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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (July 6, 2000)
Rotating repertoire highlights Rep season By Kate Graft* Staff Writer Repertory theater will make its first appearance at UNL since 1990 when die Nebraska Rep Is produc tion of “The Last Night of Ballyhoo" opens Thursday evening at the Johnny Canon Theatre. Repertory theater refen to a theater in which one company of acton presents several plays for a season, usually alternating diem. Midway through its 2000 season, the Nebraska Repertory Theater finally lives up to its name as it presents “Ihe Last Night of Ballyhoo” and “Picnic” in rotating repertory. “It allows for a nice use of dou ble casting,” said Julie Hagemeier, theater manager for the department of theater aits. “Audiences like that... to see acton in one role one night and a completely different role the next night” Brad Buflum, stage manager of both shows, said rotating repertoire is hard on the technical crew. However, he said it is good for the actors, because both plays are rehearsed together, rather than rehearsing one during the day and performing another at night ‘The Last Night ofBallyhoo” is by Alfred Uhry, author of die play and screenplay “Driving Miss Daisy.” Set in Atlanta in December 1939, the story is centered around Ballyhoo, an annual debutante ball for Southern German Jews. The production is directed by Ken McCulough, a guest artist with the theater department. McCulough said the play explores “conflict and prejudice within a specific culture” through the intro duction of Yankee Joe Farkas into the Freitag family. The Freitag household is com posed of Adolph Freitag, his sister Boo, and their sister-in-law Reba. Both women are widowed, and each has a daughter who is around 20 years old: Sunny, the popular, self-assured one who goes to col lege in Pennsylvania; and Lala, the dateless misfit who left college on the pretense of homesickness Shirley Mason, head of the Professional Actor Training Program at UNL, plays Reba oppo ^ It allows for a nice use of double casting. Audiences like that... to see actors in one role one night and a completely different role the next night.” Julie Hagemeier theater manager, department of theater arts site Actors’ Equity Association member Diane Robinson as Boo Levy. Reba is almost as aloof and innocent as Boo is down-to-earth and socially concerned. Adolph, portrayed by Equity actor Gene Anthony, brings the whole family together with his grandfatheriy presence. Adolph is a loving man who runs die family business and whose biggest secret is that he hasn’t read “Gone With the Wind.” Just when the audience has grown accustomed to the Freitags’ soft-spoken Georgia dialect, UNL undergraduate Jude Hickey as Joe walks in the front door with a brash Brooklyn accent of his own. An early encounter with Lala and a later one with Sunny natural ly result in a clash over the charm ing Joe. Amy Rafa and Amy Jirsa portray an episode between the two cousins that is akin to sibling rival ry “The Last Night at Ballyhoo” is presented on a thrust stage-that is, the audience surrounds three sides. This decision was made by McCulough and scene designer Ron Naveraen, who said they chose thrust to best utilize the space in the Caraon Theatre. Naveraen is a set designer and an associate professor of theater at Southern Illinois University. He heard of the production through Jeff Elwell, UNL theater arts department chairman, whom he had designed for in die past Naversen started with a sketch of the set two months ago, which was adjusted to fit the theater space, then spent a week drawing the plans. Ed Johnson, a UNL graduate student in technical theater and the technical director for the show, took over from there. “My job is to make the design er^ concept and design a reality,” Johnson said. “In other words, I build it... safely, under budget and in a timely fashion.” Once Johnson^ shop crew fin ished construction and Naversen painted the set, it had to be taken down and stored during the International Thespian Festival. Because of this, the cast didn't set foot on die set until their first tech rehearsal Tuesday. house in a style typical of upper class homes in 1930s Atlanta Please see REP on 11 Summer Daily Nebraskan Editor Tim Kantens Associate Editor Sam McKewon Questions? Comments? Ask,tor the edkor at (409) 472-2588 or e-mail dnOunUdu FSx number (402) 472-1761 World Wide Web: www.dattyneb.com The Daly Nebraakan (USPS144-080) ispubishedbyeieUNL Publications Board, Nebraska Union 20,1400 R St., Lincoln NE 88688-0448, Mondey-Friday during the academic year weekly during the summer aeeaiorte. The Pubic has acceee to the PubNcattone Board. Readers are encouraged to submit story idem and oommente to the DaNy Nebraakan by caBng (402) 472-2886. Subscriptions are S60 tor one year. Postmaster: Send addrees changes to the Daly Nebraskan, Nebraska Union 20, 1400 R St, Lincoln NE 68588-0448, Pertodtoal postage paid at Lincoln, NE. ALL MATERIAL COPYRIQHT 2000 THE DAILY NEBRASKAN EARN UP rcivnwra to $970 MHHH| Call 474-PAYS HHHHHH assist MEDICAL RESEARCH ASUN meets to discuss hike ■ Schafer calls unoffi cial meeting to discuss tuition rate hike. ByjUlZeman Staff writer If tuition rates are raised at NU, several members of the ASUN stu dent senate want to know where heir extra dollars will be spent The group met in a special ses sion Wednesday night, requested by Association of Students of the University of Nebraska president Joel Schafer. Fourteen senators attended the meeting, so the group was unable to do anything officially, as 21 members are necessary to vote and take action. Members discussed who should be responsible for provid ing money to recruit and retain quality faculty members at NU: the taxpayers or the students. “If the Board of Regents does n’t get money from the state, and they automatically turn to students, it sets a dangerous precedent,” said first vice president Riley Peterson Schafer said state appropria tions and tuition revenue are both placed in a general fund, which makes it difficult to track how the money is spent The senators agreed that if tuition is raised, they want tosee tangible results at UNL. “When I shell out more money I want it to go here, to my class room, my institution and my pro fessors,” said College of Engineering and Technology Sen Kourtney Mueller. College of Arts and Sciences Sen. Jason Mashek said with the departure of many leaders in the university, it is crucial to know where tuition dollars go. “My dean is gone, die dean in charge of getting a new dean is gone, and we’re not earmarking these funds?” he said. Schafer encouraged the group to contact their state senators or regents to discuss state aid for the university. Many members also will attend the July 16 meeting of the Board of Regents, where the tuition hike may be discussed, but not voted on, Schafer said. The cause for the potential tuition raise is NU^ goal to remain competitive with schools in its peer group, which include Ohio State University, University of Minnesota, University Of Iowa, Iowa State University and Kansas University, said Joe Rowson, director of communications and associate to NU President Dennis Smith. Compared to these schools, the University of Nebraska receives $50 million less from state aid and tuition revenue, he said. The board may not decide on a tuition hike soon, but a budget pro posal for 2001-03 for the Legislature is due in September, he said. ^ Members of ASUN will begin meeting weekly at the start of the fall semester, which is when they can take formal action on die issue. “This is a daunting but not unattainable task,” Schafer said. “We need to educate the stu dents about what is going on.”
