Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (June 17, 1982)
Page 8 Portland Observer, June 17, 1962 entertainment A r t M o n k e y Business HAPPENINGS The Pacific Northwest College o f Art's summer class schedule includes the art o f capturing live animals— on paper. “ Drawing A nim als," taught by Eunice Parsons, will include modeling sessions by wild and domestic ani mals. Already scheduled are a cheetah and macaw, courtesy o f the W ild Life Safari, plus field trips to the Portland Zoo. The Pacific Northwest College o f Art also offers evening and weekend classes in a variety o f subjects. Please call the College at 226-4391 for a com plete schedule and registration information. The W izard o f Oz Merv Griffin, Grand Master at the Rosa Festival Parada. (Photo: Richard Brown) V oices From T h e B lackness D eep by Sojourner Truth Theater Our n a m e... The Sojourner Truth Theater <& Dance Troupe takes its name from Pro phet ess/Ora tor Sojourner Truth (1797-1883). She was born into slavery as Bell Baumfree. Young Bell was sold from master to master in upstate New York. A round 1810, she was sold to John J. D u M o n t. H e forced her to marry a slave named Thomas, by whom she had five children. D um ont heartlessly sold several o f her children to other masters. In 1827, she es caped from Dumont and took refuge with a Quaker couple, and eventually won a lawsuit to have her son Peter returned to her from a slavery in A la bama. The New York State Em ancipation Act freed Isabella in 1828, and she and two o f her children went to New York City. In the mid-18402. Sojour ner became involved in the Abolitionist (Freedom Movement) movement. Her dynamic, powerful delivery soon made her one o f the foremost black orators o f the Anti-slavery cause. The great force o f her personality attract ed vast crowds wherever she spoke. To support herself, she sold “ The N ar rative o f Sojourner T ruth. Her enemies claimed that she was actually a man disguised as a woman. Speaking in Indiana where the charge had re ceived wide attention. Sojourner decided to confound her enemies. Opening her shirt to display her breasts, she cried, “ A in ’t I a Woman, Too?” When 'he Civil W ar began, she traveled to the Union Arm y camps where she took black volunteers gifts and words o f inspiration. In the last year o f the war, she served as a counselor to the free blacks at Freedman’s Village, Arlington Heights, Virginia. She developed her idea for a “ Black State.” She present ed a petition for the Black State to President Grant. Her idea is credited by historians with spurring a large scale migration o f blacks to Kansas and Missouri in the 1870s. Sojourner Truth died on November 26, 1883. The Sojourner Truth Theater & Dance was born April 11, 1981. by Harris Levon McRae The adventures o f Dorothy, Toto and friends on their trip down the yel low brick road was presented by the students o f Boise School in The Wizard o fO z by L. Frank Baum. The students in the production were 3rd and 4th grade pupils in M rs. Thompson’s class with the exception of 2nd-grader Vanjie Caraveo o f Mrs. Roberts* class who played Toto. Diane C . White, who produced, directed and narrated the play, had more than a few difficulties to overcome in presenting the fine production. “ The Wizard learned his lines last night,” Ms. White related. Laru Birden played the Wizard o f Oz and did a fine job in the clutch. D orothy was played by M onica Johnson, Ernesto Caraveo clanked around as the Tin Woodman, the Cowardly Lion was played by Todd Smith and M ike Kelly, and Shaun Prince was the scarecrow. The Munchkins were played by Ethel Sly and Marcellus Brown; Alice Forbes growled as the Wicked W itch o f the West; Luisa Bourne played Glinda, the Good W itch, and Christine Alcantara played the Witch o f the North. Rounding out the cast was Marcellus Brown as a soldier, M ike Kelly as King o f the Winged Monkeys and Ethel Sly as Auntie Em. The crew consisted o f Orlando Williams as stage manager, M ik i H unni cutt, assistant stage manager and Rita Benjamin handling costumes. I PRO STYL w. SHOP 9 1 7 S .W . A ld e r 2 2 4 *8 4 0 1 (across from the Galleria) I ■ ■ PRO SHOP— STYLING SALON Specializing in ail curly perms, styling & trimming. TCB • Care Free • Classy Curl & California Curl ►Ht» O» »Vt*'* ! covo* $43501 Perm g Reg. 660°° Limited Time Onl IV ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ I An Evening With Tai Farlow ... presented by The Vintage Restaur ant and Lounge, 2433 S. Powell Blvd.. Portland. Appearing with Tel Farlow will be Portland's own Eddie Wled and The Sky Trio. Show dates are June 21, 22. and 23. all beginning at 8:00. Tickets are 66.50 in advance/46 50 at the door and will be available at the Vintage or Longhair Music dow ntow n. For more inform ation call Jackya or Holly at the Vintage. 231-5121. SOJOURNER TRUTH THEATER is c o m in g .. . . Jazz Jazz Greatest Brief history: The Sojourner Truth Theater began as a Readers Theater, and remained as such until November 26, 1981. In September o f ’81 the Readers Theater was chosen as an Artquake ’81 participant where it performed an original work, “ A tlanta H eartbreak.” It was a deep, stirring work, revealing The Sojourner Readers feelings about the murder o f 28 black children in A tlan ta, Georgia. A fter receiving high acclaim for the manner in which the work was presented, the founding members decided to expand to Black Theater. On January 23, 1982, the new cast members gave their first presentation at Oregon State Penitentiary, and later the same evening, at Geneva’s. On February 27, 1982 at the Urban League’s Fundraiser, the same cast, with one performance to its credit, gave a memorable presentation along with Love Congregation and The Herero Danzers. On this same show was the “ Media Forum Players” o f Los Angeles, California. (Robert Hooks, Den ise Nichols, Brock Peters, Charles Floyd Johnson, Tracee Lyles). Since that tim e, The Sojourner T ru th Theater has given many supportive p e rfo r mances throughout the black community. It is part o f an e ffo rt to revive Black Theater as a respected Black A rt Form. Voices From The Blackness Deep On Saturday, June 19, at 7:30 p.m ., in the King School Auditorium , The Sojourner Truth Theater & Dance Troupe will present its first major per formance entitled “ Voices From The Blackness Deep.” The voices heard will be from the Blackness Deep; a depth that goes beyond the textbook; the logic; the debates, and arm chair philosophers; voices that ring from the coast o f the M oth erlan d , to the funked up streets o f P ortland, Oregon; from the Oregon State Penitentiary to the living room o f a black mother, in desperate o f her daughter's love; Voices.. The Herero Danzers. Voices.. . Bruce Smith. V o ic e s.. .Lois B e rry .. .V o ic e s .. Asmar S e ifu lla h .. .Voices .. .The Sojourner Truth Theater. Now that’s d ee p .. very d e e p .. . .Sojour ner Tru th Theater thanks the com munity for its needed support, inspira tio n , encouragement and love. You are “ Voices From The Blackness Deep.” I f you were to put any three jazz guitarists in the same room, the conver sation would inevitably involve the name o f Farlow. There are numerous opinions as to who is the greatest jazz guitarist, but the Field is a good deal thinner when it comes to the “ most unique.” Absolutely no one plays like Tai. He is truly one-of-a-kind. A “ first hearing” o f Tai Farlow is an unfor gettable experience. His choice o f notes, chord voicings, patented sense of swing, strum and pick techniques and dynamics result in a sound unlike any other. Talmadge Farlow was born in Greensboro, N .C . on June 7, 1921, and he sounds as if he began playing on June 8. He has performed with everyone from Red Norvo to H ank Jones and Charlie Mingus. M any o f his recent performances are well-documented on Concord Records, with whom he be gan an association in 1976. Tai makes his home in a small town on the New Jersey coast, playing oc casional club dates in New York and making festival appearances on both coasts. He is actively involved in the teaching o f jazz guitar, both as private tutor and clinician. When not involved in musical pursuits, Tai spends his time painting signs. And that little fact speaks volumes. For constipation you'll call it “T h e Overnight Wonder” Ever feel uncom fortable w ith your laxative'1 Then it s tim e you tried the gentle medicine they call Hie Overnight Wonder It’s today's Ex -Lax and it relieves the discom forts of constipation by helping restore the body's own natural rhythm Try it tonight You'll like the way you feel in the m orning' Chocolated or pills. Ex I .ax is The Overnight W onder" Take ttnly as di re lie d THE SOJOURNER TRUTH THEATER AND DANCE TROUPE WILL PRESENT " V o ic e s F rom T h e B la c k n e s s D e e p " on Saturday, June 19th 7:30 pm King School Auditorium 4906 N.E. 6th ¡.CONCENTRATED DEODORIZER is so effective that KILLS FLEAS.TICKS! DROPS DEODORIZE A SKUNK! to v irts an Just think of the odor problem» M could solve Kar __ ’or you bathroom pats cooking mildew M'oso i ei garbage diapers CMS O K SHAKIR POSTPA« BOTTli To order tend check or money order 10 SCHMiO P«OO UCT8 CO O » of SCHMtO L AGORA TORIES INC Boa A Route 46 W eal Little Fell« NJ 07424 Sergeants SfNTRr I Flea A Tick Collar I t INTRODUCES TO YOU ★★★ Specializing in Sculptured Nail« »3500 53OO f Sportsman Hair Design U k ÍIH » • > * '« * • \ 3606 N. Williams N A IL S by DEE M a n ic u re s »500 2 4 9 -3 8 6 5 VOICES FROM THE BLACKNESS DEEP premier« the So|ourner Truth Theeter end Herrero Danrere feeturlng Bruce Smith. Theee ertlete greep the true eeeence of Blech life through Blech theeter cepturlng the rlchneee of the ethnicity, revealing the connecting commonellty of AfroA m erlcen culture ee en art form Within the theeter e performance one will find variety. the unexpected, love, pein, hope, vlelon end victory VOICES FROM THE BLACKNESS DEEP IS THE SOJOURNER TRUTH THEATER AND DANCE TROUP AT ITS BEST' Ticket Coet: Ticket Outlets: H 00 Adults Moueo of Sound. M34 N Williams ♦7 SO Femlly of 5 lone price! Geneve e. 422S N W illiemt *2 SO Student« with I D NE Youth Service Center. 4S1S N E 7th Broedwey Heir Weaver» end Deelgnere. 1«34 N.E 7th
