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Show V L. SOUTHERN UTAH STATE COLLEGE, CEDAR CITY THE THUNDERBIRD MONDAY, APRIL 2, 1990 PAGE 9 Marshall explains arts credibility You need to develop a dialogue with a piece of art, said Robert Marshall who will open Exhibition 49! at the Braithwaite Fine Arts Gallery April 5. Let art start to talk to you and tell you what its about, he said. Marshall, BYUs art department chair, will be the keynote speaker at a gallery reception from 7 to 9 p.m. His address, entitled: How can I tell if its any good?, will be at 7:30 p.m. He said, You need to ask yourself a question when looking at art: What is it here to arrest my attention and to After his address, Marshall is willing to enjoy? discuss the specific artworks of the exhibit. Marshall plans to talk about what gives credibility and substance to a work of art. People need to increase their tolerance and vocabulary to do that. They need to be more tolerant, less reactive and less judgmental, he said. Exhibition 49! is Cedar City Art Committees annual art show. In January, Marshall began selecting the shows 65 pieces from across the country.- - His intent was to vary the exhibit, using only one example from each artists entries. Freedom to leave gives Baker an actors security BY JASON NORTH Actors are a strange lot, said Douglas H. Baker, assistant professor of theatre arts. Security to them is the ability to pick up and leave at any moment. For most people security is a regular paycheck. Right now Im caught between the two, being here as long as I have. After eight years of teaching at SU, Baker is taking a leave of absence May 1 to work in Las Vegas. The new Excalibur hotel wants him to be the host of its renaissance feastes. His three acting classes will be team-taugby other members of the theatre arts department and Shakespearean Festival staffers until a new instructor is found. Im hoping they get a woman so well get some diversity in viewpoints. But were for equal opportunity; men deserve a chance, too. Baker said he looks forward to the changes and challenges of this new job. With the responsibility of hosting 12 feastes a week, Baker said, things can get old quickly. You have to keep bringing fresh things to it. You have to develop your career; develop the work so it is always full. Whats nice is that I get to develop the character of Merlin. As the legendary magician Merlin, Baker will be the signature character for the hotel making special appearances and being the host and story teller at the feastes. This is right up my alley. This is the area of my expertise. Baker worked with the Shakespearean Festival in the beginning stages and has spent seven years he developing its feaste. And for the past five years has written, directed and choreographed material for the festivals Green Show. Baker came to SU in 1982 after acting with the Asolo State Theatre of Florida. He has taught acting classes and directed nine productions, the most recent was Life with Father. Ive always considered myself to be a professional actor. I just havent had much of a chance to do it here. For the most part, its very and with all my other responsiblities there hasnt been enough time. His work has been rather extensive since he came here, Baker said. Besides averaging a teaching load of 15 credits per quarter, he has directed feaste tours, recruited theatre students and taught outreach education programs. He sits on the board of the Utah Theatre Association and has been a member of Actors Equity Association for 12 years. He is also married and has four sons. Baker said the beauty of southern Utah is hard to V" ' ! : i it, i- - i. J iShiW ly' if Ft Theatre instructor Douglas H. Baker will take a leave of absence May I for an acting job in Las Vegas. give up, but this will be an extremely positive move for his whole family. He said this job will give him a chance to spend more time developing material and he hopes also to do some teaching there. Cedar City is a hard place to leave because there are wonderful opportunities in theatre and education here, he said. But if it was too easy to move, then you wasted your time there. I really hope to return. He plans to keep in contact with the festival and SUs theatre program. We have a very good working relationship up here. My moving is a positive thing, not a negative thing. My best friends are here. The most important part of being at SU has been the students, he said. But that sounds like such a line. But I really will miss the time in class when students make a breakthrough in themselves and allow us to see it. I will miss it when something touches a students heart emotionally and allows us to understand what it means to see someone communicate passionately. ...Im about to bawl again. Baker has some advice for theatre students and their parents. Since age 14, he has wanted to be involved with the theatre. His parents were very unsupportive of his interest in drama until a few years ago, he said. It isnt a choice anymore for me. The art chooses you more than you choose it. For 20 years of my life and eight years here, when Ive gone to work it hasnt been work. Ive been fortunate enough to get paid for it. But if some students parents dont think that theatre is a legitimate career, then they can call my parents. Baker has a plan for achieving success too its not necessarily money, but living up to goals that you know are possible within you. It takes commitment, discipline, and a degree of intelligence to reach what you want, he said. I want to experience it all Im not sure I can experience it all between Cedar and Las Vegas, but I want to live life to the fullest. This is just the start to another road, and the road may lead right back hered |