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Shakespearean's offer summer courses
Summer courses for the In
cite of Renaissance Studies
Oregon Shakespearean
r al have been announced
by Jr. Homer Swander, Direc
tor of the Institute and Profes
sor of English at the University
of California at Santa Barbara
(UCSB).
The courses vary in length
from three days to six weeks,
and may be taken for graduate
or undergraduate credit. There
are five three-day sessions
beginning June 20 under the
leadership of Michael Petrini of
California Field Studies. The
classes include attendance of
the plays, study of the texts and
discussions with members of
the company. This program is
designed especially for
teachers seeking new
methods. It offers two graduate
units in Education from Notre
Dame College in Belmont.
There are three week-long
classes available, each cen
tered on study of the plays.
“From Script to Stage” is co
sponsored by Southern
Oregon State College and be
gins on July 26. Students re
ceive two units of credit for this
class which is led by Dr. Swan
der. Other week-long courses
include “Shakespeare on
Stage” beginning June 26, is
co-sponsored with Santa Bar
bara City College, and
“Shakespeare Festival” be
gins July 19 and co-sponsored
by the University of Nevada.
“New Strategies for Total
Teaching: a Workshop” is av
ailable in a seven-day (3 units)
or 12-day (6 units) session be
ginning June 21. This work
shop is co-sponsored with
Southern Oregon State Col
lege and the University Exten
sion, UCSB
An eight-day workshop in
Renaissance Music and
Dance will begin on July 18 and
is sponsored by the University
Extension, University of
California at Berkeley.
The Shakespeare Renais
sance Academy is a four-week
retreat into the Renaissance
and Shakespeare’s plays. This
course is sponsored by the
Summer Session of the Uni
versity of California in Santa
Barbara; students may earn
eight units of credit. The
Academy opens on June 27.
A six-week ' Super course"
offering a total of 12 units
graduate or undergraduate
credit in the humanities is di
vided into two-week sessions.
Entitled “The Festival Plays;
Shakespeare, Shaw and Hell
man,” this course may be
taken by students in two-week
segments; each earning four
units of credit, or in its entirety.
Co-sponsored with Southern
Oregon State College and be
ginning June 21, the first two
week session will be led by Dr.
John Styan, Andrew Mellon
Professor of Literature, Uni
versity of Pittsburgh, and Dr.
Peter Ferran, Head, Drama
Concentration Program, Uni
versity of Michigan.
The second session begin
ning July 6 will be led by Dr.
Alan Dessen, Professor, De
partment of English, University
of North Carolina and
Elizabeth (Megan) Cole, lead
ing actress, A C T. in San
Francisco.
The third session begins on
July 19 and will be led by Dr.
Audrey Stanley, Associate
Professor, Theatre Depart
ment, University of California,
Santa Cruz, and director of the
Festival production of The
Winter's Tale (1975), and Dr.
Stanley Karhl, Director of the
Center for Medieval and Re
naissance Studies and Profes
sor, Department of English,
Ohio State University.
All courses offered by the In
stitute of Renaissance Studies
include sessions with mem
bers of the Festival company
and other special events. Stu
dents enrolled in the Institute
receive discounts on the play
tickets and other privileges
The Summer 76 repertory of
plays includes Much Ado
About Nothing, King Lear,
Henry VI, Part 2, in the
Elizabethan Theatre, and The
Little Foxes, The Devils Disci
ple and The Comedy of Errors
in the Angus Bowmer Theatre,
indoors.
For further information write:
Institute of Renaissance
Studies, P O. Box 605, Ash
land, Oregon, 97520.
fClear Day ... ’
Theater Now' play
comes together
“Theater Now's’’ latest produc
tion offered at the Eugene Hotel,
“On A Clear Day You Can See
Forever," is a spirited perfor
mance by a talented cast.
The story is about a girl psychic
who meets a boy psychiatrist and
hypnotist. The chain-smoking,
overactive, but very sweet charac
ter of Daisy, played by Ann
Sweringen, can hear telephones
before they actually ring. Of
course she is not entirely aware of
the wide ranges of her gift.
When Daisy is put under hyp
nosis by Dr. Mark Bruckner,
played by Joseph Bassett, he is
able to talk to another completely
different person. The other
character is a 200-year-old Lon
donite named Melinda
When Daisy eventually discov
ers that Mark is using her head
“for a motel room" to meet
Melinda, she is heart-broken be
cause Mark doesn't love her for
herself.
The story was resolved in a
strange and wonderful manner
but not before some smooth per
formances were offered by the
leading actors and their supports.
Joseph Bassett, as Mark, pos
sessed all the character qualities
of a detached, analytical, profes
sional man suddenly swept up in a
combination scientific discovery
and fantastic romance. Mr. Bas
sett occasionally lost some fresh
ness because of stiff, repetitive,
movements, and a curiously dull
sounding speaking voice.
Nevertheless, he sang with a pas
sion in keeping with a strong, vib
rant company.
Ann Swearingen was strongest
during such effervescent tunes as
"On the SS Bernard Cohn.” Every
once in a while, her chalk-board
screech character voice became
nerve-wracking. Most of the time,
however, she was able to capture
the comically bland and suburban
quality of Daisy with a fine sense
of timing.
The musical numbers were in
telligently choreographed by Larry
Sutton, who also played Daisy s
boyfriend, Warren The dances
were restrained enough to elicit
comfortable performances from
an evidently non-speoalized cast,
but colorful enough to vent the
actors' enthusiasm In turn, this
also made Mr. Sutton s more
complex and fluid soto during one
number seem just right.
In addition, such performances
as Gail Carrol as Mrs Hatch and
E. Quade Winter as Krtakos
added variety and some delight
fully broad characterization E.
Quade Winter is about as natur
ally funny a performer as you're
ever going to see, and is always a
pleasure to see onstage.
The actors of "Clear Day were
well rehearsed by director Dick
Lamb, so that you could just sit
back, relax, and enjoy an intrigu
ing musical story j by Steven
Howard.
New Mime Circus
*
'Space Wrinkle' is
good, trans-cosmic
Theatre doesn’t necessarily
have to have a plot to be interest
ing. It helps, but it’s not necessary.
Such is the case with A Space
Wrinkle, written by James Aday
and performed by the New Mime
Circus in the Community Center
for the Performing Arts at 8th and
Lincoln. It’s not so much some
thing to be observed as it is to be
experienced.
The plot, as near as I can dis
cern and for what it's worth, goes
something like this: a man (James
Aday) goes off into the desert
searching for something. As we
follow his trek we are aware, al
though he often appears not to be,
of various other entities: Cappa
(Mary Beth Bowen) and HarliQue
(Bob Loschiavo) who seen to be
some sort of magical types (they
hurl lightning bolts at one another
for fun) and keep getting in trouble
with the villagers; A/Z
(Nancy/Richard Cave)who say
nothing but are often involved with
the action, at least peripherally, by
making physical comments on the
words and action of others; the
Astrocytes (Renee Margolin, Gary
Calder or Brian Zinqheimer),
black robed creatures who sit at
the side of the action and turn the
set (which consists of three re
volves, two small ones and one
large one) when required; and
Audi (Dana Clavin), a woman who
also comes to the desert, ostensi
bly as a tourist. Each character
has a little story to act out, some
interact, some don't.
Now that I've said that... forget
it. What the play is about is for the
individual to experience. The first
words on the program are Wel
come to the sphere (circus) of the
mind. Let us into your senses, and
we ll enter fantastic realms to
gether." Don t go to this play to sit
back, observe and try to figure out
what it means, just relax and go
with it.
Due to the very nature of the
piece, I find it difficult to comment
on whether or not the script works
in any sort of conventional sense.
The written words seem to be no
thing more than a foundation, a
starting point, a nexus for the
evening. The New Mime Circus
has taken the words, exploded
and explored them, and the result
is the performance.
The acting was generally very
good, with at least two members
deserving special mention.
I enjoy watching James Aday
work. He turns out some fine
nuances of meaning simply by his
vocal inflection. He is also pos
sessed with a highly mobile face.
He puts both to good use. Bob
Loschiavo is a newcomer to the
troupe and a worthwhile addition.
He has an earthy, clownish quality
that fits nicely into his character, a
supernatural being who is still hav
ing child-like fun with his powers.
Hopefully we'll see him again.
Another definite asset to the
troupe is the addition of Mithran
dir The group played with the Cir
cus in their production last fall and
this time they have contributed
even more. They do a short, three
or four song warm-up before the
performance and add musical tex
tures during the performance as
needed. Live music, well done,
always seems to enhance a live
production much more than re
corded music, and in this produc
tion Mithrandir and the New Mime
Circus seem to have struck a
common rhythm It works
The Circus is also endeavoring
to expand its dimensions by the
use of slides and film. It's a good
idea but I’m not sure it comes off
too well. The chase sequence was
fun and it blended into the live ac
tion on stage nicely. The tea party
was amusing. But the desert
scenes, with one or two excep
tions, I found distracting. The
computer bits I think could have
been handled much more crea
tively if they were done on stage
using mime and sound effects.
These minor quibbles notwith
standing — I think the play is worth
seeing.
Additional performances are
this Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Warm-ups begin at 8:30 with the
actual performances starting at 9
pm. Tickets are $1.75 for stu
dents and $2.50 general. They are
available at the door. Come early,
the houses have been good. / By
Bob Webb.