University of North Carolina Asheville - Archive Yearbook (Asheville, NC)

Page 32 text:

iV The UNC-A Drama Department is concerned with training its majors to present a larger-than- Hfe look at the human condition in all its glories and absurdities. This year ' s crowning glory was the opening of the Carole Belk Theater, allowing Theater UNC-Asheville to bid farewell to Li- pinsky Auditorium (and competing for rehearsal space with S.G. movies and special programs). The crowning absurdity was the delaying of the opening night ceremony due to a phoned-in bomb threat. Fortunately, though the theater was evacuated for several hours, all that went flying were rumors and Mr. Wengrow ' s pulse rate; and after a tense delay, the theater was able to open intact, if not on time. LEFT: Arnold Wengrow ABOVE: Paul Sweeney 28 TT

Page 34 text:

iV Theatre UNC Asheville Thornton Wilder, Arnold Wengrow, and Paul Sweeney led a group of dedicated actors, members of Drama 231, and many more as they all took part in bringing to Lipinsky Student Center Auditorium its last The- atre UNC -Asheville production. On the nights of October 7-9, 1976, Wilder ' s OUR TOWN was presented by Theatre UNC- Asheville. Under the direction of Arnold Wengrow, with set- ting and lights by Paul Sweeney, OUR TOWN was a success. Set in a small New Hamp- shire town, the play portrayed through a stage manager and an excellent cast the routine nature of its life. Through the percep- tion of death, the townspeople and audience learned that every person, action, and breath are important, for it is these that make up life as we know it. 30