University of Notre Dame - Dome Yearbook (Notre Dame, IN)

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Is om The first two productions of the ND SMC Theatre ' s 1980-1981 season dealt with the hu- man choice between escaping reality or becom- ing involved in and shaping life to fit the indi- vidual. In the first production, He Who Gets Slap- ped, written by twentieth century Russian play- wright Leonid Andreyev and directed by Regin- ald F. Bain, He tries to escape reality. In the second production, A Way Out of No Way, directed and written by Drama department pro- fessor Julie Jensen, Sojourner Truth can ' t take refuge from the cruelties of her world and must stand up for her human rights to live and partici- pate in reality as she wishes. Both presentations evidenced ND SMC Theatre ' s constant success in bringing cultural and creative opportunities to potential actors and audiences on campus. He Who Gets Slapped is set in a circus which gives refuge to the main character He who loses himself in its whirling excitement. Far from the carefree life of the circus, Sojourner Truth prays for God to make a way out of no way as her parents, Mama Bell and Born-free, tell her he can. Entered in the American College Theatre Festival, Julie Jensen ' s A Way Out of No Way depicts a woman shaping her own life in spite of many obstacles as the main character of He Who Gets Slapped tries to escape his reality. Experiencing themes very applicable today, the audience didn ' t need their masks to see that the ND SMC Theatre had begun a meaningful season. Events 29

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. ' Photo by Chris Barlock P | L.

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MeJd ntr cene. Carrying the audience into an Irish world of brogues and winking wisdom, six simply- costumed actors sat on stools on a barren stage. Using only their vocal and facial ex- pressions, the cast enacted the life of a boy named Johnny. An innocent daydreamer who was always being scolded, Johnny was the autobiographical character of Sean O ' Casey, author of Knock at the Door, ND SMC Theatre ' s Reader ' s Theater Production. The presentation of a reader ' s theatre is unique to drama because there is no move- ment of characters, no costumes, no set. Only the lighting, the lines and the readers ' talent create the drama. Here, six readers each por- trayed a variety of characters, except Johnny, whose character was developed by only one reader. The sickly young lad went blind only to recover his eyesight and truly see the simple wisdom in life which his family and adults were too busy to perceive. The narrator, in O ' Casey ' s words, said that unlike many unseeing peo- ple, Johnny was not perfect in his under- standing of life, but he had knocked at the door. ND SMC Theatre ' s next production, The Country Wife, was a Restoration comedy which characteristically satirized the super- ficiality of the upper classes of the seven- teenth century. Filled with puns and innuen- dos, this comedy centered around the ex- ploits of Harry Horner, a Don Juan who de- ceivingly escorted ladies around when their own gentlemen couldn ' t. Most of the women in the play fell victim to Horner ' s charms, and the meriment of many supposedly secret affairs ensued. Elaborate and accurate sets enhanced the atmosphere as lavish costumes added to the pageantry of the time in the upper classes. The play ends with the men, the forces which led the women astray, shaking their heads at the infidelity of women. The Country Wife lived up to its categorization as a Restoration com- edy with its irony, satire, chaos, and social commentary. 11 - 30 ' Events