Arts & Entertainment
Theater company finds permanent home
Theater to be built
in local warehouse
By Anne Steyer
Senior Reporter
The Lincoln Ensemble Theatre finally has
found a home. In December they will move
into their first permanent base, a warehouse
called The Creamery at 701 P St.
“It’s been a long process,” said Kevin Har
vey, the group’s president.
Both Harvey and Richard Schmeling, for
mer president of the group, are excited about
the opportunity to perform at the ensemble
theater’s permanent home. Construction of the
theater will begin next month, on the second
floor of the Creamery.
The first floor will house an antique store
operated by the owner of the building. One of
his contributions to the building will be an
antique staircase.
The theater is projected to have a seating
capacity of 100-120 people. Schmeling said he
hopes to have seating on three sides, with no
more than six rows on each side.
Observing auditionsatthcLincoln Commu
nity Playhouse propelled Schmeling’s pursuit
of a permanent home.
“I was impressed by the tremendous amount
of acting talent that I saw," Schmeling said,
“and I felt that the directors could have cast the
shows three times over.
“When you get into that kind of situation,
you need some additional performing outlets
for the acting community.”
Harvey said the theater had its unofficial
— u
When you get into that kind
of situation, you need some
additional performing outlets
for the acting community.
Schmeling
former president of Lincoln Ensemble
Theatre
-ft -
inception in the spring of 1987 as the Homeless
Theatre Project, a one-performance show formed
to raise money for the homeless people of
Lincoln.
The ensemble theater troupe rehearsed the
show for four months and performed in the
Harpen Brothers Building in the Haymarket.
At the University Club, the troupe operated
as a dinner theater, which Schmeling said made
it inaccessible to the general public.
“When you’re part of a package that in
cludes dinner, you’re looking at an expensive
evening,” Schmeling said.
For its new season, the theater will try to
provide affordable pricing on single tickets and
season tickets.
In the past, the Lincoln Ensemble Theatre’s
seasons have been limited to four shows, but
withthe acquisition of the new theater space,
See THEATER on 10
Hairy man seeks method
for writing personal ads
Mark
Baldridge
The Daily Nebraskan, that para
gon of college journalism, has this to
say about writing an effective ad:
“Be descriptive. The more infor
mation you provide the readers, the
better your responses will be.
Begin the ad with the item for sale
or offered.
Include the price of the item for
sale.”
With this advice in mind, I think
I’m going to take out a personal ad.
I always read the personal ad sec
tion because everyone seems to have
such a swinging time there. And be
sides, I’m afraid I’ll miss the one
that’s for me.
Good-Looking Guy in gray sweater,
How would you like to meet the tall
brunette from Pound Hall? /’ m fun
loving, athletic and have a great sense
of humor. Respond via personals.
— Snuggle Bunny
I read that and think: I have a gray
sweater, maybe that’s me. Hey, it
could happen.
But 1 never respond via personals.
I never respond via anything, I’m too
shy. And I always figure it’s probably
not for me. Lots of guys have gray
sweaters, and 1 don’t even know where
Pound is.
So I figured I’d lake out my own
ad. That way I’d be sure when one
was for me. I’ II sign it something like
“Bruiser,” something real “hc*man.”
Then when I get responses they’ll
read:
Bruiser,
Your idea of a good lime sounds good
to me. I'm a 5’9 green-eyed monster
and I'm 100 percent woman. I like the
sound of your ad. Call me.
— Blonde Barbarian
Actually, that sounds kind of scary.
Maybe 1 should lone it down a little
— I don’t want to come across like a
pro wrestler. I’m a timid guy.
I want to bring out my good points.
After all, they’re going to want to
meet me sooner or later — and I’m
never going to pass for Tarzan.
Let’s sec, descriptive . ..
Young man with broad shoulders
seeks young lady for intimate evening
encounters. Likes reading, dining out
and Calvin and Hobbes. No blonde
barbarians need apply. RSV Person
als.
A little formal, you think? A little
vague with that “young man” bit?
Perhaps, but I’m only ?J. That’s not
old, though I admit I’m not exactly
underage. I haven’t even been carded
since I was 16. It’s the “mature look.”
Sure, I may be glossing over some
of the salient factors, but isn’t that
what advertising is all about?
And who’s going to respond to the
truth?
Aging undergraduate with broad
if somewhat hairy shoulders seeks
female for awkward fumbling. Likes
beer, TV and Jim's Journal. My stan
dards are low. Apply today! RSV...
el cetera.
Oh, this is loo much work. Ii would
be easy if I never had lo mccl them —
or talk to them on the phone. But then
what’s the point? I can do that with
out ever leaving home.
Baldridge is a senior Knglish major and a
Daily Nebraskan A&K columnist
Jeff Holler/DN
Members of the Rist Christian Theatre Company rehearse Monday night at Howell Theatre
where they will perform an all-French production of Moliere’s “Le Misanthrope.
Breaking the language barrier
Play gives meaning m movement
By Robert Richardson
Senior Reporter
Hoping to break the language
barriers of a 17th century play by
Molierc, a French theater company
will present “Lc Misanthrope” in
two performances at Howell The
atre today.
The Christian Rist Theater
Company, a Paris-based troupe
under the direction of Christian
Rist, has been in the United States
since late October.
Rist said the company has had
relative success in presenting the
play, which is performed entirely
in French, to American audiences.
“What was the meaning of
Molicrc when he wrote his play?”
Rist asked. “Simply, he had things
to say. Those things were not meant
to be said in a dramatic way. He
had to prove the movement, by the
movement. And that’s the theatri
cal proof. So 1 think if we do prop
erly what we have to do, people
tiffin See BREAKING on 10
Chocolate-covered art
Finley attacks societal responses to problems
By Mark Nemeth
Satff Reporter_ __
Performance Artist Karen Finley
came to the Carson Theatre in Lin
coln this weekend, criticizing gov
ernment and society response to AIDS,
homelessness, homosexuality and
women’s rights.
When Finley look the stage, she
brought with her a large red cloth,
which she wrapped around her head;
an Evian water bottle in one hand and
a very large piece of beef jerky in the
other.
Finley said that the post-modern
artist only needs to add “text” to turn
apiece of beef jerky into art. Finley’s
personality and attitude were imme
diately personal, assertive and often
sarcastic.
Finley’s performance was angry,
sincere, bitter, personal and political,
culminating in the emotional inten
sity of the theme presented by the title
of her show, ‘‘We Keep Our Victims
Ready.
“Could you move over,” she said
lo an audience member sitting on the
floor. “There’s going to be a light
there.”
Finley criticized what she called
the male “pseudo-sensitivity.”
“I hate William Hurl,” said Finley.
“Did he think he did us a favor by
wearing those damn PC glasses and
acting like a sensitive homosexual in
‘Kiss of The Spider Woman?’ I hate
people who have to rationalize suf
fering.”
Finley compared the victims of
societal abuse — abused women,
homosexuals, the homeless, people
with AIDS — to imprisoned veal calves
and Nazi Germany concentration camp
victims.
“Our society is no different,” she
said. “Our own (ovens) cook at a
slower speed.. .. We keep our vic
tims ready. Many believe that HIV
carriers should be branded like those
in concentration camps. People would
rather eliminate the victims of AIDS
than the disease itself.”
Finley’s performance, like all her
performances, was an animated re
cital of a type of poetry that alternates
in point of view. Us content and en
ergy left the audience overwhelmed,
antirv and often confused.
One of Finley’s written perform
ance pieces entitled, “I Was Not
Expected To Be Talented,”criticizes
censorship and the socialization of
women. That socialization, Finley said,
enforces the myth that women are
inferior to men.
This piece began as a description
of Finley’s dream about an art gallery
that had removed all of its paintings,
leaving only frames and tape on the
walls.
The toilets were closed because of
the fear that someone would think
urination was art. In thisdream. North
Carolina Sen. Jesse Helms was trying
to impress foreign dignitaries with
the United States’ commitment to
morality.
But the dignitaries were not im
pressed because there was nowhere
for them to go to the bathroom.
Finley went on to explain that New
York’s Coney Island was closed be
cause the hotdogs sold there were
“too phallic.” Helms, columnist George
Will, President George Bush and Vice
President Dan Quayle were forced to
paint on the White House lawn for the
dignitaries, but they could produce
nothing until a child inspired them to
let go of their fears.
Soon the politicians were painting
visions of houses burning and homo
sexuals having sex.
Finley’s piece ended with the re
peating of the words, “I was not ex
pected to be talented.... Are my tits
big enough?”
The second of Finley s three acts
began with the artist removing most
of her clothes.
After filling her shirt with jcllo,
she performed a symbolic piece about
a woman being raped and beaten.
“This is the part that makes Bush
and (White House Chief of Staff John)
Sununu and those guys nervous,”
Finley said, as she look off her clothes
and smeared chocolate sauce on her
body.
After spreading chocolate on her
body, Finley added red candies, then
green sprouts symbolizing sperm, and
finally tinsel.
The combination, she explained,
represents the way women arc “treated
like feces, then told sweet things,
then used for sex, then put in nice
clothing as if to make everything
better.
“Whenever I see a rainbow in the
«ky,” Finley said. “I only see an angel
See FINELY on 10