Und erground at Club Arena Getting down and dirty to the rhythms of techno, rap and rave. I ► t's not much past midnight Sat urday. and my girlfriend grinds in close. gets us just about dead-center on Club Arena’s dancefloor, takes my oar, says,"Check hint out" and tells me to scope around, slowly, because she’s sure that someone right behind me is either the guv from last term's Chant l.nh that never gave her back the notes he borrowed or the guy we pulled a threesome with two, mavis’ three weekends hu< k I scope, sijinn! through the crowd, levs lights, high let hno, smoke. Obsession. Drakkor Noir and all the other scents-to-get-laid going on, retching the night’s notables Drama boys; three drag-queens, a hiilfvvay-OUT-uiighl-as well-be OUT tnu k star; my pharmacist: a shv. hi. University loot hull player: and a fourth drag-queen makes it a full house. The lights go up - bright and la-fort* I cart find who she's been talking about, my girlfriend shakes her head, mouths a "No — I was wrong —1 don't know him" and then pulls us tight — as close as the club will allow while grinding us into his spar «. just as the tot hno turns into svnth. tunes into Shamen. that song that starts, 'A great philosopher once wrote Naughty. naughty — very naughty. Not so subtle night move* naturally nudge into the nigni scneme ot every nigntciun nut i.iun Arena. located downstairs at Perry's restaurant on fist) Pearl, promises the i itv's most varied players Ostensibly n gay club. Club A has enough attractions and distractions to keep all kinds busy The underground Arena hosts gov. straight, hi and things-in-between. although management only barely ai knowledges the lat ter three categories. Qi there in spite of management Go down stairs to dance. to jam on the best pre-record ed muse in town or to vovGuristn alh v iew the latest episode of The Slither Game Or to star in your own. Downstairs is done in black and white (apparently paralleling the owners' gay/straight-only view of sexual orientation.) New multi-colored, light-spewing ceiling halls barely rescue the design from being a bi-chro matlc nightmare. There's a pool table and a Pac Man machine parked by the stairs, and Eugene's biggest condom bin parked by the bathroom, but the definite crowd-draw is the dancefloor. It's lugger than the shellacked sluifflehoard court Guido’s calls dance-space, and here people actually dance. The music, too, is downstairs' salvation. The Story by D. Lee Williams formal is dance hut it's fiercely varied early evening disco gives way to mp-nop, notice, rap, rot x, anti ai me rin.t‘ of midnight — techno and rave This is the only club outside Portland with any solid, set time for techno. (A brief "rave" at Springfield's Mill Camp n few weeks back was justifiably unsuccessful. Huh Putting on a rave in Spring field and hoping for success is like putting n Tii Tnc in cow dung and hoping for fresh air.) t»o upstairs, too. Upstairs holds the quiet lounge, and there are huge booths, poker machines, another pool table and a second, cheesier bar. The main n< tivities are dissing, dishing and eaves dropping Screw ambiance. It's all about attitude. There's a split of talent in the club’s wait staff. Order only from the women because, just like life, the men don't care The barmaids work, the hartleys pose. The males are annoy ing and un-tipworthv. always looking like they have something or someone better to do. As always, there are simultaneous rumors of closure and expansion. New changes include a few weeknight hours of non-smoking, and Sat urday night Afterhours. What keeps Club A from being one of the coolest clubs at the end of the Western world is an obnoxious, inexcus able "No overt heterosexual behavior" rule. In a recent club survey, management verifies in writing that "this is a discriminatory poli cy," yet discusses no plans to change it. This policy is based on a survey of ‘Hi customers and mimics.in absurdity, the city of Eugene's recent attempt to forge a municipal tax policy for a city of 110.000 based on one survey com pleted by just 700 people. (The restaurant tax — fallout from this survey — was not support ed by Perry VClub Arena, but Club Arena nev ertheless sees no barm in imposing the city's flawed methodology on its clientele.) This policy merely darkens the typeface on societal labels Either str.cght or gay. Anyone caught blurring these lines is subject to dis crimination. Caught in its own sexual solip sism, Club A thus casually and hypocritically dismisses the very valid question of to In or not to hi But go anvwav Go for the musi< Go to dance. Go for a thick slice of attitude served by a wav-too-prettv-for Eugene, spandexed Eng lish major who's probably spent a helluva lot more time studying the contents label on his newest squirter of Paul Mitchell than a bar tender manual or anything by (seats Watch the lights Wnti h the action And watch your drinks upstairs I made the mistake Turn to ARENA. Page 8 Trilogy M A T TERS Community theater production portrays the vulnerability of gays in a harsh setting of intolerance By Frey a Horn Oepon Only tmoiaKI Playwright and din*< tor Hea Souza Harpham make", the most of low-budget, hare-bones community theater "I do theater anywhere and everywhere I t an. If the st rip! is good, it doesn't matter where you do it,” she said llarpham's latest play. “Elia Preta 111.” is being presented us a benefit for the Mi Kenzie Theater in Springfield. With only five black boxes and a coal rack as props, the play requires the audience have an active imagination. Yet llarpham's skillful script compensates for the mlnimalistic set design All card-carrying (X!A memliers are invited to s«« the play fnee-of-charge, Harpham said. The play is about the vulnerability of gays in a harsh setting of intolerance, she explained The protagonist Elia Preta. a Portugese woman raised in a strict flatholit environment, is unable to accept her sexual predisposition wh«n she falls in love with her music teacher, a nun. Her struggle to realize her self-worth takes her through a doomed marriage, motherhood, a bitter divorce and losing ( ustody of her son "The play is basically about the ownership of children, about custody, and a trout how gays are not really automatically bad parents." Harpham said at the Women's Legislative Forum Tuesday. Redeemed by her musical genius ns a com poser, Elia's only fortification against life's onslaught is her art. At the peak of tier self-discovery. Kliu creates a musical masterpiece thut is represented as a 37-minute dream sequence on the movie screen. The visuals, created by Cable Access, and the music, composed by Fern McArthur, took two years to coordinate. "It looks like I spent Si0.000 to produce the video, but I spent only $500," Harpham said. Harpham earned a Masters of Fine Arts in playwriting at Tokyo University and was a pro fessor of drama at l C'l.A before retiring and moving to Eugene. She is now the director of the Oregon Academy of Dramatic Arts, a the ater training school for the non-academic stu dent . Her play, a trilogy centered on the life of Kliu Preta, has elements of the Japanese Noh tradi tion. which is loosely paralleled to the Greek tragedies in form. Miine. music and dance are integral to the Noh style. Ilnrpham said The trilogy began with a 1 'IHH WOW Hall performance of "Elia Preta I" and is now at its dramatic conclusion. However, each part is understandable without the framework of the trilogy. With low attendance at last weekend's shows, Harpham said she hopes the 500-seat theater will see a better turnout this week. "We really hoped that the CXIA would picket so we could gel publicity." she said. The play ends this weekend with H p in. shows Friday and Saturday and n 2:30 matinee Sunday. Admission is a suggested $7. Bea Souza Harpham t*¥ OM«H) A Latino family's struggles ant portrayed metaphorically with a dramatic cockfight in Roosters," a University theater production directed by Rachel Chipman Waite and opening April 21 at the Arena Theater In Villard Hall Play delves into family issues Ming Koarigues fty fie Oegon n.*\ f -'ss.r.l With cot k fighting its the bin k drop to its ethnic slant. "Roost its" is Itoth a coin11 and poignant look by playwright Mi him Sanchcz-Scott into the story of a Latino family torn between the past and present The story is an ensemble piw e The setting is New Mexico The characters are (numbers of a fami ly of cockfighters Life turns around for the family when Gallo, the father tailed for killing anoth er man whose stag he borrowed to breed prize coc ks. returns. Conflict arises when Hector, the son. intends to sell the rooster to pay his way out of the valley Meanwhile. Juana, the mother, wants to keep the family together in harmony, and Angela, the sis ter, seriously believes she's an angel and walks around with wings talking to God. The struggle of the family roles is played out against the rhythm of drums, and the dreams of a cul ture are portrayed metaphorically through a tlramahi cocMight 'Roosters' exc ites me like no other play I've read hi a very long time," said theater arts graduate student Rachel Chipmnn Waite, director of the play. It is an impassioned piny uhmit family bonds. love struggle, i onipotition and the eternal. As a director, I am enticed In the theatrical ele ments of the play the dam mg lighting and the muxii (performed by Nandungfl) " I'he play, though in English, is stimulating in its poelti language and Latino flavor, added Waite, who speaks Spanish and has lived ill Spain for some time and traveled through Mexico. Real roosters will strut around on Stage, hut the cor klighting scenes will In* played out by the ali-Liti nn cast "The play has proved to he a cultural experience for the actors," said Waite. "They have come in closer touch with their heritage ns a result — even through the little things they had 'ft is an impassioned play about family bonds, love struggle, competition and the eternal — Rachel Chlpman Waite, rfir(K:tor Id learn. lik*! rolling their Ks and working on their a* < tints." "Roosters” opens Wednesday. April 21, \> I Ki >M , r M Wt?T5!T»r»jnr»oTiirmsrBso^s» • uUiS INDOCHINE ^ A HUH ttV KltJS VV.NKi.SH K r.J9 WWW ***** DEUCHTTULT . PASSION FISH . ■ WJOUlAU W It l «r Hit Th J J ttc W « • BiJUU l A 11 til I t BUOU L A It f|ff u WW NlfUtlf ISM SM MM 1:11 HARVEY KEITEL f* IS THE 'i Nlfhlly »» » ■ TONIOHT 416 Arnold Bros. ■ SATURDAY 417— Etouffee ■ MONDAY 4/19 Blues Jam $1 ■ TUESDAY 4/20 High Street $2 ■ WEDNESDAY 4/21 Loet Creek m THURDAV 4/22— jlcttu KJornet 37B 1. 7th • 484-7181 136 E. 11th • (near Willamette) 342-3358 Must be 21 or Over Friday Ape.t i& $5 The Terry Robb Band Saturday Apm $5 It’s l record release party foe.. Adickdid with guests Big Daddy Meat Straw Elgin Sunday Apni n $1 An Acoustic Bluegrass Jam Music Starts at 10pm Mon-Sat Music starts at 8pm Sundays f Oregon illopt diapers i ( Jims Hmii IKu, Mum I Sunday, April 18, 1991 2:00 pm, Beall Concert Hall Rowktni: II Turin in it.ilfci VK rrturc Morart: I Wnimmtn lor Scnne*, K Hfc Telemann: Viola CoiKrrtn Honrggrr: Symphony No 4. “Deliuae BswIhtoo" Soloist: Leslie Straka, Viola Fur tk ken util Wl WC 9 [vtiKm ul iix/r GrrwTui ■ 00 Vmrm • $6 00 Students - Jj 00 Under 18-$/ 50 l.'njnvnttrn K 1'uikI Eiirluh I ROM Hit DIRK IOROI ••( \R W \(,(,!()" \ND"IHt (KRDtY “A MF.ZMKRI/INC FILM that bristles with fury, sexuality and radical wit.” Prtrf lru>n iJ 00 Stud*mu • $4 00 fWfr Iwm Mu1 •«<•* »i*» it* *+iian i+d «