The
      Cadre
      +
      i9January
      1999
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      UPEI
      Theatre
      Society:
     
     
      still
      breaking
      legs
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ByLINDSAYKYTE
     
    
   
   
    
     
      You’ve
      seen
      them
      laugh-
     
     
      ing
      over
      coffee
      in
      the
      Pit,
     
     
      scampering
      frantically
      about
     
     
      town
      in
      search
      of
      unusual
      ob-
     
     
      jects,
      or,
      mostappropriately,
      in
     
     
      their
      element
      on
      the
      stage.
     
     
      They
      are
      the
      UPEI
      Theatre
     
     
      Society,
      and
      they’re
      getting
     
     
      bigger
      and
      better
      all
      the
      time.
     
    

    
     
      Professor
      Ron
      Irving
      has
     
     
      been
      involved
      with
      the
      society
     
     
      for
      almosttwenty
      years.
      When
     
     
      asked
      if,
      in
      his
      experience,
      there
     
     
      has
      always
      been
      an
      interest
      in
     
     
      theatre
      among
      UPEI
      students,
     
     
      he
      was
      quick
      to
      assure
      that
     
     
      there
      has,
      albeit
      with
      “periods
     
     
      more
      active
      than
      others.
      .
      .
     
     
      busier
      times.
      ..
      such
      as
      the
      last
     
     
      few
      years.”
     
    

    
     
      Indeed,
      current
      mem-
     
     
      bers
      of
      the
      society
      are
      not
      only
     
     
      involved
      with
      dramatic
      hap-
     
     
      penings
      on
      campus,
      but
      have
     
     
      branched
      out-ifito:the
      theatri-
     
     
      cal
      community,
      with
      many
      in-
     
     
      volved
      in
      organizations
      such
     
     
      as
      Theatre
      PEI,
      ACT
      (A
      Com-
     
     
      munity
      Theatre),
      The
      Edge
     
     
      Players,
      and
      also
      with
      innova-
     
     
      tive
      independent
      projects.
     
    

    
     
      One
      improvement
      made
     
     
      to
      the
      society
      this
      year
      was
      the
     
     
      construction
      of
      a
      new
      stage
      in
     
     
      the
      Alumni
      gymnasium.
      Irving
     
     
      describes
      this
      addition
      as
      a
     
     
      “great
      asset”
      which
      will
      prove
     
     
      extremely
      beneficial
      as
      com-
     
     
      pared
      with
      a
      time
      when
      “you
     
     
      had
      to
      scramble
      to
      find
      places
     
     
      to
      rehearse.”
     
    

    
     
      Richard
      Haines,
      co-chair
     
     
      of
      this
      year’s
      society,
      agrees
     
     
      that
      the
      stage
      is
      a
      “good
      start”
     
     
      for
      what
      he
      hopes
      will
      be
      a
     
     
      Series
      of
      bettering
      changes
      in
     
     
      the
      next
      few
      seasons.
     
    

    
     
      Haines
      was
      one
      of
      two
     
    
   
   
    
     
      student
      directors
      for
      lastterm’s
     
     
      one
      act
      plays,
      Salome
      (the
     
     
      other
      play
      was
      The
      Birthday
     
     
      Message,
      directed
      by
      Rebecca
     
     
      Lake).
      He
      describes
      his
      rather
     
     
      large
      cast
      of
      twelve
      as
      “a
      great
     
     
      pick
      of
      people
      [who
      were]
     
     
      open
      to
      criticism
      and
      advice.”
     
     
      He
      also
      states
      that
      the
      under-
     
     
      taking
      was
      “a
      lot
      of
      work”
      and
     
     
      “very
      stressful,
      as
      all
      theatre
     
     
      ia?"
     
    

    
     
      The
      one
      acts
      did
      not
      have
     
     
      an
      actual
      budget
      so
      costumes
     
     
      and
      props
      were
      limited
      to
      the
     
     
      “found
      objects”
      of
      a
      student
     
     
      volunteer.
      Whatever
      pur-
     
     
      chases
      had
      to
      be
      made
      were
     
     
      funded
      by
      members
      of
      the
      cast.
     
     
      Overall,
      however,
      Haines
      was
     
     
      satisfied
      with
      the
      results
      of
      his
     
     
      efforts.
     
    

    
     
      The
      theatre
      society
      pro-
     
     
      vides
      an
      opportunity
      forall
      stu-
     
     
      dents,
      regardless
      of
      past
      expe-
     
     
      rience,
      to
      become
      involved,
      as
     
     
      compared
      with
      other
      institu-
     
     
      tions
      where
      dramatic
      perform-
     
     
      ance
      is
      limited
      strictly
      to
      those
     
     
      involved
      in
      its
      study.
      Conse-
     
     
      quently,
      asociety’s
      production
     
     
      may
      be
      the
      first
      performance
     
     
      for
      some
      students,
      occasion-
     
     
      ally
      leading
      to
      mishaps
      such
      as
     
     
      were
      encountered
      during
      the
     
     
      final
      night
      of
      one
      production
     
     
      last
      term.
      But
      UPEI’s
      theatre
     
     
      society
      has
      always
      enjoyed
      an
     
     
      esteemed
      reputation
      in
      the
      past,
     
     
      and
      hopes
      to
      chalk
      this
      inci-
     
     
      dent
      up
      to
      “lessons
      learned
      for
     
     
      the
      future.”
     
    

    
     
      The
      future
      begins
      with
     
     
      this
      year’s
      major
      production,
     
     
      which
      will
      be
      Goodnight
     
     
      Desdemona
      (Good
      Morning
     
     
      Juliet)
      by
      Atlantic
      Canadian
     
     
      playwright
      Ann-Marie
     
     
      MacDonald.
     
    

    
     
      :
      This
      work
      is
      well-known
     
    
   
   
    
     
      throughout
      Canada,
      and
      has
     
     
      been
      performed
      numerous
     
     
      times
      recently.
      Haines
      will
     
     
      direct
      this
      play,
      and
      he
      eagerly
     
     
      anticipates
      the
      “great
      pool
      for
     
     
      talent”
      of
      students
      who
      will
      be
     
     
      auditioning.
      With
      a
      winter's
     
     
      break
      in
      outside
      productions,
     
     
      many
      students
      are
      returning
      to
     
     
      their
      dramatic
      roots
      in
      the
      so-
     
     
      ciety
      for
      this
      event.
     
    

    
     
      “We
      have
      a
      number
      of
     
     
      students
      seriously
      interested
     
     
      in
      theatre,
      as
      evidenced
      in
      the
     
     
      past
      history
      of
      the
      theatre
      so-
     
     
      ciety,”
      says
      Irving.
      He
      adds
     
     
      that
      this
      has
      been
      an
      essential
     
     
      element
      in
      the
      establishment
     
     
      this
      year
      of
      a
      new
      Theatre
     
     
      Minor
      program,
      of
      which
      he
      is
     
     
      the
      current
      supervisor.
      It
      is
     
     
      comprised
      of
      various
      academic
     
     
      drama
      courses,
      along
      with
     
     
      theatre
      workshop
      classes,
      and
     
     
      a
      practicum,
      whereby
      the
      stu-
     
     
      dent
      is
      directly
      involved
      in
      some
     
     
      aspect
      of
      a
      production,
      and
     
     
      assessed
      upon
      his
      or
      her
      per-
     
     
      formance.
     
    

    
     
      The
      theatre
      society
      of-
     
     
      fers
      unique
      challenges,
      a
     
     
      chance
      for
      dramatic
      experi-
     
     
      ence,
      and
      a
      place
      where
     
     
      amusement
      and
      achievement
     
     
      are
      equal
      partners.
      Students
     
     
      of
      all
      faculties
      are
      welcome
      to
     
     
      join,
      and
      to
      therefore
      become
     
     
      one
      of
      the
      highly
      caffeinated
     
     
      crew
      in
      the
      Pit.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Auditions
      for
      Goodnight
     
     
      Desdemona
      (Good
      Morning
     
     
      Juliet)
      will
      take
      place
      Janu-
     
     
      ary
      21
      and
      22,
      and
      sign-up
     
     
      sheets
      for
      cast
      and
      crew
      po-
     
     
      sitions
      are
      posted
      on
      the
     
     
      bulletin
      board
      outside
      of
      the
     
     
      English
      lounge
      on
      the
      sec-
     
     
      ond
      floor
      of
      the
      Main
      Build-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ing.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      310:30:30
     
     
      307
      University
      Ave
     
     
      This
      Special
      Available
      For
      Delivery
      To:
     
    

    
     
      UPEI,
      BROWN
      COURT,
      HOLLAND
      COLLEGE
     
     
      &
      COMPU
      COLLEGE
      ONLY!!!
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Not
      valid
      with
     
    
   
   
    
     
      PRESENT
      YOUR
      STUDENT
      ID
     
    
   
   
    
     
      FOR
      PICK-UP
      ORDERS!
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      to
      UPEI.
      Brown
      Court,