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Show A Year of Change SJ (Mi West Side Story THE ICE WOLF j T There's a certain magic that permeates the air on opening night or any other night in a theatre. It's there, in a Broadway playhouse, an open-air theatre or an auditorium at Weber State College. The theme for Weber State Theatre 1986-87 season was "The Magic Continues." Part of the magical excitement takes place in front of the stage where the audience waits eagerly for the performance. But the anticipation is even greater backstage. There, all the people involved in creating the magic wait to see if the audience approves of the result of weeks of hard work. It requires the talent of many artists to put together each production. These specialists include the playwright, actors, the director and stage manager. Designers of the set, costumes and lighting are assisted by technicians and crew members who are never seen or heard by the audience. However, what these people do is vital to the overall effect of each performance. "Iphigenia at Aulis," a Greek tragedy, opened the season in October. Weber State College is part of the Classic Theatre Festival tour. This performance was sponsored by WSC Departments of English and Theatre Arts. "A Tomb With a View" arrived just in time for Halloween. The set of Gothic architecture, designed by Michael Gallagher, provided the backdrop for this Norman Robbins comedy-thriller. Creaking doors, the howling of a werewolf, organ music, gunshots, screams and lots of blood were all a part of the magic. Dr. John Elzey, director of the play, compared "Tomb" to an Agatha Christie novel featuring the Addams family. "All the elements of a top-notch mystery thriller are there but the characteers have been exaggerated into caricatures," he said. "It is the best of two of theatre's most popular forms." Early in December, the magic continued with a presentation of "The Ice Wolf," written by Joanna Kraus Halpert and directed by Dr. T. Leonard Rowley. This unusual Eskimo legend told the story of Anaton, a fair-skinned girl who was a "misfit" in a dark-skinned culture who favored males. Marilyn Abildskov, a theatre reviewer for the Ogden Standard-Examiner, said, "The Wood God, to whom Anaton goes for help when her village kicks her out, is "beautiful with a suggestion about the god's wisdom." She applauded Randy Barker's lighting for the production. It "gently guides audience members from night into daylight with smooth skill. He effectively draws on the color red during the play's theatrical climax to symbolize bloodshed with a single flash of light." On Jan. 1, the theatre arts department, the music department and the dance program were consolidated into the Department of Performing Arts. The first production presented as one united department was the classic "West Side Story." This modern version of Romeo and Juliet was presented in February. Catherine Zublin, costume designer, said the makeup for this production was a challenge. "Trying to make blue-eyed, blond Utahns look like Puerto Ricans from the '50s is not easy." Dr. Ron Ladwig, director of the play, said, "As a musical, "West Side Story" is one of the most difficult technically. The students have done a tremendous job pulling together to make this an outstanding production." The real magic came with an original work, "There Is A Time ..." which premiered in April. WSC theatre professor Leonard Rowley and dance program director and choreographer Michele f , - i .,40 ... Drama Rusinko collaborated on this dance-theatre piece. The first half of the production featured readings of selections from literature. The polished performance of the readers brought to life some of the classic poetry of T.S. Eliot, Phyllis McGinley and Amy Lowell. The dances of such well-known choreographers as John Mead, Jeanne Travers and Keith Johnson were interspersed between readings. The second act of "There Is A Time ..." was based on the children's classic book, A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L'Engle. In the book, "tessering" is a method of time travel through space. "Tesseract" was choreographed by Rusinko for this event. The original score was created by a local composer, Dan Markosian. Robert- B. Smith, vice president for academic affairs, said in a memo, "This production is a refreshing change from the traditional diet of N standard musicals and plays. I wouldn't presume to offer a professional critique, but the show seems to validate the wisdom of marrying dance and theatre programs and give a glimpse of what might emerge from other collaborations." Sherwin W. Howard, dean of arts and humanities, echoed Smith's enthusiasm. "Your prologue and entr'actes were polished and seemed particularly effective. All in all, costumes, lights, music, staging, choreography, etc. came together very well," he wrote in a memorandum. "Thank you and everyone involved for a rousing and extremely satisfying evening." The final bit of magic for this year's season is "Crimes of the Heart." This play is presented by A.A.T. (Associated Artists and Technicians) of ' Weber State College. This is a student group. The play is directed, designed, costumed, managed, publicized and completely produced by students. Faculty members are on hand as advisors. The play runs June 1 through June 6 in the Monson Theatre of the Val A. Browning Center. As the curtain comes down on the 1986-87 season of Weber State Theatre, behind-the-scenes plans are already underway for next year's productions. The Department of Performing Arts-"Premiere Season" will include Shakespeare's 'Taming of the Shrew." An operetta, "Naughty Marietta," and "Diviners" are also planned. A guest performance of "Philocetes" is scheduled for October. Orchesis Dance Theatre, "Confusions," and an original script are included for next year's theatre season. Although this year's season is coming to a close, as long as there is theatre, the magic continues. Sue Watt Backstage at "There Is A Time ... " had lis season as part of (he WSC drama schedule this year. Also performed by Weber's groups were The Ice Wolf, West Side Story and A Tomh With A View. V 2C SignOff Tuesday, June 2, 1987 |