Arts/Entertainment
University Daily Kansan / Thursday, October 8, 1987
7
Lisa Jones/KANSAN
Jennifer Glimpse, left, Wichita senior and, Ramona Curtis, Lawrence sophomore, have a difference of opinion as characters Nellie and Jill in
"The Fox." The play will run Wednesday through Sunday at Inge Theatre in Murphy Hall.
Jeff Hopkins, Prairie Village freshman, plays Henry in Allan Miller's adaption of the play "The Fox," part of the William Inge Memorial Theatre Series.
Inge series opens with love triangle in Lawrence's 'Fox'
Bv BRIAN BARESCH
Staff writer
D. H. Lawrence's "The Fox," adapted for the stage by Allan Miller, has only three characters, but the tension they create in Inge Theatre this week is as gripping as a battle scene with a cast of thousands.
The two women in "The Fox" have moved to a farm to live together, away from the prying eyes of villagers, but a pair of foxes invades their solitude and shatters their dream.
The first is an animal that invades the coop to steal chickens; the second is a young soldier who invades the farm to steal one of the women, by cunning and will rather than by force.
Jeff Hopkins, Prairie Village freshman, plays the soldier, Henry, who arrives at the women's farm, where he had lived with his grandfather five years before. His weeklong stay sows discord between the women as he lights on the mammoth play played by Jennifer Gimpse, Wichita senior.
"The Fox," set in the present-day, rural United States, is directed by Kevin Reeves, Ottumwa, Iowa, graduate student. It opened the William Inge Memorial Theatre Series last night, running at 8 p.m. through Sunday in Murphy Hall, with a matinee at 2:30 p.m. Sunday.
Nellie does the heavy work and takes care of the fragile Jill, played by Ramona Curtis. Lawrence sophomore. Nellia, unnerved by her nightmares of the fox, is cool to the now-
homeless Henry when Jill asks him
to stay until the end of his leave from
the Marines.
Nellie resists Henry's designs at first, but her friendship with Jill is permanently damaged, nonetheless, and the tensions between the three slowly build up until the play's sudden finish.
Reeves, directing his first major production at KU, said the play was about changes in relationships between students and their individual relationships with Henry.
"It delves into the differences between relationships," he said, "not necessarily on a sexual level but with how men and women relate to each other as friends, and how women relate to each other."
Reeves said some things were deliberately left ambiguous. "It should be the audience's decision as to the nature of the women's relationship." he said. That they are lesbians is implied, but not stated, he said.
Lawrence did not fully explain the women's bond in the original story, which was published in England in 1923.
Henry, who has been a hunter since he was 12 (he is 20 in the play), prowls about the small farmhouse and finally focuses on Nellie.
He tells her that the hunter becomes one with the hunted, so that the prey has no choice but to fall to the predator. He is right; Nellie
cannot resist him
Hopkins, in his first production at KU, has to walk a fine line between hunter and romantic as he portrays Henry, whom he describes as a predator who needs someone to nest down with.
Curtis, also in her first major production, lives up to the task of changing Jill from demure and friendly to jealous and desperate. Gimpse, who has performed in "The
Picnic Project," The Martyrdom of Peter Ohey" and "Lunin," effectively communicates the withdrawn Nellie caught in the hunter's spell.
"The Fox" is sometimes funny, always gripping, psychological and palpably tense. The small cast forces the actors to work hard to present their incredibly complex characters. That they do so assures that the audience will be caught in the drama's grip until the end.
Songwriters to compete for Kansas title at fifth annual Kaw Valley Festival here
By KIRK ADAMS
Staff writer
Local songwriters will express their hearts' dearest melodies this weekend in Lawrence at the Fifth Annual Kaw Valley Songwriters' Festival of Song highlighted by the Kansas State Songwriters' Championship.
Twenty-five people will participate in the festival's main event — the songwriting championship from noon to 6 p.m. Sunday at South Park, between Massachusetts and Vermont streets and North Park and South Park streets. The competition includes 60 artists who submitted tapes. In case of rain, the event will be at The Bottleneck, 737 New Hampshire St.
Gary Smith, producer and promoter of the festival, said the championship was more for enjoyment than for competition. One purpose of the championship is to give people who have not played much in public a chance to perform for an audience, he said. Another goal of the contest is to encourage the songwriters to continue their work.
The Festival of Song features several folk, country and rock performers who will play in Lawrence. The festival began yesterday and will continue through Sunday.
I'm very raw at this . . . I'm still pretty shy at performing, so I'm looking forward to getting some experience.'
1.
Anika Perex Kansas City, Kan., senior, and contestant in the Kansas State Songwriters'
Steve Hummel, Chicago freshman, is among those who qualified for the 2016 U.S. Open.
"I'm just happy to be in the top 25 and happy to be performing," he said. "If possible, I hope to finish in the top three."
Hummel said he had been writing folk and rock songs for about two years.
More than $650 will be awarded to three finalists, including recording time at local studios and gift certificates from local businesses.
Championship
she had recently made demo tapes with the Kansas City area bands Shooting Star and Bloodstone, but she had not given many live performances.
Amika Peres, Kansas City, Kan.
senior, also qualified for the contest.
She plays pop and jazz music on
the tour. She's a singer since she was 7 years old. She said
"I'm very raw at this. . . I'm still pretty shy at performing, so I'm looking forward to getting some experience."
The Festival of Song continues at 8:30 p.m. tomorrow at The Bottleneck Performers will be Rick Frydman, a local folk and country performer; Beth Scalet, a local folk performer; Julie Bennett, a former Texas songwriting champion; and Carl Keen, a Texas folk songwriter.
Three events are scheduled for Saturday. Many artists will be performing from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the downtown shopping district between Vermont and New Hampshire streets. The city of Lawrence has become a destination for bouts, and the Downtown Lawrence Association is a sponsor.
Other performers will be appearing throughout the week. At 17:30 p.m. today, Kristina Olsen of Los Angeles' Loose Strings Band will play at the Glass Onion, 12th and Oread streets, hosting an open microphone where anyone is invited to perform.
There will be a potluck dinner and songwriter's workshop from 1 to 4
p. m. Saturday at the Bandana Ranch, 1234 Connecticut St., for sponsors, supporters and aspiring songwriters. The dinner will be hosted by the festival's promoters and presented by Kristina Olsen.
At 8 p.m. Saturday at The Bot-
tleneck, local folk singer and former
Kansas songwriting champion Deni
McIntosh, local folk balladeer Melvin
Litton and Kristina Olsen will per-
form.
Local promoters help push bands
They aim for audience exposure to secure major record contracts
By KIRK ADAMS Staff writer
Many local rock bands are shaping up their acts hoping to win a record contract.
People in town who promote live music and produce recordings can help, but they say it's not so easy.
Rick McNely, who owns the Jazzau, 926% Massachusetts St., said he thought the best thing a band could do was deal with the deal was polish up their road act.
Not only that, McNeely said, but a band must have a format that will bring in a crowd, so that they eventually will develop a strong following.
McNeely said the bands in the Lawrence and Kansas City area that attracted larger crowds were the well-seasoned groups.
"They play all the time and they don't have their eyes on that mythical record contract," he said.
but they lose interest when they don't meet their goals," he said.
Rich said he thought a band's enthusiasm was the most important factor in being successful.
The next steps, he said, are for bands to find their audiences and people that believe in them and support them.
"It helps if they start out with enthusiasm and talent. If they don't have talent, hopefully they have enthusiasm and can develop the talent."
Steve Topping, who manages the Homestead Grays, a Lawrence band, said he thought his band might soon make it big. They will open for the Paladins at 9:30 tonight at the Jazzaus.
Topping, who also does the sound mixing for the Grays, said he thought the band would soon get an offer for a record contract.
G
Good songwriting, talented musicians...and dedication and devotion...is only 50 percent of getting there.
One example, McNeely said, was jazz keyboard player Jan Hammer, who used to play in Lawrence. He said Hammer honed his skill as a synthesizer specialist on the road.
"Now he does music for Miami Vice." McNeely said.
A lot of jobs that want a record move to Los Angeles, McNeely said.
He said bands in the Lawrence and Kansas City area were more interested in playing live than those in Los Angeles, but were probably better performers.
"The whole idea when a band plays there is to get a record beat" beats.
"I have several friends that moved from L.A. to the Midwest and they say the Midwest bands just cut 'em to pieces," he said.
Brett Mosman, owner of The Bottleneck, 737 New Hampshire St., said that when he promoted a band he built up to surprise the band would draw a crowd.
— Steve Topping
Manager of the Homestead Grays
"We basically selling these bands. The majority of bands that we do have some kind of feather in their cap," he said.
So he books bands that already are somewhat established — from both Lawrence and the rest of the country.
Mosiman said that if he received a recording of a band and he liked it, even if their pictures looked good, he did not wear a band unless he knew more about it.
"You're always trying to judge what a band's appeal will be to your market," Mosiman said.
Most bands become successful after a lot of experience, he said.
"Nobody makes a lot of money in a little amount of time." Mosiman said. "Some bands get breaks, but most of the time they deserve it."
"The people who can drink may not want to see those bands." Rich said. "It's hard to get the acts accepted and get jobs for them."
Bill Rich, owner of Fresh Sounds Inc., 626 Massachusetts St., an independent record label that also manages and promotes bands, has recently finished helping promote the River City Beamup.
Rich said finding places that would book smaller bands could be difficult.
"It's not very fulfilling because so much rejection involved." he says.
Rich said money was a basic problem for bands and promoters.
Another problem is finding shows for progressive or punk bands, which account for many of the bands in the area, because most of the places that feature live music sell liquor and attract older audiences, he said.
"Bands can handle minimal finances for a certain length of time,
"It's going to take some time," he said. "But the songwriting and the live performance is so strong that I feel, eventually, that someone is going to say, 'Let's back this.'"
The band consists of Chuck Mead and Mike Janas. Lawrence residents and original members: Guy Stevens, Director; and Brock Ginther, Hays senior.
The 'Grays, a four-musician band that plays what Topping calls Kansas rock' n' roll, have been together for three years, with two new members joining the past year.
"It's all home grown. It's bare bones work. It's just the real thing." Tonnad said.
"Right now I'm not actively pursuing the major labels, but I'm pursuing the smaller independents and especially the ones that have distribution deals with major labels or major distributors," he said.
The band isn't too worried about making money, Topping said, partly because two band members still are enrolled at the University of Kansas, and the band does not have as much time as they like to practice.
He said the Grays had been so popular recently that they no longer had to look for shows — the shows came to them.
He called Stephens and Ginther the best rock rhythm section in town.
Topping said the correct way to promote a band to a record company was to send a letter of solicitation to submit material for review. If the company's representatives are interested, they will notify the band to send a tape.
If bands send tapes to record companies without inquiring whether they will accept the material first, the company will throw the tape away so that they will not accidentally play the tape on the air illegally, Topping said.
The Grays hope to get an offer for their master tape, titled "Homestead Grays," that is generous enough so they can record another album, Tapping said.
"But we want to retain ownership of the songs," he said.
Topping said there were many aspects that make bands successful.
"Good songwriting, talented musicians . . . and dedication and devotion . . . is only 50 percent of getting there. There are literally thousands and thousands of bands that have that. What they don't have but what they all need is luck and timing," he said.
"There are lots of bands that really don't have the musical talent — that don't have the good writing, but they've had the luck and timing.
"So far, we have everything but the luck and timing."
Bands will perform at local bars
The Bottleneck, 737 New Hampshire St.
- Oct. 9, Rick Frydman, Beth
Sealet, Robert Earl Keen, Julie
Barnett and Friends
Bennett and friends
Oct. 10, Deni McIntosh, Melvin
Oct. 10, Deni McIntosh, Melvin
Litton, Kristina Olsen and friends
Oct. 11 and 10, Face Faces
- Oct. 13, Dumprruck (all ages)
- Oct. 14, Ben Vaughn Com
Ellen
Oct. 11 and 10, Foot Faces
Nov. 13 Durup truck (all ages)
bo / The Manhoots
Oct. 18, also Needs
Oct. 17, Charlie Burton and the Hiccups
Hikups Oct. 18, Roger Miller
Oct. 14, The Drive
The Glass Onion, 624 W. 12th St.
■ Oct. 8, Kristina Olsen; open microphone
Grays / The Pandas
Oct. 9 and 10, Mackender-Hunt
Read
The Jazzhaus, 926 1/2
Massachusetts St.
Thomas Harnestead
Oct. 8, The Homestead Grays / The Paladins
Gammons, 1601 W. 23rd St.
Oct. 8, Airkraft
Oct. 14, The Drive
Oct. 15, Matt Guitar Murphy
Oct. 16 and 17, The Red Zone
Johnny's/Up and Under, 401 N. Second St.
Oct. 9 and 10, The Heaters
Oct. 15, Upfront
Oct. 15, Upront Oct. 16 and 17, Black Pearl
Oct. 8, Ropeburn
The Outhouse, four miles east on 15th Street.
Oct. 16, Redd Kross / Ultraman
The Rock Chalk Bar, 618 W. 12th St
The Rock Chalk Bar, 618 W. 12th St.
■ Oct. 8, Dashboard Budha
■ Oct. 9, Dancing Bears
■ Oct. 10, Gaddies
■ Oct. 13, Open microphone night
■ Oct. 15, Parlor Frogs
■ Oct. 16, L.A. Ramblers
■ Oct. 17, Big Toe