Franklin and Marshall College - Oriflamme Yearbook (Lancaster, PA)

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ZE k The Theatre as Experience by Andrew Klauber The theatre as entertainment versus the theatrical event as an experience. After a season of spectacle with Royal Hunt and Shakespearean comedy with Much Ado About Nothing, the Green Room's production of Woyzeck was a radical departure. Considered to be the first modern drama, the play marks the initial appearance of the proletariat theatre . Written by George Biichner and translated by Kim Peter Kovac, Woyzeck is based on the historical account of Woyzeck, one of the most infamous murderers in Germany ofthe 19th century. A short one-act divided into many fragmentary scenes, it revolves around the protagonist's love for his common law wife Marie. Eventually losing her to his rival, the handsome Drum Major, this unhappiness, intensified by his continual humiliation at the hands of the Captain and Doctor, drives Woyzeck to murder Marie. This tragedy, focusing on the somber theme ofthe poor man's inability to escape the fate nature has destined for him, is hardly an enjoyable evening in the theatre in the traditional sense. Offering a more painful experience, it challenges the complacency of the typical Green Room audience. Designer Jeff Quinn transformed the empty theatre space into an arena filled with the sights and sounds of a carnival, depicting the story of Woyzeck in its backdrops and side shows. Here the Green Room acting ensemble led by director Gordon Wickstrom created a marvelous production-the theatre as experience. Tradition Today 0 25

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UQH BDC? Shakespeare hit the college community like a rocket. The Green Room Theatre's production of Much Ado About Nothing made the audience laugh, at last, the master playwright could be understood by an F8cM audience. The play created a sensational wave of enthusiasm which spread throughout Lancaster. Tickets sold out faster than the Superbowl, even standing room disappeared. Why did the audience relate so well to Much ado? Primarily, we had a fine cast of actors. Ken Winston as Benedick and Professor of Drama, Hugh Evans as Constable Dogberry stole the show with their superb sense ofcomic timing. And, of course, the character of Beatrice could be found marching for womenis rights today, and no one would know she sprang from a sixteenth century mind. Like Beatrice, the play and its characters are timeless. Playing the game in Shakespearian England was as popular then as it is today. People walked out of Much Ado smiling, happy they understood the humor and glad they came. Shakespeare lives on. By Lisa Seidman Page 24: l. Dave Sitler as Claudio is about to renounce Hero tkate Lawrencej unjustly, instead of marrying her. 2. Conrade and Borachio CTed Hovick and lvan Kanej are interrogated by Dogberry concer- ning their roles in slandering Hero. 3. Claudio and Hero are reunited after she is proven innocent. Page 25: l. Katherine Lawrence as Marie comes to the realization that lt all goes to hell anyway, man and woman alike. 2. Ivan D. Kane stars as Woyzeck, the little man subjected to the oppressive forces of society. 3. Woyzeck shaves while the Captain tKen- neth Winstonj rambles on about eternity being just a moment. 3. 24 0 Tradition Today

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CREEK EEKE D 1. 1.3- ent v dsx , . Er , I , . 4. 1 ' f ', . Q 'ii if 5- 32 'f :iss , ' I ,' - ' tim-fitwifg 1231. Q Kia- f, Q-fpf,-,H ,. . 1 fe 71, -qi., Page 26: l. Laurin Quiat watches as referee while John Brilakis begins the first step ol the obstacle course. 2. Tommy Tasker pedals his heart out in the tricycle race. 3. Three-legged runners Jim Moran and Robin Cochrane, Bob Triol and Warren Bruce, and Garry Tomaino and Jeff Shields race for the finish line. Page 27: 1. Joe Short climbs up over John Osborne to top Chi Phi's pyramid. 2. Tom Simons, Kurt Teichert, and Warren Bruce look on as ZBT's Dave McPherson tries to heave a tire to record-breaking distances. O Tradition Today