land. Lone Star was originally staged by The
New Rose during its Midnight Series in Fall
1981 and was later revived at The Storefront
Theatre. The New Rose is the presenting
original actors under the direction of Alana
Beth Lipp.
Lone Star has three characters: two
brothers, Roy (“voted for Nixon, likes John
Wayne movies, and thinks Raquel Welch is a
great actress”) and his bigger, younger
brother, Ray ("slope-shouldered, sloth-like,
slooowww. Wears a John Deere hat. Probably
sleeps in it,"), and their peer Cletis, ("He mar­
ried the first girl he dated that didn’t spit on
him").
Roy has recently returned from serving in
Viet Nam, only to discover that life in his small
Texas town isn't the way he remembered it
He and Ray drnk Lone Star beer in the back of
Angel’s Bar, where they reminiscence and
philosophize on subjects ranging from love
in the back seat of a 1959 Thunderbird con­
vertible to religion, death, and life.
Gary Brickner-Schulz plays Viet Nam vete­
ran Roy; Ray is played bV Alan H. King, and
Douglas Mace plays Cletis.
Faith M cDevitt fL) a n d Patty Flynn play Kit
a n d M ary in Hollandia ’45.
Lone Star opens May 24 and will play inde­
finitely. Thursday through Saturday evening
performances are 8:30 p.m., with a Saturday
late night performance at 11:00 p.m. All
tickets are $6.
by Erin Rouse
“Alright, let 's have check-in," says the
director, a n d in a few representative bodies
on a m akeshift stage setting, the Portland
Women s Theatre Com pany goes into its
first actions for the production o f Sarah Dre-
her's play. H ollandia '45, opening May 25 at
3922 N. Williams (formerly the Do Jump
space).
Watching the actors loosen up in prepara­
tion for rehearsal, I can feel their energy
gather momentum. And little by little, like a
play unfolding itself to take in the audience,
the actors unfold themselves to take in their
characters.
Lines are examined and sounded out for
just the right emphasis. Phrases tripped on
are repeated several times until they roll out
smoothly. Silhouette characters begin to fill
out with dimension and light as sorrow, love,
subsurface anger, and sororal humor
emerge in each. I realize then that I am wit­
nessing a metamorphosis common in
theatre, and I can barely make out the fine line
between actor and character.
What is most apparent during the rehear­
sal is the unique blending of reckless
abandon and firm discipline. Members of the
Portland W om en’s Theatre Company know it
well. Their company has been offering Port­
land audiences exciting live theatre — written,
produced, technically constructed, artistically
designed, directed, and performed entirely
by women — for four years. H ollandia '45 is
no exception. This offering brings a new
challenge to the company and an important
play to Portland.
Toward the end of World War II, 5,500
members of the Women’s Army Corps
served in the South Pacific under a form of
internment that included an armed-guard es­
cort to and from work. The official explana­
tion for this measure — and others such as
being excluded from recreational activities —
was that the women were in danger of "being
raped by Negro soldiers." They were issued
wool slacks and cotton shirts to wear in the
average 100-degree weather, because men’s
lightweight fatigues were considered “un­
sightly for women.” No pajamas, bras, or
sanitary napkins were provided.
The medical loss rate was 30 percent,
mostly due to nervousness, exhaustion, and
tropical diseases.
For some who survived this little-known
patch of history, like the play’s principal
character, Kit, something about it lingers
tenaciously, amorously. But unlike the other
characters, she is afforded a choice of dwel­
lings — a choice in time. What she chooses is
not possible to lose. Or is it?
Her decision to place greater importance
on her memories, her friendships, and her
woman lover from Hollandia than on her
family of strangers taking up the present is
challenged by her middle-aged niece, bring­
ing on the threat of another kind of
internment.
"I’m very concerned about people not be­
ing allowed to live their lives the way they
think best, when it doesn’t do any harm to
anybody,” says playwright Sarah Dreher. "But
I’m mostly interested in exploring women’s
emotional lives." She has been doing just
that, through her plays and through her act­
ing, for 14 years. Since 1975, Dreher has
been a creative member of the Women’s
Community Theatre (then called the
Amherst Feminist Repertory Theatre) in
Amherst, Massachusetts. She knows all too
well the struggle of the community theatre.
"We've been recycling the same $1,000 for
many years,” she says. During those years,
Dreher has had 11 plays produced and is
currently working on her 12th, Understudy!!
Although the financial struggle of the com­
munity theatre is the same in Portland as it is
in Amherst the reward of creative changes
enriches theatre companies and audiences
alike. And throughout the rehearsal I am
permitted to experience, one such reward
comes to life.
H o lla n d ia 45, presented by the Portland
W om en’s Theatre Company, directed by
Judy Clover, with technical
direction by Terra, and featuring Faith
McDevitt, Patty Flynn, Sara Packer, Katie
Laris, and Carmella Ettinger, will be
performed on Friday and Saturday nights
from May 25 through June 23. There will be
Sunday night performances on June 10 and
June 7 as well. Tickets will be available at A
W om an’s Place Bookstore, Catbird Seat, and
at the door. All performances will begin at 8
p.m.
b y D onna Cooper
"Carnival and Changing Matter" is a show
of refined street theatre, and imaginative
choreography. Choreographer Robin Lane
uses the term "movement theatre" to
characterize the combination of trapeze and
dance. A troupe of eight dancers and sup­
porting cast of six, allow the show much of
the versatlity of a larger production without
allowing its intimate flaver to dimish.
The only point that the entire cast shares
the stage is during Carnival-, this piece is an
enchanting rendition, encompassing clowns,
a spook house, mime, and a dancing bear.
There is even a cleaning lady to keep the
audience from moving too quickly to their
seats without taking advantage of the carni­
val. This piece relies heavily on audience par­
ticipation. and falls short if the audience is at
all reticent to play. The performer’s carica­
tures of the carnival members become al­
most disturbing as the audience is lured into
the spook house and beckoned to "take a
chance" by the midway character. The voc­
als, performed by Izeta Smith and Robin Chil-
strom are captivating and well done. The rich
harmonies complement the scene, and pro­
vide a focus for the audience’s attention.
“Carnival" is not dance. Instead, it is street
theatre. Like street theatre the audience is
distracted and not entirely at ease. The envi­
ronment created is beautiful, yet bewildering.
It seems awkward within the context of
"dance.’’
After the audience is seated, the charming
“Bear and Ballerina" take to the stage in a
whimsical but uninspiring parody of an aloof
ballerina and a friendly but clumsy bear. Like
other pieces choreographed b Robin Lane,
this one utilizes a trapeze in addition to more
conventional dance. The trapeze tends to
minimize the effect of the parody, and the end
result is a piece particularly suited to children.
Bear a n d B allerina completes the half of the
show entitled Carnival. It also leaves the au­
dience prepared for the more satisfying
choreography and dance of Changing
Matter.
The transition is made by Robin Lane as
her infamous character of Lucy the clown.
She tells about a magical piece of clay
touched by a bolt of lightning. The three parts
of C hanging Matter detail this clay through
the shaping, the firing, and the “Breaking of
the Favorite Cup.” The images are well
wrought and well performed.
C lay evokes the most empathy with pot­
ters. During much of the piece one dancer
works a large slab of clay, kneading it over
and over. The sensual contact improvisation
of the dancers complete the image as they
move against the wall and each other. Clay is
unusual because of the amount of time each
dancer spends against the far wall of the
theatre. The distance between the dancers
and the audience is vast and allows the im ­
portance of the piece to become muffled.
However, Clay is a beautiful and powerful
work that leaves the audience mesmerized
and eager for the next part of Changing
Matter.
Lightning is almost startling after the pre­
vious pieces. The music is recorded which
changes its tone without affecting the quality.
The piece is quick paced and unrelenting.
The trapeze is the focal point for much of the
dancing, and it provides a medium that de­
spite its limitations is entertianing and appro­
priate to this piece.
The final section of C hanging Matter is
without question the highlight of the show. A
humungus cloth mobile provides a beautiful
background for a single dancer for much of
the piece. Behind the mobile, the shadows of
other dancers are visible and important to the
significance of the imagery. This section,
called "Breaking the Favorite Cup," is based
on a poem by Ellen Goldberg; in the context
of C h anging Matter it is the final aspect of the
clay. The dancers develop the clay and shape
it into the single dancer, the image is com ­
pleted as the dancers behind the mobile
move toward the audience in strong powerful
motions that almost seem to bring the audi­
ence on stage and let them participate in the
dance.
Although at times the dancing and trapeze
seem rough around the edges, most of the
work is strong and brings a vital image to its
audience. C arnival and C hanging Matter
rely heavily on the technical epertise of the
crew. The lighting and music are as important
to the overall effect of the show as the danc­
ing. Cheryl Welch has designed a lighting
system that is varied and interesting. The
lighting takes on a personality of its own and
works with the choreography to illuminate
and emphasize the dance.
Most of the music was wirtten and per­
formed by Kiera O'Hara. The music is well
done and serves the dance well. The vocal
accompaniment by Izeta Smith and Robin
Chilstrom is beautiful but does tend to be
repetitious.
C a rn iv a l is a piece that children will enjoy,
but C h a n g in g M atter is more serious and
particularly well suited for adults. There is no
child care at Echo Theatre, which could be
hampering for parents of young children.
The performances are wheelchair accessible,
although there are no signers for the hearing
impaired. Performances run through May 19.
begin at 8:00 p.m., and general admission is
$6.00 C arnival and C hanging Matter is a
show that is pleasing and well executed. It is a
rare opportunity to see women dance in pow­
erful and vital roles, and is an opportunity that
shouldn’t be missed.