| OCR Text |
Show r Tuesday, April 26, 1988 Chronicle SA A -- A- - Musicians and dancers in the Eastern Arts Company d instruments from the Silk play authentic, Route countries of Asia. Company director Lloyd Miller acquired many of the instruments while living for seven years in the Middle East. hand-crafte- 1 v AA Nie 0 6 A A Paqe Jr V If.. 0 .1 (1 Chronicle photo by Guy E. Elder IV Concert to showcase Silk Route Performers use authentic instruments, costumes By Deanie Wimmer Chronicle staff writer Come take a tour through the legendary Silk Route countries of Iran, Iraq, India, Afghanistan and Thailand where traditional sights and sounds await the senses. Two-ho- ur tours will begin this Friday in the University of Utah Fine Arts Auditorium as members of the Eastern Arts Company present their yearly music and dance concert. Exotic music leads listeners to a small Indian village where snake charmers sit on dirt paths. Twirling dancers make their audience think they are in Iran witnessing ancient folk dancing. Few performing groups go to such lengths to include traditional instruments, dances and costumes in their shows. But Catherine St. John, Eastern Arts dance director and U. Eastern dance history instructor, said authenticity is of utmost importance. They do not mix costumes from different countries, and they only use musical instruments that were available at the time these dances were created. St. John said when these dances were performed in the Silk Route countries, there was no such thing as electric music. This explains why the group's instruments may look a little outdated. Lloyd Miller, director of the musical ensemble, unwrapped some of the instruments as the group was rehearsing. He acquired most of the collection while living for seven years in the Middle East. His specialty instrument is sort of a keyless piano. Strings are stretched across a piece of wood, and in order as a santurthe to play, the Persian instrument-knoresemble that mallots musician hits the strings using wn Q-tip- s. He also pulled out a narchaic "violin," which is called a kamanche. The instrument's bow was actually a cherry tree twig with bow hair attached at both ends. Although the instruments may not have appeared capable of projecting complicated music, as the ensemble began to play, rich sound filled the auditorium. And the scene became more complete as dancers dressed in lavish costumes began filing into the auditorium. Some of the dancers have been professionally trained in Korean, Armenian, Kurdish and Persian dance Art group at the U. has taught her about her own culture. Charles Galway, a U. student who is also dancing in interest has taught the performance, said his new-foun- d him about other countries. "It adds to my awareness of other cultures," he said. styles. Other dancers are natives of these countries, but have only seen the dances performed. Such is the case with dancer Sholeh Javan, who was born in Persia and is majoring in accounting at the U. These dances are no longer a. popular form of dancing in her country, she said, so performing with the Eastern And for any audience members who wish to learn more, classes will be offered Saturday afternoon, and ap Eastern dance party will be held Saturday evening. Music and Dance of the Silk Route will be held Friday in the University of Utah Fine Arts Museum at 8 p.m. Admission is free. 'Doors' production offers improvised, insightful dialogue St. John hopes the performance will have similar effects on the audience. She said the shows are not only fun to watch, but preserve historical forms of dance. a, Of W I v. By Arlene Calkins Chronicle staff writer The contemporary drama, "Doors," will be presented by the Unversity of Utah's Lab Theatre April 28 through 30. "Doors" was written by Suzan L. Zeder, winner of the Association of America Director Mary Morris said award. Distinguished Play Zeder's script was one of the main reasons for choosing to produce this particular drama. She is "Zeder's script was extremely subdeal with Her known for this sort of thing. scripts Morris jects that have a direct impact on people's lives," said. Morris, who directed the Babcock Theatre's production of "Life on Borrowed Tune" last December, is a graduate in child drama at the U. She recently appeared in the Young People's Theatre production of "Mother Children's Theatre well-writte- x & n. Hicks." boy The story of "Doors" centers on Jeff, an His divorce. to parents whose parents have decided have not talked to him about their marital problems; however, the constant arguing on "the other side of the door" tells him there is something wrong. Morris said, "All of the dialogue on the other side of the door is improvised. The only thing that is scripted at that time is the action in front of it." Jeff, played by Eric LaMalfa, confides in his friend, Sandy, played by Tommy Barron. Together, the two boys set out to discover what Jeffs parent's problem is all about. Jeff, through fantasy, tries to gain control of the situation. Jeffs parents are played by Gloria Tice and Merntt "Doors," a production of the U. Lab Theatre, looks at divorce through the eyes of an Riordan, both students in the U. theatre department. As a special service to the hearing impaired, the mati- nee and Saturday night performances of "Doors" will be and manual (signing) provided with oral interpretation. "I think this is a service that needs to be offered to the on public. We signed some performances of "Life Borrowed Time' and 'Mother Hicks,'" Morris said. "I take it so much for granted that I can hear. I asked myself to consider what it would be like if I went to a movie and (lip-readin- g) boy. couldn't hear the dialogue." When asked what it was like to work with two rela- youngsters, Morris replied that it tively was great. "I had to ask myself what would it be like if I was 11 and had to carry the show. What do boys do? are a resource. became very cre. They They (the actors) ative kids." new-to-the-sta- ge "Doors" nill be performed in the U. Lab Theatre April 28 through 30. For more information call 581-696- 1. |
