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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 6, 2003)
BY ARIA SELIGMANN Nurse Ratched (Emily Peterson), with McMurphy (Alex Dupre) and Chief Bromden (Sergio Martinez) in UT’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Plays, Poetry & Late Night A cornucopia of events this weekend . C reativity surges through town this weekend, when both LCC and Lord Leebrick offer new plays; the UO pres- ents a groundbreaking work directed by a stellar former student, and Saturday bookends with high quality silliness early at Tsunami and late night at LLTC. The new play at LCC, Montana 1948 , written and directed by Patrick Torelle, is based on a book of the same name written by Larry Watson. Montana 1948 is one of two books se- lected for LCC’s Reading Together project. The project is part of a nationwide plan on college campuses to engage faculty, staff and students in activities and discussions centered around a chosen work. Two closely linked books were picked: Montana 1948, fiction, and Privilege, Power and Difference by Allan Johnson, nonfiction. Both explore the subject of diversity, the theme of LCC’s Spring Conference. “The overriding purpose of the Reading Together project is to create community,” says Ellen Cantor, LCC English instructor and Reading Together project coordinator. Throughout the year, multi-disciplinary activi- ties — class discussions, dance, fine art, lec- tures, guest speakers, author visits, movies, stu- dent presentations and service projects — will center around each work. Montana 1948 is a tale of love and courage, of power abused, and of the terrible choice between family loyalty and justice. Torelle says, “The novel reads like a play, has intere sting characters and a fascinating story line that grabs you by the collar and pulls you to the end.” Montana 1948 plays for two weekends only, beginning this Friday, Nov. 7 and continuing Nov. 8, 13, 14 and 15 at 8 pm and Sunday, Nov. 9 at 2 pm in the Blue Door Theatre, main cam- pus. A discussion follows each performance. The play contains adult subject matter. $10/$8 sr./stu. 463-5202. Another adaptation launches Lord Leebrick’s New Play Reading Series at 7:30 pm Sunday, Nov. 9, with a staged reading of Robert Urbinati’s West Moon Street. The play is adapted from the short story “Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime” by Oscar Wilde. LLTC Tradition and BEYOND ... Artistic Director Craig Willis directs and de- scribes West Moon Street as, “a predictably witty farce with echoes of the great Wildean repartee.” The reading is free. Urbinati, in town to guest direct University Theatre’s production of One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, is a New York-based writer and director who received his Ph.D. in theater arts from the UO in 1994. In a nutshell, Urbinati took off for New York and hit the big time. He is an associate artistic director of the Queen’s Theatre in the Park and has two one-act plays successfully running in Omaha, Neb., where he directs on a regular basis. Urbinati also directed the off-Broadway production of Lost by Kirk Bromley and Jessica Grace Wing, as well as many other NY shows — simply too many to list here — and has re- ceived numerous awards. U rbinati’s version/vision of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest opens this weekend in Robinson Theatre. Adapted from Ken Kesey’s novel, the epic is highly comic on the surface but delves into seri- ous issues of control and the individual spirit. Urbinati has come up with his own distinc- tive interpretative take on the material, faithful to the adaptation, but incorporating more of Kesey’s hallucinatory vision. The concept of “altered states of mind” will be reflected in the production’s set, lights and sound design. Cuckoo’s Nest was Kesey’s (who was born and raised in Oregon and graduated from the UO) first novel, published in 1962. In 1959, Kesey underwent dramatic changes after volun- teering for an experiment involving hallucino- genic drugs. He then took a job working the night shift at a mental ward and came to realize that the patients weren’t mentally unstable but rather just more individualized than society was willing to accept. Parts of the novel were writ- ten while he was under the influence of LSD and peyote and many of the characters are in- spired by the patients he met on his job. The play adaptation, by Dale Wasserman, was first presented on Broadway in 1963. It was then drastically revised and reappeared off- Broadway in 1971. The novel was also adapted to a very successful movie in 1975. Cuckoo’s Nest opens Nov. 7 and continues Nov. 8, 13, 14, 15, 21 and 22 at 8 pm and Nov. 16 at 2 pm. The Nov. 16 performance benefits Shelter Care. Tickets are $12 /$9 sr., UO Faculty/Staff and non-UO students,/$7 for Youth (6-18) and $5 for UO students. Call 346- 4363. A symposium on the writings of Ken Kesey runs Friday, Nov. 14 through Sunday, Nov. 16. More on that next week. T o get your Saturday evening off to a rollicking start, be at Tsunami Books at 5 pm for Joe Cronin and John Dooley’s “Two Micks Short of a Pint — Poetry, Tall Tales, Fibs.” The two Irish- American poets, both National Slam Poetry vets, will read from their humorous works. Expect a lively performance. It’s free. A fter your 8 pm performance at UO, LCC, ACE, LLTC (don’t forget about Live Matinee, which we told you about last week); or wherever else you might be, don’t go home and go to sleep; nope, stay up for Late Night at Lord Leebrick. Yes, late night is back, and even though sometimes the skits/acts have really sucked in the past, it’s al- ways been fun, at least if you’re a theater geek, and so cheap — this one is “pay what you will” — all you really have to lose is a little sleep. And who needs that? But there’s good reason to believe this par- ticular incarnation will be worthwhile. Conceived by performance artist Mario Tucci, the late night series is planned for the second Saturday of every month starting at 11:30 pm, and will feature a different host each month, as well as a variety of musical, dance and other performance acts. This Saturday boasts Lord Leebrick and Impact! Arts co-founder Randy Lord back in the space as the host, which is just simply cool for those who follow theater. Total performer Allison Rickenbaugh tap dances to Frank Zappa’s “The Black Page #1,” a drum kit solo. Amy Impellizzeri, and Stuart “Lips” Philips perform Contact Improvisation. Writer, dancer, and TApROoT founder David Koteen tells the story, “The Killing of Small Fishes;” Heidi Beierle per- forms a monologue and Mario Tucci explores the world of dreams. The music is provided by jazz bassist Rob Kohler. ew UO School of Music Chamber Music Series Amelia Piano Trio This energetic young trio won the Grand Prize of the 2001 Yellow Springs National Chamber Music Competition and were finalists at the prestigious Walter F. Naumburg Chamber Music Competition. Their program includes: Beethoven’s Trio in E-flat Major, Op.1 Ned Rorem’s Spring Music for Piano Trio Mendelssohn’s Trio in D Minor, Op.49 Thursday, Nov. 13 • 8:00 p.m. BEALL CONCERT HALL Tickets $29, $25, $12 at Hult Center (682-5000) or EMU Ticket Office (346-4363). Free Musical Insights with Robert Hurwitz, 7 p.m. NOVEMBER 6, 2003 29
