Image provided by: Clackamas Community College; Oregon City, OR
About The print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1977-1989 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 30, 1983)
The Arts Confidence high for Jack Shields as ‘Hollow’ opens By Charlene Jensen Of The Print “It’s almost a guarantee to me that everybody is going to be better off for being involved in theater and that’s exciting to me,” Jack Shields, theater director, said. Photo by Joel Miller 'Suburban Blight" seeks identity in strange name By DeAnn Dietrich Of The Print Admit it. Isn’t it everyone’s unsung dream to be a “member of the band?” It begins with the nobility of living the life of a starving musi cian. Then the discovery scene and, none too soon, critics are searching for new phrases of praise. For some, the story isn’t quite so reminis- cient of a rags to riches Story. With one local band the unadulterated truth is told by member Steve Andrusko, who openly admitted, “it started as a joke.” Beginning with their identity, it’s only fair to relay the sheer mental torment involved in conceiving a name for a band. Some say ‘what’s in a name?’ but for a beginning “mod” type band, a name can hold the secret of life. It takes more than the respect of the “local 99” to gain an audience around the Portland area. First, the band has to prove they are visionary. They need a name people will drop their jaw at and say “God, what a concept.” Because the name is such a statement of content, this band didn’t rush into a title. In fact, for all intents and purposes, the name was not decided upon until this interview was con cluded. Bill Hoshil, sax player in the band, in sisted the procrastination was, “not really apathy.” After serious contemplation without much success, Hoshil and Andrusko began seeking outside references from “experts,” in this case friends passing by. After twenty minutes of soul-searching and such rejected ideas as Men Without Ears Underwater, (perhaps a private joke), and Pressed Rats, a final decision was reached. Ladies and gentlemen, introducing Surburban Blight, (just the right touch of social vulgarity and wit). As an introduction to the music scene the band recorded their first track entitled, simply enough, “Masochism.” The idea for the song originated one night at a party that managed to last till the next morning. The words were Page 4 worked out by drummer Brad Hirsch, presently attending the University of Oregon, and a friend. The musical end came from a collabora- tion of Hirsch, bassist Carl Schricker and Adrusko. Thus the ball was sent rolling when the band played the song at a party. The party was also attended by the up and coming group “Sequel.” Sequel liked the tune and encourag ed the band to do something more with it. Labeling for the sake of labeling, Hoshil and Andrusko both agree that the song is definitely, “new wave, punk, jazz.” As Hoshil explained, “it’s too musical to be classified punk and too rough to be classical.” The classical claim comes from the piano line in the background which has an underlying Tchaikovsky theme. Hoshil equates this as “in terpolating an idea.” The Keyboardist Greg Keiser needed a little convincing to understand the concept. Playing opposite of the classical theme is the beat which could possibly accommodate slam dancing if taken to the extreme. And there is a truly artsy touch added in the vocal area with a well executed scream by Paul Mueller. Taping the song cost the band $150, which included the three hour recording session on the first day, approximately two hours for the mix ing on the second day, leaving the third day to make the master copy. It will be interesting to see what happens to these self-proclaimed “fun-loving guys” in the future. Several members have independent musical ambitions which they are pursuing, such as Hoshil who has played in several clubs around Portland. Included in the band is Frank Kessler on vocals. All the members are young and share a background in the Clackamas High School Jazz Ensemble. Andrusko, Hoshil and Mueller are attending Clackamas Community College this year. Does the band plan to pursue fame and fortune? Right now the members are geographically split but they do “need another song for the other side of the tape,” Hoshil said. Opening night for Agatha Christie’s play, “The Hollow,” is only days away and Director Jack Shields is confident. “I think the cast is going to be a solid unit by the time we open and the audience is going to have a good time with the play,” he said. “People love Agatha Christie. She knew how to write a play people can be in terested in. The audience is always thinking about ‘Who dunnit’,” Shields said. “There’s still a lot to do before we open,” Shields said of “The Hollow,” which plays Dec. 1, 2, 3, 9, 10 at 8 p.m. There will be a Dec. 11 perfor mance at 2:30 p.m. In this production there are a number of people which have never been on stage before and, “everyone of them has made monumental leaps from where I had even considered we might possibly be at this point,” he said. Shields pointed out that one of the main differences between theater and either film or television is the latter can shoot the same scene 50 different times and choose the right one to plug into the movie. “I fully believe that ac tors will learn in the progress of performance. Therefore, the notion that the first perfor mance is exactly the same as the last performance can never be so,” Shields said. “Our task is to make sure that first opening night perfor mance is of sufficient energy and quality that the audience will enjoy it and have a good time with Agatha Christie. I think it’s likely they will,” he said. Shields feels the primary function of the theater depart ment is to allow people the range of roles to play, with the main goal of learning. Shields attended Clark College where he took theater classes. “They were easy for me and brought my GPA up,” he said. The director there sug gested Shields go into theater education. “At the time the idea seemed appalling but the words and the possibilities kept echoing for another year in my brain until finally I decided to do that and finished up my degree,” Shields said. Shields attained his first job teaching drama at Clackamas High School. Seven years later he wias of fered his present position at Clackamas Community Col lege and, “leaped at the chance,” he said. “I can’t think of a job I enjoy more than the job I am doing now,” Shields said. “I would prefer to do what I’m doing rather than being a pro fessional actor.” There are certain rewards Shields gains from directing and teaching theater. “If lear ning is one of the most valuable tasks a human being can achieve, then being a part of that process is valuable to me personally,” Shields said. With the study of theater so complex, Shields doesn’t pretend to know everything, but does admit that theater holds a high potential for lear ning. .“When one studies theater there is always real human growth, Personality growth occurs. Because theater is so diverse it includes psychology, history, sociology and more. It’s almost a guarantee to me that everybody is going to be better off for being involved in theater and that’s exciting to me,” he said. “Perhaps one of the big gest lessons the study of theater can do is teach a group of people to function together toward a common goal, and it’s a lifelong lesson to get along with folks and get something accomplished,” Shields said. About the cast, the direc tor said, “I think we’ve got a marvelous mix in the cast. We have some real strong horsepower in a lot of the roles. Folks that have had less experience have the opportuni ty to work with good solid per formers and thereby grow. I’m excited about this production and would be most pleased to ‘sell out’ this theater every single night. People who come will be pleased that they did,” he said. Cast member Jeanine Kryza said, “Jack (Shields) is a wonderful guy. I think the play will be great. Everyone’s working together well.” “The play is going wonderfully, and Jack is a fantastic director,” Chris Parrish who portrays Sargeant Penny in the produc tion said. Linda Kuntz, who per forms for the first time in a Clackamas Community Col lege play said, “The play is really looking good. Everyone’s really profes sional.” General admission for “The Hollow” is $3; students $2; CCC students 50 cents, and seniors free with reserva tions. Reservations are recom mended. Call 657-8400, ext. 356 or 283. Clackamas Community College
