Memphis State University - DeSoto Yearbook (Memphis, TN)

Page 32 text:

As the fortune teller, Missy Hester casts for a prediction from the beyond. Photo by Theater Dept. Although the production was enormous, costumes large in variety and a cast of 36, the season theatrical opener Nct Herely Endured Cut Prevailed. The Mainstage season opened with Thornton Wilder ' s masterpiece satire, The Skin Of Our Teeth. The satire was directed by Joanna Helming and featured an all-MSU student cast. The three act comedy followed a family through several ages of time and several disasters. I like what the play says, said Helming, It says, as William Faulkner said, ' I believe that man will not merely endure; he will prevail. ' The play starred Jim West as Mr. Antrobus, who invents the wheel and the alphabet and Suzye Lomenick as Sabina, a maid who personified temptation. The cast also included Teresa Harrison as Mrs. Antrobus, Crystal Robbins and Jeff Seabaugh as the Antrobus children, Gladys and Henry. Jim West, who is enjoying his eleventh season with Memphis State theatre, said, Doing a Wilder piece is great. Wilder was a gentle, optimistic American, and it is a pleasure to work with that kind of material. Though these three qualities seem to be contradictory, in Wilder they are mutually reinforcing. The production was enormous. Costume designer Douglas Koertge was responsible for the 65 different outfits necessary for the large cast of about 36 people. Set designer Jan Chambers gave the set a story book look with large, collapsible sets. The massive undertak- ing was presented as a cohesive, professional theatre piece - a wonderful opening for any season. Suzye Lomenick finds shelter from the end of the world. Photo by Theater Dept. Cv reel S. HaCHtccJ 2$

Page 31 text:

Whether it was social satiristic play, a modern dance or a comedy, the Theatre department j Pulled the Eight Strings • Variety may be the spice of life, but it is a staple of theatre. The Memphis State University Theatre Season presented a wide spectrum of diverse productions, showcasing the talent in the department. This year the department decided to have five mainstage productions instead of three and a dance concert instead of a musical. The season opened October 17 with The Skin of Our Teeth. Directed by faculty member Joanna Helming, this satiric Thorton Wilder fable examined the destruction of the world and the survival of the human spirit. MSU Theatre ' s production of this Pulitzer Prize-winning play featured scenic designer Jan Chambers ' ingenious collapsible sets and costume designer Douglas Koertge ' s costumes ranging from dinosaurs to Joan of Arc. A Lesson from Aloes and Master Harold . . . And The Boys were presented in November and December. These two Athol Fugard plays are extremely topical in that they each deal with South Africa and apartheid. In a time when the country and MSU were in the midst of debating apartheid, directors Cliff Thompson Aloes and Robin Cannon Master Harold presented evocative and compassionate productions of controversial subject matter. Continuing to mix the season up a bit, the Theatre department presented Perspectives in February and March. Perspectives was a dance concert featuring choreography by the Dance Program ' s faculty members and per- formances by the MSU Dance Company. by Red S. liaawced Profile 27

Page 33 text:

Th ; f £S xn interview indomitability in the f ,ceofadvers„y, ||f| IC S. giving the campus Proving that theatre can be one of the most topical of the performing arts, I the Mainstage season included two Athol Fugard plays. Fugard is considered one of theatre ' s foremost contemporary play- wrights and reveals a remarkable talent for depicting South Africa ' s issues and concerns. Directed by Cliff Thompson, A Lesson From Aloes was the first of the Fugard plays presented November 29 through December 1st. A Lesson From Aloes portrayed the struggle for human dignity of a liberal Afrikaner, his wife and their dinner guest. As the play unfolds, the characters are faced with the alternatives of exile, madness and loneli- ness. The aloe plant is used as a metaphor for showing man ' s indomitabilty in the face of adversity. Bob Klyce played Piet, a liberal South African who hides behind his plants. Mary Tarochione portrayed his wife, Gladys, who is feeling the pressure of survival. Kenneth Knaff played Piet ' s friend Steve, a warm man with a hearty laugh but terrible angers that reveal themselves during his last visit with Piet. By Red $. liaawced At dinner, Kenneth Knaff, Robert Klyce and Mary Tariochione learn the Lesson of the Aloe. Photo by Theater Dept. In a light moment from the play, Steve (Kenneth Knaff) shares his view on the aloe with friend Piet (Bob Klyce). Photo by Theatre Dept. The second Fugard play traced the growth of a South Afrikaner and showed the cast and audience The Dichotomy Of Collision. (Melvin McCoy) finds delight as Willie (Martin A. Wakefield) is assaulted with a wash towel by Hally (Jeff Seabaugh). Photo by Theater Dept. Master Harold . . . And The Boys was the second Athol Fugard play pre- sented in the Mainstage season. Directed by Robin Cannon, the story of emotional turmoil of a young South Afrikaner moving from innocent childhood to poisonous bigotry. Set in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, the play starred Jeff Seabaugh as Hally, a pre- cocious young white man who laughs, argues and dreams with his two best friends Sam and Willie. Sam was played by Melvin McCoy, and Martin A. Wakefield portrayed Willie. Sam and Willie are Hally ' s closest friends and truest family. In the small Port Elizabeth cafe Hally struggles with his emotions and desires in the hope of finding a world without col- lision. Sam and Willie must endure his outrages as well as the pressures brought on by their racial differences. I got the part and then I went home and read the whole play again, said Wakefield, I didn ' t realize how powerful it was until then. And then a lady came backstage on opening night with tears in her eyes and she told me how much she liked the performance. That ' s when I knew it was good. By Rod $. Maawocd Profile 29