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Arts & Entertainment 11
I Singers spread good will
Group stirs pride
I By Robert Richardson
Senior Reporter
As they finish their 18th year of performing,
the Scarlet and Cream singers and dancers have
made the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and
the state of Nebraska proud.
According to Barbara Wright, director of
Student Programs/Reunions, that is why the
singing group has the unofficial title of
“Ambassadors of Good Will.”
“When we were in Japan touring, we were
certainly there as ambassadors not only for our
university but for the entire slate of Nebraska,”
Wright said. “And that’s true whenever we
leave the state.”
Scarlet and Cream will stage its final public
performance of this school year at Kimball
Hall today and Saturday at 8 p.m.
The singers, dancers, musicians and techni
cians are part of an elite and polished group that
must go through difficult auditions to be cho
sen for Scarlet and Cream.
Third-year member Mary Pcnncr said she
I felt there were several things that made being
in the collegiate show worthwhile.
“It’s a combination of the experience and
the friendships at the same time,” Pcnncr said.
“It’s hard and difficult, but we learn as friends,
and we learn as professionals.”
Penner said that because of those aspects,
she would recommend auditioning for the group
to anyone that was interested.
The Scarlet and Cream singers do get a lot of
exposure and travel time. The group mainly
travels to cities in Nebraska to perform for high
school and alumni associations, but Wright
said the group is asked to perform for other
events as well.
“We’re contracted by arts councils all over
the state,” Wright said. “We’re contracted by
several large companies and corporations to be
their main entertainment at their banquets,
conventions or conferences.”
For many members of Scarlet and Cream,
love of music and love of performance is why
they are in the group, because, Wright said,
they receive only a “very small honorarium
scholarship.”
Penner said that besides the travel experi
ence, she has learned about people during her
tenure with Scarlet and Cream. Part of this is
because when the group travels, they stay in
UNL alumni’s homes or with other people in
See SCARLETon 13
I Theater group to take play
| onto global stage in Japan
Say Nonen mcnarason
Senior Reporter
When a play is considered for production by
A the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Depart
W_ ment of Theatre Arts and Dance, its directors
% usually have to worry about how it will affect
& Lincoln.
Now these concerns have gone global.
Ronald Wainscott, the director of UNL’s
1 production of “A Streetcar Named Desire,”
1 will present Tennessee Williams’ play in two
R different theaters in Tokyo at the end of May.
Wainscott said he wanted his play to be
H something that he was proud of, as well as
I something that the Japanese people would
S understand.
“We spent a lot of time discussing what play
■ it should be, and what play is going to be
R comprehensible to the Japanese,” Wainscott
I said, “as well as fairly represents something
I from the American repertory, as well as repre
■ sent a play that we think that our students will
I do well in and represent the department well.”
Tice Miller, chairman of the Department of
■ Theatre Arts and Dance, said performing well
■ is important — but he hopes the actors and
■ actresses will take time to appreciate the cul
■ lure they will be experiencing.
“My feeling would be in addition to doing
■ the play well and feeling that this is communi
■ eating with that audience, I think just the chance
■ for 10 or 11 days of exposure will be such an
■ exciting experience to these students, that they
■ will have a wonderful time,” Miller said.
Wainscott agreed with Miller, saying that
8 the cultural exchange that will take place — as
wi/ii (uuiv iuui -i«3 niim^aoui
able.
“The louring experience for student actors
is always very important, because it requires a
lot of things from you that you never have to
put out when you’re only performing locally,”
Wainscott said.
John Lepard, a senior theater major playing
Stanley Kowalski in “A Streetcar Named De
sire,” said that since he hasn’t ever been out of
the country, adjusting to life in Japan will be
something that he is conscious of.
“I just think it’s going to be a culture shock
when we first go over there, not knowing what
to expect,” Lepard said. “They probably won’t
know what to expect from us.”
Wainscott said Williams’ play is important
because of ideas it presents.
“Williams forced us in the ’40s and ’50s to
take a look at ourselves in ways that no Ameri
can playwright has before,” Wainscott said.
“He was trying to dig very deeply down emo
tionally and into territory that most people find
taboo.”
Miller told of a Japanese audience member
who saw the play on opening night and enjoyed
it. This member also shared his opinions on
how he thought the play would be received,
Miller said.
“He said the young will like it and under
stand it, but the old might be a little bit shocked
by it,” Miller said.
“For these students, it’s a once in a lifetime
experience,” Miller said. “They’ll never be the
same after going. Thai’s just what travel docs
to you.” I
Musician Robin Crow will perform at the annual Comstock festival today on
East Campus.
Comstock legacy goes on
with new twist in music
By Robert Richardson
Senior Reporterj
In the late '60s, thousands of hippies
?lathered in a farmer’s field in New York j
or a celebration of camaraderie, good
drugs and even better music.
That party, named Woodstock after the j
town in which it was held, was such a
good idea that the University of Nebraska- j
Lincoln developed their version of the
party — drug- and alcohol-free, of course,
Comstock began 21 years ago, shortly
after and directly related to the real thing.
And today, on UNL’s East Campus, it will
continue in the spirit of the party that
rocked a decade.
Kale Gustafson, chairperson of the
University Program Council’s Major
Concerts Committee, said she hopes the
change in the style of music will be a
welcomed modification.
“The feature act will be Robin Crow,”
Gustafson said. “He is kind of an alterna
tive acoustic guitarist, which is really
different for this year because in the past
Comstock has always been a hard rock or
country show. So we’re kind of offering a
little more diverse music taste.”
Those who have liked Comstock’s
music in the past need not worry. The
existing lineup will feature country music
from the local band Fast Movin’ Train as
well as the hard-hitting music show of the
headlining national act Nevada Beach.
The popular medley/rcvue show The
Blues Brothers, composed of UNL
students, will also perform. Gustafson said
she hopes that the local acts will draw as
good a crowd as the national acts do.
“I’m looking forward to having them
(The Blues Brothers) there because they
usually draw a really good crowd,” Gus
tafson said.
The East Campus celebration will not
only feature musical variety. Gustafson
said special interest booths from UNL and
the community will be set up as well.
Another change in Comstock tradition
is that this year there will be a $2 charge
for students and a $4 charge for non
students. But Gustafson said she isn’t as
concerned with the charge as she is the
weather and other external factors.
Saying that everything has been done
and that she is now leaving it all up to the
crowd, Gustafson complimented her col
leagues.
“My committee and I and UPC have
hopefully done everything we can to make
this program successfully,” Gustafson
said. “And I’m kind of hoping that
tradition will pull it through, because it’s
21 years old.”
Robin Crow will begin the afternoon’s
performance at 1 p.m. Fast Movin’ Train
will follow at 2:30 p.m. The Blues
Brothers will play at 3:15 and the headlin
ing act, Nevada Beach, will close up
Comstock at 5 p.m.
Alternative new album offers blessing
to opponents of Top 40 replications
By Kristie Coda
Staff Reporter
The album, “Prince of Deep Wa
ter,” demonstrates what can happen
when good vocals, great lyrics and
good music get together and explode
into an impressive display of musical
completeness.
The lyrics, all of which were writ
ten by lead vocalist William Topcly,
are poetic and vivid. They treat a
variety of subjects from love, sex and
war, and sometimes all three com
bined.
Topcly writes and sings of the nature
of conflict in relationships in many of
the songs, but none so succinctly as in
“Highway 5:”
“Well, love is power and I play to
rule/ well, love is power and as an
absolute corrupts entirely/ all our minds
and sets a course that we can’t sail.”
The Blessing
“Prince of Deep Water”
MCA Records
Rating: 41/2
Ratings are 1 (bad) to 5 (excellent).
The Blessing provides a variety of
musical offerings within a single
album, and the style always fils the
word. The music runs the spectrum
from driving rock to bluesy ballads,
with a generous use of strings on
many of the cuts.
And as talented a vocalist/lyricist
Topcly is, he is nothing without the
backup of an equally able band.
Their musical ability is beyond
reproach and is interesting enough
itself to be considered separately from
the lyrics. New twists present them
selves on each listening.
The Blessing’s sound is evidence
of a fully integrated musical talent on
all fronts. There are no holes in this
bunch.
Their musical style on some of the
tracks is comparable to some of Peter
Gabriel’s work, but with more guitar.
They arc by no means copycats. Their
work is unique in style and content, a
great improvement over the plastic
rubbish that revolves incessantly on
Top-40 stations. However it is not so
odd that it is inaccessible to anyonfe
See BLESSING on 13
