J. J. B.
Thursday, October 9, 1997
The University Daily Kansan
Section A · Page 3
Local plays to focus on homeless characters
Jennifer A. Yeoman
jyeoman@Kansas.com
Kansan staff writer
Under a bridge in Lawrence there lives a homeless man who has killed a nine-year-old boy. In Portland, Ore., under another bridge, two homeless men find shelter after a police raid and exchange stories.
"Report to the River" and "Upright", two short plays about homelessness, open at 8 tonight in the Lawrence Arts Center, 200 W. 9th St.
The plays, presented by English Alternative Theatre, which is in its ninth year, will be performed at 8 p.m. Oct. 9-11 and at 2:30 p.m. Oct. 12. Admission is $5.
"Report to the River," written by Paul Lim, associate professor of English and founder of English Alternative Theatre, is based on an actual murder case that happened in Lawrence in 1988.
On July 12, 1988, Richard Settlemyre, 9, went to the Kansas River to fish. Two days later his torso was found floating in the river.
The next morning, John William, a 27-year-old transient from Texas, was charged with first-degree murder and eventually was convicted.
William, Lim said, had been befriended by the Settlemyre family. They allowed him to shower and to occasionally sleep and eat with them.
But something went wrong.
But something was wrong. Lim has created a fictional character, a KU student, who
is trying to piece together his memories of the event. The story follows the emotional journey of this student as he tries to relate the incident to his own life.
The story presents details from the event as well as giving the audience an insight into the mind of the killer. I am said.
Lim, who has talked to William in his prison cell, said that he thought his play was a metaphor about America's obsession with sensational crime.
"Something about our society makes us want to wallow in this filth," he said. "I'm as guilty as everyone else is. It's a very unhealthy interest."
This play, he said, serves as an exorcism for himself and as a mirror to hold up to his audience to decide if it likes the reflection.
"Upright," by 1997 KU graduate James Hilburn, a former student of Lim's, follows two homeless men the day after they are displaced from Portland during a raid. The two men seek shelter under a bridge, where one of the characters comes up with solutions to their situation through the stories he tells.
"I was taking Lim's playwriting class and was required to write a one-act play," Hilburn said. "I wanted to write something from my experiences in Portland."
Hilburn had worked in a coffee shop in downtown Portland and had witnessed the homeless getting pushed out of certain sections of the city.
"This was a way to tell stories that I had heard," he said. "A way to tell about the politics of a city."
Hilburn's play was selected last year as the winner of the
Avi Seaver threatens Matt Chapman while Karl Ramberg looks on during a dress rehearsal for "Upright", a play written by James Hilburn, a 1997 KU graduate. The English Alternative Theater will put on two plays this weekend at the Lawrence Arts Center about the homeless. Photo by Holly Groschong / KANSAN
English department's Grant-Goodman award, for which he received $250. He will not receive compensation from the production.
"I wanted to do something on stage that had never been done before," he said. "I wanted to tell about life."
Web site untangles financial-aid woes
By Melissa Ngo Special to the Kansan
When Dave Casson, Merriam senior, needs to know how big the payments will be on his student loan, he doesn't call the bank. He logs on to his computer.
Thanks to a web site devoted to financial aid for students, students like Casson can determine their loan payments via the Internet.
The web site was created by Mark Kantwitz, a research scientist and the author of three books including "The Prentice Hall Guide to Scholarships and Fellowships for Math and Science Students."
"I created the site to help people." Kantrowitz said. "Financial Aid is confusing because of it's complexity and specialized jargon."
Fifty-two percent of KU students took out a total of $53 million in loans in Spring and Fall 1996.
Chris Johnson, associate director at the Office of Student Financial Aid, said that the site was the best source for all information about financial aid. The web site's address is http://www.finaid.org
"It is very broad-based with links to many other useful sites," Johnson said. "It's a one-stop starting place for students looking for financial aid."
Web Sites
Financial-aid website:
www.finaid.org
■ The University's Office of Student Financial Aid website:
http://www.ukans.edu/-osfa
The web site has links that range from sites for individual school financial aid to sites that will calculate how long it would take to pay off a student loan. The web site also offers a "preliminary-need analysis" to determine a student's eligibility for scholarships, grants and loans.
Casson said he used the site to determine how much interest he would have to pay on his student loans.
The University's Office of Student Financial Aid website is located at http://www.ukans.edu/~osfa
Johnson encouraged students to visit both Kantrowitz' site and that of the office.
"We can work with them on their repayment options, or determining their cumulative debt, and we're free. They don't have to pay someone a lot of money to help them with this," Johnson said.
Residents' rights
Attorney Alice Hamilton Nide speaks to Verna Davidson at Colonial Manor. Hamilton visited yesterday afternoon. A proclamation of Residents' Rights Week was signed by Mayor Bonnie Augestine yesterday afternoon. Photo by Dan Elavshy / KANSAN
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PLAY IT AGAIN
SPORTS
841-PLAY
1029
Massachusetts
EXPECT GREAT THINGS
Liberty Hall 644 Mags
749-1912
Pink FLAMINGOS
Thursday - Saturday at 7pm
BEYOND THE VALLEY OF
THE DOLLS
THURSDAY - SATURDAY AT 9PM
BKKOMA WIKI II
FRIDAY & SATURDAY
LUST & VENGEANCE WEEK
SUA Woodnuff Auditorium Level 5. Kansas Union 864-SHOW
NKEKLOMANTIK II FRIDAY & SATURDAY
M I D N I G R T
Hollywood Theaters
SOUTHWIND
| | Set/Season | Daily | Fcall | Fcall |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| I.L.A. Confidential I | 1.55 | 4.15 | 2.00 | -1.55 |
| D.J. Irons One Tm² I | 1.55 | 4.15 | 2.00 | -1.55 |
| G.J. Jones I | 1.50 | 4.25 | 6.55 | -1.55 |
| Walthamster Tm² II | 2.00 | 4.25 | 6.55 | -1.55 |
| Presmaster Tm² II | 2.15 | 4.45 | 7.15 | -1.40 |
| The Edge I | 1.50 | 4.00 | 6.25 | -1.14 |
| Presmaster Tm² II | 1.50 | 4.00 | 6.25 | -1.14 |
| In Out Tm² II | 2.85 | 4.00 | 6.50 | -1.12 |
| The Game Tm² II | 1.50 | 4.10 | 6.50 | -1.12 |
| M in Black Tm² II | 1.55 | 4.35 | 7.20 | -1.12 |
| Walthamster Tm² II | 2.15 | 4.50 | 6.55 | -1.12 |
| The Fall Morning I | 2.15 | 4.50 | 6.55 | -1.12 |
HILLCREST
On Oct. 24 "Fairy Tale" and "Gallibea"
Coming Soon: On Oct. 19 "Gang Stabbed" and "Twelve Tears in Titan"
On Oct 17 "Derril's America!"
Self/Star Daily
1 My Best Friend's Wedding **2.15** 2.15 7.19 8.29
2 Excess Baggage **2.20** 2.20 4.50 7.00 8.30
3 Europe Bag **2.20** 2.20 5.15 - 7.00
Double Feature **2.40** 2.40 - 7.00
4 Oliver's God **2.10** 2.10 4.50 7.95 8.25
5 Contact **2.10** 2.10 5.80 8.00