The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current, October 11, 1989, Page 10, Image 10

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    CARTOONS from Page 9
breakdancer whose differences in
musical tastes fuel their already
stereotypical.views of each other.
However, in the true spirit of
glasnost, they learn to cooperate,
using music as a language of mu
tual understanding.
Tops on the list is “Knick
knack,” one of two computerized
films from the American anima
tion studios, Pixar. It’s the tale of a
miniature snowman, a knickknack
who tries again and again to escape
his glass ball prison and live with
the other knickknacks on the cof
fee table. The one-man band,
Bobby McFerrin, provides the
music for this hilarious film.
Pixar Studios also released
“Tin Toy,” which was the first
computer-animated film to receive
an Academy Award.
The only drawback to “The
Second Animation Celebration”
is that film credits constantly are
rolling. Most of the films run about
five minutes. “Rarg,” the longest,
is 21.
But this should not deter anyone
from what is a genuinely entertain
ing time at the movies.
“The Second Animation Cele
bration” runs Thursday through
Sunday at the Sheldon Film Thea
ter. It will return Oct. 19 through
Oct. 21. Screening times are at 7
and 9:15 p.m. with matinees at
12:45 and 3 p.m. Saturdays and
2:30 and 4:45 p.m. Sundays.
TOTAL
HAIR
DESIGN
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Gunny Complex
Hfllfi €XPR€XX) 245 N. 13th St.
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Tickets: $13, $9
Supported by the Katherine and Jack Thompson Fund for the Performing
Arts, the Mid-America Art* Alliance, and the National Endowment
% for the Am.
For Tickets Call 472-4747 (Monday-Friday, 11-5 pm)
.
Courteav of A. Vincent Scarano
Athena (Sandi Inches Vasnick) clenches her fist in jealousy as Odysseus (Willy Conley)
is wooed by the enchantress Circe (Camille L. Jeter).
A ctors draw pictures in the air
By Gretchen Boehr
Senior Reporter
Inside a wooden Trojan Horse
the imaginations of Odysseus and
six Greek warriors run wild.
With movements of their
hands, arms, fingers and bodies the
actors create stories of monsters,
stormy seas, seductive goddesses
and hell.
An audience of about 500 deaf
and hearing people watched the
unusual drama given by the Na
tional Theatre of the Deaf, which
opened Monday night at Kimball
Recital Hall. “The Odyssey” will
be performed again tonight at
Kimball.
The 10 actors combined sign
language, special effects and the
spoken word for a very dramatic
and visually exciting adaptation of
the ancient Greek epic by Homer.
The sign language served as a
visual illustration of what was
happening. The actions were
sometimes funny and other times
frightening, but the actors always
sparked the audience’s imagina
tion as they drew pictures in the air.
The sign language played such
an intricate role in the performance
that to take it away would have
meant losing the excitement and
emotion of the actors.
All these elements, including
the subject matter, worked to
gether and relied on one another.
The play showed that sounds,
words and emotions can be created
through actions.
The stage scenery was simple,
consisting of a scaffold, a pole with
a large horse head on one end and
ladders.
The performers relied on their
actions and imagination instead of
props to illustrate the warriors’
voyages.
Two of the actors spoke for the
eight others who were deaf, but at
Malt
times some of the deaf actors
would speak for themselves.
Throughout the performance
the attention of the audience was
on the actor signing, not the actor
giving the oral interpretation.
The lighting on stage threw
large shadows along the walls of
the theater. As the actors signed,
the shadows of lightning-quick
arm and hand movements seemed
to surround the theater.
Everything on stage was dark,
even the color of the costumes.
The story began with the main
character, Odysseus, and his six
men hiding inside the wooden
horse and fighting their fear of the
pending battle.
Odysseus, a carpenter, a cook, a
butcher, a sailmaker, a fisherman
and Odysseus’ cousin, Tiresias,
take turns telling stories of fantas
tic and prophetic journeys that will
occur on their way home.
In one journey the group es
capes a giant Cyclops’ cave by
getting the one-eyed monster
drunk and blinding his eye with
fire. <
The sailmaker tells how he
sewed Odysseus the strongest bag
' in history to take along on an ocean
voyage. But terror and destruction
lie inside the bag, which escape
and destroy the ship.
In the scene of a violent storm at
sea, the scaffolding sways back
and forth and thunder rumbles
menacingly.
In the butcher’s utle of a beauti
ful island, a seductive goddess
captures the warriors by turning
them into animals.
Athena, the goddess of war and
wisdom, makes appearances
throughout their journeys. She is
rather playful, flippant and uncon
cerned with their problems.
She takes Odysseus on a jour
ney home to his wife and son
whom he hasn’t seen for more than
10 years.
Odysseus is a very proud char
acter who brags about his great
ness. Sometimes this is hard for the
warriors to take and a barrage of
insults usually results.
Other Greek gods mentioned or
appearing in the play were Zeus
and Achilles.
More than a storyline, the fan
tasy of “The Odyssey” was
played out by a remarkable theater
group. It was a professional and
exciting performance which hap
pened to use deaf actors.
Lincoln is the second stop in a
50-cily tour by the National The
atre of the Deaf directed by David
Hays.
Tickets for tonight’s perform
ance at Kimball are $9 and $ 13 and
half-price to students.
WE'RE FIGHTING FOR
\OUR LIFE
American Heart
Association
LIVE from Page 9
bass players right and left, and bums
up audiences everywhere he goes.
Definitely a high-energy show.
Rock:
Thursday and Friday, Mr. P. Body
will play at Oscar’s, 800 P. Si
Friday, Bobby Curious will per
*l1 Bash Riprocks, Upper Level
238 N. 12th St. Bobby Curious is a
zany band that plays covers of popu
lar songs and some originals.
Friday and Saturday, Lie Awake
will play at Chesterfield’s, Lower
Level 245 N. 13th St. Lie Awake
plays clean and refreshing dance-ori
ented pop rock. The band plays some
covers, but has an outstanding reper
toire of originals. Good stuff.
Is your band, or a band you like,
playing in Lincoln soon? Contact the
Daily Nebraskan if you have infor
mation about upcoming band per
formances.