larcl rsday • March 26, 1998
Opinion
RSPECTIVES
iseless moratorium threatens plays’futures
Mandy
Cater
opinion editor
lere for art thou, Romeo? This
Bniliar query may take on an
all too-literal meaning if some
|ing Bi its get their way.
)cal faction in England’s Royal
speare Company (RSC) is on a
^n to “preserve the integrity” of
aster’s works with a proposal that
"run* ses to be as successful as a star-
landsft d love affair — they want to ban
rd.
Associated Press report said the
alers think Shakespeare’s plays are
CZjl their original luster in the mod-
A1 -a. Tin group believes too-frequent revivals are ruining
.■prrjment of surprise and modern adaptations are damag-
l]\|e original meanings of the texts.
lat fools these mortals be! England without Shakespeare
TT(Hawaii without the pineapple, like New York without
Cl ,atue of Liberty, like Texas without the big hair.
jse “Bard-lovers” are full of baloney. If the element of
se was a problem, Titam'c wouldn’t be raking in a gajil-
ollars at the box office — it’s pretty safe to say most audi-
swir know the boat sinks.
|^£^ ( d as far as modern adaptations being detrimental, noth-
good or bad, but thinking makes it so. Any text genius
^h to so impact the human experience it has relevance
jars later — no matter how loose the interpretation —
d be considered amazing. That’s right, Jim Cameron, 400
Who’s king of the world now, buddy?
11 digress.
. James Harner, editor of the World Shakespeare Bibliog-
' and professor of English said modern interpretations
luce new people to the Bard’s work.
yery age remakes Shakespeare in its own image,” Harner
‘Like Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet last year brought
inces to Shakespeare that had never before been familiar
'lim.”
The bottom line is, people need to quit picking on Shake
speare already. First there’s all the yammering about Shake
speare’s sexuality. Sure, the guy wore earrings and tights, but so
do a lot of guys. And does it really matter if a homosexual or
heterosexual wrote Hamlet? No. It’s still an amazingly complex,
existential trip through the human psyche. And what if the
sonnets were written to a man? It makes them no less moving.
Then there’s the debate over who Shakespeare really is
and who actually authored the body of work under that
name. Yes, that is an intriguing question, but the world may
never know.
But obviously somebody wanted the world to believe
the pointy-nosed guy with the long hair and ruffled collars
penned the plays, so why should that be the center of
everyone’s attention? It’s like the Bible — it’s not who wrote
the chapters that counts, it’s what the literature means to
its readers.
Sir Peter Hall, RSC’s first artistic director best summed up
the current conflict when he said, “It’s absolute rubbish.”
Hall said measuring up to Shakespeare’s immense de
mands is the real task upon which to focus.
Banning performances of the Bard’s plays for a decade is
not the answer — censorship rarely is. Any time a piece of lit
erature can be presented to the populus or made accessible to
common people, society benefits.
Taking away some of history’s best-loved theatrical works
will do no one any good.
Besides, the idea is economic repercussions of the mora
torium ensure it will never be a reality.
“To try to institute a moratorium is impractical, especially
with the reconstructed Globe Theater opening last year,”
Harner said.
For the record, though, if a moratorium must be en
forced and fingers must be pointed, the plays should not
be the victims. Shakespeare and the stage should not be
made scapegoats.
A simple solution could be devised to alleviate the prob
lem of “preserving prestige” — ban Branagh.
Mandy Cater is a senior psychology major.
7/
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I0U!
7 amuai
north
by northgate
Festival dispels A&M’s cookie cutter image
I t’s challenging to de
scribe this event to an
outsider.
Seventy performers.
Two nights. Seven venues
on a narrow strip in a
Texas college town.
No country-western
bands.
Then again, any event
that defines this community
is hard to pin down. Consid
ering the stereotypes most
people attach to Texas A&M
Helen
Clancy
columnist
music
festival
University, the decision to present such a diverse
cross-section of musical talent at North By North-
gate must have taken some guts.
This event goes beyond most commercial en
terprises by finally confronting the misconcep
tion that Aggies are all boot-scootin’ Wrangler-
clad hicks — Aggies have a unique sense of
musical taste. The range of genres chosen to ap
peal to this crowd proves the fallacy behind the
old stereotype.
And concert-goers don’t have to be indigenous
to B-CS to appreciate the lineup. Austin isn’t the
only music scene NXNG is tapping into. Bands
W
MAIL CALL
loring poor movies
^es not equal racism
*sponse to Aaron Meier’s March
olwnn:
jleier’s column accusing the
[demy of racism was absolutely
■xrous.
irst, the members of the Acad-
’ are just like most of us — they
( j the same movies we did, and
■ of us saw Eve’s Bayou or even
Istad, for that matter. Did Eve’s
,ou ever even make it to the
Jlywood 16?
yecond, regardless of the im-
t tanc e of the story behind A/ms-
the movie was ill put together
a general disaster, considering
what Spielberg is capable of. While
I do think Djimon Hounsou gave a
better performance than anyone
else in the movie, I do not think
anyone in the Academy ignored it
because of his ethnic background.
It just wasn’t a very memorable
movie, so when nomination bal
lots went out, he was simply for
gotten because of the lousy per
formances of everyone else
surrounding the movie (black,
white or green).
So, please, Meier, get off your
high horse and find a ‘cause’ that
actually exists.
Deeann Schank Bleifeld
Research on cartoon
nostalgia falls short
I am disappointed to see such a
news-worthy article written incom
pletely. In the March 23 Battalion
Chris Martin and Rhonda Reinhart
submitted a well-thought out yet
highly incomplete article on car
toons of the ’80s.
Many highly acclaimed cartoons
were not included — especially a lit
tle cartoon titled “Transformers.”
How many of the cartoons listed
had a full-length feature film made,
which is impossible to rent any
more because everyone steals the
copies? I don’t remember a Scooby-
Doo movie, oh wait, I do remember
an episode with the Three Stooges
and another one with the Harlem
Globetrotters.
I don’t suppose that is the same as
a full-length movie though. And an
other point of correction, in the G.I.
Joe section it was mentioned that
Lady Jane was a lesbian. If so, then
why was she after Flint all of the time?
Mark Breedlove
Class of’98
The Battalion encourages letters to the ed
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and direct your question to the opinion editor.
from Los Angeles to Philadelphia will join local regu
lars, achieving an unprecedented fusion of ac
claimed and unknown, mainstream and eclectic.
Mark McKenzie, a 103.9 disk jockey said, “Anyone
who listens to music should be attracted to this. It re
flects a broad spectrum of music, everything from
the electronic sound to folk.”
The festival will reach out to those who are usually
neglected in the live-music scene, McKenzie said. By
offering artists with followings from other areas, al
most every musical base is covered.
“There is a diversity in the lineup, since bands
from other areas are also playing,” McKenzie said.
“Some of these bands also have a strong following.
Drill Team is on the verge of going national.”
Ruthie Foster and Breedlove, who carry a loyal fan
base in this area, are only a few of the standouts
scheduled to perform.
The unique twist achieved by NXNG organizers
lies in the festival’s combination of large-appeal
bands and local favorites. Being a college town,
this area boasts a number of gifted musicians
who are rarely given top billing. B-CS has a hid
den music scene that rarely surfaces in such a
publicized occasion.
McKenzie says the efforts of the organizers allows
these obscure bands, “to come out of the cracks and
crevices of the music scene.”
Widely-recognized groups like Huffamoose and
Drill Team will appeal to the listeners that smaller
bands struggle to attract. Karma Jet and Clandestine
can finally enjoy an audience most performers take
for granted.
A festival of this magnitude will afford ample ex
posure for the many unbilled bands struggling for
publicity in this area. And music-lovers who rarely
find a performance that satisfies a diverse palate will
find a compelling reason to battle Northgate parking
on a Friday night.
While indulging listeners with this medley of mu
sicians, NXNG also introduces a dimension massive
concerts fail to address.
By donating to charities, the Northgate Merchants
Association shifts the focus from commercial gain to
community outreach.
In its inaugural year, a portion of NXNG’s pro
ceeds will go to Junction Five-O-Five and the Brazos
Food Bank, proving that profit isn’t the organizers’
primary motive.
Although many will compare it to South by South
west, it isn’t the size that defines the impact of the
festival on this community— it’s the sincerity.
Helen Clancy is a senior English major.
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IN THE NNIRRCR
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HAVENf BESMIRCHED
the office of the
PRESIDENT.. •
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