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Arts
George Fox to Host One-Person
Play on Multicultural Issues
A one-person play that addresses
issues o f m ulticulturalism in today’s
society through the eyes o f young
adults w ill be presented free to the
public on G eorge Fox U niversity’s
N ew berg cam pus on T uesday, Nov.
14.
The program begins at 7 p.m . in
W ood-M ar A uditorium . T he play
follows a b rie f perform ance by lo
cal C h ristian rap g ro u p , “ D A S
PHA T.”
“Faces o f A m erica” stars actress
B ernadette Balagtas, w ho presents
eight characters all based on true
stories researched through w ork
shops and interview s w ith high
school and college-age populations.
The eight characters depicted each
represent a different cultural aspect
o f A m eric an society : A fric an ,
A sian, M exican-A m erican, N ative
A m erican, East Indian, European,
H appa (m ixed blood), and an "all-
in-one G eneration X -er.”
B alagtas starred in “The D ebut,”
the first Filipino-A m erican m ovie
to be released in the United States.
She appeared in Jam es B rooks’ “As
G ood As It G ets,” and w as an origi
nal contestant in the H aw aii-based
television show “ D estination Star
dom .” She also perform ed in N BC ’s
“Friday N ight,” and is a host and
peform er at fam ed Laugh Factory
in H ollyw ood, Calif., w here she
regularly perform s w ith such
popular com ics such as D avid
A lan G rier, Ja y M o h r and
D am on Wayams.
The program , w hich is de
scribed as appropriate for high
school students and older, is
presented by W ill & Coinpany,
a Los A ngeles-based dram a
group dedicated to shattering
stereotypes o f race and gender.
Daryl Dixon, G eorge F o x ’s
director o f m ulticultural ser
vices, said the program is a
creative w ay to inspire consid
eration o f im portant issues.
“ I think it’s valuable to bring
it to c a m p u s ,” h e sa id .
An Opera to Remember
Bv Jov R amos
T he P ortland O bserver
M aking his debut with Portland
Opera as the star o f Otello, John
Keyes recalled that his favorite oper
atic experience was not perform ing
at a prestigious opera house, but sing
ing to inner-city kids in his hom e
state. For him, that experience alone
topped the recordings he did with
L u cian o P a v a ro tti and P lác id o
Domingo.
During an outreach event spon
sored by a W isconsin opera com
pany he worked for, Keyes was asked
to perform before an all-Black el
em entary school in M ilwaukie. Be
ing raised most o f his life in a pre-
dom rnately White part o f town, Keyes
felt uncom fortable doing it. In atten
dance w ere little boys wearing T-
shirts with tuxedos and little girls
wearing T-shirts with ball gowns.
Before the ev en t, the k id s w ere
gro o m ed in the m an n ers o f a t
tending an opera. T o top o f f the
event, the elem e n ta ry sch o o l kids
w ere a llo w ed to m eet w ith the a rt
ists. K eyes ad m itte d to feeling
funny b ein g aro u n d B lack s d e
sp ite th e ir rousin g en th u siasm .
W hile still in costum e, K eyes felt
a tug at h is leg. L ooking d o w n , he
n o tic ed a g o o d -lo o k in g A frican
American boy about 8 yeans old who
asked him something where Keyes only
heard the word money in his question.
Assuming the boy was hitting him for
November 8, 2000
Focus
cash, he brushed him aside and
told him that he didn't have any.
The child emphatically answ ered.
“No!” to mean he was misunder
stood. He reached into his pocket
andplaced adime in Keyes ’ s hand
“Hegaveittotheopera. I lovedit!"
beamed Keyes. When he walked
away, Keyes noticed how poor
the boy was in his tattered pants
and worn out shoes.
Because ofthe boy’s kind ges
ture, Keyes still keeps the dime
taped down in his make-up kit.
The dime serves as a constant
reminder ofan important lifelong
lesson that Keyes holds true to
which is not to ever judge others
by the color o f their skin.
“Throughout history, theatre has
been a valuable tool to present is
su e s to th e p u b lic a t la rg e .
Shakespeare did it in his day. It will
help us to understand m ore in areas
Page 3
o f m ulticulturalism . W hen you can
educate and entertain together, it’s
a pow erful com bination.”
For m ore inform ation, call 503/
554-6117.
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