University Daily Kansan / Friday, October 7 1988
Arts & Entertainment
11
'Airplanes'
Play delves into alien sphere
By M. Meredith Relph
Kansan staff writer
Kansan staff writer
While stories of UFO abductions and experiences with other planes of life are generally used with seismic仪和 speculation, the mysteries of the mind and unknown have formed the basis for a new dramatic production.
"1,000 Airplanes on the Roof," a collaborative production by playwright Henry David Hwang, composer Philip Glass and set designer Robert Kline be presented at a m.p. 19 in Oct. 18 at the Miltonium as part of its $38 city U.S. gift.
Hwang, who received the 1889 Tony Award for his latest play, "M. Butterfly," wrote the text for "1,000 Airplanes," while Glass developed the music score.Sirlin, whose creed set designs for Madonna's "Who's That Girl" designed the series of photographic slides which are the sets for the play.
The men were in Lawrence Monday to take part in a public forum at Liberty Hall where they discussed "airplanes" with about 200 people.
Hwang said the one-man play developed out of an idea for a science-fiction and memory story. The play was double-cast, with both a man and a woman in the role of "M." A double-casting was to relieve the workload that would have been required of the actor making the entire tour.
Hwang said the play was not exploitative of the people who were in FUOs and with UFOs. He said the play's message went beyond the abduction theme and dealt with people's problems that stemmed from other sources.
"It's about recognizing the past, or denying it, and trying to fit into society," he said.
“It's frightening because it forces us to deal with things outside our realm of control.”
The title, "1,000 Airplanes on the food," came from the description object by someone who had had an airplane. The man described the noise that man had described the noise that
accompanied the aliens as soundin like "there were 100 airplanes up o the roof"
The script is delivered almost as a monologue by "M," who is being haunted by something in his/her past, which causes him/her to feel alienated by society. "M" is forced to go through the same process when he/she discovers through the course of the monologue, is caused by an early abduction by aliens.
As preparation for the scriptwriting, Hwang said he read about UFOs and people' experiences with abductions.
when we started out, I didn't know where it was going," he said. "The play evolved throughout the story and even into some of the first stairings.
Sirlin's slides, as set design, allow frequent and elaborate scene changes.
"Audiences accept changes like this in movies, on stage it is amazing," Sirlin said. "It's like a live movie."
"This has let us explore new ideas in theatre as a challenge or a challenge than just designing a standing set. It allowed me to generate a new voice for the audience."
The play is guided by Glass' continuous musical score, which gives the only cues for the actor. Glass' work as a theatrical composer includes the epic opera, "Einstein on the Beach." It was recently commissioned by the New York City Metropolitan Opera to compose an opera to be staged in 1992.
Glass said he wanted to try to do something to recognize the 50th anniversary of "Invasion from Mars" radio broadcast, which caused nationwide panic.
After obtaining the rights to produce a special original "War World" story, Store 610 of the radio broadcast was based, the trio decided to pursue the UFO incident.
Through research for "1,000 Airplanes," Glass said he found that people who claimed to have had
ibduction experiences felt a sense of isolation. He likened the feelings of he people to those of rape victims or ietam veterans.
"People say 'What right do they have to do this to us?' There are a lot of things that happen to us that we don't like to talk about." Glass said.
"You don't have to have been abducted to learn from the play. It about life and things you perhaps didn't say but should have."
The play offers a multi-sensory experience to audiences as well as a high psychological message about society.
"We trust the audience's willingness and capacity to take it all in at different levels," Sirin said. "It really turn out to be so abstract."
Hwang said "M" was a character audiences could relate to. He said he she suffered from the mental strain that has faced at some point in his life.
"Most of us have experienced something that we can't get others to believe." Hwang said. "And some don't want to be told us that we don't want to believe."
"It's a crossroads... do I tell it and let people think I'm crazy, or do it repress it and make myself go crazy?"
The futuristic production received its world premiere in london, when it was presented at the Palace of Hanover hangar at the Vienna, Austria. The play's United States airport. The play's United States debut was performed in Philadelphia and then received by audiences during its tour.
the performance in Lawrence marks an attempt by the creators to present new, live theater in cities not selected for traveling performers.
"Getting real theatre is difficult."
Glass said. "It's especially hard to get experimental theatre outside of it, but it was built because of the expense."
"People in Lawrence, Kansas, will see 1,000 Airplanes' before people in New York."
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