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About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 5, 1997)
Wednesday, November 5, 1997 4 ;_________ I' Feydeau's flea farce in full form JUSTIN BLACKLEDGE Staff Writer Clackamas’ Theater Department proudly presents: A Flea in Her Ear, a timeless French play written by Georges Feydeau and directed by David Smith-English. This traditional bedroom farce ex plores themes such as the value of trust, and the potential jealousy has to lead one astray and wreck personal relation ships. The play centers on a misunder standing. The wife of an insurance salesman suspects him of infidelity at a seedy local hotel. To test his faithful ness she convinces a friend of hers to write a letter of adoration to him. In this letter her friend proposes a rendez vous at the hotel. When the salesman convinces one of his friends to step in and fulfill the engagement in his place, massive complications ensue. “There is something special about the style of a farce. The attempt is re ally to bring a large and diverse canon of material to the audience and actor/ student who are involved,” Smith-En glish commented. Farces are typically characterized by weaving issues of mistaken identity and sexual innuendo into a furiously fast paced script of en trances and exits that leave the viewer dizzy with laughter as certain ironies become clear. The Chicago Defender printed a glowing review of A Flea in Her Ear, saying it was “...completely invigorating, stylistically buoyant” and that it “...compelled the audience to roar in laughter until tears rolled down many cheeks.” This is the first farce Clackamas has produced since Smith-English has been at the college, and it has provided his students with a rare opportunity to ex plore this theatrical form and style. This season’s show is vastly different from the material found in the department's next production, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Smith-English tries to mix a variety of styles and playwrights to continually challenge his audiences and students. His choice of the Shakespearean play Twelfth Night to be produced in the Spring ’98, keeps true to this goal as well. “I think this is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Its also been the most fun,” said Maggie Chapin, who plays Raymonde Chandebise. This has been “a perfect blend of molding and growing,” said Michael James O’ Connor, who portrays the in sidious Dr. Finache. Students have been pleased that a farce is being run at Clackamas, giving them a chance, fi nally, to delve into a rare treat onstage. Originally set near the turn of the century, an adaptation prepared by Frank Galati will be used, which puts the play’s action in 1966. The sixties are an era easily conducive to wild and bizarre humor and the speedy transi tions that occured both during that time and throughout the script. A Flea in Her Ear is full of rich physical humor de signed not only to capture the viewers interest, but to charm them into rollick ing laughter. Performances are in McLoughlin Theater on Nov. 20,21,22 and Dec. 5 and 6 at 8 p.m. There will be a special, final matinee show at 2:30 on Dec. 7. Ticket prices are $6 for adults, $3 for students. Seniors over 62 are admitted free with reservations. For reservations or additional information, call 657- 6958 ext. 2356. TIMOTHY BELL / Clackamas Print At left, Michael James O'Connor rehearses with an unidentified actress. Above, Jonathan Ems and Scott Clagg work to bring Georges Feydeau's script to the French farce A Flea in Her Ear to life. Student productions grace Clackamas MAGGIE BRAGG Copy Editor Clackamas’ Theater Department pre sents Student Productions: An eclec tic collection of five one-act plays, di rected, produced and cast by students. •Specimen was written and is being directed by Michael James O’Connor, a student here at Clackamas. Specimen is a black comedy that explores the idea that mankind is tortured by precon ceived notions of good evil. •The Long Christmas Dinner, a por trait of 90 years of Christmas dinners in the Bayard family, is directed by Wednesday, Novembers, 1997 Jonathan Ems. Jonathan is the second generation of Ems to grace Clackamas’ stage. His father has been in several productions here. • Checkers is a story of two old people, a man and a woman, playing checkers and revealing their relation ship with one another and their own special quirks. •Sure Thing is a play about meeting someone new and getting a chance to start over. Both Checkers and Sure thing are directed by Maggie Chapin. ♦A collection of scenes from The Good Doctor is directed by Sigfried Seeliger. What is so wonderful about student productions is the fact that instructors have little to do with getting them off the ground. The students work with little to no money and they set up re hearsal structure and times for them selves. They work tirelessly all term to produce what, always turns out to be an insightful, well-put-together ensemble. Performance times for these shows are Tuesday, Dec. 2 at 12:30 p.m. for all shows except scenes from The Good Doctor, Wednesday, Dec. 3 at noon for all shows except The Good Doctor. On Thursday Dec. 4 The Long Christmas Dinner and Good Doctor will show at 12:30 p.m. and at 8 p.m. we will get to seethe whole lineup! Admission is free. TIMOTHY BELL / Clackamas Print Ida Flippo confidently oversees her Criminal Justice students. Flippo moves forward in Criminal Justice ALEX MAHAN Staff Writer Having a love for what you teach is essential to becom ing a respected professor. It is refreshing to see such a trait in new faculty member Ida Flippo, who teaches corrections and penology. She was hired by the college this year after responding to an advertisement for the position, and is already helping students on their way to careers in law enforcement. Flippo was raised and graduated high school in Oregon City. She attended Southern Oregon State University and received her masters degree in teaching from Willamette University in Salem. It was during her early college years that she started to consider a degree in law enforcement. “I first became interested in corrections after taking an elective class on Criminal Justice. After that, I was hooked!” said Flippo. Before coming to Clackamas, Flippo taught Law Enforce ment at the Sabin Skills Center, Language Arts at Gladstone High School, and was a student teacher at a Salem Middle School. This has given her experience at all levels of edu cation, and in many different areas, although she says that “Teaching here [at Clackamas] is a lot more fun than [teach ing] high school!” At the current time, she is teaching Introduction to Law Enforcement, Introduction to Corrections Casework, Com munity Policing, and next term she will also take on Penol ogy and Juvenile Corrections. It is obvious that she enjoys teaching at Clackamas. “I like the students, and the staff has been really great - not just the instructors, but support staff too,” she said. She is also extremely motivated. When asked about what drives her, Flippo answered “Having a passion for the subject and being able to share that [with students].” Flippo believes that her students should actually learn lessons for life from her teaching. “It is important that they come out of here with skills that will let them be employed. They should be able to know what is involved before they go into a field, so they will have an idea what real lifq is like.” She feels that students today don’t know enough about what goes on in the news. A self-professed “news junkie,” Flippo wishes that her students would keep up more with current events. Her worst moments in teaching are when “I say something about a news story, and my students don’t know anything about the subject.” Outside of teaching at Clackamas, Flippo keeps a busy schedule. She is interested in education at all levels. She is involved in many school and community related activities. Flippo is on the District Advisory Committee of the Gresham-Barlow School District, the Site Council at Dam ascus Middle School, and is also the Volunteer Coordina tor at Damascus school. She has two sons, 9-year-old Zach and 11-year-old Alex, both of whom she devotes much of her time to. Ida is a very busy lady! For the future, she would like to stay at Clackamas and keep teaching corrections classes. She would also like to “help the department move forward.” Her motivation and love for teaching are sure to make it happen. Volume XXXI, Issue 5
