Guilfordian
Welcome To A Birthday Party
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igon oversees the rehearsal of the Reveler's production
WQFS: Still an Alternative
Beer gardens, live music,
street jugglers, international
foods, artists exhibiting wares
and over 200,000 people could only
mean one thing...City Stage
Weekend.
A strange thing happened to
downtown Greensboro on
Saturday and Sunday. In place of
cars and businessmen there were
roller-skaters and partyers
cruising the streets, celebrating.
The occasion was the Third
Annual City Stage which kicked
off with a beach music festival on
Friday. Maurice Williams and
the Zodiacs began a weekend of
band, plays and excess with an
all-you-can-eat-and-drink blast at
the old Greene Street fire station.
The get together was met with so
much enthusiasm that organizers
met with reluctance when trying
to get the merry-makers to call it
a night.
Mike Cross, in this third per
formance in conjuction with City
Stage, was also very well
received. Giving two per
formances at 7:30 and 10:00
Saturday night, the spirit of the
festival was apparent by the
crowds that came to support a
local (Chapel Hill) boy done
good. Grown too big to hold
outdoor concerts as in years past,
necessary ingredient to a true
City Stage Celebration.
Although these two events cost
money, no necessity for a good
time needed cash. Excluded of
course, is the beer, amply sup
plied by Miller Brewing Com-
pany who sponsored the event
with the United Arts Council.
Money was actually a liability
this weekend, for between beer
gardens and baklava one needed
to negotiate the path of hand
made quilts, leather goods,
superb photographs and
everyother purchasable
imaginable.
Dizzy Gillespie, Jerry Jeff
Walker, Commander Cody and
over 50 others, however, exacted
no fee from the crowds, for a
large part of City Stage is the free
concerts.
The master of classical jazz
gave four concerts during the
weekend and Dizzy once again
charmed the city. Jerry Jeff
Walker performed twice on
Saturday and worked the crowd
into a frenzy with his well-known
"Mr. Bojangles" and "Up
Against the Wall, Red-Necked
Mothers." Sunday was Com
mander Cody's turn to take over
as he took his fans for a drive in
his "Hot Rod Lincoln." The
Commander played extended
sets, despite the early morning
drive from a previous gig in
Washington, to fill in for the
cancellation of a local band.
Regional bands familiar to the
Guilford scene were also involved
in City Stage as Coffeehouse and
Huck's entertainers appeared in
force. Kier, Mad Sweeny, Treva
Spontaine and the Graphics,
Backporch and the ever popular
Jimmy Person Quintet stepped
away from the local scene to give
a total of 13 concerts.
Guilford itself was even
represented in the 12 block
jubilation. Starting the
celebration both Saturday and
Sunday was our own Dr. Henry
Hood, who treated early morning
partyers to his bagpipe expertise.
Brenda Schleunes, who also
worked with the college on
by Joe Albright
Editorial Editor
New alternative airwaves from
WQFS now sound around
Greensboro in three languages.
French instruction, Spanish
music, and English and World
Classics are the new cultural
answer to pop music in
Greensboro.
Instructional French program
ming airs Tuesday and Thursday
mornings from 10:00 to 10:30 and
repeats at 4:30. Sophie Jeffries,
first year Guilford French pro
fessor, developed the tapes used
for this program at Ohio State
University. Each lesson begins
with short French dialogues
which are repeated in English. A
longer dialogue giving the feel of
the French language follows.
Comprendes Espanol, verdad?
If not, The Spanish melodies can
still entertain you Thursday
nights. One half hour to 45
minutes of imported music
begins at 9:30. Between song talk
is neither long nor English.
By Joy Elizabeth Opaleski
Editor in Chief
"In my spare time, I guess I'm
curious about men, 'cause in the
play I end up with Mr. Goldberg
and learn things I shouldn't learn
until I've been married three
times!" said Vanessa Fiorillo as
she explained her character from
the upcoming play. "A cross bet
ween a cheap hood and Marlon
Brando's Godfather," said
Steve Batten as he mused on his
role in the Reveler's fall produc
tion.
Harold Pinter's The Birthday
Party will debut on the Stern
berger stage on October 7, at
8:15, with a four day run.
Unraveling before the audience
will be the story of an artist (Dan
Pleasant) who suffers an emo
tional breakdown at the hands of
strangers.
The plot, however, is only one
aspect of the play. The action that
takes place "is so realistic, it
must be a comedy," says Mary
Hildemen (Meg). I'm the au
dience's "relief, an Edith Bunker
type character, not too aware and
very ordinary."
several occasions, was also in
volved as she and Barbara Moran
revitalized the tradition or
storytelling by the city's
graveyard.
Despite the oncoming of mid
term exams, Guilford students
met the challenge of uniting with
the community for the festival.
Indeed it was difficult to walk
through the streets without
City Stage 111
Narations are in English,
however for the World Classis
series. Those who tune into QFS
9:30 this Monday evening will
hear another segment of Charles
Dickens' Great Expectations.
Future show will include The
Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
and other classics.
The radio station does not rely
soley on pre-recorded tapes to in
form its audience, though. The
Sunday night live News Magazine
educates the public as well as
QFS staff. Announcers spend the
week gathering news on interna
tional affairs, domestic troubles,
Quaker sports plays, art and
whatever. They capsulize,
edirotialize. then share the mike
live for 20 minutes Sunday at 6:00
Inside
Friendly Talk Velvin's View
The Birthday Party, however,
is not a pure comedy; it's more of
a psychological drama. "It's kind
of like One Flew Over the
Cuckoo's Nest, a strangulation of
individuality," continued Mary.
"Stanley (the artist), is a univer
sal character," says Dan Plea
sant, "he lives more in the past
than in the present and he's close
to a vegetable because of it. Guilt
and regret over past choices have
immobilized his personality." As
an artist, Stanley is in a constant
struggle against society. The
Birthday Party is the first show
of the Reveler's season. Directed
by Dr. Donald Deagon with
technical assistance by Pete
West and Tom Smith, Pinter's
play hosts Guilford's returning
actors, Dan Pleasant, Vanessa
Fiorillo, Mary Hildeman, and
Steve Batten, and gives Steve
Hobbs and Steve Williams their
big break.
All performances are free to
Guilford students and begin at
8:15.
glimpsing a face from campus.
Next to impossible was to drink a
beer in one of the gardens without
seeing another Guilford person
enjoying the same treat.
Yet if work, papers or back
logged reading kept a portion of
the school away from the 15 hour
party, have no fear. City Stage
will return.
p.m. when they recap the week's
events for the listening public.
The news skills developed will aid
the announcer in any mass com
munications work he might do.
Programming on the station
educates listeners in foreign
language and culture, classical
literature, current world and
Guilford events. It doesn't stop
there. QFS dares to fantasize.
The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien's fan
tasy worl adventure novel airs
for thirty minutes each Sunday
evening at 9:30. The entire trilogy
will run.
WQFS is still an alternative
music station. These new shows
are giving listeners yet another
choice in the listening adventure
- educational and cultural pro
grams.