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Wednesday, December 6; 1989 / University Daily Kansan
E. Joseph Zurge/KANSAN
Michael Brandt, Sean Andrew Gutterridge and Scott C. Reeves rehearse 'American Buffalo,' which opens tonight.
Even the audience is part of this play
By Jennifer Reynolds Kansan staff writer
When the doors of the Inge Theatre in Murphy Hall open tonight through Sunday, Lawrence will become a distant memory.
the theater will become the front of Don's Resale Shop in a poor, crime-ridden section of Chicago.
The setting is necessary for the opening of David Mamet's "American Buffalo" tonight at 8 p.m.
Outside of Don's, the cold wind rustles fallen leaves on the ground, and remnants of a wino's addiction lie in the street. But it is only the beginning. Inside the junk shop, the world of Donny Dubrow, Walter Cole and Bobby comes to life amid the old furniture, lamps, and bicycles in the crowded, run-down shop.
"We literally had to empty the pro props for this," said Paul Meier, director of the play. "We use no stage lights' and no exposure from the actors. We're all in this world together."
The audience sits in the junk shop itself, in the
furniture sections, so they are forced to be involved, said Michael Brandt, Lawrence sophomore, who plays Walter Cole or Teacher.
"The type of setting doesn't allow the audience to shrink back and think, 'I've got bills to pay tonight,' or something else," he said. "They're involved."
Meier said the setting allowed the actors to be storevillers instead of distant characters.
Audience involvement is crucial to the play because the characters are not likable people,
"At first I hated these characters," Meier said. "They were loathsome."
After more involvement, however, he found the characters more appealing.
unl characters more appealing.
"These characters are very human," Meier
quotes.
Not allowing the actors to dismiss the characters as villain also was important to Meier.
"We generally believe we are in the right, whatever we are doing," he said. "Whatever violence these characters pull, they are doing it for what they believe is a good reason."
a dealer in Don's jewelry box. The dealer purchased the coin for far less than the coin's worth. After discovering this fact too late, the dealer can to rob the dealer's home and retrieve the coin.
The play centers on a buffalo nickel, found by
In the planning, the three begin to bicker and fight. The caper is obviously doomed, but the planning continues until, unable to verbalize the plan's weakness, the men turn violent.
"On one level the play is hilarious," Meier said. "On the other, it is very tragic. It is about how we deceive ourselves."
American business ethics, or the right of an individual to embark on any course to obtain
"The characters' treachery is justified on the same level as business," Meier said. "Each of the characters is operating on their own level of truth."
The play will be shown at 8 p.m. on Dec. 6, 7 and 10. Additional performances will be at 2:30 and 8 p.m. on Dec. 9. Although tickets for the first three performances are sold out, tickets for Saturday and Sunday shows are available at the Murphy Hall Box Office.
Investigators knew Boeing possessed defense documents
The Associated Press
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Defense Department investigators were aware for roughly nine years that the Boeing Co. had classified Pentagon budget documents but never raised questions, a federal court jury was told yesterday.
Three former Boeing security clerks testified the documents were listed in a log used in the company's Rosslyn, Va., office to keep track of classified documents, and the log was regularly checked by inspectors from the Defense Investigative Services
The testimony was offered during the second day of the trial in U.S. District Court for the Southern Bengal region by Boong, executive accused of stealing the documents.
Fowler has pleaded innocent to 39 felony counts, including conspiracy, illegal conveyances of classified documents and mail fraud. He could face 310 years in prison and fines of $225,000 if convicted.
Boeing pleaded guilty on Nov. 13 to
receiving classified documents from Fowler and agree to pay $5.2 million in fines and restitution as well as submit a letter of apology.
The jury also was told Wednesday by a retired Boeing worker that she ran a secret library for classified documents in a Seattle suburb and took some of the papers home to burn in her fireplace when they were outdated.
Gloria Mahaffey, who has been granted immunity from prosecution, said that when she set up the library in 1973 or 1974 she was told the documents contained data "commonly used throughout the industry."
Fowler's attorneys have insisted their client was hired specifically to get the documents for Boeing, they were readily available to defense contractors, rules covering their release were unclear and charges were filed against him only after he refused to tell Defense Investigative Services inspectors who gave him the documents.
Former Du Pont worker denies selling secrets
The Associated Press
Richard Zappa, co-counsel for Bruno Skerianz, said in opening arguments in U.S. District Court that DuPont applied Skerianz about comments allegedly taken from the documents Lyrca plant in Mercedes, Argentina.
WILMINGTON, Del. — The attorney for a man accused of masterminding a $10 million extortion scheme against Du Pont denied yesterday that his client attempted to sell trade secrets for Lycuria fabric back to the chemical giant.
ianz, Raul Armando Giordano and Antonio Ruben Inigo are charged with attempted extortion and conspiracy. If convicted, they face up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Zappa said Skerlani never asked Du Pont for money. Instead, the company offered to pay $1 million to set the documents back.
But Assistant U.S. Attorney Edmond Falkowski said Skierian would have sold the documents to a lawyer, but the company had not agreed to pay.
Former Du Pont employees Sker-
The three defendants are Argentine nationals and former employees at the Mercedes plant.
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