Friday, November 21, 1997
The University Daily Kansan
Section B · Page 7
Art Whore seeks suitors
Jim Dayton, Overland Park junior, has written a book of poems on social ills. Dayton will be selling his book at a release party Sunday at the Bottleneck, 737 New Hampshire St. Photo by Geoff Krieger/KANSAN
Artists' group introduces book by local writer
By Tom Winter
twinter@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Poet, writer and KU student Jim Dayton will release his book "Random Acts" Sunday night at the Bottleneck.
"I've been writing for a long time," Dayton said. "I just decided that it was time to put out a book."
Dayton, Overland Park junior, said this was his first experience publishing his work.
The book is a compilation of poems and short stories with illustrations by two local artists: Tyson Schroeder, Lawrence resident, and Julianne Donovan. Salina senior.
"I like to put odd characters together," Dayton said.
The title piece of the book involves six characters—an average Joe, his girlfriend, a stripper, an alien abductee, a televangelist who has fallen from grace and a mass murderer—and tells how they are all connected.
Dayton said that his book was intended for adults who are interested in fiction and aren't impressed with contemporary mainstream fiction.
"Mainstream fiction is very mass-produced," Dayton said. "They stay with the same plot lines and just plug in new characters."
Dayton said he and illustrator Tyson Schroeder laid out the book themselves. "It's short fiction and poetry. Half of the poetry is social commentary and the other half is
romantic-style verse," Dayton said.
"The short stories are Pulp Fiction-like stories that I've been writing for a year and a half."
Dayton said he had been influenced by comic book writers, especially Neil Gaimon, and romantic poets such as Percy Bysshe Shelley and John Keats.
This is the second book published by Art Whore. The first was by local writer Doug Richards. However, Art Whore is not primarily a publishing company.
"We put on spoken-word shows at the Granada in The Aqua Lounge," Schroeder said. "The next one is going to be Dec. 9."
Schroeder said Art Whore started
as an idea he had for a "design stylehouse," a group of artists who have similar design techniques. When Richards asked him if he would do illustrations for his book, they decided to publish under the name Art Whore.
Schroeder said Art Whore was not involved in the local-artist scene because of the way the stylehouse's artists approach their subject matter.
The book will be available at the Bottleneck for the Sunday night release party and book signing and also at Alley Cat Records. It costs $10
Art Whore will also be having an art show from 2 to 8 p.m. at 512 E. Ninth St.
The cast of the musical theater production "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" will perform its show at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. tomorrow at the Lied Center. Student tickets are still available for both performances. Contributed Photo
Show in business at Lied
By Rachelle Detweiler
by Katherine Dewittier
rdefweiler@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Shepherd Mead saw the fat cats of the Benton & Bowles advertising agency climb the corporate ladder while others clung to the bottom rungs.
In 1952, he wrote about the theatrics and brown-nosing from his business experiences in his book "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying." A recent revival of the 1961 musical adaptation of Mead's book will bring two performances of the musical to the Lied Center tomorrow.
The matinee performance begins at 2 p.m. and the final show is at 8 p.m. Student ticket prices range from $15 to $17.50.
The performance portrays corporate business history through humorous stereotypes and cartoonish exaggerations of characters, said cast member Jason Reiff.
"Men go through ridiculous channels to move up in big business," Reiff said. "Promotions were based on whose butt you kissed."
Even though the musical is not meant to approach issues in today's business world, some messages still smart with the truth and sting with accuracy.
Kristine Baker, acting director of public relations for the Lied Center, said the musical was
a satire in both its original production and its revival, but for different reasons.
Baker said the corporate men's club was the production's original focus, but in today's corporate climate people are more aware of how that outdated image affects women.
"I think the world of big business is still a boys' club and it is definitely hard for women to work their way through it," Reiff said.
Today the musical presents a much needed message of women's push toward corporate success, but the humor keeps the message lighthearted. Reiff said.
"I always think it's great to find the humor in any situation," Reiff said. "It helps lighten the tensions and helps people look at the situation more objectively."
Hairstyles from the late '50s and early '60s, polyester suits, cubicles with a retro flare and pastel wall panels will remind viewers that the message is dated.
Reiff said there were no rifts between the men and women during rehearsals even though the musical's message was still true today.
"The women especially had to go into this knowing that it was a part where they would be outlandish and cartoonish," he said. "We wouldn't want anyone to think the subjugation of women was something that was acceptable in today's climate."
Dance and jazz combined in show
Visiting dancer's piece performed for the first time
By Corrie Moore cmore@kansan.com Kansan staff writer
The University Dance Company leaped onto stage with its fall concert last night at the Lied Center and the KU Jazz Ensemble provided live music. The groups perform again at 8 tonight at the Lied Center.
The program features four dance pieces and one musical composition.
The show lasts about 90 minutes.
During the first half of the show, dancers performed to recorded music. The jazz ensemble joined the dancers for the second half.
The show began with "Setting Sail," which featured dancers in tie-dyed costumes and bare feet.
The modern dance was choreographed by David Capps to three Duke Ellington songs, "Kinda Dukish," "Things Aren't What They Used To Be" and "Melancholia."
The next piece, "Sketches," was choreographed by music and dance faculty members Muriel Cohan and Patrick Suzeau to "Children's Songs." Dancers appeared in sharp colors and displayed a variety of dancing styles.
After intermission, silhouetted dancers performed on their toes to three more Duke Ellington songs performed by the KU Jazz Ensemble. The band brought the dancing alive with clean sound.
Next, the KU Jazz Ensemble emerged from the pit to perform "The First Circle" without dancers.
This is the first time the dance company and the jazz ensemble have worked together. The dance company has worked with the orchestra for its productions in the past but usually the company uses recorded music.
Joan Stone, instructor of music and dance, said it took time for the dancers and jazz ensemble to come together but once they did, the result was better than recorded music.
The last number, Count Basie's "Topsy," was choreographed by music and dance department lecturer Willie Lenior and played by the KU Jazz Ensemble.
Angela Arnold, Columbia, Mo., senior, performed in "Topsy" and has been with the company since her freshman year.
"This is a really good show all around," she said. "It was one of the better ones we've had."
Jill Simpson, Columbus sophomore, said she attended the show for a jazz class.
"It thought it was interesting," she said. "It was different than anything I've ever been to before."
Some of the numbers incorporated ballet and modern dancing, which Stone said was more difficult to choreograph to jazz
music.
The dances were choreographed by KU faculty, except for the first number, "Setting Sail." That piece was created by David Capps from the University of Colorado-Boulder.
Capps visited the University of Kansas for two weeks in October after receiving the Big 12 Faculty Fellowship. While on campus, he choreographed and worked with company dancers on the piece.
The 27 dancers in the company tried out at the beginning of the semester. Stone said that the dancers practiced from two to four times each week for about two hours each practice.
"Topsy," will be submitted for the 1998 American College Dance Festival. The company will travel to Dekalb, ill., in February to perform the piece.
The competition is regional and the winner will then attend a national competition.
The company's productions are funded by the department of music and dance, along with an allocation of $11,000 from Student Senate.
Dancers from the University Dance Company perform "Sketches". The performance was part of the Lied Centers Music and Dance Concert Series and consisted of five scenes set to jazz music. Photo by Steve Puppe/KANSAN
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