Drama Club Tastes Success With Play *Dream’
A scene from the play, “American Dream”. Photo by Fred Jordan.
Dream
BY EARLEEN MABRY
The first dramatic presentation
ever produced by a UNC—C group
was given Friday night, April 14,
and scored a large success.
A one act play, “The American
Dream’’ was presented to an over
flow audience of over 200 students,
faculty, and visitors.
The play, in the words of its
author, Edward Albee (also author
of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia
Woolf’) is “An examination of the
American scene ... a stand
against the fiction that everythii^
in this slipping land of ours is
peachy - keen”.
Its comedy is witty and enter
taining, but the systematic satire
and sarcasm point out the faults
in the American Dream.
Mommy was played by student
Jan Wasdell and her intimidated
husband. Daddy was done by Mr.
Paul Atwell.
Pat Price played Mrs. Baker,
the frightfully busy bore and Mr.
Mike Brantley was the Young Man
-- the senseless, mindless Amer
ican Dream..
Grandma was played to the hilt
by student Bill Kinsey who came on
in wig and built up shoes as one
of the crabbiest, most outspoken
and funny old ladies ever seen.
The production was staged by
Dr. Catherine Nicholson, pro
fessor of drama and speech. Her
sheer determination and talent
added to the ability of the actors,
the imaginative and effective light
ing, scenery, make - up and prop^
erties.
These qualities provided the
UNC-C Drama group with its first
presentation and its first success.
Officer Race
(Continued from Page 1)
pledge 100 per cent of our abi
lities and attention to secure the
class of ‘68 a graduation and a
position of respect on this campus
which each senior will remember
with pride in the years to come.”
John Hostetter, senior can
didate: “The expected vicissitudes
and mutual fluctuations relative to
graduating seniors can be made
diminutive if that person leading
them is working on their side.
“Man, 1 am definitely on your
side. Besides it sure would maka
my mother pround and happy it
I were elected.”
To Over Flow Audience
Fall Do'wn
Photo.
-- Go Boom. Jan Wasdell takes a spill. Fred Jordan
Jamgotch Takes Appointment, Writes Book
Dr. Nish Jamgotch, Jr., assis
tant professor of political science
here, has been appointed as an
Associate at the Harvard Univer
sity Russian Research Center for
the summer of 1967.
This appointment, he hopes, will
enable him to complete work on
a book, “The Soviet Union and
Easter Europe: International Re
lations of a New Type?”
Dr. Jamgotch, whose speciality
is Soviet government and politics,
began his monograph two years ago
while associated with the Hoover
Institution on War, Revolution and
Peace, Stanford University.
He will leave for Harvard in
early June and complete his re
search in time to return for the
second summer term here begin
ning
July 17. During the second
term he will offer a course. Pol
itical Science 450, “Politics ofthe
International Communist Sys
tem.” Dr. Jamgotch says that the
the course will follow basically
his research.
The Minneapolis, Minn, native
received his Ph. D. from Clare
mont Graduate School in Califor-
He came here from a visit-
assistant professorship at
Scripps College of Claremont.
While in the Army, Dr. Janigotch
was an interrogator of Soviet de
fectors to Europe and later became
a Russian Linquist and Research
Intelligence Analyst.
He has taught at California State
College at Fullerton, California
State College at Long Beach, and
at the Claremont Colleges.
Dr. Jamgotch says that he feels
honored by his appointment and that
he is delighted to be able to have
the Harvard fecilities available for
his research.
The book will be published by the
Hoover Institution on War, Revol
ution and Peace.
Banks Says
'Well Done'
BY DICK BANKS
In The Charlotte Observer
A lot of people have been talking
about the cultural enrichment
Mecklenburg can expect from
UNC-C.
Well -- the enrichment began
Friday night where drama is con
cerned, with a most delightful
presentation of -Albee’s incongru
ously comical and painfully perti
nent “The American Dream.”
Drama at UNC-C obviously is
in capable hands. The director
of last night’s production is Dr.
Catherine Nicholson, a publicity-
shy lady from Troy. An Associate
Professor of English, she began
teaching drama and speech
at UNC-C last fall
-After last night’s final bows by
the cast. Dr. Nicholson couldn’tbe
found, either to take a bow for
herself or to receive the ribbon
tied roses brought up for her.
Orchids would have been in
order, for that matter, because the
play went well.
Room 200, a converted lecture
hall in Building C of the Liberal
Arts Complex, was packed with a
young audience of tlie bright sort
that laughs in the right places.
No real stage. The actors
seemed to be emerging from cloak
rooms. And no proscenuim cur
tain. But once the show got going,
who cared?
More likely by labors of genius
than by happy accident, the cast
performed evenly, with assured
timeing, as enchanting in visual
characterization as in handling
Albee’s often viciously amusing
dialogue.
The favorite of this member of
the audience was Pat Price as
the bemused visiting Mrs. Bar
ker, taking off her dress upon in
vitation to make herself comfor
table and making use of wonder
ing eyes, bountiful teeth and intri-
guingly prim speech to express
Alboe’s contempt for the Amer
ican Lady of Good Works.
Jan Wasdell nicely underplayed
the aspishness of Mommy, forever
ritualizing the castration of timo
rous Daddy (Paul Atwell), boasting
of her prowess as a belaborer of
shopgirls and relishing her re
peated threats to ship Grandma
off in a van.
Atwell’s Daddy was less com
plex, but he never missed a trick
in the role.
Mike Brantly,the enigmatic
American Dream, did well with
this climactic piece of abfuscation,
although he did betray hints of the
emotions he wasn’t supposed to
be able to feel. Bill Kinsey was
many-faced Grandma.
Dr. Nicholson’s imaginative di
rection kept firing visual and audial
messages from the stage, some
times two or three deep.
Her actors made good use of
Albee’s dramatic artillery,
blasting at the inanity ofthe Amer
ican home atmosphere, and the
deadliness of materialism. Her
actors made good use of the futi
lity that rewards adulthood in our
day.
Beyond these obvious statements
lie Albee’s symbolic shapes and
shades that each can read ac
cording to his experience as to
how the American has lost his
way, sold his birthright, and by
passed opportunities to build a
brave new world.
The comedy was put on with
ease and restraint and with a sort
of inner flow -- all admirably
enjoyable.
Chorus Presents Program
rnu „ T i*ril1r\r*0_ ... _ -,i —
nia
ing
The University Chorus will pre
sent its Spring program of Caro
lina Composers on May 17 in the
Parquet room.
The program, which will be
presented at the 11:30 break, will
consist of approximately 16 num
bers, all written by Carolina Com
posers.
Many of the authors, inspired by
the prospect of having their new
music publicly presented, have
written anthems especially for the
chorus to sing in this program.
Indeed, author Elwood Coggin de
dicated his number, BE YE GLAD
AND REJOICE, 0 YE RIGHTEOUS,
expressly to the chorus.
The chorus, with 65 voices,
guarantees a program of variety
and beauty, with anthems to please
all types of musical tastes.