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^'The Heiress' showcases love, pain and
0 the romance of life at Stage Center
By Marium Mohiuddin
Staff Writer
F ar off in the overcrowded city of New York lives
Catherine Sloper, the daughter of a wealthy doctor
and a member of the elite high society. However,
that society does not allow room for a girl to fall in love
with a poor man, especially a gold digger. But through
their relationship, Catherine is able to grow as a person
and finally experience love.
It may sound like a romance novel, but the similari
ties stop when the name of Henry James appears below
the headline.
"1 he Heiress" is an adaptation of a James short story
brought to life at Bryan's Stage Center by Rick Land-
mann and company.
Landmann, the director of "The Heiress," said the
play is a timeless tale of love and revenge.
I he play was redone for a film starring Jennifer Ja
son Leigh, but they left out many of the characters little
nuances," Landmann said. "I brought these back in the
play because it is interesting to know why characters act
a certain way and what makes them behave."
Landmann said it would have been easy to make the
play into a melodrama but he wanted to make it realis-
hc and show how people really act.
'1 his is a classic play and a classic story," he said.
I he characters are tremendous and present a story that
P eo ple have faced. The theater allows you to analyze the
situation. Is this how you would have handled it? Would
‘tbe similar or different?"
Students turn unwanted
pets into lifelong friends
By Manisha Parekh
Staff writer
E ach animal is different from
the rest. There is a large Dal
matian who was abandoned
days ago, a round black rabbit sit
ting alone, a tiny kitten who was a
stray and countless others. As they
poke their noses out of the cages,
their faces all seem to ask the same
question: "Will you take me home?"
Welcome to the Brazos Animal
Shelter, where each year thousands
of animals are brought in after be
ing abandoned, lost or put up for
adoption by their owners.
Mary Haislett, human education
coordinator for the shelter, said
more than just dogs and cats come
through the shelter's doors.
"We get everything from rare
chickens to zebras to emus," Haislett
said."We get all kinds of animals."
The shelter, which opened in
1983, has a mission to help people
and animals through a variety of
services, including education, pet
adoption, dog/cat licensing, stray
animal and livestock impoundment,
and field work. Much of the support
the shelter receives comes from do
nations and tax dollars.
"We are a non-profit organiza
tion," Haislett said. "While most
shelters or 'pounds' are barely get
ting by, we are doing quite well."
"Quite well" might be an under
statement. The Brazos Animal Shel
ter has a pet adoption rate of around
75-percent, while the national aver
age is 25-percent.
Haislett attributes the high rate of
pet adoptions to the high number
of college students who live in
Bryan and College Station.
"(Most animals] are adopted by
families, but we do have a number
of students adopting animals,"
Haislett said.
Josh Brenner, a sophomore gen
eral studies major, adopted a puppy
from the shelter in January.
"I walked up to the door [of the
cage] and he looked really sad and
pitiful," Brenner said. "But when 1
opened the door, he ran up to me
and wanted to play, so I picked
him."
Even though Brenner eventually
gave the dog to a friend, he is very
positive about the whole experience.
"The staff was really friendly and
helpful," he said. "They really care
about the animals."
Prospective adopters can choose
from cats, dogs, rabbits and the oc
casional exotic bird or pot-bellied
pig to take home with them.
Haislett said the shelter's policies
state that prospective adopters must
fill out an adoption application and
meet several guidelines. If the
adopter lives in an apartment and is
interested in adopting a dog, it must
weigh 25 pounds or less after it ful
ly matures. Dogs that will grow over
25 pounds and live in the Bryan-
College Station city limits require a
fenced yard.
All pet deposits must be paid and
landlord approval of the pet must be
verified before the animal goes
home. Also, dogs and cats living
with the adopting family must be
vaccinated.
Adopters must also pay a $65
adoption fee. The fee includes the
first shot, worming medication, bor-
datella vaccination and coupons for
veterinary and grooming services. It
also includes a coupon for a free
spay or neuter.
According to Haislett, having
pets spayed or neutered would ef
fectively cut down on the number of
stray animals that are brought in to
the shelter.
"On a slow day, we get at least 10
animals. That number can easily be
come 75 on a busy day," Haislett
said. "A lot of litters end up here."
Andrea Spence, a marketing
major at Blinn College, brought a
German shepherd into the shelter
last year after finding it alone on
Texas Avenue.
"We took in the animal because
we were concerned," Spence said.
"I was really surprised at how nice
everyone there was. They called us
back to tell us it was adopted by a
good family.
"They really went out of their
way, and a lot of shelters don't do
that," she said.
Unfortunately, many of the ani
mals that are brought in are not as
lucky. Of the approximately 9,000
animals that are brought in to the
shelter each year, 50- to 60-percent
of them are unadoptable and have
to be put down.
Haislett urges pet owners to have
their animals spayed or neutered.
"They don't realize that their kit
tens are producing more kittens,"
she said.
The Brazos Animal Shelter is
open Monday through Friday from
10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday
from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The shelter is
located at 2207 Pinfeather Road in
Bryan.
The Brazos Animal Shelter just
might be the one place money can
buy love.
Kelli Overton, lead actress and a senior marketing
major, said this has been the most challenging character
she has played.
"Catherine leads a very lonely life," she said. "She
does not experience love from her father so this causes
her to be shy and withdrawn. When she meets Morris
(her love) she finally grows as a person."
"It was hard playing her because it was like having
two different characters," Overton said. "She changes
from shy and awkward to strong and dominating."
Overton said there were many times she would sit
with the director and talk about how her character
Catherine would behave.
"While we were rehearsing, my acting coach would
walk behind and constantly put my head down or push
my shoulders down because 1 had to act like a shy per
son," she said. "There are also numerous love scenes and
it was difficult to act like a shy person doing those. That
is what was hard for me because I am a very outgoing
person."
Overton said the greatest thing about "The Heiress"
which sets it apart from others is the strong, if not sur
prising, ending.
"The play has a dramatic ending and things change,"
she said. "The play turns around 360 degrees. It was fun
playing her from a shy little girl to someone who is able
to pick herself up and be graceful and strong. It is very
emotional and dramatic. It is a very beautiful play."
^ %
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Bryan resident Carl Perry makes friends with one of the residents of the Brazos Valley Animal Shelter. Perry is
considering getting his sister a dog for her birthday.
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Introduction to
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Concerto in E Minor
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