Jazz vocalist highlights county program
oy DUD VVCDD
Of the Emerald
Five performing artists and five
graphic artists in Lane County
began to get paid July 1 for doing
their art. The reason? The Artists
in the Community Program, the
first of its kind in this area.
These ten were hired by the
Lane Regional Arts Council
(LRAC) with funds given them by
Ntie vi or tne oomprehensive
Employment and Training Act
(CETA). They will be working on
projects around Lane County this
summer.
LRAC has been accused in the
past of being a do-nothing opera
tion, just several artsy-craftsy
types who sat around under the
title and taked about doing things
rather than actually doing them.
All show and no go.
“We are moving!” exclaimed
jazz vocalist Nancy King, one of
the ten. “People have been bug
ging me, 'Who are you people?
What are you going to do to
gether? What is this?’ Those are
great questions, and we've
mashed them over many times.
“CETA gave LRAC the money
to hire ten artists in the commun
ity,” King continues,” cultural
folks. They picked 80 people, out
Artists slate summer activities
Hired by the Lane Regional Arts
Council as performing artists in
the community were: Allan Gross,
Bobby Hoggard, Nancy King and
Cynthia Orr, all from Eugene; and
David Wallace from Marcola.
Hired as visual artists were:
Stephen Bangs, Kay Hockett,
Shonna Husbands, and Celeste
LeBlanc, all from Eugene; and
Steve Oshatz from Vida.
Marianne Lewis will coordinate
the group’s activities.
Below is a brief rundown of the
performing artists with the events
they have, by press time, defi
nitely scheduled through August,
all sponsored by LRAC:
•Bobby Hoggard is conducting
beginning and advanced modem
dance workshops through August
at the Western Oregon Ballet
School, 2649 Willamette St. Be
ginning classes will meet Mon
days and Wednesdays from 7:30
to 9 p.m., advanced classes will
meet Fridays from 4:30 to 6 p.m.
$2 will be asked for each session.
However, the fee goes toward the
space rental, not to the artist.
COPIES
NO MINIMUM
KINKO’S
344-7894
1128 Alder
Also in Corvallis
30
GENTLEWOMAN
presents new ideas
for your summer wardrobe
Where clothes are more
Live entertainment every Sunday night
Open for lunch, dinner & late night snacks.
Quality Food
at
Reasonable
Prices
Page 8
These are ongoing classes and it
is not necessarily important to
start at the beginning, they may be
picked up at any time.
•Cynthia Orr is Story Telling to
adults every Monday evening at
7:30 p.m. at the Book and Tea
Shop, 1646 East 19th. On Friday,
August 5, she will appear at
Gertrude’s Cafe at 9 p.m. also.
•David Wallace, co-originator of
the Scarecrow Mask Theatre, is
performing “Billy Buffoon,” a
children’s tale combining music,
acrobatics, storytelling and mask
characterization at various
Eugene parks and schools. To
night at 6:30 p.m. he will be at
Fairmont Park. Next Thursday he
will be at Edgewood Playground
at the same time. “Billy Buffoon” is
available for performances at
schools, parks and various func
tions for children. For fee informa
tion and scheduling call 933-2609
or the LRAC office, 485-AART.
•And, of course, Nancy King’s
concert Friday and the LRAC Be
nefit Monday night.
of something like 1,000 applic
ants, to interview and out of these
80 they came up with the ten of us.
Now we re a conglomerate,
they've just thrown us together, so
to speak. We had no idea really
what ‘we’ did, what we’ were
going to do until we met. At our
second meeting we had a sort of
Show & Tell, so we could each get
an idea of what the others did.
Everybody was overwhelmed by
everybody else’s art."
The artists are now in the pro
cess of deciding on ways to pres
ent their art, to do what they do
best while at the same time help
out each other, as well as further
ing art in the community.
A few projects have already
started. The group is now working
on a mural design for the outside
of the Marketeria on 24th Avenue.
They also have a bid in to paint the
outside of the Atrium. In
November they will mount their
bus project.
"Lane Transit,” explains King,
“is donating all their buses — 50
buses! — for all of November for
us to run art on. They are going to
pull all their ads off for one month.
We’re going to fill the buses with
art!”
More immediate projects con
sist of two concerts, one by Nancy
King with Tom Grant and Friends
Friday night, 8:30 p.m., at the
Community Center for the Per
forming Arts, 8th and Lincoln, and
a benefit for LRAC to be held at
8:30 p.m. Monday in the Oregon
Repertory Theatre’s space on the
second floor of the Atrium Build
ing.
The concert with King and
Grant is "really my baby," says
King. “It's being sponsored by
LRAC but it's definitely a private
thing. It’s for people who didn't see
Tom Grant at the Eugene Hotel.
It's also for people under 21 who
couldn’t get in to hear Tom at the
Hotel. There are a lot of young
people who love jazz and will
come.”
King is keeping the price down
to $2 “because it's the end of the
month,” she explains. "They
wanted me to make it $2.50 at
least, but I said no. It's much
easier for a couple to get up $5 for
a Friday evening, and a $2 ticket
price gives a couple something
extra for a drink or something.”
"We decided that I would do this
one by myself,” she continues.
"The group was going to make me
something to wear and they were
going to create an environment for
me onstage, and all that, but I said
no, let's put our big push into this
Monday thing. I can handle this. I’ll
just do what I do. We don’t need
anything like that because Tom’s
adequate."
"Monday’s Benefit is to help us
make money,” King says, “be
cause we have absolutely zero
funds. It’s to help us get off the
ground. That’s why the admission
is $5."
The benefit will be a sort of
mixed bag affair. It will feature
Nancy King along with other per
formers from the Artists in the
Community Program as well as
several talented friends
‘Funny Girl’ production lacking
By BARB PRICE
For the Emerald
One of the most difficult theatri
cal events to review is a Broadway
musical. It’s especially hard when
the Carnival Theater presents a
production of a well-viewed movie
like “Funny Girl.”
The problem arises when the
reviewer tries to determine why
people go to musicals. There’s the
music, dancing and acting to con
sider.
Broadway musicals represent
two kinds of music—instrumental
and vocal. To give you an idea of
what the instrumentalists were up
against, they were seated in the
outdoor arena in a comer. The
open air is a tough acoustical
barrier to overcome, but the chilly
start got off and running as the
show progressed, kinks easily
ironed out with practice and
calmed nerves.
It’s also a bit difficult to tell how
loudly you are playing in order to
get the point and counterpoint ac
ross without overpowering the
vocals.
By now the 18-piece orchestra
should have the wrinkles ironed
out. In most musicals, the or
chestra pit lies in front of the stage,
but in this case the facilities just
don't make it possible. The direc
tor must make do with what is av
ailable.
review
Another aspect of musicals,
especially "Funny Girl,” is danc
ing. As you remember, Fanny is a
member of the Ziegfield Follies.
But the production's dancing
doesn’t compare to Ziegfield’s,
but then, whose does nowadays?
Ziegfield had elaborate stages and
large gaudy sets to work with. It
would be ludicrous to think the
Carnival Theater could master
Ziegfield’s techniques for one
production. It suffices to say the
dancing was wanting, but it still
functioned to set the mood and get
the point across.
,
GIFTED
PSYCHIC READER & ADVISER
/ have devoted my life to the studies and the development of
the sensitivities necessary to provide effective personal
advice on love, marriage, health, business, and career
direction. No problem is insoluble.
Mary
i855 Oak Apt. 2
Eugene, Oregon 97405
485-6773
V
A third component of Broadway
musicals rests with vocals. Who
can compare with Streisand’s
voice — certainly no one but
Streisand. But Sandi Puckett does
a rousing job of setting the pace
and punching her performance
with energy. While Puckett wan
ders through the audience proc
laiming, “I'm the Greatest Star,"
she convinces the almost capacity
crowd.
The fourth aspect of Broadway
musicals deals with the acting.
"Funny Girt" was filled with some
stunning performances. It was
hard to believe Kathy Neal, play
ing Brice’s mother, wasn't flown in
from New York to fill the roll.
The character of Mrs. Brice is
strong to begin with, and her por
trayal left me, at least, in awe. But
Kathy Neal wasn’t the only strong
performer. Jane Wojeik as Mrs
Strakesh made poker playing in
nocent, strong hints delightful and
“Find Yourself a Man” a song of
fun and whimsy.
Whether you should go see
"Funny Girl" remains up to you —
and your expectations. If you want
to see Fanny singing “Don't Rain
on My Parade” from the front of a
tug boat, then you’re in for a let
down. But if you want to see a
tear-jerking, at times side
splitting, local production of a
cinematic extravaganza, you're in
luck.
"Funny Girl” ends this weekend
at the Carnival Theater. Tickets
can be purchased at the box office
or by calling 686-4191.
Birkenstock,
136East llth Ave Tue Sat 12 6
Nepalrs& Resoling 687rj<365