The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

Friday, April 1, 2011 - 5

Fruition of 'Appleville'

TERRA MOLENGRAFF/Daily
Theresa, the main character in "Boy Gets Girl," is a successful magazine writer.
Rom- corn reversal

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asement Arts colleague Mercer, describes
Tony's development through the
mines the dark. lens of a romantic movie. In Tim
Burton's "Big Fish," for example,
ide of dating the main character perseveres
after his future wife continually
By ERIKA JOST rejects him.
DailyArts Writer "Everything that guy does -
writing her name in the sky with
meets girl. Guy falls in love an airplane, filling the field with
irl. Guy confronts some daffodils, finding out where she
e, and guy overcomes lives, finding out what she does,
e, prov- is to woo her," Cruz said. "He's
mself to Boy Gets Girl stalking her, and they end up
audience happy together. Gilman forces
to the Tonight at 7 us to reexamine the assumptions
of his and 11p.m., we makeabout romance."
on. Guy tomorrow The drama and poignancy of
rl. at 7 p.m. "Boy Gets Girl" arise from the
ment fact that the characters involved
produc- Walgreen Drama are so ordinary and relatable.
Rebecca Center, Studione Both stalker and stalked are
's 2000 Free ultimately very recognizable
"Boy people - to the actors and to the
Girl" takes this standard audience.
m fodder and turns it on "I'm directing this show in
d. Where in this classic memory of a woman who did not
Gilman asks, is the girl? seek outside help when she was
he answers Gilman gives beingstalked," said MT&D soph-
p into a critique of sexism omore Amanda Cohen. "She was
ting culture in America. murdered. It happens to people
play begins when the we know and love. It happens to
haracter, Theresa - a suc- confident, independent people."
magazine writer - meets Theresa embodies the confi-
.n a blind date. The prom- dence and independence Cohen
omance quickly dissolves, is talking about, but as the play
er, as Tony's pursuit of her and the stalking progress, she
es into stalking, robbing slowly loses the traits she cher-
a of her sense of safety ishes most about herself.
fhood. "She didn't do anything to
ool of Music, Theatre & make this happen," said MT&D
freshman Elliot Cruz, senior Emilie Samuelson, who
lays the role of Theresa's plays Theresa. "There's this

assumption that the woman who
is attacked is somehow respon-
sible for it, and this play just puts
that idea aside. She's living the
life she's always wanted, and she
loses it."
By the same token, the likabil-
ity of the stalker himself is crucial
to the script. Tony - played here
by the tall, dark-haired and hand-
some Jon Manganello, an MT&D
sophomore, appears in the first
scene on a blind date with The-
resa, charmingly awkward and
funny in that first-date way.
"It's important that you like
Tony," Manganello said. "If I
were to come out in a cape and
fangs, that would be ridiculous.
It's creepier - and more true to
life - that he's a normal guy. And
the clues come slowly. He's a lit-
tle insensitive, he makes light of
her opinions. 'Oh, so you're, like,
a feminist? Oh yeah, I am too.'"
Even members of the cast
said they could identify with the
motivations of the Tony charac-
ter, whose actions are fueled by
a culture that objectifies women.
It's reasonable that Tony's under-
standing of romance could have
been gleaned from a romantic
comedy thatshows similar disre-
gard for the autonomy of the pur-
sued, the woman who is there to
"get got," as Cohen described it.
The themes - the objectifica-
tion of women, loss of identity,
sexism - made this production
attractive for grants. Where most
Basement Arts plays have a
See BASEMENT, Page 6

By EMILY BOUDREAU
Daily Arts Writer
For a group of 22 students
from the University of Michi-
gan, Wayne State and Michigan
State University, Wednesday
night might as well have been the
Oscars for all the excitement pres-
ent at the celebration of the pre-
miere of their film "Appleville."
These students spent the past
summer working, creating, direct-
ing, producing and editing as part
of the Michigan Creative Film
Alliance, a program created by
former Gov. Jennifer Granholm
to keep, attract and foster creative
talent in the state of Michigan.
"The project was a cooperative
thing among universities in Mich-
igan to sort of reflect the influx
of films and get students ready
to work ... not just help, but to do
their own stuff," said LSA senior
and "Appleville" director Bhanu
Chundu inan interview.
"Appleville," a dark com-
edy about a robbery on a bus full
of senior citizens, premiered
Wednesday evening at the Detroit
Film Theater. Dressed to impress,
the student filmmakers stopped
to pose for pictures along the red
carpet - this was their night.
But it hasn't always been so
easy. In his opening speech, Uni-
versity faculty member and Vice
Chairman of the Michigan Film
Office Advisory Council Jim
Burnstein said members of the
Creative Film Alliance had spent
half an hour just deciding where
to put the red carpet - one can
only imagine the more pressing
pitfalls along the path to the stu-
dent film premiere.
Of course, the past few months
have not just been trivial debates,
especially for the students them-
selves. They overcame old school
rivalries and battled the elements
in order to show the state of Mich-
igan exactly what students are
capable of doing.
"Chaos," said Coordinating
Producer Alison McKenna, a Uni-

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r alum, "A lot of the time it munities and schools in the best
taos. Every single day was light possible."
, but in a good way ... We And that's what the premiere
posure to what it was like on Wednesday was all about -
sally work in the industry. making a statement about the
y you'd start at the bottom incredible wealth of talent in the
st have to bring papers to film industry in Michigan.
and get coffee, but we got "('Appleville') really repre-
portunity to take on big sented Michigan pride, you know,
things that normally you'd being proud of being from this
o have been in the industry state and working with people
ears to do." who were so talented and from the
same area," McKenna said. People
throw around 'brain drain' as kind
ree schools of a buzz word of what's happen-
ing here, when students leave the
one e film. state, but this just shows that you
don't need to go to L.A. and that
Michigan is turning out those
kinds of creative people too."
of the students working on During the question-and-
rere aware of how unique answer session following the
xperience was and put aside showing of the film, almost all of
sions of who has the better the cast stood together and said
11 team in order to showcase that they would want to stay in
ent that lies within each of Michigan and continue to work
ee universities. in the industry. The makers of
new we'd all get alongreally "Appleville" hope the work will
ecause we all love movies, show in some film festivals across
vas really surprised at how the country to demonstrate Mich-
ss the workflow was. Even igan's talent and promise. Before
echnical level, each school moving on, however, the students
eir own workflow - like at are content to enjoy the fruits of
Ian we learn on film instead their labor.
tal. But we all learned from "I think (this night) is the most
other," Chundu said. "We incredible end we all could've
anted to go out and have a imagined," Chundu said at the
me and represent our com- premiere.

Cast member Evan Kole responds to questions at the "Appleville" premiere.


Gearing up for 'Tempest'

 'Doggumentary' has little bite

ByJULIASMITH-EPPSTEINER
DailyArts Writer
Excellence to the ears is
rare and evanescent on Snoop
Dogg's 11th studio album, Dog-
gumentary. He
doesn't sound
40 years old,
but on a scale Snoop Do
of one-to-My
Beautiful Dark Doggumentary
Twisted Fan-
tasy, Snoop's Priority
latest LP finds
itself many meters away from
Kanye West's altitude of fresh
masterpiece.a
A documentary is usually
defined as a film, radio or tele-
vision program based on or re-
creating an actual event, era, life
story, etc., that purports to be
factually accurate. Well, Snoop's
dog-version of this fictional auto-
biography centers on sex, weed
and the West Coast. The lyrics
from his latest record indicate
that his life is much more suc-
cessful than the musical caliber
of Doggumentary.
Along with a few singles, Snoop
pre-released his opinion for this
album, saying it's less about "rec-
reating a 'Doggystyle, Part 2' (his
1993 debut studio album). It's just
me doing me."
Those words are hard to
believe, especially considering
there are no fewer than 18 fea-
tured artists on Doggumentary,
which is partially produced by
Swizz Beatz. Though it seems
Snoop is scraping for inspiration
and hiding behind collaboration
on his 21-track record, the out-
side influence is much appreciat-
ed as it adds a bit of true sunshine
to his Cali-identity.
None of this talk matches up
to his elusive album cover art -
an empty royal blue chair fit for a
king with ablack splotch of paint

brushes
against
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d behind it, both popping Aid and hot leather seats.
the white backdrop. Has "Gangbang Rookie" features
ggfather of hip hop gone Pilot, and introduces a jazz vibe
as the Dogg sets his documenta-
music isn't quite as myste- tion straight with zing - "I'm not
)ne of his singles, "Boom," down with the Republican Party
features T-Pain, is for- or the Democratic Party/ I repre-
e beer-pong background sent the gangster party."
rack. Though it's catchier Taking big steps away from
he majority of the album, anything gangster and heading
s originality from Snoop towards the barnyard, Snoop
producer for this track, features Willie Nelson and his
torch. "Boom" falls from harmonica on "Superman." The
directly into mediocrity addition of "Superman" on Dog-
ment anybody?) alongwith gumentary adds some dimen-
't Need No Bitch," "Won- sion, which is canceled out by the
sat It Do" and "It's D Only Greek life-happy track, "Wet,"
which is about exactly what you'd
er disappointing col- think. Snoop's tenor clouds over
ions are "The Weed Iz the simple cadence, "Tell me baby
featuring Wiz Khalifa and are you wet (wet, wet, wet, wet,
sing Like This Night," fea- wet) /I'm gonna get you wet."
Gorillaz. "Eyez Closed" features Kanye
West and John Legend, and isn't
as impressive as their names look
)ggie style is on paper. But it feels the best of
themall, and the chorus reso-
retting old. nates deeply.
The lyrical harmonization of
Legend and West layers electron-
ic beats and electric guitar with a
ore agreeable track is "El smooth caress. The chorus ("And
featuring Marty James, I can see it with my eyes closed,
breathes bare-minimum now / Feeling like my life froze
o Snoop's efforts. Relaxed / I'm about to hit the ground") is
nd airy, marijuana-related Snoop's savinggrace on this track.
ations spawn mirages of It looks as if Snoop is spinning a
rtime like bikinis, Kool- Dogg-wheel that's already broken.

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By ERIN STEELE a wider audience.
Daily Arts Writer "In order for it to work,, you
have to get these non-theater peo-
nk Shakespeare is just for ple you're working with to under-
h majors and theater buffs? stand Shakespeare," he said. "You
's a group of undergrads really have to strip it down to its
11 differ- bare bones. I think the audience
ajors that is far less intimidated by Shake-
trove you speare because the actors are less
This Tonight and intimidated."
nd, the tomorrow at 8 While Kaufman chose to keep
Mechani- p.m., Sunday the play's scenic, thematic and
present at 2 p.m. chronological elements true to the
speare's original, he has taken some artis-
Tempest" Mendelssohn tic license to put a new spin on the
ndelssohn Theatre conventional characters.
re. From $3 "It's a selling point," he said.
the only "You'll have to come see the play."
nt-run Shakespeare group Co-producer and LSA senior
mpus, the Rude Mechani- Allison Shuster acknowledged
erform one of Shakespeare's that appreciating Shakespeare
and one contemporary can be difficult for most people,
every year. Director *Max but maintained that it's possible.
nan, a senior in the School of "It becomes easier with the
Theatre & Dance, proposed more plays you read," she said. "It
Tempest" for its spring pro- also depends a lot on the acting,
n due to its malleability. how well the actors convey their
asked myself, 'What can feelings through the words."
o something new with?' " With opening night approach-
san said. "I was looking for ing, the producers and director
hing I could take in a new have very different expectations
ion that has a large enough for how they will feel when the
and some adequate gender curtain rises.
bution, so we're not just play- Shuster and fellow co-producer
th a cast of five white males." Rebecca Noble, also anLSA senior,
sfman feels that working said they will likely be stressed
cast of non-theater majors out by the multitude of potential
lows the play to translate to catastrophes that are bound to

arise, and both said their favorite
part is typically intermission.
"The unpredictability and
spontaneity of it all" is Kaufman's
favorite part of seeing his work
onstage - the exact thing that
makes his producers cringe.
"It's a dance, everyone changes
and moves with the process that
nobodyhas seen coming," he said.
Though none of the perform-
ers, stage technicians or produc-
ers will be receiving credit hours
for their performance, the escape
from reality and chance to be in
the spotlight is enough incentive
for them.
The Bard's
perfect storm.
"You get to see people who nor-
mally don't do this sort of thing,"
Kaufman said. "People that are
used to crunching numbers and
thinking about molecules get to
pretend to be kings and mtirder-
ers. The play also has a lot of very
tangible and applicable messages
and is, despite being hundreds of
years old, completely relevant to
our lives today.
"And, we have a fog machine,"
he added.

F

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Michigan DailylSpring 2011