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Show pater group first local attempt at Black art iFAN JOHNSON d.rectors, each with his own will k movement might tend to be racially divisive, Mr. Ortega says, "White theater is holding onto racist values. Black theater is an attempt to do away with racist values while building our own nation. To believe in values ascribed by an alian culture is to kill myself." "The process of slavery stripped away our rights. We're relating to where the sun rises and forgetting where it sets. Black House Repertory Theater uses only Black artists. Plays needing white characters will be taken care of through the use of makeup. By JEAN JOHNSON Chronicle Staff .,,rfssake is no good. It's h ding time. We're going $Sat Physically, but minds." Cail Ortega, coordinator i3tS Black House Repertory :t the "first attempt toward fh'black arts movement." .."theater will give B,ad ' dancers, actors and aphers a chance for fright expression." ' House Repertory began on us fall quarter with weekly J At first, the dudes check out the chicks and dicks came to check out the i-i But now only the really Sled people show up," said , Ortega. Represent time, five members ,"iejng trained in handling jops, so that the theater , ndve more people. Five directors, each with his own workshop, will provide f different ways of working m "Slack Fire," an anthology 0f Black arts by LeRoi Jones and Larry Neal ,s employed in the workshops; also used is "Black Theatre." "The workshops won't turn everyone into a professional but tor those who have talent, we will bring it to the surface," said Mr Ortega. Getting off to a slow start the theater is now spreading into the community, its original goal. Saturday at 6:30, a benefit performance per-formance for the Alberta Henry Foundation which provides minorities scholarships will be given at the Northwest Multipurpose Center, 1300 W 2nd N. "Prayer Meeting Or The First Militant Preacher," "Black Ice" and original poetrv reading will be presented in the Black House debut. Future attempts to move into the community indude th Publishing of a Central City anthology, "Black Minds, Black Hearts." An essay contest co-sponsored co-sponsored by the Central City Worker and Model Cities is another future event. As soon as the theater gets on its eet, a Black arts handbook will be published. It will outline a day-by-day plan of Black House's organization, helping theaters get started in other communities. Cail Ortega sees a strong future tor Utah Blacks arts. A writer's workshop combined with a community theater lies in he future. Mr. Ortega, a Tampa Floridian who came to Utah as a Clearfield Job Corpsman, believes "Black theater is heading to the people. It is reflecting the norms of this culture and effecting change." "White people relate to a phony value system that is reflected in their theater. Nobody ever talked like Shakespeare's characters. Even Shakespeare didn't." "Black people haven't been involved in American art, except for music and when they have been it's been white man's art. We're starting a theater which will mirror black life and deal with racist America." "Edward Albee (contemporary American playwright) wrote "The Death of Bessie Smith," but that was white man's reaction to blacks." As to whether a Black theater |