University of Nebraska Omaha - Tomahawk / Gateway Yearbook (Omaha, NE)

Page 30 text:

Oberon, King of the Fairies (Jacl Eggert), argues with Titania the Fairy Queen (Madeleine Fallon). In this scene, staging, costumes and lighting draw the audience into a supernatural fairy world. I; Theseus and Hippolyta, played by David Carson In the epilogue, Rita Paskowitz as Puck addresses Peter Quince, portrayed by sophonDore James and Alison Strain, gaze contentedly at the moon. the audience with wonderment and disbelief. Fitzpatrick, introduces the play within the play. 28

Page 29 text:

Performers rehearse a play scene in the Magic Theatre, one of several Omaha theatre locations that permit and encourage student try-outs for parts. UNO AT THE THEATRE UNIVERSITY theatre goers can choose from a wide variety of offerings from the Omaha area. Dick Walters' Attractions sponsors many Broadway and off-Broadway shows brought to Omaha by traveling road companies. Drama and light comedy are presented by local residents and stu- dents of both Creighton and UNO in the Magic Theatre in the old market. The Omaha Playhouse and Council Bluffs' Chanticleer Theatre not only present fine productions but also offer an excellent opportunity for student participation. New attractions to Omaha this year are the Westroads Dinner Theatre and the Sweetness and Light troupe in the market. At UNO this fall students and faculty presented William Inge's Come Back, Little Sheba. Directed by speech instructor Robert Moore, the perform- ance was held in the Studio Theatre, a new addition to room 207 of the ad- ministration building. The most contemporary of the semester's three major productions was Sergeant Musgrave's Dance, by British playwright John Arden. Although written in the 20th century, the play takes part in the latter half of the 19th century and centers around a soldier's ironic and violent retaliation against the violence of war. Although somewhat lengthy, the performance was executed skillfully. Record attendances marked this fall's University Theatre production, A Mid- summer Night's Dream. Audiences were enchanted with the double-purpose set, the exquisite costuming and the overall quality of acting. in one of the settings, what appeared to be a woodland scene consisting of a waterfall, rock formation and hanging University Theatre performers practice for one of the summer productions, A Cry of Players. 27

Page 31 text:

moss was in reality a conglomeration of chicken wire, muslin, rubber hosing, wood, carpet patches and several layers of paint. The lighting, combined with other scenic elements, created a fantasy world far removed from daily reality. The stage itself was extended out into about the fourth row of audience seats. This additional 16 feet made it possible for the forest set to remain hidden by a multi-colored scrim until the third scene. At this point, the major action shifted from Athens (located on the apron of the stage) to the fairy-inhabited glen (located behind the muslin curtain). Costuming began at the start of the fall semester and continued up until the actual play performance. All of the out- fits, with the exception of the player's, were created by the crew giving attention to Elizabethan, Athenian and fantasy garb. Particularly difficult with a Shake- spearean production is the level of com- prehension. Apparently, voice inflection and articulation presented little problem to the veteran UNO actors. Their final product was easily understood and heard throughout the performance. UNO speech and drama instructor Fred Vesper directed the production re- ferred to by many as one of the uni- versity's best. Says Vesper of his handling of the production, One has to treat Shakespeare as an ordinary mortal. Keeping this thought in mind. Vesper, together with the actors and stage crew, obviously proceeded to re-create an im- mortal work as best as was mortally possible. ■ Thisbe (Steve Wheeldon) whispers to her lover Pyramus (Dick Johnson) through the chinic in the Wall (Bob Chenoweth) while other players observe.