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FILE COPY T h E http://depts.clackamas.cc.or.us/print Wednesday, March 6, 2002 Clackamas Community'College Oregon City, Oregon Volume XXXV, Issue ; 16 Come to a Wilde pun-filled night ERINN LERTEN Staff Writer Oscar Wilde’s “The Impor tance of Being Earnest," cur rently running in the McLoughlin Hall Theater, is a masterpiece of modern comedy. Wilde’s final and most lasting play strikes a balance between respected and studied piece of litera ture and a favorite with au diences. Filled with quick wit and wisdom, “Earnest” tells the story of Jack Worthing (Travis Nodurft) and Algernon Moncrieff (Jayson Shanafelt). Both have taken to bending the truth in order to add a dash of excitement to their lives. Jack has in vented an imaginary brother, Ernest, whom he uses as an excuse to escape from his dull home in the country and frolic in town. Algernon uses a similar technique, only in reverse: His imagi nary friend, Bunbury, pro vides a convenient and fre quent method of taking ad ventures in the country. Their deceptions eventu ally cross paths, resulting in a series of crises that threaten to spoil their roman tic pursuits: Jack of his love, Gwendolen Fairfax (Desirae Carver), and Algernon of Cecily Cardew (Jayne Stevens.) Wilde is a well of educa tion; puns and one-liners breed incessantly. Lady Bracknell (Christine Quinlan) and Algernon are very particularly amusing. Probably the most important theme of the play is the du ality all the characters dis play in some measure—ev erything from Jack’s two identities, country Jack and town Ernest, to Cecily’s witchily “innocent” remarks. The contrast and layers of identity lead to a rewardingly comedic ending. The relationship between Jack and Algernon is espe cially well portrayed by Nodurft and Shanafelt in the first scene when they ban ter about the joys and woes of love and marriage: Jack: “I am in love with Gwendolen. I have come up to town expressly to propose to her.” Algernon: “I thought you had come up for pleasure?... I call that business.” Jack: “How utterly unro mantic you are!” Algernon: “I really don’t see anything romantic in proposing. It is very roman tic to be in love. But there is nothing romantic about a definite proposal. Why, one may be accepted. One usu ally is, I believe. Then the ex citement is all over. The very essence of romance is uncer tainty. If ever I get married, I’ll certainly try to forget the fact.” Audience participation creates a sense of intimacy and makes the audience feel connected to the action on stage. The characters often gesture and speak to the au dience and occasionally get more up-close and personal. "The Importance of Being Earnest" will run March 7-9 at 8 p.m. and March 19 at 2:30 p.m. in the McLoughlin Hall Theater. MAGGIE JIRASEK / Clackamas Print Above: Jack Worthing (Travis Nodurft) proposes to Gwendolen Fairfax (Desirae Carver). Troubles arise when she finds out his name is not Ernest. Right: Algernon Moncrieff (Jayson Shanafelt) entertains his aunt, Lady Bracknell (Christine Quinlan) during one other visits, to give Jack a chance to propose to Gwendolen. David Smith-English directs this version of an 1890's classic. Upcoming Events: Student-directed one act plays March 12, 13 and 14 at noon and March 14 at 8 p.m. A Duet for Bear and Dog by Sybil Rosen, directed by Jason Morrill. The Hanging of Uncle Dilby by Donald Payton, di rected by Kira Whiting. Sure Thing by Travis Ives, directed by Kristi McKenzie. Open auditions for “Much Ado About Nothing” will be held March 11,2002 at 3 p.m. in the McLoughlin Hall The ater. Please prepare a brief monologue. To reach Erinn Lerten email gowayrocks@hotmail.com Peace Corps volunteers share experience ELISABETH MEYER Staff Writer Five speakers told a small audience of Clackamas stu dents and faculty about their experiences in the Peace Corps last week. Instructors Glen Ferris and David Campbell, librarian Karen Halliday, architect Robert Bjerre and student David Demsky hosted the presenta tion. Although each volunteer had been to a different re gion, they had strikingly similar appreciations of their experiences. Each talked about reasons for choosing to volunteer, adjustments to the society he or she lived in and math and science to children the shift in perspective on in Nepal after just three American culture. months of intensive language David Campbell, who vol- training. She commented that unteered her white from 1964 to skin caused 1966 said, “I quite a sen was running sation. "You just get the away to Viet “Ihave nam, and I feeling that the never been ran all the that enter- world is a bigger way to Ven t a i n i n g place." ezuela.” since. Robert Bjerre He held Women Architect various jobs would come there, includ from other ing working villages just with parole to look at officers and in an outpatient me, but they didn’t want to leprosy clinic. talk. They would just Karen Halliday taught stare." But that was expected, she said. The change in coming to the United States for a home visit was differ ent. “The very first thing I saw was a commercial for diet dog food. I ran to my room to make sure I still had my ticket back to Nepal.” Robert Bjerre (Spanish instructor Irma Cristina Bjerre’s husband) worked in Tanzania building roads. He said he volunteered because the Peace Corps was seen as a better way to encourage change. “If the worst dictator ship was anticommunist,” he said, “(the U.S. govern ment) would help them. And that money just ended up in the dictator’s pock ets.” Bjerre’s college back ground in sociology was more valuable to him in Tanzania than his surveying skills, he said. He explained that in the native language, there is no possessive form, which reflects extreme generosity of the people. “You wouldn’t say, ‘my knife,’ you would say, ‘me with knife,’ or ‘you with book.’ You and the ob ject just happen to be occu pying the same place.” Glen Ferris also noticed the See Peace Corps, page 3
