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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 6, 1990)
> Thursday, September 6,1990 The Battalion Page 7 6 >er 6,1991 tied ves i chills up for those tit the form oli Word”. 1 Hovis belie- f dealing wj ith,” Sember, ight brain fe i but the fin oblems yotiti •n years at tk pi red to co-at with studenii f sticking will ifraid of mail f Public t and commiij tath problensl by the bool|l :1 1 put it inn j. ational sea# n the Unitdl he video as or students! ;d “Matt, tht Student," ami sing differem y friends anil ug to the dot- dems are pet math is then oblem,” Seat ;atch on ri| d math until us. l.“I gotanej- i there,” Let lent one n\ y causes ■rstandingof as they don't h mail order .TH 987) for idance prob m major andi Theater Focus: Stage Center % n Local theater performs out of love By RUDY CORDOVA JR. Keeping the theater alive is an important goal for the people at Stage Center. They have survived the hardships that theaters all over the world have had to en dure, from lack of funds to lack of support. But this is a special group of people that have joined efforts to provide the community with qual ity productions. They come from all walks of life, but they all have a common goal—theater. For 26 years, Stage Center has produced comedies, dramas, and musicals for the Bryan-College Station community. The non profit, community theater de votes itself to enriching the cul ture of its patrons by providing them with live performances. It is the undying pursuit and love for theater that has driven these volunteers to the success they are enjoying. They all have lives that stretch beyond the stage, though. Their professions range from teaching to environmental con sulting. “We even have a radio personality,” Marketing Director Sandy Siddall said. “If anyone else is bored with life, get on over here,” she says. Stage Center productions have been seen all over the community from The Palace Theatre in Bryan to the A&M Consolidated Auditorium in College Station. Presently they are located on East 29th St. in Bryan in the Town & Country Shopping Cen ter. Siddall said that one of their long-term goals is “to try an find a home of our own.” They are cur rently leasing the space in this small, snip center where they have been located for almost a year and a half. Stage Center has a history of ups and downs since the collapse of their permanent borne in The Palace Theatre in Bryan. Since then, they have kept the Spirit al ive by performing in the commu nity itself. A Part In Your Community l-oi many years they pet loi med m the Old Country ( lub at the Bryan Golf Course, hut they were forced to move when the building was condemned. They have produced plays in area churches and at the Tumbleweed restaurant. “The reason we have lasted so long is shear guts and determin ation,” Donnie Wilson, director of Stage Center’s first production of the season, said. The theater is governed by its voting members which currently numbers 125. Each member has contributed to Stage Center ei ther through a small fee which entitles them to participate in all productions or through a tax-de ductible contribution. “It’s a great way meet people from all over the community,’ Wilson said. Stage Center, which also re- cieves grants from the Brazos Valley Arts Council, has both a creative and business side to it. The Board of Producers makes the artistic decisions while the Board of Governors makes the business decisions. The business decisions also reach into the community for help. For a class project last spring, A&M marketing students created a public relations cam paign for Stage Center. They gave the company ideas and rec ommendations to improve their standing with the community and to increase awareness of the area’s culture. Stage Center has a fabulous season in store for the commu nity. They open this weekend with their production of “Driving Miss Daisy.” Auditions for their next play “Monique” are Septem ber 10 and 11 between 7:00 and 9:00 p.m. at the theater. They continue their season with “Visit to a Small Planet,” “All’s Well That Ends Well,” “The Nerd,” “The Chalk Gar den” and “Seven Keys to Baldpa- te.” For more information call Charles Pitman at 846-2469 or Stage Center at 846-0287. Rudy Cordova Jr. is a senior the ater arts major and a reviewer for Lifestyles. Company opens fall season with Get ready for the ride of your life. Stage Center in Bryan opens their 26th season with the award winning play “Driving Miss Dai- s y-” Written by Alfred Uhry,“Driv ing Miss Daisy” won critical ac claim off Broadway and the 1988 Pulitzer prize before winning four Acadamy awards in Feb ruary, including Best Picture and Best Actress, as a motion picture. “Driving Miss Daisy” is play about a wealthy, Jewish woman named Daisy Werthan and her black chauffer, Hoke Coleman. The play spans from 1948 to 1973 in Atlanta, Georgia and dramatizes the growing respect that Daisy and Hoke have for each other. Rooted in the Deep South amidst racial prejudices, “Driving Miss Daisy” is a play for all to see. The Stage Center production of “Driving Miss Daisy” is di rected by Donnie Wilson starring Harold Presley, Dave Kelton and Wanda Daisa, one of the found ing members of Stage Center. The production is underwrit ten by Professional Car Services. Perfornances are Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8:00 p.m and Sunday at 2:30. The show continues through Sept. 13, 14, and 15 at 8:00 p.m. Tickets start at $3.50 and can be purchased at the box office Monday through Wednesday be tween 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. and one hour before curtain time during performance nights. For more information, call Stage Cen ter at 846-0287.Stage Center has been producing plays and musi cals since its initial season in 1966. The theater is kept alive by its members and contributors, and by an eager company of volun teers that actually work on the shows. ‘Exorcist III: Legion’ horrifies with script, not gore A rial in a mort help the stii- they ahead] ith difficult' but for somi r said, of things tlif Ip) in a reli' i major anil j • ••I ent Ige 't falls apart lother danct ecial Princt :ing numbet track, “Graf ought alonj lent to baci davis Staples carrying th( cs and musk :e: “Everybo- y’s looking! ywhere, and t with style, religion and i “Elephant! : preaches, f those who in “We Can s funk king te “funk”fot : they get a and funlj es...Tll funk ith an amaz- cing a lot of ir’s Bat/naf affiti Bridge nes and sex ! Prince does ohomore Em rajor and a re- By CAROL GLENN William Peter Blatty, writer and director of “The Exorcist III: Le gion” succeeds in producing a fan tastic horror film truly unique to this era of overly-done blood bath flicks. Too many horror films produced today mistake horror for gore, which ulitmately makes the audience sick instead of scaring them. Horror directors should stop for a minute and examine the true horror classics such as “Psycho”, “The Howling,” and “The Shining,” and see what real horror is meant to be. The original “Exorcist,” written by Blatty and directed by William Friedkin, focuses on a young girl named Regan (Linda Blair) who is possessed by a demonic f orce. Father Damien Karras (Jason Miller) and Father Merrin, a Jesuit exorcist (Max von Sydow), attempt to exorcise the evil force from her. The sequel, “T he Exorcist II: The Heretic,” written by William Good- hart and directed by John Boorman, picks up four years later on the frightening saga. This time Reagan (Blair recreates the role) is haunted by nightmares and is under psychiat ric care. Believing that she is possessed by the demon Pazuzu, Father Philip La ment (Richard Burton) goes to Af rica where the late Father Merrin first encountered the evil force. Fa ther Lamont searches for a boy named Kokumo who has control over the demon. This brings us to “The Exorcist III: Legion” which takes place in Georgetown, Washington D.C. But, instead of focusing on Regan, the story concentrates on the possession of Father Damien. Fifteen years earlier, when Father Damien died in the original “Exorc ist,” so did a serial killer known as “The Gemini.” Father Damien’s soul rose to heaven, and the soul of the Gemini took over his body which the devil brought back to life to continue kill ing. George C. Scott (known, among others, for his role in “Patton”) por trays police Lt. Kinderman in “Le gion” searching for the person re sponsible for the murders of several local priests. After doing some detective work, Kinderman comes to the conclusion that these murders are the work of the Gemini killer who he believes is dead. While researching the murder of Father Dyer (Ed Flanders) at the lo cal hospital, Kinderman discovers Father Damien’s possessed body in the mental ward. Kinderman learns that this time, though, the Gemini killer can cast out brainwaves to other mental pa tients (“friends” as the killer calls them) instructing them to do the kill ing for him. This is truly a fantastic horror film of the 90’s. You know that people are dying, but you don’t see the gory details of each murder. The suspense is overwhelming, and the eerie feeling is intense. Blatty knows what he is doing with this film, and is able to successfully combine his writing and directing skills to produce the ultimate horror movie. The director of photography, Gerry Fisher, also does an outstand ing job. He uses his superb cinema tographer skills to inject terror into many of the scenes. Fisher and Blatty have worked well in the past with “The Ninth Configuration,” and this proves to be a fruitful relationship in “The Exorcist III: Legion.” The actors (especially Scott and Flanders) produce thoroughly be lievable characters that fit precisely into the plot. Horror-movie lovers won’t be dis appointed with this suspense-filled masterpiece. Carol Glenn is a senior journalism ma jor and a feature writer for Lifestyles. Symphony orchestrates fundraiser Saturday By JOHN MABRY A mile of money in the mall for music — that may be hard to say but not hard to find this weekend. On Satin day, the Fi lends Associa tion of the Symphony Orchestra in conjunction with Post Oak Mall will attach a mile of double stick tape to the mall floor, on which visitors can attach donations to the Brazos V al ley Symphony Orchestra. If the mile is filled, they will have raised $10,000, FASO president Ruth Clearfield said. “The orchestra is a volunteer or ganization, so they need money for things such as renting rehearsal halls, renting concert halls, printing tickets, hiring the conductor, or sometimes they may need to hire ad ditional musicians,” Virginia Smith, information coordinator for the pro ject, said. “Although one goal of the event is to raise money, another goal is to bring awareness of the BVSO to a larger percentage of people,” Clear field said. “In the past, fundraising events haven’t been the type that embraces the whole community. This one is.” Prizes will be given away through out the day as donors attach their money to the tape. These prizes in clude everything from Hershey candy bars to jewelry to film proc essing, Clearfield said. Many music events are planned during the day to maintain interest in the Money Mile. These include performances by BVSO musicians, local high school bands, and mem bers of the Brazos Valley Youth Or chestra. Representatives of the BVSO, in cluding Franz Krager, the conduc tor, will also be on hand to discuss their roles in the community. “Supporting the orchestra is im portant in that it improves the qual ity of life in our community,” Smith said. “It is there for everyone, not just a certain segment of society. I think people tend to say ‘Oh, the sym phony,’ and think it’s only for the elite, but this just isn’t true.” Smith said she highly encourages students to support the BVSO. “The orchestra is a cultural en richment, just like libraries or theatre groups. It gives students a quality of life here versus just a geo graphical location,” Clearfield said. If you are interested in volunteer ing to help with the fundraiser, call the BVSO office at 776-2877. John Mabry is a senior theater arts/journalism double major and a re viewer for Lifestyles. Weekend Highlights Ten Hands funks it at Front Porch tonight Ten Hands returns tonight to Bryan-College Station and the Front Porch Cafe. The Dallas pop-funk group first appeared locally last fall, and was instantly contagious with the B-CS natives. The group’s diame trical flip between moody ballads; and wacky, spastic dance beats creates a musical schism that moves even the most fickle of mu sic fans. Ten Hands features (1-r) Steve Brand on guitar, Paul Slavens on keyboards and lead vocals, Earl Harvin on drums, Gary Muller on the Chapman stick and Joe Cripps on percussion. Admission for tonight’s show is $5 for 21 and older and $6 for under 21. fen Hands is sched uled to start at 9 p.m. For more information, call the Front Porch Cafe at 846-LIVE. Hilton hosts comedy benefit for KANM The College Station Hilton, in conjunction with the Showtime Network, TCA Cable 1 V and Ag gie 96 FM, is presenting five na tion-wide comedians tonight in a benefit for KANM, Texas A&M’s non-profit, student-run cable ra dio station. The comedic lineup, part of the Hilton’s weekly Comedy Club, will take place in the Hil ton’s Bluebonnet Grand Ball room. The performers, who have been featured nationwide in clubs and on television, include Jeff Schilling, Bill Silva, David La- Mont, Michael O’Rourke and Scott Kennedy . In addition to the professional performances, there will be vi deo-taped presentations of Texas A&M students telling their favor ite Aggie jokes. Tickets for tonight's show are $4 in advance and $5 at the door. Advance tickets are available at the College Station Hilton in the executive office and at Aggie 96 FM studios. For more information, contact the College Station Hilton at 693- 7500, or KANM at 845-5923.