ington’s RFk';!
contention afj
Americans ne|
“ d 1 THURSDAY
a late repR
npic tennis,,
a the third set
0 y against
T will likeljj
n the doubleij
ii Washingtoi.
on is hopeliil I
berg and teail
118 Olympic J
i,k 6-3,7-6(7#
ore Americar.;,
Martinez of ; j
oden. Thebij-;
nisevic, ouste:
>s Ondruska.
ued to leadi:j
-3 (10 gold,
as Russia wit
* (6-3-7) ani
July 25, 1996
GGIE
Page 3
Ml the World's A (Stage
'Nspiration Station continues its Shakespeare Festival
with the production of Hamlet this weekend
By Michael Cordova
The Battalion
een a profet
988. He tetj
asses in crt
nking.
or, a junior|
■oring major]
at the Rec [|
1 graduattM
aim ... but#
md. That'#
aid.
F
or some, the works of
William Shakespeare
are just a few poetic
tions are cc
toes.”
3 of the dtt
ott & Whit;
words from an old writer. But
for many others, they kindle a
! romance with one of history’s
most famous and intriguing
playwrights.
In an attempt to recapture
| some of the Shakespearean magic,
’Nspiration Academy of Bryan is
sion and r j producing a series of plays by the
16th century playwright.
The fourth annual Shake-
. I hope then
/e relations 1
d. “But bast speare Festival kicked off earlier
le sand and; I this month, directed by Randy
Wilson. The Festival, which has
three productions that run until
the end of August, will be pro
duced solely by Bryan-College
Station community members.
His productions have required
a variety of volunteers and have
often had a few unusual twists in
several plays.
“We work solely from volun
teers,” Wilson said. “We are a
community-based theater. One
time, we had two full families on
stage at the same time.”
The plays’ casts are mainly
comprised of families and individ
uals from the community. They
have also interested many A&M
students and aspiring actors.
“We usually take auditions
five to six weeks in advance,”
Wilson said. “We place ads in
the local newspapers so every
one who wants to can come out
and get a chance to read. The
productions usually take six
weeks to produce.”
The community organization
has also helped propel others to
greater heights.
Three actors who participat
ed in ’Nspiration Station pro
ductions have furthered their
acting careers.
“Since I’ve been here, we had
one person move to L.A., one who
is attending Circle Rep (an acting
school) in New York and another
who has just been accepted to Cir
cle Rep,” Wilson, a Broadway vet
eran, said.
Wilson, who has been with
’Nspiration Station for the past
three-and-a-half years, also directs
the other two plays in the festival.
Nellwyn Haley of the Brazos Val
ley Arts Council said two other plays
will be produced to accompany
Hamlet in the Shakespeare Festival.
“As You Like It — a youth pro
duction — and Comedy of Errors
will run later this slimmer,” Haley
said. “Meanwhile, Hamlet is al
ready underway.”
Wilson said he enjoys produc
ing Shakespeare’s works.
“We are doing Shakespeare be
cause it is a quality production,”
Wilson said. “Also because we
don’t have to pay any royalties.”
People involved in the plays are
not the only ones who enjoy the
productions. Many community
members are fans as well.
Justin Lindley, a junior agrono
my major, said he is glad he had
the opportunity to attend some of
the plays.
“Last fall, I went to a couple of
plays and I really enjoyed it,”
Lindley said. “Hopefully, I can get
out there this year and catch a
few more.”
’Nspiration Station has also
produced other popular plays
and musicals.
Last season’s productions of
Annie, Oliver, and The Sound of
Music were all sellouts.
The Brazos Valley Arts Council
funds ’Nspiration Station and the
Shakespeare Festival along with 21
other groups. Later this year, ’Nspi
ration Station will produce commu
nity favorites like Fiddler on the
Roof and To Kill a Mockingbird, and
they will end the year with Camelot.
Manor East Mall boutique finds use for
hemp in shoes, shirts, hacky sacks
By Michael Cordova
The Battalion
Pat James, The Battalion
Elaine Banks, owner of Earth's First Farms in Manor East Mall, displays
some of the edible uses for industrial hemp.
Despite all the negative stereotypes and
illegal uses of marijuana, some versions of
the drug are used for productive and help
ful reasons.
With all the negative notoriety accom
panying hemp, Elaine Banks, owner of
Earth’s First Farms, has seen the plant’s
useful side.
Her Manor East Mall boutique, sells prod
ucts made from the earthy material, has
gained quite a following from its customers.
“At first I was unaware of what to ex
pect,” says Banks. “But so far, almost
everyone who has come in has said they
like the store.”
Her cozy boutique contains various prod
ucts made from industrial hemp. Hiking
boots, hacky sacks and shirts made from
the material adorn the inside of her store.
“Our most popular products are our mens’
shirts,” she said. “Guys come in and they
want something that will last for five to ten
years. Our shirts do that.”
Banks envisioned opening a hemp store to
combat some of the social ills associated with
the material, as well as using her hemp
products as an alternative to trees.
She said hemp has been given a harsh
reputation because of its illegal uses.
“Just because marijuana has a negative
connotation associated with it doesn’t mean
that hemp has to be labeled as a black sheep
as well,” she says. “Hemp is a good crop be
cause it is drought-resistant and replaces
nutrients into the soil.”
"So far, almost everyone who has
come in has said they like the store."
— ELAINE BANKS
owner of Earth’s First Farms
Banks said hemp is also a sturdy material
for products.
“The clothes that have hemp in them
can be treated just like cotton,” she said.
“You can just throw them into the dryer
when you wash.”
Other than 100 percent hemp clothing,
her stores also sell many other items.
“We sold out of some things, but along
with the clothes we sell a lot of fun items,”
she said. “Frisbees with hemp seeds on the
edges, baseball caps, backpacks and wallets
are also selling.”
In order to open and stock her two-month-
old store, Banks traveled to Los Angeles to
view two new hemp stores that opened earli
er this year.
She said at times it is difficult to find dif
ferent merchandise for her store because of
the lack of available products.
“The catalogs I buy from have about two
or three pages worth of merchandise,”
Banks said.
During her recent trip to California, she
noticed only two out of about 1,500 outfits
made from from hemp.
For now. Banks who also owns Elaine’s,
an ice cream shop and deli, ponders the
possibility of moving to a larger, more ac
cessible store.
She said that she hopes to move some
where closer for more visibility.
“I want to move to a location closer to the
students, but for now it might be better to
stay put and establish the business here,”
she said.
v;
.
One
,f Pool
son
i
I NEW Motorola
| BRAVO PLUS
I $29.95*
I
$4,95
AIRTIME
Editor
or
OR
lTHICS Edit 08
, Texas
The missing link in your Quest for your first Software Job!
Credible Software Training
ORACLE™ 7.3
brought to you by
Phaedra Software Solutions, Inc.
POWERBUILDER™ 5.0
Experienced Instructor
Comprehensive Computer Based Training
Workbooks From Oracle Corp.
Interactive Satellite Based Instruction
Certification From Oracle Corporation
Course begins August 19
Average entry level positions as an
ORACLE Application Developer/
DBA starts at $36,000 per annum
Latest Versions of PowerBuilder
Comprehensive Course Materials
Computer Based Training Program
Video Based Seminars
Experienced Instructor Trained in
Advanced Topics at Powersoft Corp.
Preparation for CPD (Certified Powerbuilder Developer)
Certification , . 0 x
Course begins September 3
A N N E L
Pre-Register Now!!! Seats are limited.
Phaedra Software Solutions
505 University Drive East, Suite 607 College Station, TX 77840
Phone: (409) 691-0238 E-Mail: training@pss-sap.com
For details visit our homepage at WWW.pSS-Sap.COm