OCR Text |
Show ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT H The Crucible9 to thrill audiences Thurs. isSAY; APRIL 1,2009 mp me "tchcr 'Stros' i Bre Bc, the , - JJls dM cj 'Staley ?o f 1 'Vr sanjt, yiook V tylfc Si just blue itiifu W iownio WSsK 'cause Spencer Potter, a sophomore integrated studies major from Ogden, plays the The Crucible by Arthur Miller is a g left, From student Ginger Jensen as Betty. eManr SUU nasL Witch iwthai, BY Trials. RACHAEL NOXON Dixie Sun Staff Writer illqirn aston. thefe on' Dan aegrtu onor TOaix College interprets deception, witchcraft, and the Salem Witch Trials in at the Eccles The Crucible Fine Arts Center Main Stage Dixie State Theatre. The Crucible is )ucmL inning Salem w,a a chilling centered around the tale Witch Trials of the late century in Salem, ny,Ie Mass., said Michael A. odgen 17th s.Rik mptf BY come RACHAEL NOXON Dixie Sun Staff Writer the dn i Two P' Dixie State College in collaboration with students, reiy professor Brent Hanson, are writing and comptyoft osing a musical based on the thouta heroic life of Nathan Hale. iconNathan Hale is one of the latrf first in the knm American Revolution, and the re theater is - seeds eons tell his adventures, said Hanson, associate play is going to dean of fine arts, and ms playwright lyricist. Hanson said hes fascinated history. He became interested in Hale some years with sen sat and began doing some his life. He has an gavel1 interesting story, she c. and I thought there was a possash' ibility for a play in it, eteair. ago sboii? research on Harding, director and assistant professor of theater at Dixie State College. It is a commentary that is highly relevant to today's society in that an accusation often holds much more emotional credibility than any sort of proof to the contrary. Scott Pederson, a junior theater major from St. Augustine, Fla., who plays the Rev. Samuel Parris, said his character is a sort of leader for the religious part of Salem. Parris finds his tices witchcraft. Parris asks the Rev. Hale, played by Spencer Potter, a sophomore integrated studies major from Ogden, to treat his daughter because he is an expert on witchcraft and wrote books and manuals on how to hunt witches and treat victims of witchcraft. In the beginning Hale believes in his abilities to hunt the devil and witches. In the play he asks Betty while she is in a trance daughter, Betty; his niece, Abigail; and about 10 other women from the town dancing in the woods around a fire. He said its kind of a voodoo thing led by his slave, Tituba, and he suspects witchcraft. Betty faints and cant be woken up, so he tries to keep this secret from the town so they dont think his household is corrupted and prac Hanson said. Thats essentially how I became interested in it. Hanson said the play has roughly 20 to 25 characters as it currently stands. The play takes place in the 1760s and 1770s and starts when Hale goes to Yale. A lot of the characters are his classmates at Yale and from the military. Ben Stratford, a junior music major from West Valley City, and Ricky Valadez, a sophomore music composition major from St. George, joint composers of the Nathan Hale Project, were recommended by Gary Caldwell, associate professor of music, after Hanson approached him, asking if he knew any music theory stu- dents who could help with three-minu- ideas, and sometimes hell come up with ideas and well collaborate. I enjoy working with him a lot. Writing music and compositions is the type of thing Stratford said hes trying to go into. He said hes also had a few of his compositions already performed at Dixie. This is something thats going to help me progress a lot more, Stratford said, so Im very grateful to Brent for giving me the opportunity to work on something like this. Hanson said a composition of this caliber has a lot of notes. Its a lot different than te compositions they would do their classes. Brent will sit us down, give us a batch of lyrics, and express to us what the situation is and how he wants the music to bring the words to life, Stratford said. Sometimes hell just send us comthe two- - or positions students come up with for the classes they are three-minu- te in. For these two kids to persist with this for the long haul is a pretty neat opportunity for them, Hanson said. For me, probably the most satisfying part has been the collaborative give and take with Ricky and Ben. It really has been an artistic team. Hanson said the person who writes the book drives the process; its just the nature of play writing. But he said ' t Valadez and Stratfords input has been very valuable. In a musical, the book refers to the script, Hanson said. Ben and Ricky are doing the music and Im doing the words, essentially. musical Writing a is a big project. Weve been working on this for over a year now, writing and rewriting. I really respect them as full-leng- th J 1 fellow artists. A reading of the first draft of the musical was held before Christmas, Hanson said. A group of actors got together to read and sing through the show, and the trio s has been doing serious rewnt- 2 id 1. just sit with us as we try to af aiij 2-- off to come up with musical writing music for a play. Hanson approached Stratford and Valadez, told them what he had for an idea, and asked if they wanted to help. Stratford said they were stoked and agreed to help. Its not too often that an opportunity like that would come around at this stage of life, Stratford said. Hanson said its a chance for Valadez and Stratford to do a full music composition beyond the two- - or asoak edf wrong. Potter said in the final scene Hale tries to convince all those involved with the trial to confess to being witches because if they told the truth and denied they were witches they would be hung. If they confess, they are forgiven. Hale turns his back on the institution of the courts when he realizes there is a higher way of belief than going by the book. Harding has used different exercises during rehearsals to keep the actors from getting into a rut while delivering their lines. Pederson said at different points Harding would hit a drum, which would spark a switch in levels of the scene, whether it be a cast member entering or a profound line being delivered. Harding said he is pleased as a director because he is quite proud of the product presented by DSC and the hard work tire cast has put in. As an educator, he said he is doubly proud of his students for not only taking on the challenge of this powerful, difficult piece, but also for the heights and discoveries they've achieved in the process. I hope audiences enjoy and are affected by tire performance we've created, Harding said. The Crucible runs Thursday through Saturday from April and Tuesday through Saturday from April The show begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $1 for students, $10 for youth, $12 for seniors, and $15 for adults. Tickets may be purchased in the Eccles Box Office. students lend talents to musical Animated feature invades screen to monster reviews DSC ibeou :ouldl Hale, and reacts to story based on the Salem Rev. heart-poundin- and supposedly under the influence of the devil if she remembers his little girls. Hales family had been attacked by witches, and he lost two of his daughters, so thats why hes so interested in witchcraft and trying to defeat it. Pederson said during the first part of the play, Parris is trying to hide what he knows, but then one of the girls starts blaming other people from the town. Parris becomes a prominent person in the courts, and his job is to basically accuse people or try to get them to confess that they are witches. He said toward the end it turns back on him. Hale comes to realize there is evil in Salem, but its greed and lust, not witches, Potter said. He basically started the witch trials and in the second half has to stop them because he realizes its -- 4 : maioTfrom Diamond Valley, and Ricky Valadez, a junior music composit a Diece for their new Va eT c ford, a junior music major from West will be showjng in November, ased on the life of Nathan Hale. The musical rewrit-- z ing since then. More another after done be will ing reading to create the third see MUSIC page 8 BY JARED BURTON Dixie Sun A&E Editor Cartoons are not just for kids, and thanks to DreamWorks anyone who is looking for not only a good message, but also a good laugh can now get both. The movie "Monsters vs. Aliens" is based around Susan Murphy, voiced by Reese Witherspoon (Four Christmases and Walk the Fine), who is about to get married to Derek Dietl, voiced by the Paul Rudd (I Love You, Man and Role Models). This is until a meteorite falls from the sky and hits the unsuspecting always-entertaini- bride-to-b- e. This has an interesting effect on the young girl as the meteor turns her into a giant version of her former self in an extremely comical scene. Susan is captured by the government and sequestered in a holding tank that closely resembles what extra terrestrial enthusiasts might envision Area 51 to look like. While there she is greeted by Gen. W.R. Monger, voiced by Kiefer Sutherland (24 and The Lost Boys), who sounds a lot like R. Lee Ermey (Full Metal Jacket and Saving Silverman). If Sutherland's career goes in the tank after 24 he might have a successful job as an Ermey impersonator at nerd conventions everywhere! Monger tells Susan that she can never return to the real world and that her new name given to her by the government will be Ginormica. She must be contained there with the other cast of comical Monsters, which include B.O.B., voiced by Seth Rogen (Knocked Up and Superbad); The Missing Link, played by Will Arnett (Arrested Development and Hot Rod); Dr. Cockroach, Ph.D., voiced by Hugh Laurie (House M.D. and Street Kings); and Insectosaurus. Each of these different monsters has his own useful talent that helps what becomes the team. B.O.B. can eat anything, The Missing Link is the muscle, Dr. Cockroach is the brain, and Insectosaurus is the most adorable giant insect the world has ever known. Then the Aliens invade the earth at the direction of Gallaxhar, voiced by Rainn Wilson (The Office and The Rocker). From there it is one laugh after the next as the team must come together and get over their own individual hurdles to take down the Aliens destined to demolish the earth. The movie is wildly entertaining and is good for people of all ages. It follows the same template that all these types of cartoons have embraced from the beginning of time: Drama is created, good feelings are introduced, then insert some conflict and resolution. I am a huge fan of the animation and the detail companies such as Pixar and DreamWorks are using to ensure that all these movies being released are not a waste of the moviegoers' money. DreamWorks has hit another home run, this following the Shrek series and the release of see MONSTERS page 8 |