Students create diverse theater
■ The Multicultural Reader's
Theater Group reads plays
by contemporary playwrights
that address multicultural issues
By Anna Saeley
Oregon Daily Emerald
Without lavish sals or fancy cos
tumes, a now kind of theater group
on camuus is working to address
multicultural issuos using only tho
words of plays.
Tho Multic;ultural Header's The
ater Group, started by two Uuiver*
sity students, is seeking to expose
multicultural issues and fill a void
in the performance of multicultural
playwrights. The group meets once
a week to road ploys by contempo
rary playwrights that address multi
cultural issues, performing arts co
ordinator Windy Borman said. And
the students intend tu perform some
of the plays for audiences.
Erin-Michaal MacCiouuaith, co
coordinator for the theater group,
said one goal of the group is to ex
pose students tu wurk they may nev
er encounter elsewhere, Mo added
that his interest in under-represent
ed works of drama was a reason he
wanted to form the theatergroup,
"With all the talk ofmulticultumlisin
on campus, I thought that this would
ho a good opportunity to expand tho
University’s mission," ho saict.
Tho group moots every Sunday at
4 p.ui. in tho Arena theatre in Vil
lard itali to road plays. Mao*
Cionnaith said tho group will read
through about eight plays and then
decide on two or throe to perform•
Alice Childress’s play "Wine in tho
Wilderness’’'—a play about African
American culture — is a play the
group has road.
"Those plays often dual directly
w tth iss uus su rro uu d i ng m i nor i ty re*
lations, racism, culture, stereotypes
ur other topics relevant to women or
minority groups," he said.
During their performances, the
actors will read the plays and mime
some small actions, Borman said.
Tho actors will each read a pert in
tho play and someone will act as
narrator, she said. Tho group's first
performance will be Thursday at
6;3Q p.m. in the Bon binder Room.
"It is a low stress version of put
ting on a play," Borman said, "We
wifi be focusing on the words and
issues the play addresses."
MauCionuaith said a broad range of
students from different departments
across campus are participating in the
group, nut just theater majors. Ho said
students chose to participate for a va
riety of reasons, including an interest
in multicultural issues and a desire to
expand their play base,
"Some want to explore multicul
tural theater, others want to have an
opportunity to perform," lie said,
"Others would like to increase their
drama knowledgebase."
Theater group member Katie
MacCionualth agrees,
"I think it's important for multi
cultural plays to be heard and seen,"
she said,
Eric-Michael MacCionnaith said
the theater group is an ongoing proj
ect. If others are interested, they can
just show up at the group's meeting,
and the group will have something
for the participant to read through)
he said, He added that the group
wants to build a bridge between de
partments and others on campus
who are interested in multicultural
theater, and it is looking for input,
"It is my hope," Eric-Michael
MacCionnaith said, "that this proj
ect will develop into a cohesive
company of actor readers who will
continue to read and bring their own
ideas on content to the process,"
Anna Seeley is a student activities reporter
for the Oregon Pally Emerald. She can Pa
reached at annaseeley@dallyemerald.com.
News brief
Eugene drivers
take the Challenge
Sixty-five teams are competing
in this week's Eugene Commute
Challenge, whioh is sponsored by
the City Transportation depart
ment. Besides driving alone in a
oar to work, teams can use any
method of transportation to partio
ipate in the week-long event,
which will climax Wednesday
with a ana-day contest,
”Wa promota tha whola week to
get paopla thinking that If thay
commute one day a weak, they can
make a huge difference," said Di
ana Bishop, the bicycle coordina
tor for Eugene. "But Wednesday is
the day we actually count,"
This is tha second year of the
Commute Challenge. Bishop said
she targets businesses for the event
because it bas more impact than
just approaching individuals.
“The camaraderie of work — that
idea of everyone working together
— helps," she said,
The businesses are a mix of pub
lic and private agencies, Two Uni
versity teams have entered the
competition; One team is from the
Knight library and the other is
from the planning, public policy
and management department,
— Sue Hyan
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