Monday, February 23, 1987/The Battalion/Page 3
State and Local
!/
Aggie Players' 'Medea' displays
intense acting, stunning effects
By Karl Pallmeyer
Staff Writer
The Aggie Players production
)f the classic Greek tragedy “Me
dea" ended its four-day run Sat-
rday. Fantastic acting and an in-
eresting special effect greeted
lear-capacity crowds almost ev-
:ry night in Rudder Forum.
“Medea,” one of Euripides’ few
listing plays, had its first perfor-
nance in Athens in 431 B.C. and
las been adapted and performed
m various different forms ever
ince. Seneca adapted the play for
foman audiences around 40
AD. and Pierre Corneille
dapted the play for French and
uropean audiences in 1635.
lobinson Jeffers’ adaptation of
he play, which premiered on
iroadway in 1947, is the version
Aggie Players presented.
Medea, wife of Jason and
mother of his two sons, has been
cast aside by her husband so that
he can marry the daughter of
Creon, king of Corinth. Jason’s
new marriage will assure him
greater wealth and position.
When Creon comes to tell Medea
she and her children have been
banished
Review
from
rinth,
begs
mercy
Co-
she
for
and
receives a one-day reprieve from
her sentence. Once Creon is
gone, Medea vows to destroy Ja
son.
Jason loves his children and
has convinced Creon to welcome
them into his home. Medea can’t
stand the thought of losing the
only thing she has left to Jason
and plans her revenge. She sends
her children to present Creon’s
daughter with a golden robe that
she has enchanted. When Creon’s
daughter puts on the garment, it
is reported, she is engulfed in
flames. Creon tries to save his
daughter and also is killed.
The children come back to Me
dea and she kills them so that
there is nothing left in Jason’s
life. She has her revenge.
The stage was small but proper
lighting made it effective. In the
center of the stage was a large
door, with a snake on each of the
stone pillars flanking the door.
Although the audience was ex
pecting Medea to kill her chil
dren, almost everyone jumped
when they heard the loud thumps
and screams after Medea took
her children behind the door.
The big special effect came
when Jason tried to discover his
children’s fate. The snakes on the
pillars came to life and threat
ened to strike if Jason made a
move toward the door or Medea.
The audience reacted with
amazement and amusement.
Reland Garrett, a junior the
ater arts major from Whitehouse,
was a fantastic Medea.
Medea’s nurse was well-played
by Janice Jarutowicz, a senior the
ater arts major from Seguin.
Timothy McEvoy, a senior the
ater arts major from Plano, and
Steven A. McCauley, a senior the
ater arts major from Red Oak,
turned in fine performances as
Jason and Creon.
irector says Special Olympics teaches skills
By Sandra Voelkel
JAjI Reporter
I I ■ ^ et me w ‘ n> b ut if I cannot win, let me be
' Wave in the attempt” is the motto taught to many
[people through Special Olympics.
■ Anne McGowan, director of the Texas Special
lin f! a f®lympics, says the Olympics are for those who are
ting Mentally retarded or socially deprived and who
ChanntlM 6 l° w *Q S ar| d multiple handicaps.
a “The purpose of the Special Olympics is to
“wovide an opportunity for success through
. /Biysical activity in recreation and sports,” she
'vie ak«y St
Chai:*'
elevisicp McGowan says that through positive experi-
l nn [ences, mentally retarded people can gain confi-
I Jnce, develop physical skills and improve their
llf-image, which helps them in the classroom
beingjaml community.
^jThe Special Olympics allow people to practice
on organized teams and to develop skills, and
® ten have an opportunity to show their skills to
ic scrft j e j r p arents an( ] friends.
; scrar
She says the rules are the same as in high-
school sports.
The games in the Olympics include basketball,
soccer, gymnastics, softball, field events and
aquatics.
A variety of people, including parents, teach
ers and students participate in coaching and pre
paring the participants for the games, McGowan
says. Clubs and organizations contribute the most
people to this aspect of the Olympics.
“The preparation of the Olympics is mandated
by the state of Texas and a coach must go
through training school,” she says.
The training school, which lasts eight weeks,
teaches the coaches teaching skills and first aid.
McGowan says the Olympics take place all over
the United States and in 62 other countries.
McGowan says she enjoys seeing people get an
opportunity to learn and use competitive skills.
“They develop courage as an athlete, receive
joy when sharing with other athletes and coaches,
and feel as though they are giving something
back to their families and friends,” she says.
McGowan says the participants can accomplish
a great deal, but the special athletes accomplish it
at different rates than gifted athletes.
“Many people that work with the disabled
don’t look at their ability,” she says. “Instead, the
E eople just look at their disability. People should
elp develop their greatest skills.”
This year there are about 698 Special Olym
pics participants in Bryan-College Station and
the surrounding area, McGowan says.
She says Special Olympics receives contribu
tions from many people because it seems to be an
event that people enjoy working with and sup
porting.
She says the people involved find that many
other people are hesitant to work with the men
tally retarded, she says. However, after working
with them once, the people usually return.
“A person may give only a portion of a day,
but in return they will receive more love from the
athlete then that person could imagine,” McGo
wan says.
Jail inmates get
chance to study
in BISD program
By James Florez
Reporter
Brazos County Jail inmates have
the opportunity to study for the
Graduate Equivalency Diploma
exam because of a new program
sponsored by the Bryan Indepen
dent School District’s Community
Education Program.
The GED program was initiated
by the Region Six Education Service
Center in Huntsville, through which
the program receives funding.
Community Education Director
Larry Cox says the program is being
conducted on a trial basis.
“We hope to come up with some
hard statistics to see what kind of
gains we have made,” Cox says.
Bonnie Webb, who oversees the
program for the center, says the pro
gram was started to fulfill a need.
“One of our goals in adult educa
tion,” Webb says, “is to go where we
see a need for further adult educa
tion, and jail is certainly one of those
places.”
Webb says this program, which
began Jan. 17, replaces one that
ended about three years ago.
“We had a program called Rap-
Sessions that we weren’t too happy
with,” Webb says. “When I contacted
the jail late last year about starting a
new, more organized program, they
were very receptive.”
Webb says the program was then
turned over to the education pro
gram, which now coordinates it.
Lt. Ron Huddleston, assistant jail
administrator, says the program
serves a twofold purpose for the
county.
“We wanted to offer our inmates
who had not finished high school an
opportunity to get an education,”
Huddleston says.
“But, also, the more programs we
offer the inmates, the more commo
dities we get free from the Texas De
partment on Human Resources,” he
says. “We are helping our people
and at the same time we are also
helping our budget by getting some
of these free commodities.”
Dayton Phillips, the program’s in
structor, says the program is de
signed to help students master basic
skills for the GED exam.
“Also, the skills are important in
today’s job market,” Phillips says.
“You’ve got to have language and
math skills if you work in anything
other than a minimum-wage job.”
Phillips gives students diagnostic
tests to help him determine their ed
ucation levels.
“It’s a self-study type deal,” Phil
lips says. “I give them a workbook
which explains the problems and
ives examples. I come in for four
ours each week to help them
through the hard spots and keep
them moving.
“However motivated they are is
how fast they progress. I don’t push
them, and I don’t hold them back.”
A 49-year-old inmate who asked
not to be identified is the program’s
star pupil. She is expected to grad
uate and take the equivalency exam
in March.
“Nobody is prouder of me than
me,” says the woman, who has spent
much of her life working as a wait
ress. “I quit school when I was 16 be
cause I thought I was smart enough.
Was I wrong.”
She hopes a GED will lead to a
better job, but says she’s getting close
to retirement age.
Phillips says while it is too early to
tell, he believes the program will be a
success.
“A basic measure of success,” Phil
lips says, “would be to have one per
son pass the GED exam.”
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