Student TV show is on cutting 'Edge'
y Karl Jones edge to cable television. And he doesn't Boredoms. They also received exclusive
Daily Arts Writer mind tackling some serious topics to do coverage of the Detroit Music Awards in
Generation X. It's a phrase that strikes it. The "Rough Edge" crew even traveled November 1994.
fear into the hearts of many degenerate los- to local store "Condoms 101" recently The show's juxtaposition of serious
ers ... eryoung people today. A few frus- for'a show on how to practice safe sex in and entertaining topics has earned Barris
trated students from Oakland University, the '90s. and the crew major recognition in the
Wayne State, Center for Creative Studies "We had a store employee demon- Metro Detroit area. Six months after the
and Specs Howard School of Broadcasting strate how to put a condom on a banana show's May 1994 debut, it was awarded
have banded together to break the mold the in that episode," Barris laughed. a prestigious Philo nomination for "Best
mediahas cast for their generation. "People on (shows like 90210 and student programming, grades 12 and
Oakland Uniyersity senior Gary Barris Melrose Place) can solve a problem up." Last month "Rough Edge" also won
the creator and producer of "Rough within 30 minutes, and it's just not real- outstanding achievement awards for ed-
Edge," a 30-minute long magazine-style istic," he continued. "We try to solve iting and publicity in Comcast Cable's
cable show aired Thursday nights at 8:30 in problems in a realistic way on our show public access programming awards.
Pontiac and Waterford. The show's goalis and give people alternative solutions to A recent show, which aired on May
to challenge the "slacker" stereotype many what's going on. With sexually transmit- 5th, featured a Christian underground
people considersynonymous with the term ted diseases, for example, there is no concert played at the Clarisville United
"Generation X." easy solution because people are going Methodist Church in Livonia. Voice
"Since many have branded this gen- to have sex whether it's safe or not. We impressionist Eric Harthen came up
eration as underachievers and whiners, try to give our audience options and tell with the idea for the Christian under-
our goal is to change that perception," them what they can do to take more re- ground episode, partially to introduce
Barris insisted. sponsibility." the general public to a style of music
t With the help of reporters Mandie Not all "Rough Edge" episodes are they might not normally listen to be-
ee, Ross Marroso and Tom Balog, message oriented, however."Barris and the cause it is labeled as "religious" or
voice impressionist Eric Harthen, art di- crew have also aired purely fun episodes "Christian."
rector Adam Monblatt and songwriter like"Lifeonthe Road With Lollapalooza," "I don't like putting labels on stuff
Guiseppe Manzella, Barris has at- with appearances by Smashing Pumpkins, because if you heard this somewhere
tempted to bring a younger, "rougher" L7, The Flaming Lips, the Verve and the else, you might like it," Harthen said.
'Women' is a comedy with bite
Wednesday, June 7, 1995 - The Michigan Daily -- 11
Is that a banana In a condom or are yoL
"Some people get an opinion already
when they hear the label, and I don't
think it's fair for people to say 'I've al-
ready made up my mind about this, and
I haven't even heard the music."'
Barris is also excited to be one of the
first shows to introduce Christian under-
ground music to the Detroit area. He's
even planning more ground breaking
"We're looking to add on even more
personalities and trying to involve stu-
dents from more college campuses."
Barris said. "I'm not just going to stop in
the Metro Detroit area. We're making a
difference, and we want to spread the
message!"
Students interested in getting in-
volved with "Rough Edge" can contact
Barris at (810 36f0-0617
By Matthew Steinhauser
Daily Arts Writer
"The Women" gives "a very pointed
critique about excess and the boredom
that comes with it," states director
Camilo Fontecilla. The play ridicules the
material excess and inherent boredom in
the high lifestyles of upper-class fe-
males, creating a comedy with bite.
b THE WOMEN
When: June 8-11, 8 p.m.
" Where: Trueblood Theater
Call 996-2525 for more
information.
Fontecilla explains that "the basic
plot is woman loses her man, gets a di-
vorce (and) wants her man back." Com-
plexities arise from little subplots, minor
relationships, and floating gossip.
Fontecilla brings all these elements to-
gether into a speedy, fluttering perfor-
mance with overlapping scenes and
'any abrupt entrances and exits.
The director describes the essence of
the characters' personalities as "being
beautiful, having the best clothes, (and)
looking the best (they) can," and he tries
to capture their extravagant style with
colorful costumes and gaudy jewelry.
Ac a , krth ,ts av apratae
and stereotypes the roles of women and
makes fun of the catty relationships and
silly lives of a group of female charac-
ters. "The Women" condemns shallow
relationships and materialism and at the
same time gleefully jokes about them.
"Claire Booth Luce wrote (the play)
in 1937 and she intended it as a parody of
her friends at the time," says Fontecilla.
Apparently, the autobiographical over-
tones stuck out like a sore thumb, alien-
ating the playwright's friends. Fontecilla
on the other hand has no specific people
in mind with his production of Booth
Luce's work. Though "The Women"
features only women characters,
Fontecilla wants the audience to "reflect
(on the play) in terms of people in gen-
eral."
The director fears that "a lot of
people will dismiss the play as a silly
little comedy." "The Women" however,
confronts and reveals deeper issues with
its frivolous surface. If Fontecilla suc-
ceeds in his directing goals, the audience
will "accept the fact that these are over-
blown characters - that (the play) is a
mockery." "The Women" is "definitely
an unselfconscious/self-conscious expe-
rience," says Fontecilla. "I want this to
be a mirror where (the audience) can see
themselves andlaineh."
ANN A ahnR 1 R!7
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J-t 1. 1'M 1 V V. %6 . ._
5th at Liberty 761-9700
I
KKUU JUeKi15Uln
the right track
Matador's Railroad Jerk combine the
bluesy rock of bands like the Stones
or Jon Spencer Blues Explosion with
the choogling kind of indie rock that
their labelmates Pavement
specialize in on their new album
"One Track Mind." Songs like "Gun
Problem," "Bang the Drum,"
"Rollercoaster" and "You Better Go
Now" off the new album highlight the
band's charismatic sound, and no
doubt will sound just as good live at
the Ritz in Roseville. The band plays
on Thursday, June 8. Call 778-8150
for more information.
$375 STUDENT W/ I.. $4.00 EVENINGS- BENEFIT A A
IGOODRICH QUALTY THEATER FREQUENT MOVIEGOER
before 6pm ALLSCREENS STEREO
I Mad Love Present This Coupon
When Purchasing A
1 The Englishman large Popcorn &
Receive One 1
1 Crimson Tide *J . k
Student Organization CCoUnrS Service
[SOBS] General Fund AccountrConversion
Beginning September 1, 1995, and running through September 30,
1996 SOAS General Fund (GF) Accounts will undergo a conversion. As a result
of this conversion, student organizations can either choose to convert their GF
account to what is now referred to as a "University Fund" account, or to close
the GF account and remove the funds. All accounts remaining after September
30, 1996 will automatically be converted into an SOAS Account (UF).
Open forums wiltbe held to provide information,8and answer questions on:
* March 30.1995.at 3pm-4pm.flichigan Union [Wolverine Room]
* April111995, at 4pl-Spm.Michigan Union [Anderson REB Room]
* September 25.1995. at4pm-Spm,.Michigan Union [Wolverine Room]
* September28.1995,.at3pm-4pm. MichiganUnion [Wolverine Room]
If you have any questions, please feel free to stop by the SOAS office
or contact an SOAS Representative at 763-5767. Our office is open Monday
through Friday, 8am-5pm. We will be happy to serve you!