THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN FRIDAY, AUGUST 18, 2006
NEWS
ADMINISTRATION
3A
Provost joins elite council
BY BEN SMITH
Richard Lariviere, University of Kansas provost and executive vice
chancellor, has been elected as a lifetime member to the Council on Foreign Relations, one of the nation's top independent groups on foreign affairs.
"I'm very pleased," Larivière said. "It's a real honor to be elected as a lifetime member and to interact with such a collection of great minds
Lariviere
dedicated to international endeavors"
New members are selected by a committee of current members. The council often organizes debates and discussions on major international issues such as economics,
global governance, society and culture, and international peace and security with diplomats and speakers from around the world.
"For a long time, they have been the principal forum on international relations," Raj Bhala said, professor of law and council member since February 2001. "The council's purpose is to help the U.S. formulate foreign policies that advance American endeavors internationally."
Bhala said he was pleased to hear of Lariviere's election.
"Historically, the Council has been dominated by members from New York and Washington D.C." Bhala said. "More recent appointments are beginning to include per-
species from the plains states and other regions."
The Council has 4,282 members including scholars, journalists, business leaders, governmental officials and policy makers. Of those, 3,794 are lifetime members. The roster includes former Secretaries of State Colin Powell and Madeleine Albright, former President Bill Clinton and former Sen. Nancy Kassebaum Baker (R-Kan.).
The Council, with headquarters in N.Y. and an office in Washington, D.C., is one of the oldest bodies in the United States dedicated to focusing on foreign affairs.
Kansan staff writer Ben Smith can be contacted at bsmith@ kansan.com.
— Edited by Elyse Weidner
ENTERTAINMENT
SUA brings big talent to KU
Singer-songwriter Ben Folds will perform a concert at the Lied Center on Nov. 6.
BY BEN SMITH
Tickets go on pre-sale to Student Union Activities' preferred student cardholders Oct. 2 for $5. Tickets will be available to all KU students starting Oct. 4 for $10 and to the general public Oct. 6 for $25.
SUA began arranging the special performance last spring by searching for talent that would appeal to student tastes and a venue of the Lied Center's size.
"We were hoping to get somebody big this year; someone who could fill the Lied Center and yet keep ticket prices low for students," said Tanner Burns, SUA live music coordinator.
Burns said that the SUA office expected a large crowd for the event.
"Already we are getting numerous calls from students, and we haven't even begun to advertise," he said.
Daniel Singer, Leawood senior and Ben Folds fan, said he looked forward to seeing one of his favorite musicians live.
"I think his songs are well written," Singer said. "He is a musically talented individual."
Alex Abel, Wichita freshman, was thrilled to learn about the concert.
"As a fan, I could not be more thrilled that he is coming right here to KU." Abel said. "I like every song I've ever heard from him, and will definitely attend the performance at the Lied Center."
Folds broke away from his self-named trio in 2001 with the album "Rockin' the Suburbs." A multi-instrumentalist, Folds hails from Winston-Salem, N.C., and has recently been featured on the soundtracks of films such as "Hoodwinked" and "Jersey Girl."
Folds will spend September touring Australia before he begins his concert trek through the United States in November. He will visit Lawrence and nine other cities.
Kansan staff writer Ben Smith can be contacted at bsmith@ kansan.com.
Edited by Elyse Weidner
ARTS
Study abroad students impart theater experience to campus
BY DARLA SLIPKE
Continued polar by xkbb Cityhospital
Left to right, a Greek actress performs with Catie Provost, Teopeka senior, along with Kate Gieliff, Larned senior, and Brian Bondari, graduate student. A summer study abroad program allowed students to perform their own play in Katohi, Greece.
Contributed photo by Alkis Chrysostomou
Students will step onto a hard stage at the Inge Theatre in Murphy Hall this weekend, unlike the clay floor they performed on this summer in Katohi, Greece.
"I think our shoes are still covered in the red dirt from the theater," said Meggi Sweeney, who choreographed the production.
The cast will perform Euripides' Greek tragedy "Bacchae," which they created and performed during a summer study abroad program, called Theatre in Greece.
"It's an opportunity for the students to be able to come back and show friends, colleagues and teachers what they did this summer," said Dennis Christilles, professor of theater and film and director of the production. "We hope people will see this and be interested in the program."
"Bacchae" will be at 7:30 p.m. Friday and 2:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Inge Theatre in Murphy Hall. The event is free.
"Bacchae" deals with a rigid religious outlook and inflexibility toward admitting other perspectives into one's life. Students spent six weeks in Greece rehearsing the show before they performed it at an ancient fourth-century theater, Oiniades. Performing the ancient Greek tragedy at the Oiniades theater was a unique opportunity for students.
Living and working in Greece was a great experience, but it presented some challenges for students.
"We walked into this theater appreciating the detailed design for acoustics and the carved seating that has somehow lasted through the centuries, yet we were still facing common everyday obstacles that such a space presents, from rocks being turned up in the dirt while dancing to the millions of mosquitoes that arrived at night," Sweeney said.
Many of the students assumed multiple roles in the production. Female performers had to take on male roles, playing kings and shepherds.
Students also had to learn and recite Greek lines. They spent a few weeks studying modern Greek before leaving the United States. Christilles translated part of the script into modern Greek.
Sweeney said learning the language helped the students to connect with the Greek community and culture, and it enabled their Greek audience to follow along with the production.
"The best part of the trip to me was being able to play with the village children from day to day" said Sean Smith, Winter Park, Fla., senior. "They spoke very little English and we spoke very little Greek, which made communicating a challenge, but a challenge that allowed us to expand our methods of communicating."
Four members of the Greek town were included in the production
"It becomes a community event," Christilles said.
This weekend, the original cast will perform the play as they did in Greece, only without the four local performers. The original props and costumes created for the performance in Greece also will be used this weekend.
"We had to make a lot of changes and rehearse more, but it's going to be a lot of fun," said Brian Bondari, graduate student who composed the music for the production.
The majority of the script is in English, but lines that were in Greek will remain in Greek. Sweeney said this will give the Lawrence audience a better sense of Greek culture through language, and show the work that she and the other students did over the summer.
Kansan staff writer Darla Slipke can be contacted at dslipke@kansan.com.
Edited by Shanxi Upsdell