Arts ©Entertainment
Thursday, September 29,1994
Page 12
Jay Calderon/DN
UNL senior directs play,
hopes to teach theater
Theatrix production
provides experience
for student director
By Jotl Struct! __
Senior Reporter
The opportunity to direct a full-length
play is something for which most theater
majors have to wait until after graduation.
But Jeff Knoedler, a senior secondary
education major concentrating on English
and theater, will be directing the Theatrix
play “Boys’ Life” this weekend.
“Directing a Theatrix play is pretty much
an outlet for graduate directing students,”
Knoedler said. “Once in a while, an
undergrad will do one of them.
“I am taking an independent study class
and directing this play for that course.”
Theatrix is part of the Department of
Theatre Arts and Dance in the College of
Fine and Performing Arts at the University
of Nebraska-Lincoln.
“It’s great. I’ve done a lot of acting in
Theatrix,” he said.
The program allows graduate and under
graduate students another level of perfor
mance opportunity to provide to student par
ticipants and their patrons.
“It provides an outlet for people to get
experience if they can’t get in on a mainstage
play,” he said. “It’s like triple-A ball. A lot
of people who direct mainstage productions
come watch Theatrix performances to see up
and-coming talent,” he said.
Theatrix uses minimal set, lighting and
costume support and stages original and ex
perimental works.
“I think that even though Theatrix is on
a smaller scale and most people are less ex
perienced, a lot of performances and pro
ductions are on par with the mainstage,”
Knoedler said.
“I’ve seen just as many Theatrix plays that
have hit me as hard as mainstage produc
tions. That’s cool because you don’t neces
sarily need a huge budget to put on a big
* production and have good theater."
Knoedler has participated in many areas
of UNL theater. He acted in the “Caucasian
Chalk Circle,” a mainstage production last
spring; he directed the one-act “You Can’t
Trust the Male” as a requirement for Direct
ing 203; and he also has been in a number
of Theatrix plays.
This play will be the largest responsibil
ity Knoedler has had in theater.
“Directing a play is a huge time commit
ment,” he said. “But it’s a good experience.
“For some people it’s a real power trip to
have that kind of creative power — to shape
production how you want it.”
But Knoedler said it wasn’t a power trip
for him.
“It’s exciting to have the responsibility
of getting this whole thing on its feet — cre
ating this art.”
Knoedler said he chose “Boys’ Life” be
cause he could relate to some of the charac
ters’ attitudes.
“The men are in a cruisin’ and boozin’
mentality. I can relate to that because I’ve
been there and I think I’ve grown out of it,”
he said. “But I’ve learned to direct plays
about stuff I know, and this seemed like a
good choice.”
But Knoedler doesn’t agree with some
attitudes in the play.
“The men are all pretty much assholes to
the women. I’m worried that the audience
will come away from the production think
ing that I endorse the actions or attitudes of
the characters in the play," he said.
“But I think there is a certain poetic jus
tice in the play.”
Knoedler also had to audition and select
the actors and actresses for “Boys’ Life.”
“It was difficult to select the cast because i
there was so much talent,” he said.
“Most of my cast are young actors with
less experience,” he said. “I thought that
would be more of a challenge than it was,
but they really surprised me. They were re
ally eager to work.”
Knoedler will graduate in the spring and
plans to teach high school theater and di
rect high school productions.
“I’d like to teach during the year, and in
the summer get work in community or rep
ertory theaters,” he said.
Activities,
involvement
UPC’s goals
By Angle Qofttodi
Staff Reporter
If you are looking for less expensive
social activities and events, you can start
by checking out the programs offered
on campus.
The University Program Council
strives to provide University of Ne
braska-Lincoln students with
cocurricular programming, entertain
ment and activities at discount prices.
The council also gives students an
opportunity to develop leadership and
become a part of a network community
within a largely diversified university.
One UPC official said the council did
not actively seek the events it sponsored.
“Usually, the agents come to us. We
look at requests and decide which ones
we will help with through event selec
tions,” Dorene Johnson, a sophomore
advertising major and UPC event direc
tor, said. “We consider if there is a de
mand on campus for the event.
‘The UPC also has an open forum,
which is advertised through the
See UPC on 13
Play takes a look at ‘Generation X’
By Paula lavlgw
Senior Reporter
Three men in their late 20s are
lost in a post-college world of
mixed-up morals and bad relation
ships as they struggle to find out
what it means to be a man.
This dose of “Generation X” re
ality is more than a scenario — it’s
“Boys’ Life.”
Howard Korder’s theatrical
comedy “Boys’ Life,” directed by
Jeff Knoedler, will open Theatrix’s
1994-95 season on Thursday.
Knoedler, a senior secondary
education major concentrating on
theater and English, said the play
was a contemporary look at the
maturity process of three men,
Jack, Don and Phil.
“it focuses on issues and what
it means to be a man and to de
velop a code of morality,” Knoedler
said.
Knoedler said that since col
lege, the three friends never grew
out of their “cruisin’ and boozin’.”
During the course of a year, Phil
and Eton start to look for stability
in other places, he said, while Jack
maintains his irresponsible nature.
Much of the play’s message is
encoded in the men’s relationships
with women.
“The three guys are kind of a
role model of how not to be for a
stable relationship with women,*’
he said.
Don (played by Robb Goff)
forms a relationship with a wait
ress. She finds out he was cheat
ing on her when she discovers a
pair of panties in his room that
aren’t hers.
Phil (played by Colby Coash)
never gets past dating women be
cause he rushes them into relation
ships.
Both Don and Phil take their
philosophies from Jack (played by
Dana Wall), and they often land
in trouble.
“Jack isn’t ready to grow up yet.
He’s very manipulative and char
ismatic. He talks Don and Phil into
doing things they don’t want to
do,’’ Knoecfier said.
“Jack wants them to still be
cruisin’ and bruisin’, and they’re
trying to break away from that be
cause they can’t form stable rela
tionships with women.”
Wall, a fresh man. genera I stud
ies major, said Jack was a “plea
sure-seeking” sort of man.
“His moral standards are of his
own creation,” he said. “He decides
See THEATRIX on 13
'Boys' Life*
directed by Jeff Knoedler
today through Sunday,
Studio 301
Three One-Act Comedies
'Made for a Woman/
'Bachelor Holiday/ The M Word*
directed by Channlng Roos
Oct. 20-22. Studio 301
'Marks of Permanence*
directed by Charles Russell
Nov. 10-13, Studio Theatre
The Pursuit of Anne*
directed by julle Hagemeler
Nov. 17-19, Studio Theatre
k'&avage/Love*
directed by Jeanne Long
Dec. 1-3, Studio Theatre
