ARTS
Page 9 Friday, August 1, 1986 The Michigan Daily
Medieval Festival:
A blast of the past

one performance and ask the actors
By Nolan Feintuch many questions, which is a good in-
dication of the high interest level of
T HE SEVENTEENTH Annual the festival."
Ann Arbor Medieval Festival Among the main events to take
takes us back to the days of jousting, place this weekend are a series of
knighthood, damsels-in-distress, and short theatrical performances on
dreaded monsters. This ambience is Saturday to be repeated again on
created by dramatists who travel Sunday.
from city to city performing short The most popular act is The
theatrical pieces about everything Revenge of the Mandragula written
from romance to religion, all like the by Count Niccoli Machiavelli and
way they were performed in the Mid- adapted by director James Moran.
dle Ages. This piece is about two young lovers
"The festival provides a chance for and the crazy plot that surrounds
people to experience the roots of their attempts at fulfilling their love
western drama which stems from the for one another. Another noteworthy per-
outdoor theatre," said David Hoor- formance among the seven is The
nstra, publicity director and par- Harlotry Players, directed by Brecht
ticipant of the festival, "What was Company member Martin Welsh.
usually performed in these times The Ann Arbor-based baroque and
were acts that dealt with religion and classical music ensemble, Oriana,
issues of the times, but these perfor- which specializes in music of the Mid-
mances were not on a serious note." die Ages, will also give performances.
The festival is divided into two par- Each member of this company has
ts; the first part began during the toured Europe and the United States A participant in last year's Medieval Festival takes a break with some he
weekend of the Art Fair, with short and gives their personal, distinctive
theatrical performances in front of style to the seventeenth and eighteen-
the Michigan League. According to th century masterpieces. Middle Ages will be demonstrated disperse .themselves throughout the
Hoornstra, they were , warmly Many other different types of ac- such as calligraphy, stained glass, crowd in beautiful, authentic
received: "The crowd seemed to be tivities are planned for the second armoring, and bobbin lace-making. In costumes. They will be dancing,
enjoying the performances because weekend of the fair, including arts, addition, the Society for Creative telling stories about the history of the
people tended to stay for more than crafts, food, and fun. Crafts of the Anachronism will have its members Middle Ages, and hosting any

rbal delights.

questions from curious persons.
All of these activities will take place
at the University Music School as well
as in the Arb, tomorrow and Sunday
from 10:00a.m. to7:00 p.m.

True West paralels American classic
By Elizabeth Block the "impossibility of ever getting rid however, lies in his imagery rather
ByE___be _hB __ck _of what you got from your family than the story. Unlike most
history." Shepard proves that man is playwrights, he does not instill time
T OCALLY ACCLAIMED director caged within his family. Yet these periods or developmental stages. A
and entrepeneur David Hun- themes mirror almost every other continual growth of images (par-
sberger will be showcasing Sam American playwright. In fact, True ticularly of the West) progresses with
Shepard's True West at the Perfor- West might easily be the insurrec- each scene instead, leading to the
mance Network through August 17th. tionary version of Death of a apex of the drama. Only at this climax
In his career at the Performance Salesman. Lee and Austin, the con- do the lights fade, ending the play. Or
Network, he has tackled some of the temporary Biff and Happy, battle does it begin?
most elusive of modern theatre, par- against each other as a result of their
ticularly Beckett's plays. father's negligence: Willie Loman Shepard is obsessed with the sub-
Hunsberger's directing philosophy was a failure, just as Austin and Lee's tieties of each character, yet never
matches Shepard's dramatic lexicon. father. Thus, what remains are two draws conclusions about the un-
He supports the players' freedom on estranged sons. conquerable hereditary cycle.
stage, blocking movement according The travails of one generation top- Rather, his sly and elliptical language
to the actors' own movements, while pIe onto the next in a perpetual tran- creates a collection of human mon-
allowing them to run towards every sformation. sters, leaving us all deservingly
edge of their characters. As assistant Shepard's theatrical ballast, agape.
dirptn C vthi Pn k k nl inc

arecour iyn rua arynaK explams,
"He respects the actors' individual in-
telligence."
Thisfreedom is essential in True
West, the story of two brothers'
desperate entanglement. Lee (Bob
Bardy) is a vagabond while the
younger Austin (Rick Sperling) is an
aspiring Hollywood screenwriter.
They meet in their mother's home.
while she vacations in Alaska.
Like other Shepard plays, True West
supplies a motif of the betrayed
American Dream, the drudge of
family and the search for roots. Hun-
sberger appropriately describes it as

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$ O « with this entire ad $1.00 off any adult evening
U "~M" admission, including Tues. - good thru 8/7186
MONA LISA DAILY
TWILIGHT THREE MEN
LABYRINTH SHOWS AND A CRADLE
Call for show times

Rick Sperling and Bob Bardy will star in "True West" this weekend.