University Daily Kansan, February 7, 1985
ET CETERA
Page 6
Performers chalk up good times in revue
Terry Burkbart/KANSAN
Dru Myers, Tulsa, Obla, senior, and Sam Waugh, Eskridge senior, work on their dance routine with other members of their performing group in preparation for Rock Chalk Revue. The show features five acts, each performed by a fraternity and a sorority.
By PEGGY HELSEL Staff Reporter
Cast members of the Alpha Kappa Lambda and Alpha Omicron Pi Rock Chalk Revue skit dance in the AKL's dining room.
Women wearing sweats and jeans practice a song that's pure vamp — they strut and pose like burlesque stars in a vaudeville show. The men look a little sheepish as they go through the complicated dance steps.
The tables are pushed away and what's usually the stage for nothing more exciting than dinner becomes a stand on which a star could be born.
DURING THE LAST song, the dancers on the edge of the makeshift stage run into a table
Meanwhile, across campus, the Beta Theta Psi and Pi Beta Phi practice in on campus. Auditorium. On course through their skirt and are on the grand finale.
They hit the last note, the men lift their dance partners onto their shoulders and, boom, a couple go crashing and laughing to the floor.
"Smile, damn it," the groups' director vells.
"And cut, Good," says Danny Decker. Wichita state and the Beta director. The dancers collapse on the stage, breathe and wet with perspiration.
"Let's do it again," Decker says. The dancers slowly get to their feet and do the act again with as much enthusiasm as they can muster. A few of their friends sit on the wooden seats to watch their friends struggle to climb up. "The bright, ever present smiles begin to look a little tarnished.
A FEW ROUGH edges remain to be polished before opening night of Rock Chalk on Feb. 14.
After weeks of practice, the actors still don't hit every one of their cues and the chorus members occasionally miss a step. But with a week left until the curtain goes up, there's plenty of time to work on perfection.
"We haven't danced with the costumes on yet, so we we've got a mean practice ahead of us Thursday," she said. Kappa Alpha Theta director, said Tuesday. "I was stressing out for a while, but it's really getting fun now."
that I can see the light at the end of the tunnel."
It doesn't take long to figure out that a formula has developed for writing Rock Chalk skits, designed by the author, and Tales." Biting political and
always a happy ending. It may sound simplistic, but unlimited variations can be made with these basic elements.
social satiate it’s as high on the list as it was in 1900, when Rock Calk started in 1900.
Characters can be anything from the dancing stars — the kind found in the sky — in 'A Night in Shining
MUCH OF THE humor in today's shows relies on corny puns, and jibes at Kansas State University, add-drop lines and other KU institutions.
Each skit has a hero and a villain, romance and conflict — and there's
Armour", the Alpha Gamma Delta-Alpha Tau Omega ski, to oppressed people in a Third World country, as in *The Phi Pk skit* "A Thai'm for Change".
ROCK CHALK COMBINES the glitz of a Broadway production with the morality plays of pre-Shakespearean England. Amid the
often professional quality singing and dancing, little lessons may be learned.
Most of the skits have a moral, like those plays done by the traveling troupes who performed around the countryside in merry old England.
The goal of Rock Chalk is to raise money for charity. Fifty percent of the proceeds goes to the Lawrence United Fund. But that purpose can be augmented by the more obvious advantage of being in the show — fun.
The morals to these stories are always simple, as are the plots, and socializing social relevance. But sermonizing isn't the purpose of Rock Chalk.
The AOPI director, Allison Coleman, Camarillo, Calif., sophomore, said, "It's been a lot of work, but it's been fun work," and added that Rock The AOPI directed to meet new people and provided a service for the campus community.
"KU IS A big school." she said. "This is one way we can do something for everyone."
Rock Chalk also allows non-
touch majors to bask in the
spotlight.
Mary Thiel, Arlington Heights, Ill., junior, is a lead in the AOPI-AKI skit who has been active in theatre since high school.
"A lot of people have never been in performances before," she said.
For some cast members, the KU tradition extends back to parents, births and deaths.
Sisters Margy McMaster, Wichita senior, and Kady McMaster, Wichita freshman, are both in the Pi Phi cast, as their mother was 25 years ago.
"Mom was in the show from '56 to 60." Margay said. "She was so excited when I was in it my sophomore year, and this year, too. It's more fun having us both in it this year."
The show runs Feb. 14. *Tickets are $3 for the first night, $4 for the second night, and $6 for the final night.* The show starts at 7:30 p.m. each night.
Tickets are available at Mister Guy, 920 Massachusetts St. the Student Union Activities office in the Kansas Union, or from any of the participating fraternities or sororities.
'King Lear' takes on Oriental look
By RICK ZAPOROWSKI
Staff Reporter
An orthodox King Lear wouldn't be caught wearing traditional Japanese garb.
Tsubaki highlighted the Western
"Lear at first is an unreasonable person," but he is professing a normal human desire to have a peaceful, comfortable life." he said.
But Shakespeare didn't include in his scripts any rules prohibiting a little experiment with his plays.
KU's Williams Ime Memorial Theatre Series will present "The King Lear Project" at 8 p.m. Feb. 12 at the Inge Theatre in Murphy Hall.
with martial arts, masks and Japanese costumes.
The production maintains the spirit of "King Lear," but goes beyond customary versions by adapting it to a more modern, contemporary. And it certainly not orthodox
"The King Lear Project" relies on Kabuki, a traditional Japanese form of theatre. Andrew T. Tsubaki, the director of the movements and voice, inflections
The cast began rehearsals last fall to practice karate, stage combat and the use of the masks. They also developed skills using the Kabuki
Tickets for the play are on sale in the Murphy Hall box office and cost $10 for the public and $1.50 for KU admission. All seating is general admission
'I see in "King Lear" crushes of personality far more intense than those found in our daily lives.'
Andrew T. I
director
voice inflections, which exaggerate the actor's vocal range to develop rich intonation patterns.
The Kabuki method results in
boughted emojis and pronounced
emojis.
"I see in 'King Lear' crushes of personality far more intense than those found in our daily lives," he said. "Yet the basic drives and desires dealt with are common and elementary to existence.
Tsubaki, professor of theatre and director of KU's international theatre studies program, said that "*King" was the most popular more than any other play.
He said, "Once you attain that stylized level, you start operating at a level much more elevated than realism. I have the allies of Lear using a stylized approach to contrast with the evil people."
style of realistic acting with the Eastern form of emphasized drama.
Tsukai said he had to restrain from doing too much experimentation, so only five of the characters use the stylized methods.
"It sounds forced, but I've done it before and I know it works." he said.
Glenn Q. Pierce, assistant professor of theatre, who portrays Lear, delivers most of his lines in the traditional manner, yet uses the Kabui style for a few emotional scenes.
The Kabuki method of delivering dialogue may sound unusual to the audience. Tsubaki said, but it's active in emphasizing the emotions.
Pierce alternates wearing three masks in the second act to emphasize different feelings. The first mask reflects rage, the second shows horror and bewilderment and the third reflects sorrow. He and the other actors use the Kabuki voice inflections when wearing the masks.
Delores Ringer, assistant professor of theatre, designed the costumes, and Aprilia Snyder, associate student, designed the masks.
Pierce said he thought the entire Oriental look of the show would help the audience adjust to the unorthodox style of acting.
"I think that there's enough visual variety that it will be stimulating," he said. "It gives the show a lot of pagentry and eye-appeal."
Roy Stewart/KANSAN
King Lear, left, speaks to his daughter Cordelia. Glenn Q. Pierce, assistant professor of theatre, portrays King Lear, and Beth Parelman, Overland Park sophomore, plays Cordelia in "The King Lear Project." a production of the William Ige Memorial Theatre Series. Aprylla Snyer, Lawrence graduate student, above, checks the mask of Amy Wheeler, Oklahoma City sophomore, to make sure it fits properly. Synder designed the masks for "King Lear."
Rock Chalk Revue 1985
khart/KANSAN
Cindy Russell, Overland Park junior, demonstrates confusion while practicing for Rock Chalk Revue. The show, which has the theme of "Black Tie and Tales," runs Feb. 14-16.
'Klezmerize'
Unique band to play
Yiddish folk music
By RICK ZAPOROWSKI
This Sunday a band will "klezmerize" anyone in Lawrence who wants to hear its unique type of music.
Staff Reporter
TICKETS ALSO MAY be purchased in the Kansas Union at the office of Hillel, KU's organization for Jewish students. For each ticket the group sells, the Jewish Community Center of Lawrence will donate $1 for famine relief in Ethiopia.
The band isn't a jazz ensemble, and it isn't a rattle band, but it resembles both. The 14-member group plays klezmer music, a style of music that originated in medieval Europe and was influenced by several cultures.
Steve Netsky, band member and manager, said the Klemer Conservatory Band's music carried much tradition.
The Klezmer Conservatory Band will perform its jazzy Yiddish music at 8:15 p.m. in the Craftern-Tower Theatre in Murphy Hall. Tickets are available at the Murphy Hall box office and cost $8 and $6 for the public and $4 and $3 for KU students.
"Klezmur music mirrors the diversity of Yiddish culture. We play songs in the Yiddish folk tradition."
"Klezmzer music is several centuries old," he said in a telephone interview from Cameroon. He also spoke to the eastern European communities.
Originally, Jewish bands of about four members traveled to various towns to play in festivals. The musicians played instruments such as the fiddle, flute and dulcimer.
BUT THE KLEZMER traditions changed as Jewish people, emigrating from Europe, tried to adjust to the American culture.
The band's current director and Steve Netsky's brother, Hankus Netsky, founded the Klezmor Conservatory Band in 1980 while he was an instructor at the New England Conservatory of Music and played many bands to perform a single concert, and the klemer music became a hit — so he decided to form a permanent band.
"The bands became more brassy in America," Netsky said.
"It kind of caught on by surprise," Steve Netsky said. "It gained momentum on its own."
Because most klezmer music
was not written down, the band members listened to old 78 rpm records to hear how the music sounded
NETSKY DESCRIBED THE band's music as a mixture of jazz, ragtime and Broadway styles. The group's instruments include piano, horns, drums, banjo and accordian.
"Our band reflects an American klezmer band of the 1920s," he said.
The band also features vocalist Judy Bressler. Netsky said that the song lyrics were in Yiddish, but that Bressler would tell the
Steve Netskv
'We try to appeal to people in general. It's not just music for Jewish people.'
Steve Netsky member and manager Klezmer Conservatory
Band
The band passes its musical language lesson to people from all backgrounds and age groups, Netsky said.
audience what the songs meant and would translate some of the familiar words.
"By the end of our concerts, everyone knows a little Yiddish," he said.
"We've played for pretty diverse kinds of audiences," he said. "We try to appeal to people in general. It's not music just for Jewish people. The band, in fact, has about five non-Jewish people."
BUT INSTEAD OF just sitting and listening to the music, the audience actively participates in the concert.
He said, "There's quite a bit of interaction. The audience has to be into the music, and we usually encourage the audience to dance."
Netsky said that the Klezmer Conservatory Band was the largest klezmert band in the United States and that it contributed to a resurrection of the lively style of music.
"Up until now, there have been about four major groups traveling nationally and internationally," he said. "We have a good deal to do with the revival.
"Now there are klezmers bands springing up all over the place. I think it's a full-fledged revival at this point."