6
Peter Pan Lives
“I wMi’t grow up!” ex
claims Peter Pan. Thus
ecchoes Jan Williams, Senior
theatre major at St. Andrews
College, whose puppet
production of Peter Pan will
be held Saturday.
Jan has singlehandedly
produced fourteen puppets,
(including Peter’s shadow)
for a production of “Peter
Pan,” a fantasy play written
by J.M. Barrie. She will per
form her own adapticm of the
Broadway musical version of
the play next week in several
of Laurinburg’s elementary
schools. A performance for
the public has been scheduled
in St. Andrews Liberal Arts
Auditorium on Saturday,
November 1, at 2 pjn.
The production is Jan’s
project for “Special Problems
in Technical ITieatre,” at ip-
per level theatre course at St.
Andrews. Majoring in
Theatre is somewhat ironic
for Jan, who insists that she is
a terrible actor. Ihose who
have seen her various per
formances seem to disagree
with her self-estimation. Pup
pet shows are Jan’s release
for acting out her favorite
roles; for Jan, Peter Pan is a
natural.
Jan not only built the pup
pets - she designed the stage
and the scenery, re-wrote the
script to adapt to puppets,
directed the play, and is one
of the five puppeteers.
i
Craig Dennis Show on View
The Vardell Gallery at St.
Andrews College in Laurin-
burg is currently showing an
exhibit of prints and drawings
by Craig Dennis, a 24-year old
artist ^ from Lansing,
Michigan. The exhibit opened
October 19 and will run until
November 6.
Dennis received his BFA
degree from the University of
Michigan in 1972, and two
years later earned an MFA
from Ohio State University.
He is presently an Art In
structor at Colgate University
in Hamilton, New York.
St. Andrews Art Professor
Bob Tauber says of the works
m the St. Andrews exhibit,
“There’s an apocalyptic
quality to most of these. They
make use of a composite of
images of de-
anthropomorphized man and
nature, and I get the feeling
that Dennis is pleadin with us,
through these works, not to let
our past be de-
anthropomorphized. He
suggests a sort of nostalgia
for our human past in light of
an inhuman technological
present.”
“There is a definite sense of
pessimism in these wra-ks,”
Tauber continues, “but it’s a
witty and cunning pessimism;
it’s not maudlin or
gruesome.”
The 14 works in the exhibit
are highly complex, skilled
‘productions. They are large,
multi-color, multi-technical
works, and some are done in
as many as 12 colors.
“An interesting aspect of
Dainis’ work,” notes Tauber,
“is that it’s filled with sym
bolic minutiae. He’s well-
informed and shows a keen
awareness of literature,
philosophy and art history.
His hero seems to be da Vinci,
but a da Vind who is no
longer a man - who has been
turned into a machine.”
Dennis’ works have been
shown at nineteen exhibitions
since 1974. He is the winner of
numerous awards for his
work.
Gotcha!
BALLERINA DOREEN
WELLS, playing the Snow
Fairy in a London per
formance of Tchaikovsky’s
“Nutcracker Suite” earher
this year, was mis-caught by
her partner, Patrice Bart of
the Paris Ballet, as she made
one of those seemin^y ef
fortless leaps audiences love.
And did she ever yell
Review Sets Contest
The Greensboro (N.C.)
Review, with the assistance of
the North Carolina Arts Coun
cil, has announced a literary
contest with a maximum
prize of $500 to be awarded to
a current resident of North
Carolina.
Entries in the Contest may
be either fiction or poetry.
Ficticm entries may run 2,500
to 6000 words in length;
poetry submissions should be
10 to fifteen pages in length.
Each contestant may submit
one entry in duplicate; all en
tries must be previously un
published.
All entries must be post
marked on or before January
15th 1976.. Judging will be
anonymous; all entries should
be submitted in a self-
addressed stamped envelope,
but no name should be in
cluded on the manuscript.
The Greensboro Review
will reserve the right to
publish work submitted in the
contest. Entries should be
sent to the N.C. Arts Council
Contest, c/o Greensboro
Review, English Department,
University of North Carolina
at Greensboro, Greensboro,
N.C. 27412.
Jijdges will have no con
nection with the University.
Jan says she became u.
terested in puppets two sum.
mers ago while employed by
the Qty of Greenville, S.C
Parks ad Recreations Depart^
ment, where she worked in a
puppet workshop. “They told
me to make puppets, and i
did.” she says.
At the eiKl of the sumni9
her troupe of puppeteers per.
formed in competition with
fifteen other parks and
recreatiai shows; and thev
placed second.
The puppets jan creaits
are a variation of rod pup.
pets. A rod is connected to the
puppets head, whidi is for.
med using cloth strips in a
paper mache technique, le
body, made frwn cloth and
stuffing, is suspended from
the head and controlled from
below. There is another rod of
light but sturdy wire con
nected to one hand for
movement and one connected
to the feet to simulate flight.
With these rods the puppeteer
has greater control over the
puppets’ movements than he
does with marionettes, whidi
are suspended by strings
from above. (Despite her
alleged control, this writff
noticed a slight movement in
Peter during my interviews
with Jan, and once while my
back wa turned I could have
sworn - but it must have beet
my imagination!)
Upai seeing the marvelous
puppets Jan has created, one
might be tempted to question
the fact that Jan actually
made them. After meeting
Jan, the question is easily
resolved - she didn’t! They
made her!
During the creation stages
Peter took on an uncanny
likeness to Carol Channing. At
this point, Jan considered
changing the script to “Hello
Dolly,” but Dolly would have
looked pretty funny in an eH
suit.
After graduation from St.
Andrews, Jan would like to
continue her work with pup
pets. She has kept in contact
with her fellow puppeteers of
Greenville, and rumor has it
that a puppet factory is in the
makings. Jan and her friends
would like to build puppets on
commission for dementa^
schools, and recreation and
entertainment productions.
She is also interested m
organizing a troupe o
travelling puppeteers.
Jan’s puppet show is one ot
many student theatre produc
tions in the works at St. W
drews. Two original plays y
St. Andrews students will
performed on November
and 3. A Chinese childrens
play is scheduled on Noveni
ber8, at 2 p.m. in the UberJ
Arts Auditorium at St- ^
drews, and the Greek trage^
“Antigone” will be performeu
November 20-23.
The St. Andrews''Wiea'.J
Department extends its
vitation to all ages to enjoj
the many realms of
tertainment scheduled
month. Howard