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Show Page 12 The Tfuinderhird Monday, April 16, 1984 SUSC jazz group scores at California meet by Nani Lii Staheli As a fitting highlight in their second year as the SUSC vocal jazz emsemble, Opus II participated in their first major competition at the Fullerton Jazz Festival on April 6 in Fullerton, California. In spite of the fact that they were shooting towards competitive excellence in the company of major schools of the west coast, including UCLA, the group performed very well, scoring only six points below the number required to place with the winning groups. As another plus in their first year at the festival, they were able to schedule a quality recording session at a Hollywood studio as well as listen to professional jazz groups in concert. According to Ronald Aden, director of Opus II, many months of both financial and musical preparation were required of the ensemble members. Fundraising projects initiated weeks before the trip ranged from bake sales to benefit performances sponsored by other communities. Even more important, however, were the hours of mental and musical conditioning which the performers have undergone. All year long we have been perfecting our singing in concerts and also in feeling confidence in ourselves, Aden explained. This is the second year for Opus and we are up against some of the best schools oh the west coast in this competition. Its an absolutely great opportunity. Some specific aspects of musical preparation for the festival focused on meaningful development of jazz style. Vocal inflection and the quality of the accompaniment were carefully evaluated by the judges, who were professional studio singers. Also, in a conscious effort to make the fascinatin rhythm of jazz appear as effortless and spontaneous as possible, intonation, dynamics and unity were continuously rehearsed. Aside from these components of successful performance, however, were the strict stipulations of how well the group handles their performance time, its overall appearance, the confidence of its members in performance and the variety of musical literature they are able to incorperate into themselves and their audience. You want to use very fast rhythmic pieces and also those that are slow, that emphasize harmony, said Aden. As Aden predicted, the festival proved to be a learning experience for his eroup that will make SUSC proud. Most important was their broadened perspective on vocal jazz. We really did well for our first year, said Aden. And well be back to make a big dent next Character and comedy are served in Dining Room The dining room is a useful place for sorting socks, typing research papers, playing games, fighting and making up and sometimes even for dining. The Dining Room, a humorous dissection of American life by contemporary playwright A. R. Gurney Jr., opens Tuesday under the direction of Douglas H. Baker. Curtain is at 8 p.m. in the auditorium. Tickets are now available at the college box office. Because the comedy is being presented in full arena or seating is limited for each night of the April 17 through 21 run. As the title suggests, the play is set in a dining room. Baker has chosen to present it in full arena so that the audience can take an active part in the action on the sfage. By staging it this way, he said, the audience is in fact the walls of the room. Sandra Stiglinsli has designed the set in all blues and grays, an aspect of theatricality Baker said is used to draw the audiences attention to the players on stage. Whenever you have an actor playing between five theatre-in-the-roun- d and seven characters, its obviously very or impressionistic, Baker said. Because it is being done theatrically, the audience should experience the feeling of the play rather than just seeing the action through the eyes of the actors. Gurney wrote the play for three men and three women. Baker has elected to use five men and five women, each playing multiple roles. Costumes have also been designed by Sandra Stiglinski. Shes been presented with a real challenge since changes must be made very quickly. Each actor has a core or basic costume that can be modified with glasses, hair changes, different heights of shoes and other costume pieces, the director said. Of course, major character changes must be made quickly a change of attitude, a different center of balance or the addition or substraction of many years of age. Cast members for the SUSC comedy with their number of roles in parenthesis are as follows: Varlo Davenport, (6); Marty Green, (5); David Mills, (6); Parry Stewart, (6); Robby Young, (7); Gaylienne actor-oriente- Crawford, (7); Theresa Francis, (5); Connie Layton, (7); Janeen Samplowski, (6); and Jan Shelton, (5). "Above all, we want the audience to go away laughing, to remember their own silly experiences in the dining room, Baker said. The major premise of the play is that the dining room is used but rarely for what its meant for, but a very important part of American life nevertheless. Each scene rehearsal starts with the characters and director sitting around the dining room table. We read through the scene a couple of times then go through it as weve conceived it to be. Then we sit down again to talk some more then get up and do the scene again. What weve developed is a forum for communication; were using the dining room table as its meant to be used, the director said. A number of SUSC students are serving as technical crew member: Gilles Gohier as the stage manager, Tami Massa Kahrs as assistant director, Cindy Robertso as assistant stage manager, Sharon Harrison as publicity director and Todd Ross as light designer. |