tuesday. September 29. 1931
page 8
daily nebraskan
Houston director brings varied ballet to Kimball
By Christian Thompson
The Houston Ballet has
made the grand jete into the
arena of international ballet
corps. Last year, the Hous
ton Ballet made its premiere
in New York and its inter
national in Mexico City.
Much of the ballet's recent
rise to international acclaim
is due to the energetic ef
forts of the company's artis
tic director, Ben Stevenson,
who joined the Houston
Ballet in 1976.
Stevenson received for
mal ballet training at the
Royal Academy of Dance.
After his training he danced
with the Royal Ballet and
eventually rose to the posi
tion of Ballet Master for the
company.
Since then, he has co-directed
the National Ballet in
Washington, D.C and has
become internationally
recognized for his innova
tive choregraphy.
Stevenson will be direct
ing the Houston Ballet when
it performs in Lincoln at
Kimball Recital Hall, begin
ning Thursday.
You see," he said, "the
Jones Hall (where they per
form in Houston) is shared
Old scripts, new titles
pull in sit-com profits
The scene: The executive offices of National Television
Network, Inc. It is the annual Board of Directors meeting
before announcement of the new fall network television
line-up. Despite the air conditionaing in the plush office,
there is a lot of sweating going on in the room.
The program director, a small, ferrety guy named Wit
comb, opens his briefcase. "Ill bet you're all waiting for
me," he says. The silence in the room indicates he is cor
rect. "Okay!" he says, with forced enthusiasm, "Here it is,
the National Television Network Fall Line-up for 1981.
Ta-da!"
O
clarEx
Witcomb unravels a chart showing the NTN schedule
for premiere week. The chart draws no "oohs" and "aahs"
from the members of the board, only a few puffs on some
cigars. Finally one of them, a portly, balding sort named
Thurbridge, says, "Okay, try to sell me on this bilge."
"Bilge?" says Witcomb, half-joking. "We expect this
fall line-up to be brighter and better than ever, with more
of the stars, more of the shows that you want to see."
"You sound like our ads," says Thurbridge. "I want to
know why I should like this line-up."
"Because it features a galaxy of stars?" asks Witcomb.
"Nope," says Thurbridge, as the others nod their agree
ment. "I do not care who we put on the air and who we
don't."
"Because we feature more provocative dramas, more
hilarious comedies and a better movie scheme than any
other network?" asks Witcomb.
"Wrong again," says Thurbridge.
"Because our news coverage is the most up-to-the-minute
available?" Witcomb asks.
"I read a newspaper," says Thurbridge. "If you want to
know the truth, I don't watch any television."
"Then you must be wondering how much money we
will be able to make off of the new schedule."
"Now we're getting somewhere," says Thurbridge.
"For me, television is no more entertaining than blue-chip
industrials or pork market futures. In network television,
we like to emphasize the industry part of the entertain
ment industry.
"What you are here to do is explain to me why this
line-up is more profitable than last year's."
Witcomb takes a minute to fold up his chart and shove
it back in the briefcase. He can hear the sound of pencils
tapping cn the table. Finally he draws a deep breath.
"We have thought about this aspect of our operation
for some time," he says, "and we think we have a plan to
insure greater profits than ever before."
"Spill it," says Thurbridge.
"Let me ask you this," says Witcomb. "What is the
cheapest way to create network programming?"
"Same as always," says Thurbridge. "Use a formula
plot, hire a beautiful but heretofore unheard of actress,
and sell a lot of advertising time."
"That worked well before, says Witcomb, "but we've
got something even better for this year."
"I was hanging around in the archives," Witcomb con
tinues. "I noticed that we've got piles and stacks of old
television shows sitting down there. We've so got hun
dreds of titles for shows that Fiever used So why not
put new titles cn the old shows!"
Thurbridge cracks a smile. "I like it. Think it'll work?"
"Sure," says Witcomb. "Nobody has any idea what
they are watching now, so how are they going to know
that they've seen it already? No production costs, no
scripts to buy, just profits.'
"It's great," says Thurbridge. "You know, you were
right the first time. The new NTN line-up is brighter and
better than ever.
with many other performing
artists. It's terribly crowded,
so touring becomes very im
portant to the company.
After all, perfoming is what
it's all about."
When asked if he has a
particular composer or per
iod of music that he likes to
draw on for choreographic
inspiration, Stevenson said,
"I like to draw on as many
sources as possible. I guess
I really don't have one par
ticular composer that I
favor over the others."
The Houston Ballet's rep
ertoire represents Steven
son's penchant for variety.
The troupe performs every
thing from the classic Gis
elle" to modern rock-ballets.
Stevenson said the
company's repertoire was
largely classic until several
years ago.
"1 like to experiment as
much as possible with
dance," Stevenson said. "Al
though our repertoire is still
heavily based on the clas
sics, we really do more new
modern works than any
other American company."
Stevenson said his chore
ography has been greatly in
fluenced by the growth of
modern dance. He cited Bob
Fosse as an innovator and
an influential creator of the
non-traditional dance move
ment. "In America," he said,
"they expect you to cough
up the classics. Actually, 1
prefer to do original works.
This doesn't mean that the
result will be any good, but
the experience is more re
warding." Continued on Page 9
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Ben Stevenson
Photo courtesy of Kimball Rorital HUB
'Onliness' mingles earthiness, insight
By Scott Kleager
Poet Dave Smith's first novel, Onliness, could possibly
be the best since John Irving's The World According to
Garp. It just might be better. For starters, the style Smith
employs sentence structure, conversation character
istics, etc, is so much different from Irving's that it
seems the two are headed in separate directions. Smith's
style shouldn't be termed better than Irving's, just different.
Many contemporary novelists are geographically
centered, artistically. That is because their styles are
focused upon a specific area of the country, usually the
author's own. A particular type of people, who hang
around together, usually speak the same way and tend to
be class-specific. Where the voice in Irving's The World
According to Garp is middle class for the most part,
Smith's Onliness is the voice of the poor. Hence the differ
ence in narrative style.
The result is that Onliness exhibits an earthiness that
most other novels lack today. Since most of us live
relatively comfortable lives, the novel holds special inter
est for us.
Respect goes to Mr. Smith for publishing a glimpse of
that part of rural, southern Everytown most of us have
never experienced. We meet the protagonist, Billy Luke
Tomson, in "the living room of his momma's trailer, look
ing at his momma lying drunk on the floor, in the third
line of the book. Then comes the Bowie Garage, the
central setting for the novel, a greasy little shack with no
bath or shower, and an open commode for a bathroom.
Tough as life
The talk is as tough as the life. But what we might call
rough language" is what millions of Americans call "nor
mal." There is the habit all the characters have of forget
ting auxiliary verbs, as Billy's granddaddy exhibits early
on when he says, "You going to the Coast Guard!"
Throughout the novel Smith consistently spells words
used in conversation in such a way that the Southern,
rural vernacular sometimes black, sometimes white -
comes smoothly and naturally out. "Course ittis some
wants to put a shopping center in here and don't give a
frog's spit what, is pretty and what ain't, says Tom
Zucold, 70-year-old white owner of the Bowie Garage.
There occurs an incredibly vivid example of black ver
nacular, circa 1981, from Clifton, who lives across the
road from Billy and Tom Zucold: " . . but Clifton not
Yraid of no honky white man, special not some ancient
dude, even if his uncle Lionel the Drill say that old honky
got some reason and rep too, and he tell Momma ain't no
reason to worry cause he a stone dude himself.
Author Smith is constantly creative. Onliness, as a re
sult, is refreshing from front to back. For example, be
cause he can't afford a new door, Tom Zucold hangs up a
Cadillac Eldorado door instead, because: ". . . everybody
knows a Cadillac is about the finest they is in cars and I
figger thatd be true for a door too.
Killer Tree
The old man calls rotted-out old cars that he wants to
fox-up someday "processes." A tree standing in front of
the Bowie Garage, on the edge of the highway, is called
"the Killer Tree" because several people have smashed
into it and died Billy's mysterious girl friend is named
"Promise Land,' and her sister "Hope.
Onliness uses the "education of the innocent motif to
exemplify its themes. The reader knows practically noth
ing about Billy Luke Tomson; as Billy learns, the reader
learns.
It is also ewe BiUwgsroman, which teaches the philo-
phy Of "onhneSS. Blllv must find that sinoU r ' .1
CO.c which is his soul, his onliness, before he can find
freedom from Tom Zucold, the only father he has ever
had. The combination of earthiness and philosophical
insight make the novel a singular experience.
Tom Zucold's creeping madness, which engulfs every
one in the end except Billy, is done about as well as it can
be done. He suffers from a persecution mania that comes
on him slowly, steadily, accompanied by appropriate
changes in speech and actions.
The novel is violent and explicit at times, but not
overly so Yes, Mom, you can go ahead and read it. It is
doubtful though, whether Dave Smith wfll appear on the
Today show, for there is little here conductive to author
worship. The book probably won't develop a cult follow
ing, as some have these days, but just the same, Onliness is
educational, finely crafied and honest.
so