Page 4BAThe Battalion/Monday, August 27, 1984
Celebrities visiting A&M
demand star treatment
Cheap Trick is one of several visiting groups whose contracts
require the sponsoring organization to provide special treat
ment while at Texas A&M.
By DOLORES HAJOVSKY
Reporter
Common hospitality is shown to
entertainers who come to Texas
A&M.
Before an MSC Town Hall con
cert or broadway show, MSC Opera
and Performing Arts Society pro
duction or MSC Basement concert is
conducted at Texas A&M the enter
tainers’ contract must be agreed
upon.
In a contract is a “rider” that spec
ifies exactly what the enteratainers
request from where they perform.
“Most entertainers just want to be
treated like human beings,” Suzanne
Becker, adviser for Town Hall, said.
“They just want fresh food and clean
towels —the more things agreed
upon ahead of time the fewer sur
prises when the performers arrive.
One of the first things I tell them is
that University policy prohibits alco
hol. This is not too well recieved but
it is accepted.”
The contracts are the same
whether the entertainers are in Re
union Arena in Dallas or in Podunk,
Texas, which causes problems,
Becker said. ,
“For example, Adam Ant was ap
palled he had to ride in a University
car and that we didn’t have a limou
sine for him,” Becker said. “When
Jimmy Buffet came in town he
wanted 20 Hawaiian shirts for that
evening’s performance. Twenty Ha-
waiin shirts are not easy to find.”
There are a few items commonly
found in most contracts, Becker
said. Everybody must have bottled
water, and most perfomers want ox
ygen close by in case of an emer
gency, Becker said.
“Cheap Trick’s contract is an ex
ample of the extent of details the
performers want,” Becker said. “For
25 people at 2 p.m. , not a minute
later, they wanted a meal for their
crew to consist of a lunch deli tray,
hot soup, light rye and wheat breads,
plus condiments, milk, coffee and
soft drinks. If one item was not pre
pared as specified they got furious.
“At 6 p.m., not a minute later, a
catered hot meal for 25 people was
to include a hot meat dish, hot vege
tables, light rye and wheat breads,
butter, desert, condiments, milk,
coffee and soft drinks.
“It goes into even more detail for
the four-member band. We must
provide around $1,000 in food per
show and most of it goes to waste.”
Jim Hurd, adviser for the broad
way division of Town Hall, said the
performers he deals with are more
professional actors and not as much
“celebrities.” They do not ask to be
catered to as much, Hurd said.
When Town Hall provides a fruit
basket or flowers it is because the
contract asked for it or the organiza
tion wants to provide something nice
to make them feel good, Hurd said.
“Most actors I deal with don’t
want anything to eat before they
perform, but afterwards they appre
ciate the gesture,” Hurd said.
Hurd said Town Hall will provide
coffee, doughnuts, and recreational
passes to the loading crew, because
that is who they work with most of
the time.
“The technical crew will come in
the morning of a performance and
set up the stage,” Hurd said. “The
actors will come in the evening, per
form and leave.”
The same is true with OPAS,
Hurd said. The university sets up
the shell of the stage for a ballet or a
concert and the performers just en
tertain, Hurd said.
“When Dianna Ross came she ar
rived an hour before the show, got
ready, performed and left —nobody
even talked to her,” Hurd said.
Darlene Wilson, vice chairman of
student development for Basement,
said a food plate is provided for
their entertainers because it is just
common courtesy.
“Most of the performers we deal
with are local talent,” Wilson said.
“When they are only being paid
$1,000 a performance they don’t
have too much clout.”
Wilson says Basementwill sponsor
two big shows a year paying $5,000,
and for those hotel accommodations
and whatever else the performer
asks for are provided.
Wilson says what is provided de
pends on the person. Sometimes the
performers just want water by the
stage, Wilson said.
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Town Hall plans for variety
during the 1984-85 season
By JULIE ENNIS
Reporter
Expect to see new faces and new
kinds of entertainment offered by
MSC Town Hall this fall.
Julie Plessala of Houston, this
year’s Town Hall chairman, is trying
to bridge the variety of entertain
ment tastes at Texas A&M.
“I want to see more variation in
the groups that come to A&M,” she
says.
This year Town Hall is planning
to book a variety of preformers from
jazz music to country western music
to comedian acts.
the concerts, she says.
“People can stay at home and
then
“It’s very difficult to please every
one,” Plessala says.
The toughest part of her job, she
says, is planning the calandar for the
Texas A&M school year.
“The 1983 fall semester was satu
rated with concerts,” she says, “so
this year we are cutting down the
amount of fall concerts from seven
to about five.”
An effort will be made to schedule
the entertainers on football weekend
to get maximum attendance from
watch their favorite groups on tele
vision,” she says. “We want to bring
top name preformers to A&M so
you don’t have to go to Houston or
Dallas to see them in person.”
Plessala says Town Hall uses stu
dent opinion surveys to help in
scheduling preformances.
“Most students want to hear the
hottest groups on the charts, but
many of these groups are not tou
ring,” she says, “so we go by the sug
gestions on the surveys and contact
the agents about the availability of
the groups. Then we begin to nego
tiate the details.”
“It can be difficult convincing big-
name entertainers to play in a small
town, but we’re lucky because we can
catch some of them in between Dal
las, Austin, San Antonio or Hous
Plessala says Town Hallwillai
about 30 freshmen members ini
fall.
"It is important to haveaidivfn
lied committee to bring divers!
entertainment to Texas A&M
says.
Town Hall has taken a
its large membership and has
vided into two subcommititt
broadway and concert.
“We didn’t split into two sepaij
Town Hall organizations,” shesa»
“We just needed to focus more e!
live attention to both these areas.'
Although no concerts have 1*
scheduled, Plessala says Dram
Seven Brided for Seven Brotltt
’night Mother, Brighton Bea
Memoirs, Gigi, and Some lit
Cole have been tentatively sched!
for the 1984-85 Town Hall hr«
ton.
Plessala, who was chosen Town
Hall chairman in April, says she
wants to continue to uphold the
image of Town Hall and continue to
bring quality entertainment to Texas
A&M.
way season.
Applications for fall inters
will be available the first sveei
classes.
Town Hall broadway season hi
ets and Town Hall concern
passes can be bought at the
Box Office.
OPAS’ 12th season hosting
Tc
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varied, international lineup
By Karl Spence
Reporter
Audiences for this year’s MSC
Opera and Performing Arts Society
series will find an international
lineup that OPAS sponsors feel for
tunate to present.
“Texas A&M and the Brazos Val
ley are very lucky to have a series
such as this,” OPAS committee ad
viser Arlene Manthey says. “You’d
have to look far and wide for much
finer.”
The lineup of performers, all
booked for Rudder Auditorium,
consists of:
•The Black Light Theatre of Pra
gue, a Czechoslovakian mime and
music theatrical troupe, on Sept. 18.
The troupe has toured the world
since 1961.
•The London Philharmonic Or
chestra, Klaus Tennstedt conduct
ing, on Oct. 18. The Philharmonic
has been a major world orchestra for
a half-century. Its music director,
Klaus Tennstedt, has conducted ev
ery major American symphony as
well as those in Berlin, Vienna, Paris,
Rotterdam, and Israel.
•The Western Opera Theater,
performing Rossini’s “La Ceneren-
tola” (Cinderella), on Oct. 29. This
touring and educational affiliate of
the San Francisco Opera performs
the comic opera the Oregon Journal
calls “ideal as an introduction to op
era for those who have never seen
one before.”
•St. Paul Chamber Orchestra,
Pinchas Zukerman playing and con
ducting, on Jan. 24. The only full
time professional chamber orchestra
in the United States, the St. Paul
Chamber Orchestra has won numer
ous awards, as has violinist Zuker
man.
•Emanuel Ax, pianist, on Feb.
25. A young “old master,” Ax won
the first Arthur Rubinstein Interna
tional Piano Competition in 1974.
•The King’s Singers, on March
19. Six Englishmen from King’s Col
lege, Cambridge, sing classical, folk
and modern music a cappella.
•The Houston Ballet, {perform
ing “Mixed Repertoire,” on April 10.
The company performed for OPAS
last year and returns with a new pro
gram of modern and original selec
tions to end the season.
There is also an extra-season spe
cial attraction, the Houston Ballet
performing “Swan Lake” on April
11.
Manthey says these shows are of
the quality that tour Houston*
other major cities. OPAS preside
Patricia Peters adds that the Loni
Philharmonic is not even 1
Houston.
Manthey points out thatthela
don Philharmonic andtheSt.Pi
Chamber Orchestra were booli
two years in advance, such is died
mand for their performances, i
there are tw’o “sleepers” on i
schedule: the Black LightTheattt
Prague and the King’s Singen.
“The Black Light Theatre rat
be one of our most dynamic sta
all year," Manthey says. “Where*
they play, they get great reviews'
As for the King’s Singers,shes;
"People that know them get verye
cited to hear they are on our sene-;
Peters savs the appreciation
gies show for OPAS performen
reciprocated.
“Performers come having vissl
lots of halls around the world a
say that Rudder is oneofthelw
she says.
Season ticket prices range fra
$39 to $70 for students and (ii
$56 to $89 for non-stndents. Se
not reserved by season ticketholdt
are available for individual pert
mances.
B<
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