School of MUSIC
FEBRUARY CONCERTS
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For more information on School of Music events, call 346-5678,
or call Guardline at 485-2000, ext. 2533 for a taped message.
Sat. “EXOTIC PERCUSSION”
2/12 Children’s Concert Series 10:30 a.m., Beall Hall
$3 adults, $2 children & students, or $5 for a family
Sat. JAVANESE GAMELAN
2/12 Concert & Shadow Puppet Play
World Music Series 8 p.m., Beall Hall
$10 General Admission, $8 students & senior citizens
Tue. LESLIE STRAKA, Viola
2/15 Faculty Artist Series 8 p.m., Beall Hall
$7 General Admission, $4 students & senior citizens
Wed. OREGON WIND ENSEMBLE
2/16 UO Ensemble 7:30 p.m., Beall Hall
$5 General Admission, $3 students & senior citizens
Fri. OREGON COMPOSERS FORUM
2/18 New music by UO graduate composers. 8 p.m., Beall Hall
FREE Admission
Tue. OREGON BRASS QUINTET
2/22 Faculty Artist Series 8 p.m., Beall Hall
$7 General Admission, $4 students & senior citizens
Thu. UNIVERSITY GOSPEL ENSEMBLE
2/24 UO Ensemble 8 p.m., Beall Hall
$5 General Admission, $3 students & senior citizens
2/25- DANCE 2000: “For Dr. D.”
2/26 Faculty Dance Concert in honor of Frances Dougherty
8 p.m. Fri.; 2 p.m. & 8 p.m. Sat.; Dougherty Dance Theatre
$10 General Admission, $6 students & senior citizens
Fri. CLASSICAL MUSIC OF SOUTH INDIA
2/25 World Music Series 8 p.m., Beall Hall
$10 General Admission, $8 students & senior citizens
Fri. THE JAZZ CAFE
2/25 UO Jazz Combos 8 p.m., Gerlinger Alumni Lounge
$5 General Admission, $3 students & senior citizens
Sat. THE 100th MONKEY ENSEMBLE
2/26 UO Contemporary Ensemble 8 p.m., Beall Hall
FREE Admission
Sun. OREGON STRING QUARTET
2/27 Faculty Artist Series 2 p.m., Beall Hall
$7 General Admission, $4 students & senior citizens
Sun. CHAMBER MUSICALE
2/27 UO Chamber Ensembles 4:30 p.m., Beall Hall
$5 General Admission, $3 students & senior citizens
Mon. OREGON PERCUSSION ENSEMBLE
2/28 UO Ensemble 8 p.m., Beall Hail
$5 General Admission, $3 students & senior citizens
Tue. CAMPUS ORCHESTRA
2/29 UO Ensemble
FREE Admission
8 p.m., Beall Hall
Heather Brooks
°.esignhe -
"■"-SBas.
■ Heather Brooks finds
that art imitates life as she
balances obligations to a
career and her family
By Jack Clifford
Oregon Daily Emerald
One particular scene in “Top
Girls,” University Theatre’s cur
rent production, drew a response
on opening night that corroborat
ed the play’s theme.
While a female character was
getting dressed on stage — stand
ing there in her all-in-one bra and
girdle set — someone in the back
of the audience let loose with a
wolf whistle.
“I thought ‘I can’t believe that,’”
Heather Brooks says. “I can’t be
lieve that we were in a theater and
we’re making a statement and
people just see skin and have to
whistle.”
Brooks was paying special at
tention to the crowd’s reaction
that night because she designed
costumes for “Top Girls.” The
statement she refers to is one of
women’s roles in society and how
they are blocked from attaining
their goals. The plot for “Top
Girls” revolves around a group of
women, fictional and historical
characters, who dialogue through
out about women’s need to bal
ance career and family life.
“We really wanted to keep the
ideas of restriction and constric
tion very much out there,” Brooks
says about her final clothing cre
ations. “I think that most people
[watching the play] understood
that we were using costumes to
create forms and silhouettes to
follow with our concept.”
Brooks, who is a graduate stu
dent at the University — in fact,
“Top Girls” is her final project to
complete a masters in costume
design for theater degree — can
relate to the some of the ideas rep
resented in writer Caryl
Churchill’s provocative script.
The Ontario, Ore., native re
ceived her bachelor’s degree at
Eastern Oregon University in La
Grande, but not before she en
countered a setback in her fresh
man year. Starting out her
academic career as an actor,
Brooks had to put that goal on
hold when she becan^p pregnant.
She found that not only was the
switch to a costume design'degree
easier on scheduling conflicts, but
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Courtesy University Theatre
Yasmin Ravard, as Pope Joan (right), interacts with Dull Gret (Rachel Aanestad, left)
and Marlene (Bekki Barnhart, center).
the art aspect now appeals to her,
as well.
“I just love the idea of creating a
visual image for the actor,” she
says. “The characters and the ideas
down in the script can come to life
visually with the use of costumes.”
Planning meetings for “Top
Girls” began last October, and
throughout the holidays Brooks
and her three assistants re
searched historical facts, then took
to the streets to find appropriate
fabrics for the necessary dresses,
kimonos and other outfits.
Isn’t all work and no fun, how
ever. One character, Pope Joan,
wears a heavy, stiff costume and a
big wrap cape — “It’s called a
cope. The pope wears a cope; is
n’t that a kick in the pants?”
Brooks says, with a laugh — and
the design team spent hours glu
ing emblems onto the cope.
“I was just so thrilled with
that,” Brooks says excitedly. “I
mean how many jobs do you have
where you get to hot glue the
Pope? This is just the coolest job.”
Yasmin Ravard, a freshman
theater arts major, played the role
of Pope Joan, and she says that
Brooks executed her purpose to a
T. The character’s costume was
heavy and cumbersome, which
made Ravard feel restricted in her
stage movement, but the actor
points out that fit well with the
conservative nature of Pope Joan.
“Heather did a really good job —
I feel like a pope on stage,” she
says.
Brooks has only two more pro
ductions to watch her final pro
ject in action; “Top Girls” finish
es its run at Robinson Theatre
with shows Friday and Saturday.
While she admits to a hankering
to design a “pretty show ... with
ribbons and lace,” such as “Sun
day in the Park with George” or
“A Little Night Music.”
Foremost for Brooks, however,
is returning to her main role in
life, as mother to her two chil
dren, Natasha, 7, and Ariel, 6. Just
as important is her need to write a
300-page paper to wrap up her
master’s degree and then find a
decent-paying job.
Hmmm, a woman balancing
her career goals with her family
and social life. Sounds like
Brooks is a “top girl.”