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Thursday Features
University Daily Kansan
Thursday, Oct. 3, 1985
Cast members get 'angry' for opening production
By Susie Bishop Of the Kansan staff
Dedication to perfection and a true representation of her character cost Kelly Christensen, Omaha, Neb., senior, 14 inches of her hair
Christensen is a cast member of "Twelve Angry Men," the opening production for the 1985-86 William Inge Memorial Theatre Series.
The play is set in a jury room during the trial of a teenager boy accused of killing his father. Christensen plays one of the jurors deliberating the verdict.
"I wanted to try and step out of myself," Christensen said Monday.
In order to step out of herself and into her character, Christensen said she cut off 14 inches of her auburn hair and planned to bleach it blonde.
The juror she plays is a completely different person from the person Christensen is off-stage, she said.
The play begins at 8 p.m. and runs Oct. 2 through 6 at the William J. Memorial Theatre in Murray Hall.
Normally a casual dresser in loose clothing and flat-heeled shoes, Christensen said she now wore high-heeled shoes, tailored skirts and shirts with padded shoulders to help her identify with her character. She said she also smoked more now.
Tickets for the play are available at the Murphy Hall box office. All tickets are general admission. Tickets are $3, or $1.50 with a KU ID. Senior citizen and other student tickets are $2.
Mickey Jones, Wichita graduate student and director of the play, said "Twelve Angry Men," Sherman Sergel's adaptation of Reginald Rose's television drama, delivers a message about biography to the audience.
If we logically assume Jay Karnes, cast member and Stilwell senior, said,
"It's not a play about law — it's a play about people. Occasionally, it does plus the democratic system."
"It takes a lot of courage to stand up against bigotry," Jones said.
The personal mannerisms of the individual jurors are exaggerated, Jones said, but the characters aren't meant to be stereotypes of their profession, religion or economic background.
"The characters are representative of different parts of our society, parts we all have within us," he said.
In the play, the jury is waiting impatiently to go home. They are about to find the young defendant guilty without discussing the evidence presented at the trial. One juror, believing the boy deserves a fair trial, casts the vote of
Christensen said her character was an advertising executive. The characters include an immigrant, a construction worker, and an architect.
"We are all very different people from different walks of life." Christensen said.
"I play one of the younger jurors," Burke said. "I'm an inner-city kid from the slums."
Burke said his character was offended by some of the racial slurs made during deliberations.
4 The disagreements become a personal thing. He takes
Mickey Jones Wichita graduate student
Suzy Mast/KANSAN
Call members of twelve Angry wolf teenagers Tuesday for yesterday's opening night. Counterclockwise from lower left, Jim Anderson, Grand Island, Neb., graduate student, warms up for rehearsal. Next, Kelly Christensen, Omaha, Neb., senior, rehearses her role, and Lin Holder, Lawrence doctoral student, gets made up by Tim Rebman, Republican City, Neb., graduate student.
Only males were cast in the original production in 1954, but Jones said gender was not important in the way the roles were written and he decided to cast women and men for the 13 parts.
it as an affront against him," Burke said of his character
Using women in the production made the play work better, Jones said.
"Using six women works a lot better than I thought it would," Karnes said. "Intially, I thought we were doing the play a disservice."
Since the play wasn't written for women cast members, the six in this production had to make up their own names, backgrounds and personalities. Christensen said.
Jones said the decision to have the play set in a modern jury room caused a few changes to be made in the dated language of the original play.
Any changes made in the dialogue were the responsibility of the actors, Jones said.
The biggest change in the play was the addition of women to the cast. Jones said they discussed changing the title of the play because of the women characters.
"The bottom line is 'Twelve Angry Men' is a fairly recognizable title," he said.
recognize him, he said.
He said "Twelve Angry People" and "Twelve Angry Jurors" were considered, but the alternatives lacked strength.
"My rationalization is that men can be a universal term," he said.
Though the story was written more than 30 years ago, Jones said it was as relevant today as it was in 1954.
Originally, "Twelve Angry Men" was a television drama. Three years later it was made into a film starring Henry Fonda.
Customers give new phones cold reception
By Theresa Scott Of the Kansan staff
Fuzzy telephone connections are expected when calling from Lawrence to Cairo, but when a call next door makes Mr. Smith sound as if he's sitting inside a popcorn popper, something is awry in the world of trimlines and rotaries.
After the breakup of American Telephone & Telegraph Co. two years ago, many other companies began to sell their phones to cash in on the latest market.
Steve Miller, Shawnee senior, said he purchased a Unisonic telephone from Wal-Mart Discount Cities, 2727 Iowa St., four months ago because it was inexpensive. He began having problems with the phone about three weeks ago.
However, many of the new telephones that don't cost as much as AT&T phones have not measured up to 150 students. Some come KU students and local salesmen
"First we tried the cords between the phone and the cradle and between
the phone and the wall." Miller said Monday during a static-plugged phone conversation. "We replaced both cords, but it didn't help."
Lori Newman, a clerk at Wal-Mart, said the Unisonic brand telephones had been the store's best-selling phone.
Miller said he had bought the phone because it was cheaper than the AT&T phones. However, now he says it probably was not worth the money he nailed for it.
Newman said that the several telephone brands the store sold were of "really good quality" and that only two or three units had been returned.
"A lot of people buy their own phones because they're cheaper and they can take them with them when they move," Newman said.
"I don't know if I can afford it," he said. "But I would like to buy an AT&T phone."
Newman said that when the students returned to Lawrence in August, the store's phone supply was quickly depleted.
Steve Word, general manager of
the KU Bookstores, said that AT&T, International Telephone and Telegraph and General Electric were the top three brands for telephone quality.
The KU Bookstores at the Kansas and Burge Unions sell mostly AT&T brand phones, but also sell a few Small Talk and Telequest brand phones, said a KU Bookstore employee. The Burge Union Bookstore also sells a few novelty phones, she said.
Bahman Pakravan, a sales clerk at Gibson's Discount Center, 2525 Iowa St., said the store normally sold GE and ITT phones and had sold about 70 telephones to students since their return to school.
"We sell AT&T phones because they're high quality items." Word said. "They are well known and have a good reputation.
"Business has increased since the
"In the past we have sold what we called 'throw-away phones,' but they don't sell. People look at them, pick them up, feel their weight and can tell."
breakup of AT&T.” Pakravan said. “But people are hesitating again toward buying a phone. They think AT&T is the only company that gives good quality phone service. AT&T, in my opinion, is too much trouble.”
Pakravan said he had heard good comments from customers about the ITT phones and didn't think they were inferior to AT&T products.
"With AT&T, you never know when the phone will come back or know what was wrong with it," he said.
Pakravan said that in order to get an AT&T phone repaired, it had to be sent through the mail since there were no service stores in Lawrence. This left the owner without a phone for an indefinite period of time.
However, Word said, AT&T phones were easier to get repaired than other brands because people could follow simple mailing instructions or drive to Topeka to an AT&T service center.
to many students. However, he said he did not think the quality of these phones was comparable to that of AT&T.
Although many students may recognize the reported difference in phone quality, not all of them can afford an AT&T, ITT or GE product.
Matt Arth, sales clerk at K-Mart Discount Store, 3106 Ilow St, said he had sold many less expensive telephones, such as a $15 Conair phone.
"I'll pick something up for $5 at Wal-Mart if I can," said Ben Pacolo, Harvey, Ill., junior.
Pacocha said he didn't want to purchase a phone that would have bad reception, but he didn't think a less expensive phone would give him problems if it was new.
Many students also rent phones from AT&T, but several of them complained that it was expensive to rent telephones.
Keith McKibbon, Kansas City, Kan., junior, said. "We are renting an AT&T phone, but we're talking about buying a phone because the bills are too high."
McKiblen said that he had not had many problems with the AT&T phone that he and his roommates had been renting for two years.
Sauerkraut, accordions merge for Octoberfest
By Theresa Scott Of the Kansan staff
The pungent odor of sauerkraut and the strains of accordion music will merge into one German sensation tomorrow, celebrating Octoberfest and promoting the Burge Union open house, a KU official said Monday.
"We are sponsoring the Octoberfest on the open house so that more people will see the facility and realize how nice it is," Carol Dingle, media and promotions coordinator of the Kansas and Burge Urges, said.
"Hopefully, once they see it, they will use it more."
Dingle said she thought that the Burge Union was not used enough and hoped tomorrow's events would encourage greater use of the Burge Union.
Many events will take place tomorrow at the Burge Union to show students what it offers, said Brad Weber, chairman of the Student Union Activities public relations committee.
"Burge is under utilized because it's new," Dingle said. "They also changed the name which didn't help. It used to be the Satellite Union."
These activities include performances covering the musical gamut, from a classical guitarist to a recorder ensemble, a polka band and a contemporary band, Weber said. Belly dancers, magicians and a fire eater also will perform.
Many factions of the Burge Union itself will contribute to the open house, Dingle said.
She said that the information counter would sell imported German Gummi Bears. The book store will have a drawing for an 12-speed bicycle, a dual cassette stereo and other prizes. And the cafeteria will
A polka band will play from 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. in the cafeteria and a contemporary band from Kansas City, Valentine and the Very Wealthy, will perform at 9 p.m. on the first level of the Burge Union.
"This is KU's version of Kansas City's Renaissance Festival," Weber said.
He said most of the performers also worked at the Renaissance Festival and were KU students or faculty, or Lawrence residents.
The profits the club earns from selling food will be used to send members of the club to St. Louis to experience the city's German culture, Vittands said.
Tammy Vittands, president of the KU German Club, said SUA asked the German Club to help promote the Octoberfest by "Germanizing" the cafeteria.
Club members will sell bratwurst and knackwurst in the cafeteria, and give dance lessons before the polka, Vittals said. The polka lessons are from 7:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. and are informal, she said.
On Tap
Nancy Haney
Peggy Helsel
RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL — The merriment continues this weekend at the Renaissance Festival at the Agricultural Hall of Fame in Bonner Springs. The gates open to the medieval carnival at 10 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. Student tickets can be bought for $6.75 at the Student Union Activities office in the Kansas Union or at the festival gate. The festival has been extended to run through Oct. 13.
CONCERTS:
Tricycle Thieves, formerly the Uptown Rulers, will perform at 9 p.m. today at The Jazzhaus, 926% Massachusetts St. Magic Slim and the Teardrops will play at 9 p.m. tomorrow and Saturday. There is a $3 cover charge for each show.
The Blues Express will play at 9 p.m. today and Saturday at Johnn's Tavern, 401 N. Second St. There is a $1 cover charge.
图
Valentine and the Very Wealthy,
a rock band, will perform at 9 p.m.
tomorrow in the Party Room of
the Burge Union.
SUA MOVIES:
Gallipoli will be shown at 7:30 p.m. today in Wooldruff Auditorium in the Union. Tickets are $1.50 for students with IDs. A Passage to India is scheduled to be shown at 3:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. tomorrow and Saturday in Woodruff Auditorium. The Adventures of Buckoroan Baozai is the midnight movie on Saturday in Woodruff Auditorium.