areai E BATTAL]()j| e from pagei m '!\y for e Houston nilies heir children, ire c °alition arj Coalitioi trying to cc ei " Dr. Roben \[ l the traditiony e tradition wasps, ;r ’he Novemtiii that killed 12^ > available forco ter organization, Unity Prop tke Cheatham sail ! on fnlly suppoits or a bonfire and aving a represenia. the site, the bonfire elaborate as tli kggie Bonfire, hi ion many Apsis .'kindled, great and econoia- eep the tr Cadets and k tice to distribui Aggielife The Battalion Page 3A * Thursday, October 24, 2002 The show will go on MSC OPAS celebrates changes it has undergone during the past 30 years nister Tom Blau 011 s h e l° ve< -l theater and the arts. he ticket distrik- with student lief -come, first-seni roversy surround- s abuses will i tunity forstudei jor world leader y, pro-democra; of whom aresn id often si ts have criticized t for refusing it into the If ssacre, in whit! student protester' dictatorship, ri president throat: imunist Party ons are permc] held. By Emily Vincent THE BATTALION “It was my freshman year of high school, five minutes before the curtain went up for my first musical perform ance ever. My heart was pounding and [couldn’t feel my feet but 1 felt I had found my niche ” said Haley Montgomery, a junior marketing major. For 30 years, students such as Montgomery have continued their love oftheater and performing arts through Memorial Student Center’s Opera and Performing Arts Society (OPAS). Montgomery knew from that moment OPAS, a non-profit organization that brings musicals, plays, operas, ballets and many other performances to Rudder Theater, celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. In honor of the anniversary, OPAS has several special events planned, including a food drive, a reunion for approximately 400 members who gradu ated, different events to thank sponsors and a toy drive through OPAS Junior. Montgomery said theater was a wel come outlet since she wasn’t involved in athletics, and gave her an activity “I could put all of myself into.” Theater is something children can benefit from as well, she said. “It’s important for kids to have some way to express their creativity. Not all kids are athletes,” Montgomery said. “Art is another way to inspire confidence in children, the people who usually need it most.” Clark Church, Class of 2001 and board member on the OPAS Am/versary Committee, said mem bers are setting up an endowment fund in conjunction with the anniver- sury. Church said the fund will allow for higher quality performances and cheaper tickets. “The fund has two purposes: stu dent access and performance enhance ment. We do not receive funds through the University, so with an endowment fund, ticket prices can be kept as low as possible. We will also be able to get artists and shows that might have been too expensive in the past. Contrary to popular belief, stu dents do not perform in the shows. We try to get names that are popular at the time.” Members of OPAS do not perform in the shows, but do play a significant part in production. Members act as ushers and hand out programs at per formances. This student involvement, said Dr. Bill Perry, President of OPAS' Board of Directors, is one thing that has remained dependable during the history of OPAS. “Since the beginning of OPAS, stu dent participation has greatly increased,” Perry said. “More and more opportunities are available for students to be active in the productions.” According to surveys conducted by OPAS, the most popular shows in the College Station area are usually musicals and guitar music, but it has not always been this way. OPAS began as a subsidiary of MSC Townhall and brought classical, chamber music and symphonies to campus. Once OPAS became its own branch, its popularity and horizons broadened. Broadway shows and dance were added to the playbills. “Now we’ve got everything. Dance performances have gone from just bal let to including very popular shows such as Lord of the Dance and Stomp,” Perry said. “Broad program ming exposes students to the wide array of performing arts that do exist.” The recent past has included some exciting new firsts for OPAS. In 1995, the Bolshoi Ballet made its first stop in its United States tour at A&M. “People flew in from all over the country. It was a really big deal,” Church said. Intimate Gatherings,, a new series with smaller concert set tings, allows audience mem bers to feel clos er to the perform ers. At the end of the show, the per- fonners stay and answer questions posed to them by the audience members. The recent addition OPAS Junior brings performances which target children and family audiences. Recently OPAS became one of only 73 members inducted into the Kennedy Center Partnership, an institution established to combat the effects of decreased art funding in schools. Members are partnered with school districts to help teachers find ways to incorporate art into their lessons. Church said this type of introduc tion to art at an early age is important. “We have already seen examples in OPAS of the reduced art education funding in schools and we made a commitment to combat it,” Church said. “For example, six years ago we started transporting school classes in from areas with lower funding and giv ing special performances for them.” Adeena Neves, a sophomore telecommunications major, was musically inclined in high school. She said art is important for college students, not just children. Neves spent time in high school studying music and learning how to read written music. She said the payoffs were worth her time and more people could benefit from similar artistic endeavors. Neves said, “As college students, we need to broaden our horizons now, when we have the opportunity to do it.” O ruben peluna ‘THE BATTALION . Photo i sssrs The week of October 27 - October 31 Acct 209 Test Review Mon Oct 28 8pm-12am You can now buy tickets online at our website and Acct 209 Billy’s Video Sun Oct 27[^a 6pm-Finish Billy’s Video rjWed Oct 30 Spin-Finish avoid standing in ticket lines Acct 229 Cassidy & Part 1 of 3 Sun Oct 27 Part 2 of 3 Mon Oct 28 Part 3 of 3 Tuc Oct 29 Joiner 3pm-6pm 6pm-9pm 7pm-10pm Acct 230 Part 1 of 3 Part 2 of 3 Part 3 of 3 .ii.inliliMMi'i ..r Sun Oct 27 Mon Oct 28 Tue Oct 29 ------- lpm-4pm 3pm-6pm 4pm-7pm Blch 410 Part 2 of 3 Thu Oct 24 Part 3 of 3 Sun Oct 27 8pm-llpm 9pm-12am Chem 107 CAPA Check out our web Mawk Sun Oct 27 12am-latn page at Econ 202 Part l of 2 Part 2 of 2 Allen I ue Oct 29 Wed Oct 30 lOpin-lam 5pm-8pm Math 131 Part 1 of 3 Part 2 of 3 Part 3 of 3 Tue Oct 29 Wed Oct 30 Thu Oct 31 - 9pm-12am 9pmT2am lOpm-lam Math 151 Part 1 of 3 Thu Oct 24 Part 2 of 3 Sun Oct 27 Part 3 of 3 Mon Oct 28 ,7pm-10pm lOpm-lam 9pm-12am Math 152 Part 1 of 3 Part 2 of 3 Part 3 of 3 Thu Oct 24 Sun Oct 27 Mon Oct 28 lOpm-lam 7pm-10pm 6pm-9piu Math 251 Part 1 of 3 Part 2 of 3 Part 3 of 3 Tue Oct 29 Wed Oct 30 Thu Oct 31 6pni-9pm 6pm-9pm 7pm-10pm Mgmt 209 Part 1 of 2 Part 2 of 2 Swim Mon Oct 28 8pm-llpm Wed Oct 30 7pm-10pm Mgmt211 Swim Test Review Wed Oct 30 lOpm-lam fil’ys 201 Part 1 of 3 Part 2 of 3 Part 3 of 3 Tue Oct 29 Wed Oct 30 Thu Oct 31 8pm-llpitt 8pm-l Ipnr 7pni-10pm • ouuu