University of North Alabama - Diorama Yearbook (Florence, AL)

Page 28 text:

tTf ' . - % ■Aria SjxS - % » V V- H i ' STEPHEN ANDERSON DESPERATE for a place to stay, a bite to eat, or a bottle to drink. Celeste (Elizabeth Ragsdale) badgers the desk clerk Bernie (Brett Davis) as he tries to read his comic books. SWINGING BY THE PORCH, Flora (Missy Ricketts) entertains neighbor Silva (Richard ' Welborn) whose 27 wagons of cotton her hus- band is ginning. A CHRISTMAS SETTING is not com plete without carollers. While setting a seasonal mood, the carollers of The Mutilated also helped convey the bizarre theme of the play with songs that weren ' t very Christmasy. ALONE IN HER ROOM, Trinket (Cathy Jackson) muses over her failing relationship with Celeste, whom she fears will reveal her mutilation. 24

Page 27 text:

Breaking Away Spring break, summer hiatus or the Christmas holidays— when school ' s out, boys and girls just wanna have fwn By Bea Beaux What do you do when there ' s nothing to do? Nope, this isn ' t the same complaint we whined to our mothers when we were kids— this is serious play time. School ' s out, and we deserve a break. The first instinct for the vacationing stu- dent is usually to get out of town. Out of school means out of Florence as well. There are several economical options open for the crafty student. Find a friend — or a friend of a friend — who has a condo in Gulf Shores or a cabin in Gatlinburg. You ' ll save money on lodg- ing, food, and if you ' re particularly cagey, on gasoline as well. Now you can shark fish or sail, snow ski or hike all to your heart ' s content— for almost no money! Another good option is the old Where the Boys Are ploy— pile eight people into a car and head for the beach. Send the most cunning vacationer in to rent a room— have him try to convince the motel manager there are only two people stay- ing. You won ' t fool the manager, but he ' ll probably let it slide— he ' s a regular guy. Of course money for food may be a problem when you ' re not staying with a friend. You ' ll probably live on Cheetos and Ring Dings, with an occasional foray into McDonald ' s for meat. That ' s okay, though— you ' ll be back in Towers Cafeteria soon enough. On the other hand, vacation time may mean a trip home to see good old mom and dad. This is particularly satisfying during the holiday season. And there ' s nothing like having a mother who exclaims you ' re nothing but skin and bones and spends the better part of Thanksgiving and Christmas stuffing you with turkey and cranberry sauce. Don ' t worry about the weight you ' ll no doubt gain at home— remember, you ' ll be back in Towers Cafeteria soon enough. Actually, spending your vacation at home isn ' t so bad. In the Shoals area, for instance, there ' s plenty to do. There ' s the river, for swimming, fishing, skiing, and sailing. There ' s church league Softball, and community theatre. There ' s Handel ' s Mes- siah at Christmas. And if all else fails you can spend a large part of your time hang- ing out at the mall. But no matter how you spend your vacation, one thing ' s for certain — sooner or later, it will come to an end. And no matter if it was two days or two weeks— it wasn ' t long enough. STEPHEN ANDERSON THE SPANISH MOSS hanging on the trees provides a neat atmosphere in a contempla- tive moment for this lone student on semester break in Florida. THE TENNESSEE RIVER is a popular spot for fishermen. Anglers without boats may fish from the rocks below Wilson Dam. THE ROAD OUT, Highway 72 is one of the busiest thoroughfares in the state. For Flor- ence, the highway provides access to 1-65 through Athens. SOMETIMES VACATIONS mean work — Raymond Kluesner fills his free time between semesters by work- ing at TVA in the greenhouse. Vocations 23

Page 29 text:

Two By Tennessee The Department of Speech Communication and Theatre presented a bit of serious theatre in two one-acts by Tennessee Williams By Jeffrey David Cox One of the greatest things about the )epartment of Speech Communication nd Theatre is the variety of entertainment hat it provides for the students and faculty. There is no better example of this than the ail production. Two By Tennessee was the title of this gear ' s fall presentation. Two Tennessee Wil- iams plays were presented— ' Twenty- seven Wagons Full of Cotton and The Mutilated. Subtitled A Mississippi Delta Comedy, Villiams ' Twenty-Seven Wagons Full of btton deals with Jake Meighan ' s destruc- ion of neighbor Silva Vicarro ' s cotton-gin ind the use (and abuse) of his wife Flora o placate Silva. Mitch Florer, Missy Rick- tts and Richard Welborn starred in the lay. Twenty-Seven Wagons Full of Cotton falls into the more traditional category of Williams ' work. The use of sound and visual effects added to the realism of the play. The Mutilated, which has been called absurd by critics, is a much more experimental play. Trinket, the main character, has lost a breast and lives in fear that her friend Celeste will reveal her secret. On Christmas Eve, a miracle occurs and Trinket is magically healed. The cast included Elizabeth Ragsdale, Steve Nelson, Cathy Jackson, Todd Goode, Walton Cheney, Kevin Clark, Joni Wilson, William B. Cofield, Brett Davis, Mitch Florer, David Meeks, Doug Kruse and Mitch Bullock. Jim Davis, assistant professor of Dra- matic Arts and director of the play, said of The Mutilated, In this one, it is so experimental that I think audiences are sometimes confused by it. To me, it makes a very strong statement, although I ' m not sure that a lot of the audience could grasp it. He said the chorus was an effective tool in the play, helping convey the story. Extras for both productions were Kevin Clark, Vicki Gieske, Susan Dunaway, Chip O, Robin Nevels, Jim Anderson, Pam Jones, Glenda Freeman, John McMurtrie, Bret Smith, Lee Grider, Anne Clem, Molly Brown, Paula Chancellor, Cindy Adams, and G. Lipscomb. Casting for the production was not easy. The range of players went from seniors to first-term freshman Missy Ricketts. Mitch Florer said of his character Jake Meighan, It was a character I ' m not used to, a more challenging role. Davis added, Casting wasn ' t easy. Some of the seniors had previously had no opportunity to do roles outside their age bracket and experience. Davis said the cast did an excellent job. Cathy Jackson, who played Trinket, said, The part wasn ' t as much of a challenge as it was a matter of adapting to the character. I ' d never had to deal with that type of individual before in any of the plays I had been in. The fall production has traditionally been when the classics (such as Romeo and Juliet last year) are performed, Davis said, because of the music department ' s schedule and because the classics are something that he enjoys doing. He chose to do the Tennessee Williams plays because we were due for a contemporary drama. As the lights die down on another production, one thing is certain: the next one will be just as exciting, continuing a tradition of quality acting and innovative theatre. JOHN F. LENZ HANDING UP par- ticle board, stage manager Alice Gross assists stage crew members Tony Hardin and Andrew Maples in the set construc- tion. Careful designing allowed the same set to be used for both plays with a minimum of changes. THE FEW SET CHANGES needed for each play con- sisted mostly of lighting and signs. While the lights are set by the stage manager, the stage crew paints signs, such as the Cafe Boheme sign Paul Mayhan is painting. JOHN F. LENZ Fall Ploy 25