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Entertainment
The Battalion
Page 7A * Thursday, April 22, 2004
Desperately seeking Steinbeck
kggie Players to use the stage to act out frustrations in “The Grapes of Wrath”
By Christina Tiechman
THE BATTALION
I This year marks the 5$th season of stage pro
ductions by the Aggie Players. “The Grapes of
Wrath,” the acclaimed literary work by John
Steinbeck with screenplay adapted by Frank
Galati, is the second main stage event this semes
ter and will open today.
I “The Grapes of Wrath” is an epic story that
jjtlines the importance of how
fimily, faith in God and hope
| rac , a e important tools in the battle
nJja;ainst misery. The Joad fami-
offrej; ll, along with many others, are
j (killing the troubles of the
Ifll Beat Depression and Dust
,vl of the 1930s. With work,
JTBoney and food becoming
scarce, all able bodies of the
eist are traveling west to
gj .ahrorme in search of
C0 |!.J| rumored relief. The trip itself is
desu,. n)t an easy one, and there are
lolieicMany adventures along the way.
isdal.Bet the heartache does not end
inGimi at the “Californie” border.
■ H Players and Texas
h&M Department of
Ptrformance Studies Theatre
' ^Mrts Program are bringing this
classic to campus with the sup-
sefafr 1 Academy of Visual
Il’kjBd Performing Arts. The Aggie
1 j er Players, Brazos Valley’s oldest active theater
^■oup, was formed in 1893, although its first full
theater performance of “You Can’t Take It With
■w” was not presented until 1946.
I Sunni Smoot, a senior theater arts major, said
lat although Steinbeck’s original novel is nor-
inally considered depressing and dark, there are
lidden messages of faith and beauty that can be
TL'AYS
The Aggie Players
the [tin!
HeM
brought out to become brought into the forefront.
“We tried to find the humor in a very serious
play,” said Sunni, who is also the stage manager
for the Aggie Players’ production and has been
with the project from the beginning.
Michael Greenwald, associate head of per
formance studies and coordinator of theater arts
said many months of preparation and molding
have gone into the construction of this perform
ance. Greenwald said he chose to direct this inter
pretation of the play in a Brechtian manner.
“Bertolt Brecht was a director and researcher
in the early 20th century and developed this
unique form of theater,”
Greenwald said. “Brechtian
form intends for the audience to
remember that they are just
watching actors and the audi
ence should not feel they are
viewing the real thing. Brecht
intended theater to revolve
around the art of storytelling.”
Greenwald said a distinctive
technique in this style of theater
is the art of a narrator using
song to describe events and
move the plot along. He said a
large portion of the music used
in this production is Woody
Guthrie songs.
“I wanted to put Guthrie in
the middle of the action
because he is another main
chronicler of the Dust Bowl
era,” Greenwald said. “We
know more about what the com
mon man was thinking by lis
tening to his music.”
Greenwald said the production has a versatile
cast, many of whom play multiple characters. He
said one highlight of the performance will be the
special appearance by “Coach” Robert A. Wenck,
Class of 1958, professor emeritus with the theater
arts program.
Brett Dworaczyk, a senior theatre arts major,
said he is curious to see how the Aggie Players
plofl
CONGRATULATIONS!
Join the Celebration at the Clayton W. Williams, Jr. Alumni Center
APRIL 22ND RING DELIVERY
Tickets distributed throughout the day, beginning at 7:15 a.m.
You must have a numbered ticket to get your Ring.
Festivities begin at 2:30 p.m.
Ring distribution starts at 3 p.m. and ends at 6 p.m.
We encourage you to take the Bonfire or
Replant bus routes that stop in front of the building.
Prints of I he Aggie Senior Ring by Benjamin Knox 90 available for purchase.
You must bring your receipt and drivers license
to pick up your Aggie Ring. If you do not have your receipt,
please bring your student ID and drivers license.
SPONSORED
BY
mu
The Association
OF former students*
Photo Courtesy of THE AGGIE PLAYERS
The cast of the Aggie Players’ “Grapes of Wrath” rehearse for the production. The play will have its first
showing tonight at the Rudder Forum.
make out their version of Steinbeck's influential
literary piece.
“I am looking forward to seeing how the actors
handle the roles,” Dworaczyk said.
Greenwald said that since the theater produc
tion budget took a major cut at the beginning of
this year, it only seems fit that a survival story be
used to end out this season. Greenwald said
Steinbeck’s words from the book perfectly
describe the situation:
“We are the people that live. They ain’t gonna
wipe us out. Why, we’re the people - we go on.
Ain’t nothin’ depressin’ in those words - for
Oakies or theatre folk.”
“The Grapes of Wrath” will be performed in
the Rudder Forum. Performances are April 22 and
23 and April 28 - May 1 at 8 p.m. and April 25
and May 2 at 2 p.m. Tickets are available at the
MSC Box Office. Prices are $10, or $7 for stu
dents and senior citizens.
11:30am-1pm
The Fairer Sex ^7
Movie and Moderated Discussion
Evans Library 204E ”5-6:30pm
A man and a woman trying to do the same Pariv
things... want to see how they are treated? ixdLG.
f ’ - ^ the Power of an Illusion
Movie and Moderated Discussion
Evans Library 204E
7 ' ' How race has been constructed
7pm and used/tnisused throughout the history
The Holocaust Through the Soldier’s Eye: A Tale of A Survivor
Holocaust Remembrance Week program
Rudder 301
JIB JBI «4di JBI
riday, April 23rd
Rudder Auditoriu
4:30 p.m.
Free Admission*
*Please note: seating is
on a first come,
first serve basis.
Doors open at 4:00 p.m.
Memorial Student Center * Texas A&M University
For more information, or information regarding
ADA accessibility, please contact MSC Diversity at 845-1515
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