduat-
ing art students have put together a
colorful, spectacular farewell show.
Andrea Koran, Jerry Longboat, Lori
Lee Love, John Michaels, and Andi
Schreiber have created an exhibit
which runs the gamut in terms of art
media, but remains consistent in
terms of quality content.
The BFA exhibit features eight
forms of media: photography, paint-
ing, drawing, sculpture, ceramics,
lithography, intaglio (an etching
process), and paper-making. There is
something for everyone.
Even when working in similar
media, each artist retains a distinc-
tive style and approach. Love spe-
cializes in photographs of nudes,
while Koran focuses on Detroit
street scenes. Longboat works with
graphic design and printmaking.
Michaels' and Schreiber's works are
most notable for their potent use of
color; highlights of the show include
Schreiber's painted couch and
Michaels' striking paintings.
The University's student artists
deserve attention. Unfortunately, the
BFA exhibit has not been well-
publicized. "We work really hard,"
comments Love. "We'd like more
people to see the show, but a lot of
people don't know about it. There's
a real lack of communication
between the art school and the rest of
the University."
Hopefully, the high caliber of
this exhibit will generate word-of-
mouth publicity. These works will
remain in Rackham only today and
tomorrow, but future exhibits by
other graduating art students will
follow.
The BFA exhibit will be held in
Rackham's 3rd floor Galleries today
and tomorrow. The galleries will be
open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Ad-
mission is free, and the public is in-
vited to the opening reception this
evening, from 6-10 p.m.
Training in policy analysis and public health administration
can help you make a difference in such important public
health issues as:
*The Health Status of Women and Minorities
*Child and Family Health
*Poverty and Health Status
*Infant Mortality
*Prevention of diseases such as
AIDS, lung cancer.
For infornation about our MPH program, contact:
Department of Public Health Policy and Administration
School of Public Health
The University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2029
(313) 764-2132
Town
Continued from Page 5
their legendary careers, Wagner says
that it also "ushered in a new era of
fast-paced musicals set in New York
City, that integrated music, charac-
ters, and dance."
Giving honor to Bernstein's mu-
sic is the University Symphony Or-
chestra. Conducting the orchestra is
its Director Professor Gustav Meier,
who has actually worked with
Bernstein for several years on the
faculty at Tanglewood (summer
~home of the Boston Symphony).
#Meier also is the musical director for
both the Lansing Symphony
Orchestra and the Greater Bridgeport
'Orchestra.
This particular production of On
the Town - will feature the work of
,visiting costume designer Thomas
Keller and set designer Kennon
Rothchild. Keller supervised
;costuming for films such as Hotel
New Hampshire, Muppets Take
Manhattan, and Follow That Bird.
Rothchild's credits as assistant set
designer include the Broadway pro-
ductions of Cats, The Mystery of
Edwin Drood, and Big River.
On the Town is a suitable musi-
cal for the college age actor who is
the same age as the young sailors.
Apparently the film version of On
the Town, starring Frank Sinatra
and Gene Kelly was greatly weakened
by the fact that Kelly and Sinatra
were far older than the intended age
of the sailors. The University
production encounters no such
problems and promises to be a fun
diversion from upcoming finals.
Performances for ON THE TOWN
begin at 8 p.m. on April 14,15, 16,
and 2 p.m. on the 17 at the Power
Center. Tickets are $9 and $6 with
special student seating for $4. Ad-
vance tickets can be purchased at the
League Ticket Office, and tickets can
also be purchase at the Power Center
Box Office one hour prior to the
performance. For more information
call 764-0451.
CLASSIFIED ADSI Call 764-0557
THE
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The University of Michigan
SCHOOL OF MUSIC
Faculty Carillon Recital by Margo
Halsted, University Carillonneur
Music of Belgium
Burton Memorial Tower, 7:00 p.m.
Free.
-'l~
Fri.
April 15
~N
i
Fri.
April 15
Fri.
April 15
U
Sat.
April 16
Sun.
Anril 17
Carmina Burana by Carl Orff
Performed by the University Choir
Theodore Morrison, conductor
Hill, 8:00 p.m. Free.
Wind Ensemble
H. Robert Reynolds, conductor
Mozart: Overture to Marriage of Figaro
Harbison: For 18 Wind Instruments
Stravinsky: Ragtime
Wilson: For Peace of Mind
Rackham, 8:00 p.m. Free.
Women's Glee Club
Rosalie Edwards, conductor
For, ticket information call 665-7408
Rackham, 8:00 p.m.
University Band/Campus Band
Eric Becher/Eric Rombach, conductors
The 1988
Michigan
Ensians
are
in and available for pick-up at the
Student Publications Building,
420 Maynard St. Yearbooks
may be picked up from 9-5 upon
presentation of student ID.
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