THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, JANUARY 24, 2008
NEWS
ART
3A
Student pursues passion for plays
BY ANDREW WIEBE
AWIEBE@KANSAN.COM
What began as an extra credit assignment has evolved into a passion and possibly a career for junior playwright Whitney Rowland. However,
this process has been almost a decade in the making.
Rowland
Rowland's career as a playwright started while in theatre class at Olathe North High
School. She needed extra credit for her class, so she wrote a play for it.
"When I got the assignment I was like 'well I need some extra credit so I'll do it,'" Rowland said. "I have called that teacher since then and thanked him so much because I think I would have found out another way that that's my passion but I'm glad that I found it when I did."
Now, seven years later, her full-length adaptation of that first work, now titled "Tabula Rasa," is competing at this week's regional Kennedy Center competition.
In addition to "Tabula Rasa," Rowland's one act play, "Lights Fade, Curtain," and ten-minute play, "Erikas Kite," will compete for the opportunity to enter a national event at the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival in Omaha, Neb. in April. "Lights Fade, Curtain" was performed at the Lawrence Arts Center on Jan. 19 prior to the competition.
Plays are chosen through readings where the judges know neither the name of the playwright or the school he or she represents, according to professor of English Stephen Lim.
At 25, Rowland said she knew she hadn't taken the most direct route to the University but believed her extra experiences made her a better writer.
The summer after she graduated
from high school, Rowland, decided that writing plays was her calling.
While attending the Humana Festival of New American Plays in Louisville, Ken., one performance changed her life.
"There was a play that I saw there that just shook me to my core," she said. "It was as if someone was speaking my language, like I had never heard my native tongue before."
The next fall Rowland enrolled at JCCC and immediately became involved in the school's drama department. Her writing talent was immediately recognized by arts history coordinator Beate Pettigrew.
"When she was first at ICCC she really wasn't sure what she was doing and where she wanted to go, but we knew instantly that she was a very gifted writer," Pettigrew said. "As she gained more confidence in her writing and decided that this was indeed going to be her focus, she just took off like a racehorse."
During the past two years Rowland has been at the University, she has worked with Lim.
"She just keeps getting better and better and honing her craft," Lim said. "She has wonderful stories to tell and she tells them passionately and honestly." There is a good chance at least two will advance to the national competition in April, Lim added. He said this is the first time he can remember a student has had three plays chosen to compete in the regional competition.
Rowland said her dream was to become a professional playwright but that she would also love the opportunity to become a teacher to help students. Either way, she said she couldn't envision doing anything but becoming a playwright after graduation.
"I can't really get away from it," Rowland said. "There is nothing I love more than writing."
-Edited by Nick Mangiaracina
》 LAWRENCE
Hookah venues stay open despite new laws
Basam Chaim, Lawrence senior, Hazel Chaim, Lawrence senior both smoke out of a hookah at the Hookah House Monday night. The two owners of the Hookah House recently found out that theHookah House can stay open, although their shop will not sell hookah or hookaback any more.
BY JESSICA WICKS
JWICKS@KANSAN.COM
Jessie Fetterling/KANSAN
Basam Chahine is the father of six. A retired petroleum engineer, he now lives in Lawrence helping his sons run the family business: the Hookah House, 1212 Massachusetts St.
According to Hazem, it is impossible for anyone to slip marijuana
To Basam and his family, the traditional glass tobacco pipe, known as a hookah in America, is more than just their livelihood, it is a reminder of their culture and religion.
"It took us a year to start up, to convince the city we were good for the community," Chahine said. "What we have is traditional!" Chahine is Muslim and from Lebanon. Drugs and alcohol are against his religion. He and his sons pride themselves on being able to provide a place for Muslim students to avoid the normal college festivities that violate this moral.
"We do not need to sell hookahs to do well," he said. "But if they said we could not serve, we would be devastated."
"The police have never given us any trouble at all," said Chahine's son, Hazem. "This is a place for people to have a good time not under the influence."
Basam said that his establishment wasn't dependant on hookahs.
Sergeant Paul Fellers, Lawrence Police Internal Affairs officer, said individual cases within the law would be judged on a case by case basis.
Despite recent fears that the Hookah House will be shut down because of a new state law redefining drug paraphernalia, the city has chosen to allow the commercial service of tobacco through these traditional pipes as long as they are not sold to the public. Mohammed Iskandrani, owner of Aladdin's Cafe, 1021 Massachusetts St., said a Lawrence police officer called him and told him not to close up shop completely. He could still serve the hookah.
"It would likely be difficult to show that a hookah used solely for smoking tobacco in an establishment that regulates its use was used primarily intended or designed for some other purpose," Fellers said.
into his hookahs. He or his brother, Bassem, prepare every hookah themselves. They are the only people who can touch the bowl, where the tobacco is placed.
Hazem said he does not endorse the hookah as a safe alternative to cigarettes, but if you are going to smoke tobacco, the hookah is the best way to do it. He said the chemicals are different in hookah tobacco and there is no tar.
"This place has nothing to do with [drugs], and we like it that way," Hazem said.
"The hookah has so many filters that you don't get as much nicotine," Hazem said. "It is harder to get addicted."
With the passage of House Bill 2062 last summer, police are even more concerned with the sale of items that could serve the consumption of dangerous and otherwise illegal drugs like methamphetamine and marijuana. Although hookahs were included in the law, legislators did not specifically target traditional hookah use.
Douglas County District Attorney,
Charles Branson, said that if a person could demonstrate a legal purpose, the hookah was not a problem.
Hazem equates the Hookah House to a coffee shop. He said that in his culture, after school a young person would study and then go to his or her hookah place.
Candice Farha, Marjaayoun,
Lebanon freshman, said that going to
the Hookah House made the transition
to the United States easier for her.
"Whenever I come here, it reminds me of home," Farha said. "It makes me feel like I am not so far away." Smoking a hookah, or what she calls an arguile, is just something that she does with her family at meals.
"I've grown up with it," Farha said. "Sometimes the whole town gets together over a meal and that is just part of it."
Basam said that the hookah provided friendly socializing.
"just look around," he said. "The people here are just relaxing and enjoying each other. No one is acting stupid. No one is drunk."
Farha said that people didn't see the hookah for its true value in America. She said that just because a hookah was something you smoke out of, people saw it as drug paraphernia. Farha said the hookah was never intended for marijuana or any other
illegal drug.
"It is not meant to be a bad thing, but people who don't understand make it out to be," Farha said.
Farha said drug and alcohol use was greater in America mostly because the laws make it a novelty.
"In America, people go out with the intention of drinking," Farha said. "In Lebanon, people have a drink because they are out."
Local patrons at the Hookah House said they went there to avoid the drug and alcohol scene on campus.
"It is easy for people to gather and have a good time here," said Danny Smyl, Edmonton Canada freshman. "This is such a cool atmosphere that you don't need to be drunk to have a good time."
"We can't go to the bars because we are not 21," Chris Newman, Chanute sophomore, said. "This is a good alternative to underage drinking."
Newman said that he didn't even know about the hookah before he came to Lawrence. He said that the Hookah House helped him to learn more about a different culture and a nice Lebanese family.
Edited by Madeline Hyden
THIS WEEK ON CAMPUS January 24, 2008 SENATE
ABWA Meeting
Welcome Back!
Tuesday, January 29th @ 7pm
Alderson Auditorium (4th floor Kansas union)
Casual Dress
New & returning members-- come hear about
what ABWA has in store for the
Spring semester!
Food & Prizes!!!
Join the Commission on the Status of Women for our first Women's History Month planning meeting!
When: Monday, January 28th at 6:00 p.m.
Where: The Wheat Room in the Kansas Union
Who: You and your friends. There will be delicious food!
Not sure where to start?
Looking for a way to get involved this semester?
Check out Student Senate for a great way to be a leader on campus.
Contact Adam McGonigle for information regarding the many great opportunities available.
Adam McGonigle - 785-864-3710 amcgonigle87@yahoo.com
Focus the Nation
KU Hillel and the KU Center for Sustainability are hosting a roundtable discussion on the 31st in conjunction with a nation-wide event called Focus the Nation. The subject of the discussion is climate
change policy responses at various levels of government. Scheduled panelists include: Provost Richard Lariviere, Lt.Gov. Mark Parkinson, state Senators and Representatives, and Mayor Sue Hack. The discussion will be moderated by award winning journalist and NBC Environmental
journalist and NBC Environmental Correspondent Simran Sethi.
Come Join the discussion at the Dole Institute of Politics, Thursday January 31st from 7:30-9:30 p.m.
The Board of Class Officers Calls for nominations for the
C. L.A.S.S. Award Citation for Leadership and Achievement in Student Services
The CLASS Award was established by the Class of 1987 as a gift to the University of Kansas. It is awarded annually to an unclassified staff member in Student Success for distinguished achievements in student services, commitment to the needs of KU students, and contributions to the welfare of students at the University. Nomination forms are being emailed out and can be found in the Student Involvement and Leadership Center as well. They should be dropped off for the Board of Class Officers (BOCO) at the Student Involvement and Leadership Center 400 Kansas Union, or can be emailed to boco@ku.edu.
They are due by 5:00 pm on Friday, January 25, 2008.
The recipient of the 2008 CLASS Award will be announced Saturday, February 16, 2008 at the Men's basketball game between KU and Colorado.
If you have any questions please contact:
Ryan Northup - BOCO President - kuryan85@ku.edu or
Katie Goron - BOCO VP of Awards -ktldy15@ku.edu
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