Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (June 25, 1980)
THE BATTALION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 25, 1980 Page 3 Theater crew work brings little limelight ‘Team effort’important behind the scenes of dinner theater production election, maldRti — a Bui e -Ci by STACY ALEXANDER Like a scene from Snow White, the “whistle while you rork” atmosphere pervades the Rudder Center scene shop where the stage crew is busily at work building the sets for a coming production. The banging of hammers on nails, the grinding of saws >n wood, and the mingled scents of sawdust, glue and ivet paint create an aura of hard, but creative toil in the arge, garage-like room. The crew of a theater production is its carpenters and ists—its magicians. They build the sets, arrange and jroduce the lighting and sound for a performance and reate mystery and surprise with special effects. The work of the crew is what makes an audience believe,” and yet the crew members seldom get any eal credit. Leslie Rhorer, a junior physics major on the crew and the cast of the coming dinner theater production of You Know I Can’t Hear You When the Water’s Run- reeledi ling,” said most members of a production at Texas A&M he Presij University are not theater arts majors. “There’s no prejudice on cast or crew between those 1 to fell dio do have majors in drama and those who do not,” Ihorer said. “Both have the same chance at getting a art or working on crew. ” Bob Wenck, director of the production scheduled to ranThursday-Saturday, said the set crew for one play in J968 consisted of all business administration majors, itmeni; f^gy built the revolving stage which has been used ieveral times by the department and was recently re- juiltto be used in “You Know ...,” he said. Ginger Lewis, who recently changed majors from ' partyi iertamtf ion than mpressii i hopeb ofamti a scandi ng judge n E, fpressm environmental design to theater arts, is one of the few beater arts majors involved in the coming production, ihe is on the crew, working as a paid student assistant, )ut not in the cast. 111 She calls her vocation “art for money,” but actually, orennaii s R e R as serious ambitions to do technical lackiM (tojki n either set design or lighting when she graduates, trier’s sc ng :ty soon ill reiM ot the )d Supi ■ Kggie misses TV draft t Coiif cl their illion, 1 of 2$! w numhen by the variefti erialize, ablesarii Jew r<?/i tion, on ling to th ing more nalizetfc tndhope kggiessffl ice deitf y W. P»5 Lewis, who got her start in theater crew work last spring in “Guys and Dolls” and “When Are You Coming Back, Red Ryder?” said, like most crew members, she had little formal training in crew work, but she likes to be creative. Lewis and Rhorer agree that “anyone on crew can be expected to do anything.” The crew members said a variety of things motivate them. Many crew members say the job is “expected” of them. “If you don’t make a role, you’re sort of expected to help with the production,” Rhorer said, “and like me, In one play, a phone failed to ring and a quick-thinking actor pretended to call his answering service instead. even if you get apart, crew work is still expected of you. ” In the dinner theater production, the crew consists of the 12 actors and about six extra helpers, Wenck said. Another incentive for helping out only with the set, sound or lighting is the time involved. It takes more time to be a member of the cast than to help out on crew. Actors rehearse scenes four to five hours each day and must memorize lines and work on characterization. Director Wenck said members of the crew can come in any time they are free and work for a couple of hours. There is always a crew head, another crew member or the directors to explain what to do if someone is unfamil iar with the job to be done. Rhorer, who acted in high school, said he has headed set crews, sound crews, and was in charge of special effects for “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” last fall. “It’s fun and a chance to be a part of a play,” he said. When asked about the lack of “glory” in crew work, by SCOT K. MEYER Battalion Staff If you are a male between the ages 18 and 20, you probably already know that Uncle Sam wants you. What you probably didn’t know is that, a couple of weeks ago, NBC’s Today Show was also looking for 18 to 20 year-olds. But there were no posters with a g p'im looking Fred Silverman point- Vfl ng and saying “I want you,” nor *■■*■** ivere there slogans like “Join the few, the proud, the peacocks!” There was lot even a need to register at the local post office. (in hiBC did all of its recruiting over r,., ^phone, in one morning. But they ere only looking for two people. The Today Show decided to stage in est® i debate about the proposed reg istration of 18- to 20-year-olds, using two college students of the affected villbeinl 8 rou P to §i ve one-minute pro and con arguments. Texas A&M came within five mi- autes of being represented on the show, Dr. Carolyn Adair, director of ss devell student activities, said. The University News Service had llion ini' been contacted by NBC, and it cal- ed Adair and asked her if she knew larter S ®yone who could do the segment. Adair called Alan York, a junior i tooa oai biology major, and asked if he was pr i m U interested in giving the pro argu ment on the show. He would have bad to be ready to leave in two hours. He told her he could do it. I was sitting here waiting for the , with my suitcase out and ready to be packed,” York said. Although York had been found and had agreed to do the segment within five minutes, a Princeton University student agreed to do the I spot before UNS could get back to the Today show people. When asked whether not getting to go was a let-down, York said: “kind of — I wouldn’t have had to go to my Poly Sci class the next day.” York said the question to be de bated was: “If you were called to serve your country during a time of war, would you go?” York would go, “because I have grown up in America and I believe in American values. I would be willing to fight for them,” he said. “I worked in a vet hospital over the summer, and the experience just reinforced my beliefs,” York said. “I would be willing to fight to see that the next generation will have the same oportunities, or better, that I did.” York said he was not in the Corps, and he does not intend to enlist in the military. York said he does not believe in a peacetime draft, but he supports draft registration. 846-9808 Sun Theatres 333 University 846-! The only movie in town Double-Feature Every Week 10 a.m.*2 a.m. Sun.-Thurs. 10 a.m.'3 p.m. Fri.-Sat. No one under 18 BOOK STORE & 25c PEEP SHOWS * MANOR EAST 3 J * MANOR EAST MALL 4. * 822-8300 * P! 846-6714 ft 840-1151 writ Hand hat days and honky-tonk nights. ^iTRAVo. VrillBAN 12:00 2:30 5:00 7:30 10:00 Admit 84.00 Child: $2.00 jwmem iiMN SHBlfYDUVAli H 8AS0W IKKMl 01 .MINING" MEN KING ((DliEI Rl-Si-niizSir mjouaontfSOUNCNmm iPiiooucfRaiiafco -—»-o * -k * * * * * * * * * * * * * * -K * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * They’re having the time of their lives, committing the crime of a lifetime. [PGIpamhul GUIOANCI succtsno -gfr 2:30-4:50.7:20-9:45 THE .STAR. WAR? SAGA CONTINUE? US | Y j| DOLBY STEREO ] Aft NOW SHOWING IN DOLBY STEREO 2:25-4:55-7:30*10:00 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 1:00 4:00 7:00 9:50 fHERBY GOES BANANAS? i* 2:40 • 5:00 • 7:15 • 9:35 ^ ★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★A most crew members said they felt it was not that impor tant to them. Crew work, the members stress, is teamwork, and, as in many team sports, it is the entire team effort that creates recognition. Most of the time, an audience will not notice the technical part of a play unless something goes wrong. Sometimes, actors have to cover up for technical mis takes. Rhorer told of an incident when, in one play, a phone failed to ring and a quick-thinking actor pretended to call his answering service instead. He also invented several minutes of monologue to cover up the error. Even with the pressures, hard work and mistakes, technical work, like many creative jobs, “creeps into the blood.” Director Wenck and R. O’Valle, technical director for “You Know ... , ” said that theater work, no matter what it is, becomes addictive. “We put on a play about every six weeks — whenever we need a fix,” they said, laughing. For crew members at Texas A&M, all the world is, indeed, a stage. But its members are not only players — some of them are crew members. When Is Your Selling No Secret At All? WHEN OVER 30,000 PEOPLE READ IT IN THE BATTALION If you've got something to sell . . . we’ll get your mes sage across! And our big readership guarantees you lots of prospects! 845-2611 CUSTOM SOUNDS The store you have to look for! 4th Annual Summer Blowout flDRIONEOT CT-F500 STEREO CASSETTE DECK WITH DOLBY* Motor: Electronically-controlled DC motor Wow & Flutter: 0.05% (WRMS) S/N Ratio: 64dB (Dolby on) Frequency Re sponse: 30-16,000Hz (chrome tape) Dimensions: 14 15 /i6" (W)x5 1 / 2 "(H)x10 1 /8"(D) Weight: 11 lb. o.h.129 95 MPiOMeerr hpm 100 4-WAY 4-SPEAKER SYSTEM Enclosure: Bass-reflex type Speakers: 12-inch carbon fiber blended cone woof er, 4-inch cone midrange, l 3 /4-inch cone tweeter. High polymer film supertweeter Frequency Range: 30-25,000Hz Sen sitivity: 92.5dB/W (1m) Nominal In put Power 100W Amplifier Power Range: 50-270W (recommended) Di mensions: 15 3 /a" (W) x 26%" (H) x I5V2" (D) Weight: 58 lb. 14 oz. •Walnut veneered cabinet with particleboard rear panel. i retail 350 00 Only OiDr*ioi\jeeR pl-63o Pioneer’s Finest Luxury Turntable □ Quartz-PLL Servo DC Hall Direct- Drive Motor □ Analogue Pitch Display & New Sus pension Gimbal Arm □ Front-Panel Controls & Second DC Motor for Full Automatic retail 450 00 Only 279 95 We have to take inventory at the end of June and we’d rather sell it than count it! <y> pioneer: PL-512 BELT DRIVE TURNTABLE Motor: 4-pole synchronous motor Speeds: SSVs and 45 rpm Wow and Flutter: 0.055% (WRMS) Slgnal-to-Noise Ratio: 65dB (DIN B) Tone Arm: Static- balanced S-shaped pipe arm Us able Cartridge Weight: 4g (min.) to lOg (max!) Dimensions: \lV\s (W). x 5 3 /i 6 " (H) x,14%" (D) Weight: 13 lb. 4 oz. *Metal-like vinyl cabinet. Only 59 95 flO PIONEER HPM 40 3-WAY 3-SPEAKER SYSTEM Enclosure: Brass-reflex type Speak ers: 10-inch carbon fiber blended cone woofer, l 3 /4-inch cone tweeter, High poly mer film supertweeter Frequency Range: 35-25,000Hz Sensitivity: 91dB/W (1m) Nominal Input Power: 40W Amplifier Power Range: 20- 100W (recommended) Dimensions: 12 13 /i6" (W) x 22 7 /i6" (H) x 12Vi" (D) Weight: 28 lb. 10 oz. retail 180” Only 99 •Walnut grained vinyl cabinet with particleboard panel. (to PIONEER SX-780 Pioneer SX-780 Stereo Receiver with Hybrid DC Power Amplifier Circuitry provides the latest improvements in FM/AM tuner performance. Continuous power output of 45 watts* per channel, min. at 8 ohms from 20 hertz to 20,000 hertz with no more than 0.05% total harmonic distortion, or 45 watts* per channel at 4 ohms from 20 hertz to 20,000 hertz with no more than 0.08% total harmonic distortion. 00095 Only Z,dm7 All sale items limited to quantities in store. Layaway and financing available. Sale good thru June 30. CUSTOM SOUNDS S COLLEGE TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY CUSTOM SOUNDS ★ TRIANGLE BOWL \g \o \ WH 1 BORN HW'i 3806-Old College 846-5803 Open 6 to 10 Mon.-Sat.