MMMOMEq 4D - The Michigan Daily - New Student Edition - Fall 2003 'L ysistrata' By Elizabeth Anderson Daily Arts Writer Wearing winter coats and hats, University stud Company members collaborated March 3rd on phanes's play "Lysistrata." The readings also ser demonstrating support against a potential preempti The campus reading was in conjunction with the al organization that sponsored more than 1,000 staged readings in 59 countries yes- terday. The project's main goal is to stop the war against Iraq. "Lysistrata," written by Aristophanes in circa 411 B.C., tells the story of a woman who encourages the other women of Greece to deny their husbands sex in order to cease fighting in the Peloponnesian War. Kathryn Blume, an actress and co- founder of the Lysistrata Project, said she appreciated the humor and peaceful mes- sage of the play. Inspired by the protest group Theaters Against War, Blume and another actress, Sharron Bower, founded the Lysistrata Project in January. Word spread and the project grew into a global movement. "I'd been watching global develop- ments (towards the war) with trepida- tion," Blume said. "Our other main goal has already been Theatre achieved - showing that Bush doesn't voice o sends anti-war message speak for all Americans," she added. "We're incredibly excited. It's so humbling and gratifying to see how people have embraced the project and made it their own." ents and Royal Shakespeare Mark Greene, spokesman for the Lysistrata Project said the group's message staged readings of Aristo- is clear. "We are opposed to a preemptive unilateral attack by the U.S.," ved as an anti-war protest, Greene said. In addition to performances, many groups are raising money for ve U.S. strike against Iraq. charities, such as Amnesty International and Doctors Without Borders. Lysistrata Project, a nation- LSA senior Corey Triplett and his recently-formed student theater group, Makeshift Theatre Troupe, organized the event, which was performed on the steps of the Michigan Union, in the Diag and outside the Media Union. Despite the freezing weather, about 10 Uni- versity students and seven Royal Shakespeare Company actors participated. Triplett said he organized the event to take part in the global demonstration. "It com- 3Q bines two things I love - theater and activism," he said. "We're getting information out about the anti-war movement that keeps growing across the country." Triplett added that despite its age, the play's message is relevant. "Nonvio- lence and anti-war movements have been an issue since B.C.," he said. Members of the Royal Shakespeare Compa- ny expressed their enthusiasm at participating in the project. FRANK PAYNE/Daily Kieron Jecchinis, an actor with the compa- e artists from the Lysistrata Project use their creative talents to ny, said the actors were participating because pposition to a war against Iraq. they think the war against Iraq is wrong. BARD Continued from Page 1 he was, but he got caught up in the intrigue of politics. He was destroyed by the forces that made him great. 'Midnight's Children' The novel of the same name, writ- ten by Salman Rushdie, was origi- nally published in 1981 and awarded the Man Booker Prize. "Midnight's Children" is an epic story of Indian independence and the births of Pak- istan and Bangladesh, seen through the eyes of one remarkable family. Saleem Sinai, the narrator and protagonist of the story, was born at the exact moment of Indian inde- pendence from Britain, and his life becomes magically entwined with the destinies of the twin nations. As one of the 1,001 midnight's children, or the children all born within the same hour as he, Saleem can hear the thoughts of the others, adding a touch of the fantastic against the very real backdrop of the first 30 years of the Indian struggle for independence. The play "Midnight's Children" was adapted for stage by the direc- tor, Tim Supple, Simon Reade, and Salman Rushdie himself. This is not the first time that a dramatization of this work has been attempted, but it is the first time one has successfully been completed. This performance, the premiere of "Midnight's Children" in America, offers a unique combination of per- formance and education. This is a direct result of the partnership including the University Musical Society, the RSC, the University of Michigan and Columbia University. 'The Merry Wives of Windsor' Shakespeare's hilarious comedy is centered around the lust and greed of one fat knight, Sir John Falstaff, and the two women who are deter- mined to teach him the lesson that wives can be merry and faithful. Falstaff assumes himself desired by Mistress Page and Mistress Ford, both wives of well-to-do gentlemen. Falstaff believes that he can use the raw attraction of his body to coax the women into submission. Proper- ly mortified by his amorous propos- als, the two women decide to not only defend their honor, but also seek revenge for it. Falstaff has no idea what he is getting into when he decides to cross these two cunning women. The director, Rachel Kavanaugh, sets "The Merry Wives of Windsor" in Britain during the aftermath of World War II, a tumultuous time when the fighting was over, yet Britain was still not at peace. 4 I ThC it igan Dai gI V V 4 an' * p Classic and contemporary Italian foods in a world-class atmosphere. Reservations accepted. 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