The Panther Prints March 19, 1996

LIVE MUSIC - COMPACT DISCS - BOOK REVIEWS - POETRY - THEATRE

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THe cmimciitise <eservior Dogs at the Barn

by Cut Throat

Backstabbing, insulting, name- calling: all in the name of theatre. Correction. All in theatre.

The University of Prince Edward Island Theatre Society is marred by these three things. They are destroying the Society from within, and affecting all those involved with it.

The UPEI Theatre Society is,

according to some members of the Island community, creating a bad name for itself. According to those members, the three one-act plays were flops and the Spring Production is under attack because of the choice of director.

The three plays of the fall produc- tion were directed by UPEI students in the Arts and Music faculties. These students spent a lot of time and put a lot of hard work into their plays. These plays were the work of students, and turned out quite well. A number of people considered their evenings well- spent, and the plays received good reviews.

Now, to the Spring Production. The choice of Winkfield as director of The Three Cuckolds is being contested. Well, get over it. It's too late to change it now. Apparently, he is doing a good job, and is that not all we should be

concerned about? Okay, so he is not a member of the UPEI Theatre Society, nor is he a student or a faculty member, but he is a qualified director, and has done plays here before.

The problem here is that the students were not consulted when it came to the director choices.. They were given choices as to the plays, but they were subject to that one director's approval and student majority. Another fear was that few UPEI students would be chosen to be in the play, and instead Gregson would bring in people from Victoria. This has not been the case, as

only one or two actors are not students here.

One of the problems is the size of the cast -- only ten parts. Pretty small for the big Spring Production. Several regular UPEI actors did not even audi- tion, mostly due to what was felt as a

poor choice iri both play and its director.

’ Here's my beef. The UPEI Theatre Society is supposed to be in place to give students an opportunity to get involved in theatre. Don't bash the directors of the Fall Production or their plays. They were students. They were getting involved. If they hadn't come forward and volunteered their time and energy, we might not have had a Fall Production. Or worse, we might have had a director who said at the first Society meeting of the year that he would direct "if nobody else comes forward." What kind of devotion is that?

It's great that the Society has the direction of faculty members to help us along. We need it. If the professors want to get actively involved in the Society, great. Let them. If we didn't have faculty involvement, how would the theatre survive here? Thanks to the students? Come on! We have to led by the hand sometimes, and if the faculty didn't initiate what happens here in theatre, would we start it ourselves? Probably not. Randy Burrows' project is marvellous and a step in the right direction, but it is not being considered a UPEI production, even though Randy is a student, as are a few of the actors.

The Theatre Society has some

problems that need to be addressed and

fixed. But fighting from within and attacks from the outside are not going to help. It's not perfect, and nothing is, but if the Theatre Society is going to sur- vive, it needs all our help.

place to give students an opportunity to

by Amy Gallan

A jewellery heist gone completely wrong, a bloodbath, and some fired-up gangsters -- what more does a play need? This is the plot of the upcoming play based on Quentin Tarantino's 1992 movie Reservoir Dogs. The play is being put on by a group of UPEI stu- dents, and is expected to be a hit.

The play is directed by Randy Burrows, a student in his fifth year at UPEI. Burrows undertook the project in January, funding it with his own and borrowed money, searching for twenty- two actors (from first to fourth year university students) to fill the variety of parts. After three months of planning and practice, the show is finally ready for an audience.

Some critics are saying -- even before opening night -- that this play may not be suitable for everyone. The play boasts mature language and some violent scenes. Why choose a play with such qualities? As Burrows explained "It's fun. It's a good play. It's simple, the characters are very strong, and it has a good script."

Burrows said that the play was virtually non-profit, and that any money made would go towards another project in the future.

Reservoir Dogs will be held at the UPEI Barn from Thursday, March 21 to Saturday, March 23 at 8:00 pm nightly. Tickets are $5.00 and are available in advance at the Bookstore or at the door.

YOU COULD

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