Section A · Page 6
The University Daily Kansan
Thursday, November 4, 1999
C. S. Lewis is known for more than just his children's books. He also wrote on the nature of Christianity. The Kansas C. S. Lewis society will discuss the author this weekend. Photo Illustration by Chad Cumminas/Kansan
C. S. Lewis scholar to speak
By Clay McCusition writer@kansan.com Kansan staff writer
The C. S. Lewis society of Kansas will pay tribute to the British author this weekend at the University of Kansas.
Clive Staples Lewis, a professor at both Oxford and Cambridge universities, died in 1963 at the age of 64. His 33 books include the Narnia series for children, science fiction and meditations on the nature of Christianity.
The year-old group will sponsor a speech by Lewis scholar Dabney Hart, Georgia State University associate professor emeritus, from 4 to 6 p.m. tomorrow at 336 Strong Hall.
Hart's speech titled "C. S. Lewis: Myth and Imagination," will be telecast to Kansas State, Washburn, Emporia State and Wichita State universities. The event is open to the public. More activities will follow on Saturday and Sunday in Lawrence.
"He had a gift for writing with clarity and zip," said Max Sutton, organizer of the weekend's events and professor of English. "He does what we'd all like to do in our essays."
Hart, who will be in Lawrence through the weekend, met with Lewis in the 1950s when she was a Fulbright Scholar in England. She wrote one of the first doctoral theses about the author.
"She's a pioneer in Lewis studies, and she's a wonderful speaker," Sutton said.
The first meeting of the Kansas C. S. Lewis society was last year at Wichita State, commemorating the centennial of his birth.
Sutton said that Lewis still was read because his writings combined both entertainment and intellectual elements.
"It was more effective for him to talk about Aslan
Saturday: 6 p.m., Pollack supper, Canterbury House, 1116 Louisiana St., followed by dramatic readings from The Great Divorce and discussion.
- Friday: 4 to 6 p.m., Teleconference, 336 Strong Hall. Featured speaker: Dabney Hart, associate professor emeritus, Georgia State University; "C. S. Lewis: Myth and Imagination," followed by a panel of respondents and open discussion.
Sunday: 9:15 to 10:10 a.m., Parish Hall, Trinity Episcopal Church, 1011 Vermont St. Hart speaks at an adult forum.
Nancy Yacher, English lecturer, teaches English 203, "Reason and Imagination in the Writings of C.S. Lewis." Hart is scheduled to address her class Friday morning.
the lion in his books for children than talking about Jesus Christ." Sutton said. "That makes him more interesting than the theologian who appeals to the intellect."
C. S. LEWIS WEEKEND
"Lewis functions in lots of locations," Yacher said. "Of his 33 books, all of which are still in print, four times as many are in circulation today as at the time of his death."
Yacher also used Lewis in her English 101 class when textbooks were late. The class read "The Inner Ring," an essay by Lewis, as part of a discussion about the Columbine shootings.
Brett Wiese, Topeka sophomore, is in Yacher's 203 class. He said he enrolled because he was interested in examining Lewis's work.
"Id read his Narnia chronicles when I was a little kid and liked him a lot," said Brett Wiese. "I just wondered what else he had out there."
—Edited by Katrina Hull
Virtual reality play bends limits
Watching plays with the help of headgear is becoming a regular occurrence at the University of Kansas.
By Derek Prater
writer @kansen.com
Kansas staff writer
Virtual reality productions utilize computer-generated models and polarized glasses to create three-dimensional virtual scenery that transports audiences beyond normal theater experiences.
Machinal is the latest in an ongoing series of virtual reality productions by the University Theatre and the Institute for the Exploration of Virtual Realities. The play, which began its run last week, will continue tonight through Saturday at the Inge Theatre in Murphy Hall. Performances start at 8 p.m.
Mark Reaney, professor of theatre and film and director of the institute, said this production, the fourth of the series, had the most complex effects yet.
"There's more detail, more geometry, more textures, and there are
lighting effects and animated objects that we couldn't do before," he said.
Ron Willis, professor of theatre and film and director of the production, said the virtual aspects of the production advanced the themes of the play.
Rv Derek Proter
"The inner action is very important in this play," he said. "We use the effects to distort reality and explore the character's inner world. It's a good expressionistic device."
Machinal charts the experiences of a woman as she is marginalized by society. Willis said.
Willis said virtual productions presented actors with challenges.
"They have to behave as if a certain thing is there even if it is not," he said.
Damon Klassen, a Great Bend senior now in his second virtual reality production, said that was not the only challenge.
"You've got a lot to compete with," he said. "It's a challenge to keep the audience's attention."
Mo Perry, Eden Prairie, Minn., freshman, who also is in the show, said the script and the performances
were strong enough to stand alone.
"It's a neat backdrop, but I don't think it overshadows the performances," she said.
Both Klassen and Perry said the added dimension of the production was a big plus.
Klassen said that although computer-generated effects conflicted with his personal theatrical taste, the opportunity to work in a vanguard production made it worth the time.
"There are maybe three theaters in the world that are doing this," he said. "We're sort of forerunners, and it draws attention from all over the world."
Willis said virtual reality productions had drawn all types of responses from audiences.
"For some the virtual reality is too much — they get almost dizzy," he said. "Other people really groove on it."
General admission tickets for
Machinal are on sale at the KU box
offices. Tickets are $4 for students, $8
for the public and $7 for senior citizens.
Indian students prepare for festival
Edited by Allan Davis
By Rasika Dhavse
Special to the Kansan
Wake up early on Sunday. Who does that?
This weekend, members of the Indian community at the University of Kansas definitely will, as they celebrate their most prominent festival, Diwali — the festival of lights.
Arwind Manohar, Nairobi, Kenya, sophomore, said he was ready to visit the Indian temple in Shawnee Mission this weekend for the Diwali fair, which will be from 3 to 6 p.m. Saturday, and the puja (religious ceremony) on Sunday. He also planned to visit Indian families he knew in Kansas City to celebrate with them.
"It's that time when you get out your Indian self," Manohar said. For the past few years, the Indian Students Association at the
University celebrated the festival with a cultural program and Indian food. But it is not this year.
Sandeep Misra, Overland Park senior and president of the association, said that because of some confusion in dates, the group was not able to reserve the Kansas Union Ballroom or make alternate arrangements.
Not just international students from India attend the Diwali celebration. Students born and raised in the United States, but with Indian heritage, also participate.
Being away from home during Diwali is a strange feeling for most Indian students. More than anything else, the festival is about togetherness, and that is what the students miss most.
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Delhi, India, junior.
But when he takes his kurta-paja ma (ethnic Indian outfit) out of the closet, he plans to have a good time with his friends at the University at some events being planned by the Indian community in Kansas City.
Vivek Joshi, a post-doctoral student from Bombay, India, also plans to celebrate. Joshi has been in Lawrence for five months and has made good contacts at the Maharashtra Mandal, an Indian community group in Kansas City. He has set aside another weekend for a belated Diwali celebration there.
Disha Chopra, Bombay, India graduate student, will perform a small ceremony at her apartment.
"At home in India, it is usually my mother who takes care of these things," she said. "But here, I plan to do something special."
Edited by Chris Hutchison