Jhe Allure of Everest Anthropologist Sherry Ortner comes to Shaman Drum. Ortner, the author of "Life and Death on Mt. Everest: Sherpas and Himalayan Mountaineering," will discuss the cultural interaction between mountaineers and their guides. 4 p.m. A~t tRTSu&it Tomorrow in Daily Arts: Weekend, etc. investigates student use of the Internet on campus. Wednesday October 6, 1999 9 Excited cast leads 'Escape' Bono to read from coming-out guide By Jeff Drucilak . Daily Weekend, etc. Editor On the surface, "Escape from Happiness" feels like one expects a play to in its final days before performance. The cast of theatre department students is excited about opening the University Productions season. The director, depart- ment Prof. John Neville-Andrews, is optimistic about matters coming togeth- er in time for opening night. One might say things have gone a rding to plan. The truth is just the opposite. Escape From Happiness! Trueblood Theater Oct. 7-10, 24-27 "Escape Happiness," of the East Trilogy by tempor Canadian from part End con- ary play- wright George E Walker, was intended to be stu- dent-produced by Basement Arts last spring. Those plans, however, were invaded by harsh realities pling with the playwright at the Roundhouse Theatre in Washington, D.C., Neville-Andrews last summer directed "Better Living," also from Walker's East End Trilogy, in Ann Arbor for the University's Group Theatre. Neville-Andrews relishes the particu- lar challenges the unique texts of Walker present his actors. Like many of the play- wright's works, "Escape from Happiness" is a liberally insane, stupefy- ingly black comedy that disturbs as deeply as it amuses. The blue-collar Dawson family, featured throughout Walker's trilogy, is headed by Dara Seitzman, a senior in the department's BFA performance program, who por- trays mother Nora. The Dawsons are a clan too self-involved to realize just how dysfunctional they are, and the plot of the play centers on the intersection of the characteristic Dawson tone of deeply devoted mayhem with the even more volatile local law enforcement. As Dawson daughters Mary Ann, Elizabeth and Gail, BFA performance seniors Julia Siple and Krista Braun and junior Aimee Clark respectively take on their characters' various involvements with the Dawsons' outer struggle against police brutality, as well as inner struggles against each other. Neville-Andrews used words like "visceral" and "torrential" to describe Walker's particular brand of intensely verbal characterization. "The actors real- ly need to know their lines to work at this velocity, and they've kept pushing each other to reach the proper level of intensi- ty," Neville-Andrews explained. When asked what techniques he used to effect that intensity in his cast, the director modestly declared, "Nothing other than browbeating." The play also required the negotiation of a great deal of practical business such as extensive vegetable chopping and the precision-timed boiling of a tea kettle, to be integrated with the demanding text. Neville-Andrews said, "I warned (the Chastity Bono Borders Tonight at 7:30 p.m. ferent religious and economic backgrounds. Though different in many ways, Bono tells their stories in a man- ner that displays the common issues of gays and lesbians while coming out. The book also shows how these specific parents and fami- By Caitlin Hal TV/New Media Editor Chastity Bono's new book, "Family Outing," written with Billie Fitzpatrick, is not a tell-all autobiog- raphy of a child of icons. In fact, the book is a practical guide to the com- ing out process for gays and lesbians and their families. Bono incorporates her own story as well as those of a diverse group of peo- ple to show the wide range of experi- ences gays have while coming out. These people are both men and women from a wide variety of places with dif- I - Courtesy of David Smith Photography ,Aimee Claris, Krista Braun and Julia Siple in "Escape From Happiness." from outside the rehearsal room when Sarah Metzger, the first-year directing major who was preparing to direct "Escape" died in a automobile accident on a snowy highway. After securing a slot to direct her show W e spring's Basement Arts schedule, Metzger had approached Neville- Andrews for counsel on how to approach her project. The head of the theatre department's directing concentration, Neville-Andrews already knew Sarah from consultation over her decision to switch to a directing major. In the after- math of the tragic wintertime accident, Neville-Andrews decided to undertake the project himself for the fall as a dedi- c? n to his student's memory. 7etzger came to Neville-Andrews specifically because of his expertise directing Walker's work. After first grap- cast) when we auditioned in the spring that, because we're (performing) so early in the year, the process would be very intense" One moment that lightened the mood (but only in retrospect!) occurred during a recent weekend rehearsal. While taking a break outside the Frieze Building, BFA senior James Frounfelter, was practicing some moves with a fake handgun he uses to portray Stevie, one of the play's policemen. It didn't take long for a passel of Department of Public Safety officers to arrive and investigate the cast's poten- tial hooliganism. Frounfelter was fortunate enough not to be arrested, but the entire cast was reamed out for their breach of the peace. Neville-Andrews was impressed with how the lead officer, "who was standing around pretty regularly like the others, sort of grew like one of those cartoons when he wanted to start reading us the riot act."1 The cast had the benefit of experienc- ing the DPS's on-the-job use of psycho- logical intimidation, which has been use- ful for putting the finishing touches on the play's police scenes. Neville-Andrews did observe that the experience spoiled efforts to solicit official police assistance for those scenes' actors, but on the other hand, "it was a very good substitute" Tickets are $14, $7 for students and are available ftom the Michigan League ticket office at (734) 764-0450. Showtimnes are 8:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m. on Sundavs. There will be a vigil in honor of Sarah Metzger after this Friday'Vs per- formance. lies deal with the situation. Though the book is multi-focused, exploring a variety of people and issues, Bono incorporates her own story as well. She speaks of her fami- ly in a personal way. By doing so, Cher comes across as a mother of a lesbian daughter, not a famous actress and singer. Bono describes her experience coming out to her family as relatively painless. Her mother was upset at first, less because she was gay than because she had told other people before her. Eventually, Cher became supportive and accepting. Her father was supportive from the beginning. The inspiration for the book came while Bono was working for the Human Rights Campaign and as a writer for "The Advocate." "I real- ized there wasn't another book that existed like it," she said in a recent interview. She also wanted to illus- trate the process by using "as diverse a group of people as possible." While reviewing books for "The Advocate," she noticed there were many books on coming out but none that dealt with the experience as a family issue. Family issues for Bono were often public. Though she came out to her family when she was 18, Bono did not come out publicly until 1995 when she appeared on the cover of "The Advocate." Her parents were already famous for their music and for their variety television program, "The Sonny and Cher Show." Her mother went on to win an Oscar for "Moonstruck," and her father went on to become a U.S. congressman. Chastity Bono was, consequently, a public figure and a subject of the tabloids. She was outed by the tabloids when she was 18, which forced her back in the closet for five years. Her decision to come out pub- licly in 1995 was made because she wanted to end rumors about her sexu- ality. It is ironic that she made this deci- sion to end the talk about her sexual- ity. "I just wanted to be done with it all," says Bono, "I just thought it would end it." The interview led to Bono's involvement with political movements and her public role as a spokesperson and activist for the gay and lesbian community. Her transition into politics was not without problems. In her relationship with her father, homosexuality "was- n't something we ever talked about, she said. When Chastity announced to her father that she was going to do the interview with "The Advocate," he suggested that she interview him. In the interview, her father expressed that he felt same sex marriages should be legal. He spoke on a num- ber of gay issues, which Chastity felt was problematic because "he wasn't terribly informed." During the interview Sonny Bono said things that got him in trouble with the religious right, which eventually caused him to change his views. She felt that this was the "ultimate hypo- critical move," both as a father and as a politician. Despite their differences, Chastity describes their opposing views as "a political problem, not a personal problem." At the time of her father's death, they had not yet resolved their differences. "Family Outing" contains candid conversations between both mother and daughter. Bono's idea is to show the experiences without elaborate explanation. This technique, followed by a summary, lets the reader experi- ence the story on a very personal level. The book's strong point is its intimacy and diverse examples. Even though it covers the same subject, the details vary and the stories seem familiar without feeling repetitive. Screenwiter Rubin screens ,Ladder' at 'U' By Erin Podolsky Daily Arts Writer 1990, two films were released hot on the he s of one another with only a few slight simi- larities to tie them together: they both dealt with he supernatural and they were both written by the ame man. One, armed with three name-brand tars, you've probably heard of. One, starring an actor whom has been consistently robbed of nom- inations and awards over the past ten years, you probably haven't. "Ghost" opened to audience raves and box office adoration a few short months before the darker, less straightforward "Jacob's Ladder." Senwriter Bruce Joel Rubin, who is visiting carpus this week with "Jacob's Ladder" in tow, penned both. He won an Academy Award for his screenplay for "Ghost." In addition to being made at the same time, "'Ghost' and 'Jacob's Ladder' were actually shot at the same studio, so I just had a bike on the lot and would go back and forth between them," Rubin said in a recent interview with The Michigan Daily. "Jacob's Ladder" was a project that Rubin had been fascinated with from the start. "I had a dream :man being trapped under a subway," he said. That was merely the beginning. He pumped out the screenplay, filled with spiritual musings and a devastating final twist that rivals the recent film "The Sixth Sense" for potency. Audiences did not respond in kind, instead opting for the more view- er-friendly, feel-good Rubin offering of "Ghost." "Jacob's Ladder" was directed by Adrian Lyne ("Fatal Attraction"). Rubin credits Lyne with properly taking Rubin's inferno-like blueprint script and creating the visuals that the story required. There were the occasional arguments, though, particularly over a climactic scene that ended up a little more subdued in the film than was originally planned (a low-quality version of the original scene can be found on the "Jacob's Ladder" DVD). Rubin has also written such films as "My Life" (which he also directed and produced) and "Deep Impact." While "Deep Impact" may seem on the surface like an odd choice for a man whose work had previously been nothing if not personal, Rubin intimated that you don't say no to Steven Spielberg. Ultimately, other writers were brought on the project. Raised in Detroit, Rubin moved away from the city as soon as he finished high school. His arrival on campus is "a long story." The short version: Rubin later met New Line Cinema founder and president Robert Shaye (who, a native Detroiter himself, attended the same high school as Rubin although at a different time) while curating a film series in New York. They've kept in contact over the years, and Shaye, who recently awarded a sub- stantial monetary gift to the Program in Film and Video Studies, encouraged Rubin to bring one of his films to campus and offer screenwriting semi- nars and lectures. This week Rubin will be discussing "The Writer's Journey" (Tuesday) of his own trip from Detroit to Hollywood, "Writing the Metaphysical Screenplay" (Wednesday) with a discussion of the process of bringing "Jacob's Ladder" into being, "The Creative Process" (Thursday) and a free pub- lic screening of "Jacob's Ladder" at the Michigan Theater, with a Q&A to follow. Originally set to bring "Ghost" to campus, Rubin requested that he show "Jacob's Ladder" instead. "Everybody's seen 'Ghost,"' he said. In showing "Jacob's Ladder," Rubin feels he can introduce a generation of students to a work they likely are unfamiliar with. Rubin said that he doesn't plan at this time to direct another film. "I discovered (with "My Life") that just because you're a writer doesn't mean you should direct," he said. "I'm not bad. But I'm not great" His next project will be a screenplay for New Line. If his previous work is any indication, it should be well worth the wait. UM School of Music Dept of Theatre & Drama eSCaPe f0 a quirky comedy by 'II George F. Walker happin One family's BIZARRE struggle to hold on for dear life. this play contains adult language and themes October 7 - 9, 141- 6at 8pm October 10& 17 at 2pm Trueblood Theatre Tickets are $14 " Students $7 with ID League Ticket Office 734-764-0450 Read the Daily online. www.michigandaily.com ....A-j LECTURE NOTE BLOWOUT! 10 DAYS ONLY Philli Glass Patti Smith, with very special guest Marley "' Bio Anthro 161 Bio Anthro 364 Buddhist Studies 220 Comm Studies 101 Econ 101 Econ 102 Geo Sci100 Geo Sci 104 Geo Sci 105 Geo Sci 107 Geo Sci 110 Geo Sci 115 Hist 160 Hist 218 Hist 389 Linguistics 210 Philosophy 232 Philosophy 356 Physics 125 Physics 140' Physics 240 Physics 242 Psych 330 Psych 340 Psych 350 Psych 360 Psych 370 Psych 380 Psych 390 Psych 400 Psych 436 Wom Studies 220 Wom Studies 240 COPY CENTER s fs oAAUMA6G f:. ., I I