Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 26, 1987)
Arts & Entertainment-_ Flexibility forms university ‘Theatrix ___-_..._ I ....■■■.. UTMTT 1TT^"iMffirr"~Tili By Jim Hanna Staff Reporter Flexibility — the lack of it — is a nii^jor problem in the theater world today, said Bruce Tinker, master of fine arts candidate in directing in the theater arts and dance department. “Versatility is limited in a situation where the season is set months in advance and people don’t get a chance to experiment. Spontanaiety is what it’s all about," he said. In hopes of fighting inflexibility, the university’s theater department is creating “Theatrix," a new experi mental theater. Theatrix, which is based in the Temple Building’s studio theater, will offer opportunities for all university students to stage productions that might not otherwise be staged. Tinker, the artistic director for Theatrix, said that it should help coun ter some of the negative effects of con ventional theater. “1 think you lose creativity when things are too rigid,” he said. “Theatrix will be experimental in nature. It will be an informal, relaxed exploration of art." Theatrix can consist of works in any of the performing arts, Tinker said. “We want it to be performance based but not just in the realm of theater," Tinker said. He said he hopes to see dance, improvisation, poetry readings and musical performances as well as plays. So far, one show has been scheduled with other shows pending, Tinker said. The production will be a play directed by doctoral candidate Tamara Comp I r- — — ton, “Ripen Our Darkness.” The show is scheduled to run Sept. 24, 25 and 26. Though “Ripen Our Darkness” is a published script, Tinker hopes that Theatrix also will be a testing ground for original works by local authors. Timothy Lee, a sophomore theater m^jor, said he likc-s the concept of Theatrix, especially for what it gives the audience. “The productions will not, for the most part, be typical of what you can usually see in Lincoln,” Lee said. “There is no real forum in this city for innova tive, experimental artistic expression. Theatrix will be a great opportunity for audiences who want to see this sort of artistic performance.” Tinker, however, said he sees several benefits for the artists themselves. “It is a chance to perform for artists who don’t always get a lot of chances,” he said. "It will pressure them to perform without much technical support. A person’s skill will take the place of fancy scenes and costumes," Tinker said. Many of Tinker’s personal philoso phies also are represented in the mes sages the experimental forum could comm >ate through performances. "T i the communicative arts do as mu^n as we can do to help people grow and be more understanding of ourselves and others, we can’t help but be better for it,” he said. "Alternative forms of communication open our minds.” Tinker said he believes that informal means of communication such as TV and movies have led people to shun more “formal” artistic expressions, Courtesy of Josfyn Art Museum “The Osprey Family,” by Robert Bateman. UNL to experience wildlife in art form By Charles Lieurance Senior Editor Animal and nature artists are divided into two basic schools by man — the heavily populated school of tacky amateurs painting precious squirrels for sale in small town banks or tourist traps, and the illustrious few like John James Audubon and Andrew Wyeth who actually have managed to communicate the fra gile spontaneity of nature onto canvas. One member of this latter school, Robert Bateman, will speak at 2 p.m. Sunday in Morrill Hall Audito rium on the University of Nebraska Lincoln campus. The lecture is part of the Nebraska Wildlife Federa tion’s annual meeting and a prelude to the fall exhibition of his work at Omah's Joslyn Art Museum Sept. 29 through Nov. 8. Bateman’s lecture is titled “An Artist’s Celebration of Nature.” Marlyn Logan, event coordinator for the private non profit state wildlife federation, said the talk will include a slide presentation and insights gained on art and nature through out the artist’s 30-year painting career. Bateman, who was bom in Toronto, Ontario, in 1930, is world renowned as a wildlife painter, often com pared to Wyeth. His work is on dis play in museums around the world. Earlier this year a Bateman exhibit, “Portraits of Nature: Paintings by Robert Bateman," was on display in the Museum of Natural History of the Smithsonian Institute in Wash ington, D.C. In 1980 Bateman was named Artist of the Year by American Artist mag azine. Logan said the Joslyn exhibit of Bateman’s work, entitled “Images of Nature: The Work of Robert Bateman," will be the only one man show of Bateman’s work this year besides the Smithsonian exhibit. Logan said the Wildlife Federa tion is planning to take Bateman, who is known for exhaustively study ing and experiencing nature first hand, up to Mormon Island while he is in Nebraska so he can get a look at whooping crane and bald eagle nests. A lunch will be served at the Cornhusker Hotel on Sunday to honor Bateman. The lunch will begin at 12:30 p.m. and costs $30 a person. All proceeds will go to the Nebraska Wildlife Heritage Fund, which pro^ vides financial assistance to wild life habitat demonstration areas throughout the state, Logan said. such as live performance. “People are sometimes intimidated ,by formality,” he said. He said the flexible, easy-going nature of Theatrix should allow more people to feel comfortable with live performances Bruce Tinker People interested in staging a pro duction or submitting an original work should contact Tinker in Temple Build ing 20. “The number two fell off my door so it looks like my office is in room zero,’’ Tinker said. Andrea Hoy/Dally Nebraskan Any type of production can be sub mitted no matter how abstract, Tinker said. Auditions for “Ripen Our Darkness will be held tonight from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. tin ough Friday in Temple Building 16. Coasters sing and swing at the Zoo By Kevin Cowan Senior Reporter The Coasters swung, spun and stepped in line to the Motown sounds of days gone by at the Zoo Bar Monday night. An enticed crowd of around 100 people lifted the time-proven vocalists to heights of crooning ecstasy. Concert Review The Coasters have been on the road 35 years, and one might think the trio would have lost some of the 1950s hop pin' boppin' energy. Not true. When lead vocalist Charley Brown and his cronies. Earl Worsham and Poncho Christian, sauntered with the confi dence of time to take the Zoo Bar stage there was no doubt that all were in for s show. ‘7 held my nose, I closed my eyes — / took a drink. ” “Love Potion No. 9." An introductory aphrodisiac to rage the frenzied crowd. Then they moved flawlessly into one of their biggest hits, “Yakety Yak." Again the crowd is moved to flights of hysteria. They look a little tired, the cummer bunds fit a bit tighter, but the harmo ney is effortless, continued Motown movement — synchronized jive as it were. You can tell they could do this in their sleep. During “On Broadway" and “Under the Boardwalk," the fact that the audience sang along had no affect on the tight ’50s style harmony. It was all sung as if they were still standing out in front of the Apollo Theater in 1957, searching for that perfect sound round a cackling garbage fire. It’s not every group that can stop in the middle of a song and break into melodrama antics. But the Coasters seemed to have earned the right — telling jokes, exchanging wry comments with the customers, wrestling like aged youth, then back into the song without missing a beat. More risky than the comedic breaks were their literally sobering plugs for the say-no-to-drugs campaign. Yes, risky to say the least when aimed at a crowd of drinkin’ fools. Later Brown, the only original Coaster in the group, said one of the biggest reasons they were still on the road was to keep the "youngin's” away from drugs. "if we can keep five kids away from that stuff, well, then we’ve done our job,” he said. "Don’t you ever get tired of being on the road, singing all the time?” I asked Brown. "Never,” he said. His eyes are bright, not weary worn as might be expected. And with the energy he gave off, he may be on the road forever. ! *