The print., January 16, 1985, Page 4, Image 4

Ul i
The Arts
College receives
guest director
By D. Dietrich
Of The Print
She may be called a guest
director at Clackamas Com­
munity College, but Merril
Lynn Taylor is considered a
veteran and a common asset to
stages up and down the West
Coast.
Taylor is now in charge of
production of the college’s
winter term play “Towards
Zero” by Agatha Christie.
Theater Director Jack Shields
has been substituted by other
directors in the past, but only
while on sabbatical or due to
illness.
This year Shields opted to
recruit a guest director to
benefit the students’ by enabl­
ing them to sample a different
director’s style and influence
on a production.
The idea is one Shields has
entertained all along and he
said he believes, “one of the :
great values of my education
was being able to study and
work with six different direc­
tors during college.”
Taylor is a woman Shields
describes as, “A lady of
monumental skills,” and a
“sparkling actress.” Her ex­
tensive list of achievements in
the arts surpasses allowable
space but highlights include at­
tending the Guild Hall School
in London, performing in the
Stanford Reperatory Com­
pany as well as many others in
Prince
Purple Rain
By J. Jason
Of The Print
Question: Who can master­
fully produce a raw guitar
sound, keep a steady dance
beat, bend your ears with
strange keyboard sounds and,
basically still be considered a
“soul” performer in most
record stores?
Well, the answer shouldn’t
be too far from your record
collection, if you are like any
one of the millions of people
that have boosted “Purple
Rain” to the top of
Billboard’s album chart for
nearly 15 straight weeks.
Page 4
California. She will earn her
master’s degree in theater arts
at Portland State University
upon completion of one
French final.
Taylor performed at the col­
lege last year in her role as
Mrs. Gamadge in “The Best
Man.” Her background in
theater includes a comprehen­
sive career in dance theater,
management, directing and ac­
ting.
She said that she likes the
community college setting
because “there is a good varie­
ty of people, ages and ex­
perience.” Taylor has also
directed at a community col­
lege in New Mexico. Her
description of the atmosphere
at a community college is
“vital.”
The play for winter term
was selected before Taylor ar­
rived on the scene, but she said
she was pleased with the
choice of a Christie mystery.
Taylor’s interests are directed
toward feminist writers and
women in literature. Christie is
one of few novelists that
adapted and wrote novels as
plays.
If a tag was to be put on
Taylor’s career she said it
would be in the “performance
arts.” She expressed an enjoy­
ment in arts management, but
would continue to expand on
her experiences as both an ac­
tress and director. “It does a
Guest director Merril Lynn Taylor makes com­ production of
ments to Neil Hass and Marlyce Baird during Zero.”
play rehearsal. Taylor is directing the college ’s
director a lot of good to act,” coaching, stage veterans need
she said, adding that directing to work off bad habits. Taylor
gives one a “broader view as called the mixing of new and
old actors at a community col­
an actress.”
Taylor’s role as guest direc­ lege a “nourishing thing,” and
tor involved the selection of has found the atmosphere at
the cast, which was completed the college “very warm.” -
One of the assets she cited
during finals week of fall
term. Now she must see that about the college’s production
rehearsals run smoothly, con­ is the addition of David Smith
flicting schedules are ironed English, who has been con­
out and, as opening night tracted to be the set designer
draws near, the play’s for the Theater Department
characters find their motive this year. Taylor worked with
and carry out the emotions English before during Pacific
University’s production of “A
called for.
She admitted the variety of Doll’s House.” She said she
experience in the cast creates found him “really a pleasure
some difficulties. While begin­ to work with.“
After the college’s produc­
ners take more time for
tion is completed, Taylor
Agatha Christie’s “Towards
Photo by Joel Miller
plans to work on a one woman
show she’s putting together
which will include the works
of two women playwrights,
Brecht and Strindberg, and
other works by women poets.
The college’s production of
“Toward Zero” is scheduled
to run March 7,8,9,15 and 16
at 8 p.m. with a matinee show­
ing on March 17. The play will
also be taken to the Coaster
Theater at Cannon Beach dur­
ing spring break and will run
March 28,29 and 30 at 8 p.m.
Taylor said she believes the
experience of taking a show on
the road is invaluable for its
requirement of the company’s
need to adapt to new surroun-
dings.
Music Review
Prince, the nasty one
responsible for all of this, has
consistently evolved his music
from a mere Michael Jackson
sound-alike, to a new sound
all his own. Countless
magazines tend to compare
him to the likes of Jimi Hen­
drix, Little Richard and Elvis
Presley.
Rather than comparing him
with anyone, I like to think of
his work as the beginning of a
new style of music, just as con­
troversial as rock and roll.
The first hint of this new
musical style occured in 1979,
two-thirds of the way through
a disco-ish second effort
album called “Prince.” All of
a sudden a loud guitar,
nothing short of Jimmy Page,
burst out. The song “Bambi”
will go down in history as the
spark that lit the Revolution.
And who is behind the Revolu­
tion? Prince’s current lineup
of band members are, Lisa
Coleman, Wendy, Bobby Z,
Brown Mark and Matt Fink.
Okay, maybe the success of
Prince owes much to the fact
that a movie strategically
weaves this masterful music
into it’s soundtrack, Maybe
it’s because Prince himself
stars as the main char actor.
Maybe the fact that this music
is a departure from anything
before it isn’t a reason at all.
The success of this album pro­
ves that the general public is
ready to venture into the realm
of Prince’s lyrics, too. I won’t
even mention anything about
his concerts, except that in
many states concert-goers
must be 18 to enter the show.
Prince writes about such
things as sex, sex and even sex.
Occasionally he will incor­
porate a computer (Computer
Blue), a car (Little Red Cor­
vette) or a dove (When Dove’s
Cry) into these lyrics, but
generally sex is the rule. This
adds to his music and most
definitely to his show. His
lyrics, seemingly as crude as
can be, are basically tongue-
in-cheek and many times con­
tain hidden innuendos.
The movie can give you
most of the information need­
ed to better understand this
young man from Minnesota.
It will take several enjoyable
listenings to understand what
each song means. “1999,”
Prince’s double album made
in 1982, is the best example of
his sexual innuendos. “Darl­
ing Nikki,” is the best example
from Purple Rain.
The final astounding
characteristic about Purple
Rain is the quality of three
songs, including the title song,
which are recorded live, yet
sound just as polished as and
more powerful than the rest of
the album.
What we all have to watch
out for next, other than
Prince’s next LP, is who will
attempt to challenge him. No
one is near Prince at his own
game now, but if this blend of
all forms of rock takes hold
like it now seens to be doing,
someone is bound to pick up
on his success secrets.
Clackamas Community College