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Show Wednesday. January 22. 1992 The Daily Utah Chronicle - Page Eight Peoipilie Feature English grad student juggles kids, job and books Bickmore By Chandka Graham Chronicle Feature Writer 0 V . Doctoral candidate Lisa Bickmore is familiar with the woes of the non traditional student In addition to her studies, she manages a family of five teaches undergraduate courses in the English children as- - - ... - - ; V department "This is my seventh year working on my degree," Bickmore said. "It's really too long. It's ridiculous. But I hope to finish relatively soon, hopefully within a year. All I have left is to write my dissertation." "I got my undergraduate and master's degrees from Brigham Young University," she indicated. "I could have tried for some famous schools : - j also and Cvl student-taug- at a junior ht high school and decided that the public school system wasn't for her. "I didn't want to teach in public schools, but I did want to teach," she said. "To teach in college, you need a Ph.D." Bickmore returned to college in the midst of exciting changes in literature. "I knew there was a revolution going on in the interpretation of literature," Bickmore said. "I wanted to know more about it" Now Bickmore is a graduate student instructing three undergraduate courses, two sections of a study skills class and one English 271 course. "I've passed my preliminary exams for graduate studies. They had an extra position in the English department! Graduate n students are used to teach the classes," Bickmore said. "I also interviewed to get the position teaching study skills." Bickmore has discovered that most of her preparation for teaching comes from "thought time" before class. "I spend a lot of time reading the texts, thinking and imagining what I want the students to learn in class. I do a lot of new things, but it's not brand new every day," she said. "I think about it when I'm driving or taking a walk. If you love a thing, you make time for it. I really do love teaching. The time I spend preparing is a )leasure. It involves things that I lower-positio- English Ph. D. candidate Lisa Bickmore returned to college in the midst of exciting changes in literature. "I knew there was a revolution going on in the interpretation of literature, " she said. "I wanted to know more about it." for my doctorate, but we lived here and the University of Utah has a good doctoral program. I'm really glad I j Besides managing her studies and have come here. It's a good program," Bickmore has noticed some predictable differences between the English department at BYU and the U. "I'm sure it's changed a lot, but when I was there at BYU there was a Bickmore is also teaching, for her family. "I have responsible really strong religious strain in teaching. I don't mean that in a negative sense some of that was Housekeeping doesn't occupy my attention. There are people who appropriate. Here at the U., I found that everyone was relentlessly secular. It was refreshing," she said. "It's more heterogeneous here at the U," she added. "People are from different backgrounds. At BYU, everyone had the religion in common. It was very homogeneous." O0NiairH0T0JwUI.Klm ove." five kids. Their ages are 13, 11, 9, 5 and 3. They just have so much energy," she laughed. "Everything isn't done perfectly around the house. wouldn't do what I do, but my kids are proud of me." Bickmore said she feels her children are benefitting from her experience. "Sometimes they ask if I have to go to work. If I don't have to that day, my says, 'Yippee!' But they're pretty We good-humore- d. see Bickmore" on page ten Former U. instructor to premiere latest play this evening cast," she said. "It is the most exciting I have had as By Steve Sessions a playwright. experience Ross received her PhJfX from the U (luring Chronicle Feature Writer """"" .) Local playwright and former University of Utah student and teacher, Aden Ross, will premiere her latest project, titled at the Salt Lake Acting Company on Jan. 22. The production is described as a facetious interpretation of the life and times of sculptor ' " f" S"' h !' Hill., "K-Mil- le, Catmlle Claude!, student and mistress of Rodin. The play, set in France, follows the struggle of Claudel from the turn of the century until World War II. Much of the play takes place from inside an insane asylum, where Claudel lived for the w last 30 years of her life. KMUIe Is about a young woman trying to define herself as an artist, as a woman ana as a person, Ross explained. The production starts with Claudel at age 20 and continues until she is age 45. The play concludes with an old Claudel In her mioMOs and moves throughout her late 70s. Within the play, Qaudel is trying to sort out pressing concerns, about the artistic and human University, where she was a tenured faculty member. But eventually she gave up teaching to become a full-tim- e writer. Currently, Ross is employed by the Salt ""?"".'i..r ..f. Lake Acting Company as theatre literary manager. Her next project is a play about the 'SSS Bronte family. Kenneth Washington, a local director, will lend Ms talents to Washington has directed numerous plays in Salt Lake City, as well as around the United States. He received the American College . ii' gy-- -..- ' .,..,;'"7' u .... ... f 'T,'. -- I j - "j : -; JUS - jf4t in k JwuiiJi ' , , t r " ii . in "'" iXii lZIZXCZZZ ' qualities of life. According to Ross, promises to be a passionate, intimate and oftentimes humorous play about the struggles of life. Ross, a celebrated local playwright and educator, has had much of her work produced "K-Mill- e" around the country, including an "Feet," off-broadw- ay production in New York entitled, She has also published poetry, short stories, literary criticism and reviews. This year, Ross has been recognized as, a semifinalist for the Rosenthal New Play Prize. is Ross' tenth play and she insists that it is also the best. "I love this play. I love the material, the director and the "K-MUJ- J: which time she also taught in the English department. Ross instructed courses in Shakespeare and modern American drama. After she left the U., Ross taught at Westminster College and Utah State y Theatre Festival Meritorious Achievement Award from the Kennedy Center in 1988. Utah nativa Vince Frates composed tho music for KMille, Frates studied azz: theory and composition at the U. and has been performing professionally throughout the United States for tho last 10 yoars. Frates , composition will mark the first time a musical score has been included in a theatrical production. The play will open on Jan 22 and runs through Feb, 23, with a possible week extension. When the play closes, it will receive a staged reading in New York City. The Salt Lake Acting Company will offer discount tickets for students who show up before each production. The tickets will cost students $6 as opposed to the $18 ticket price. , For more information regarding the production of students can catL The Salt hake Acting Company box office at "K-Kfill-e. e" Mzsk Cess, local pizytrrli tzi Vzirzrsity cfVish stadt, will prenikre ; ' |
