k ■
Much to do
in Lincoln
onweekend
Another weekend has rol led around
and all your friends are out kung fu
fighting, so you’re left at home with
nothing to do. Well, pick that chin up
—there’s plenty to do in Lincoln this
weekend even if you’re not a certified
black belt.
“Jeffrey” will continue it’s run at
the Futz, which is located in the Mis
sion Arts Building, 124 S. 9th St. This
play combines a comical love story
with a number of social issues, includ
ing AIDS and gay romance in the
’90s.
The play runs tonight, Saturday
night and Jan. 25-27 at 8. Tickets are
$10. Because of the play’s subject
matter, no one under the age of 17 will
be admitted without an adult.
The blues will soar this weekend at
the Zoo Bar, 136 N. 14th St., with
Studebaker John and the Hawks. A
blues artist since 1971, Studebaker
John has played throughout the United
States as well as in Europe and Canada.
•' As fine purveyors of tough Chi
cago Blues, Studebaker John and the
Jiawks are not to j?e missed. They will _
perform tonight and Saturday night at
9. Cover charge is $5.
“The World Goes Round” will con
tinue its run at the Downtown Dinner
Theatre, 245 N. 13 th St. This unusual
musical will show tonight through
Sunday with dinner starting at 6 and
the show at 7:30. There also will be a
Sunday matinee, with dinner at 1 p.m.
and the show at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are
$20 for dinner and show, $ 10 for show
only.
But if sitting in a dark room and
staring at a big white screen sounds
like fun, this week’snew crop ofmov
ies promises to satisfy your urges.
“Sense and Sensibility” — Emma
Thompson has earned buckets of
praise for this adaptation of a Jane
Austen novel. She already has earned
a Best Actress Golden Globe nomina
tion and, with the Oscar nominee an
nouncements fast approaching, things
can only get better. This one also
features Hugh Grant and may prove to
be some sort of redemption for the
actor after “Nine Months.”
“From Dusk Till Dawn”—Quentin
Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez. ‘Nuff
said. Well, maybe not.
As the latest in a recent rash of
vampire films, this effort could prove
to be disappointing. But with Tarantino
and Rodriguez at the scripting and
directing wheels, this ride promises to
be anything but the usual.
“Kids”—Larry Clark’s film debut
will continue its run at the Mary
Riepma Ross Film Theater. This dark
look at a clique of troubled teens has
stirred up as much controversy as it
has critical acclaim.
“Kids” shows tonight at 7 and 9,
Saturday at 1 pm., 3 pm., 5 pm., 7
p.m. and 9 p.m., and Sunday at 3 pm.,
5 p.m., 7 pm. and 9 pm. Admission is
$5.50, $4.50 for students and $3.50
for seniors, children and members of
the Friends of the Mary Riepma Ross
Film Theater. No one under the age of
18 will be admitted to “Kids” without
the accompaniment of a parent or le
gal guardian.
Have something to contribute to
TGIF? Send information to ‘TGIF,”
c/o Daily Nebraskan Arts and Enter
tainment, 34 Nebraska Union, 1400 R
St., Lincoln, Neb. 68588, or fax us at
472-1761. TGIF is compiled by the
arts and entertainment staff.
Tanna Kinnaman/DN
Jack Dunn demonstrates the tools of his trade. Dunn is coordinator at the Mueller Planetarium
and organizes the laser light shows there.
Laser light shows blasting off
By Gerry Beltz
Senior Reporter
The seats are tilted back, and
your gaze is filled with the sight of
the dome above you. The lights go
down and the laser light show is
about to begin.
But how is the magic of this au
dio-visual spectacle possible?
. Ask Jack.Pimp.( . .
Dunn, coordinator of Mueller
Planetarium, said the laser shows
are created at several different lev
els.
“First, there are three kinds of
images: abstract (geometric, but not
representational), graphic (some
thingpeoplc would recognize, like a
dolphin) and luminous (colored
cloud-like things).”
Also a part of this are the beam
effects to be seen in the air, which
cannot be done without fog.
“Laser shows are combinations
of all these,” he said.
The creativity lies within the per
son — or persons — in charge of
putting the show together.
“It is up to them what happens
when,” Dunn said. “The technician
becomes the artist.
“There is no magic box. The la
ser artist has to sit and decide what
happens and when.”
Some shows also use a lot of
graphics, he said.
“For example, for “Sunday
Bloody Sunday” by U2, we used
pictures of guns, tanks and stuff,”
Dunn said.
The laser shows of today have
come quite a long way since the first
laser light shows in the ’70s, he said.
“The early shows had only two
colors — red and green — to work
with,” he said. “The first shows here
were in red only.”
Dunn said two major develop
ments since then have raised the
quality and quantity of laser shows.
“One major step were the de
vices to separate the lines from a
white-light laser, which consists of
the colors red, blue and green,” he
said.
“Once we have those, we can
combine them and get any ol’ color
we want.”
Another maj or development was
a crystal that can be controlled with
electricity and vibrations, he said.
“Again, it separates the colors
and we can control what is picked
out,” Dunn said. “This was one of
the biggest advances of color con
trol; it’s very accurate.”
The future of laser shows won’t
be so much in new stuff, but in
working with what already existed,
he said.
“The laser shows will become
more complex, and the speed of the
shows will increase as well.” he said.
Most shows take about a week to
put together, “working on different
parts and different times,” Dunn said.
“The music was selected a couple
of weeks ago,” he said, “and we
usually have more than one show in
production within the same week.”
The music for the laser shows is
important, and it takes some phone
work and book checking to make the
final decisions, he said.
“We call the radio stations and ,
find out what’s popular,” he said,
“what concerts will be coming
around and what albums are being
released.
“We try to go toward things which
are well-known.”
Audience sizes vary from musi
cal genre to musical-genre and artist
to artist, Dunn said.
“Our Laser Country shows do
well,” he said, “but with our Laser
Classical and Laser Jazz, it is just
difficult to draw an audience.”
Variety is a key to success at the
Mueller Planetarium, he said.
“We are always trying to do new
things,” he said, “otherwise it would
stifle our creativity and our audi
ence.
“So far, no one has asked to do
Laser Polkas.”
Tonight, the Spring 1996 Laser
Fantasies series will begin with the
music of Green Day. The shows
start at 8 p.m., 9:30 p.m. and 11 p.m.
Admission is $5 for adults and $4
for UNL students.
By Gerry Beta_
Senior Reporter "
According to Bob Dole, the film
industry may not be good for
America. But the political realm has
proved to be very good for Holly
wood,
And Nebraskans will get the-'
chance to see this relationship at
work when the Nebraska State His
torical Society presents its latest
weekly film series.
“American Politics and Ameri
can Film,” acollectionoffilms made
between 1939 and 1972, kicks off
Sunday through March 10.
The films feature several recog
nizable stars, including Jimmy
Stewart, Katherine Hepburn, Spen
cer Tracy and Robert Redford, and
will be shown Sundays at 2 pjn. at
the Museum of Nebraska History,
15th and P streets. All screenings
are free and open to the public.
This year’s series isn’t the result
of a random choice, said Andrea
Paul, library/archives associate di
rector. The combination ofa planned
William Jennings Bryan exhibit and
the 1996 elections played a major
part in deciding upon the subject
matter.
No other series was even seri
ously considered for this year, she
3aifl.
“There are some possibilities
every year, but because of all the
outstanding factors, this year was
pretty much dictated.”
The films for this year’s series
were chosen by Paul and Bill Pratt,
a history professor at the University
of Nebraska-Omaha, she said.
“Between the two of us, we de
cided to place the emphasis on elec
toral politics and how it works.
“Bill’s specialty is 20th-century
American history, and that influ
enced our decision.”
While there is no formal set of
criteria for the films, considerations
must be made for each series, she
said.
“We have to know there will be
enough films for a seven- to eight
week minimum,” she said, “and we
have to find speakers—people with
knowledge of the topic — to intro
duce each film.”
Suggestions for different films
and film series come from many
sources, she said.
“We have received suggestions
from both the public and the staff,”
she said. “Some of the series are
more scholarly; some are fun.
“We usually play it by ear, and—
a lot of the time — it ends up as
curator’s choice.”
“American Politics and Ameri
can Film” will begin Sunday with
“Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” a
1939 film starring Jimmy Stewart.
Future films in the series include
“All the King’s Men,” “The Candi
date” and “State of the Union.”
For more information on the se
ries, contact the Nebraska State His
torical Society at 471-4785.
Aces High
to perform
Saturday
By Emily Wray
Staff Reporter *
Aces High will show all of its
cards at a welcome-back dance in
the East Campus Union on Satur
day.
The concert/dance, sponsored by
the University Program Council will
run from 8 p.m. to midnight.
The six-piece band originated in
Lincoln a little more than a year ago
and features five performers with
UNL roots.
“Aces High was here last year
anjd did a concert and dance. UPC
brought them back because they were
so successful,” event director Anne
Olson said.
Band members include lead
singer and rhythm guitarist Mark
Keaton, a senior agronomy major;
Dale Downs on lead guitar and vo
cals, a graduate student in animal
science; and drummer Clint Lefler,
a graduate with a bachelor’s degree
in criminal justice. Jerry Maranville,
a professor of agronomy, plays steel
guitar, and his son, sophomore Case
Maranville, plays bass guitar in the
group.
Fiddler Patrick Nowak is a Uni
versity of Iowa graduate with a
master’s degree in business from
Creighton University.
“Aces High has a traditional coun
try sound, like George Strait and
Chris LeDoux, but our music has a
unique style featuring new country
not heard from other bands,” Keaton
said.
The band plays a combination of
swing style, rodeo and cowboy mu
sic and supplements its program with
original compositions written by
different band members.
For Saturday’sdance, Aces High
will play several swing pieces, two
steps, waltzes, shuffles and polkas
on request, Keaton said.
“We do what we enjoy, and it’s
working well for us. The band is
heavy on fiddle and steel guitar,
which is unique in this area,” he
said. '
Keaton said the band was excited
about playing for the UNL commu
nity.
“We had a really good turnout
last year and invite everybody back
out to see how we’ve changed,”
Keaton said.
Saturday’s dance is in the Great
Plains Room at the East Nebraska
Union, 37th and Fair streets.
Tickets are available at the door
for $5, $2 with a UNL student iden
tification.
Emotions
explored
From Staff Reports_
Mezzo-soprano Judy Cole will
perform at Kimball Recital Hall on
Sunday. Cole, a professor of music,
will perform “Songs of Love and
Farewell” with Catherine Herbener,
piano.
As itstitle would imply, Sunday’s
program will feature a variety of
songs that explore the many emo
tional aspects of love and farewell.
“It is a fun program, a great com
bination ofbeautiful,happy, sad and
funny songs,” Cole said.
Some program highlights are a
newly published Samuel Barber
piece and a pair of Canteloube folk
songs.
Sunday’s performance will be
gin at 3 pm. Admission is free.