page 12
daily nebraskan
thursday, april 27, 1978
a
Original student opera could premiere at Regents Hall
Opera is an interesting art form handicapped by the
fact that most of the plots are concocted by Italian soap
opera rejects. They're usually turgid with things like Fet
tuchini stabbing Maserati because he thinks Maserati is
seeing the beatiful Methedrina who actually is trying to
poison the wicked County Onnayurfingurrsa so she can
run off with Salami. . .
Anyway, I figured it's high time somebody wrote an
oprera UNL students can understand and relate to their
own lives.
My work, The Collegians, is set in the mythical Univer
sity of Nondenominational Learning. In Scene 1 we see a
typical student, Lohengrin Gotterdammerung, standing in
the line of a mytical cafeteria. He sings:
(tune: "The Ballad of John and Yoko")
Standin ' in the line at East Campus -
irr
willfams
Trying ' to get some edible food -
The man at the door
Says, "That 's fifty cents more - "
You know sometimes I think that I'm get tin'
screwed,
Christ, you know it ain 't easy
This educational game .
So much money 's goin '
I really think it 's a shame.
LOHENGRIN: Surcharges! Fee increases! One thing
after another! I don't know why college is so expensive,
but I'm going to find out! I'm going to go find an adminis
trator and ask!
(The orchestra strikes a menacing chord at the mere
mention of the word "administrator.")
Scene 2 opens with a pleasant-looking man sitting
behind a desk strewn with important-looking papers. He
opens a box labelled "Important-looking Papers" and
strews some more on the desk.
He sings: (tune: "When I was a Lad,")
When I was a student I learned to duck
Responsibility and pass the buck;
Now I push papers and shuffle them
And go home every day at four p.m. !
Yes. I do nothing and do it so well
'Cause I m administering here at UNL!
There is a clatter of swords as Lohengrin battles his
way through the guards at the door. He bursts in.
LOHENGRIN: Tell me, 0 administrator, why college
costs keep going up and up!
ADMINISTRATOR: It's caused by inflation, my boy.
LOHNEGRIN: What causes inflation?
ADMINISTRATOR: Costs going up and up. If you want
to know more, youll have to ask the regents.
(The orchestra strikes another terrigying chord at the
mention of "regents.")
Scene 3 opens in the sinister chambers of the Board of
Regents. Bats hang from the ceiling and cauldrons bubble
ominously. A thick book, labeled "State Education Bud
get," lies on a table with a dagger thrust through the
cover.
Eight sinister men, clad in long black robes, hunch over
a long table. They sing.
(Tune: "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida")
In-da-Board-a-da-Regents, honey,
We 're-a-runnin 'your life for you-ou-ou;
In-da-Board-a-da-Regents, baby,
YAF tells us what to do-oo-oo!
Dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum
ditm dum dum dum dum dum dum dum,
We sit and deAib-er-ate, .
Cogitate and th-i-nk;
"Get this and get it straight.
Children shouldn 7 dri-i-i-ink!
Don 't make a stink, now baby . . .
Suddenly Lohengrin bursts into the room.
""Tell me why college costs keep rising!" he shouts,
brandishing his magic sword Nupirg. "My budget is near
ly . . ."
"Oooh," scream the Regents. "You said 'BUDGET!'
We hate that word!" Drawing daggers from beneath their
robes, they circle around him.
Things lookbad for Lohengrin. But suddenly the good
fairy Beog, patron of financial aid, bears him to safety.
Beog sings: (Tune: "YouTl Never Walk Along")
You must travel through College with thoughts
strong-willed
And don V let yourself get distraught;
For someday with knowledge your head will be
filled,
Though your bank balance registers naught!
With your finely-trained mind,
A job you will find
In your father 's hardware store!
A hat is passed among the audience as the curtain
falls.
Take One9 movie series
to show 'Midnight Cowboy9
The Take One American Film Classics
series concludes its second semester to
night at the Nebraska Union Centennial
Room with Midnight Cowboy. An extra
showing at 11 p.m., in addition to the
regular 7 and 9 p.m. times, has been added
in order to accomodate those people who
will be at the Ralph Nader speech, accord
ing to the series director Jim Anderson.
Midnight Cowboy stars Dustin Hoffman
and Jon Voight. The film won an Oscar for
Best Picture in 1969, the only X-rated
movie ever to win that award.
Admission is $2 general and $1.50 for
students or by series ticket.
Also opening tonight on campus is The
American Friend, a 1977 film by Wim
Wenders. The Sheldon Film Theater will
present The American Friend today,
Friday and Saturday at 7 and 9:15 p.m.
with 3 p.m. matinees on Friday and Sat
urday. Dennis Hooper (of Easy Rider) and
Bruno Ganz star in this mystery thriller
based on Patricia Highsmith's novel,
Ripley's Game.
Admission is $2.
Omaha Ballet closes season
with legend of Orpheus' love
The final production of the 1977-78
Omaha Ballet season will feature a special
event, "Disco and Delicacies," a fund
raising program for the ballet, in addition
to the performances of an original, full
length ballet.
An original three-act choreographic
piece by Thomas Enckell, Omaha Ballet
artistic director, is based on the ancient
Greek legend of Orpheus, the muse of epic
poetry. The story involves Orpheus, son of
Apollo and Calliope, who loses his young
wife Eurydice shortly after their wedding.
The muse of epic poetry pleads to the gods
for the return of his loved one, but they do
not answer so Orpheus descends to the
underworld to find her. There he charms
Pluto and Prosperine, ruler of the under
world, by playing his lyre. The rulers tell
Orpheus he may take Furydicc back but he
cannot look at her during the journey.
Impatient with love. Orpheus succumbs
to temptation ami looks at I r: !; which
causes him to lose her again. Orpheus then
sings sadly of his lost love and refuses the
attentions of all people. This infuriates the
Sirens into killing him.
The Muses then bring him and Eurydice
together in the realm of blessed souls so
they can behold each other forever.
The dance will be performed May 5 and
6 at 8 p.m. and May 7, at 2:30 p.m.
Advance tickets are available at the Omaha
Ballet Center, 5915 Maple St. in Omaha or
any Brandeis ticket office.
The opening night of this world pre
miere production includes the "Disco and
Delicacies" celebration at the Regency
Fashion Court in Omaha. WOW radio disc
jockey Dave Wingert will provide the disco
and the Magic Pan restaurant will provide
crepes and wine.
Reservations for "Disco and Delicacies"
due Friday They are available by
are
calling Mrs Douglas Kupc.
John Finery. 397 -7f,l()7. m Omaha
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Photo by Katy Fishman
Grant enables dance troupe
to add 2 Lincoln concerts
With help from the Nebraska Arts
Council, Dances for Passer-by will make
two additional Lincoln performances.
Due to enthusiastic response to the
March concert in the Nebraska Union,
the NAC has offered matching funds to
cover the dancers' costs of performances
set for two Fridays: April 28 and May
S.
Marguerite Fishman and Irene
Wachtel, co-founders and members of
the company, will perform at 8 p.m. in
the Pilgrim Hall of First Plymouth Con
gregational Church, 20th and D Sts. The
company's non-traditional approach to
dance stresses informality and intimacy
between dancer and audience. Their
dances are choreographed for arena
performances and the First Plymouth
concerts will feature seating on all sides
of the dancing area.
Music lor I lie performance will be
provided hy flutist Bill I lanlon . cellist
Carol Warren and guitarist Leroy
Critcher.
Fishman and Wachtel met while
completing their modern dance degrees
at Ohio State University . They also were
members of the University Dance
Company. They came to Lincoln to
study the Alexander technique of move
ment with Marjorie Barstow snd in
corporate it into their choreography.
The selections for the First Plymouth
concerts were choreographed by Fish
man and Wachtel. The works include a
dream sequence called Scarf Dance
Number Two that combines athletic
movement with singing; Dance for
A dele B., a ritualized creation; Rain
coat Variation for a Parisian Spring, a
frivolous dance; and Cartoon, a light
number set to Benny Goodman music.
Ticket for the concerts will be avail
able at the door for $2.50 general
admission and $2 students and senior
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