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August 24, ZQDD
Getting busy with Welcome Week
Professor wins grant
The North Carolina Arts Council
awarded poet and Associate Professor
Michael White a full fellowship to the
Artists Residency Program at Chateau
de La Napoule, France for March and
April 2001. The fellowship is a competi
tive grant for established and emerging
artists funded by the North Carolina Arts
Council and the French Ministry of Cul
ture awarded to one North Carolina
writer or artist every year.
Minerva play opens
Minerva Productions’ play “Dream of
a Common Language” opens in Thalian
Hall’s Studio Theatre at 8:00 p.m. to
night. The show will run every weekend
until Sept. 3. All shows are at 8 p.m.,
except for Sundays, when they will be
at 3 p.m. Tickets cost $12. For tickets
and more information, call 800-523-
2820. The play examines the efforts
people make to communicate with each
other, especially members of the oppo
site sex.
Jazz at Scottish Rite
The Cape Fear Jazz Appreciation So
ciety presents legendary jazz vocalist
Sheila Jordan at the Scottish Rite Temple
tonight at 8 p.m. Pianist Steve Kuhn,
who was John Coltrane’s first pianist,
will accompany her. Advance tickets cost
$15 for the general public, and $13 for
students and CFAS members, and are
available at Audio Lab, Finkelsteins,
McAllister and Solomon, and Bristol
Books. Tickets at the door cost $18. For
information call 392-1200.
Mollye’s film night
Mollye’s Market will hold their
monthly screening of short films from
all over the country and abroad Aug. 25.
Genres range from comedy, drama,
documentary. Some have won awards
and others have never been seen by an
audience. The show starts at 8:00 p.m.
and is free; donations are accepted.
By Erin Henderson
Staff Writer
During UNCWelcome 2000, stu
dents swayed under the hypnotic power
of Tom DeLuca, sang along to the
groovin’ tunes of The Mike Plume
Band, and laughed hysterically at the
comical wit of David J.
With the week’s theme, “Gel Busy,”
Welcome Week roared to life with
PlayPair in the student recreation cen
ter and didn’t rest until the last Church
Day shuttle left Graham-Hewlett Aug.
20. The Campus Activities and Leader
ship Center, Campus Recreation, Hous
ing and Residence Life, Orientation,
Dean of Students, Greek Life, Hundley
Wellness Services, CROSSROADS,
ACE, SGA, Seahawk Perch, Division
of Student Affairs, International Pro
grams, UNCW Athletic Department,
Randall Library, Office of Cultural
Diversit and Campus Ministry, spon
sored the events.
According to the Association for
Campus Entertainment (ACE) presi
dent, Nicolette Fulton, Welcome Week
“is designed to orient people, and to
show them there are more things to cam-
ACE presented a variety of events
during this years Welcome Week.
pus than academics and sports.”
One Welcome Week entertainer was
mentalist Tom DeLuca. His “Theater of
the Imagination" cast a spell over
UNCW students as they sf>ed through
Kenan Auditorium in imaginary cars,
lost the ability to say their names and
ballet danced their way across the Kenan
stage.
ACE kicked off its concert series
with The Mike Plume Band and come
dian David J helped unite everyone in
laughter with his jokes about campus
life and first-year worries. “My favor
ite parts were his jokes about the cam
pus police. I’ll never look at their bikes
and baskets the same way again,” YEAR
Denae Foley said
Perhaps the most famous guest of the
week was Chris Wallace, the iwo-time
Emmy winning chief correspondent of
ABC news made a special presentation
at this year’s freshman convocation.
FirstServ, the first volunteer oppor
tunity of the year, concentrated on im
proving life in the Wilmington commu
nity. 48 students joined together to help
with organizations such as: The Vintage
Value Store (part of the Domestic Vio
lence Shelter and Services), Cape Fear
See WELCQME, Page 1 7
‘‘Greased Lightning’’ hits Thalian Hall
Sarah van Schagen
STAFF Writer
Among the Corinthian columns
and gilded decorations that frame
the historic Thalian Hall stage hung
a “Welcome Back Rydell High
Class of’59” sign. The neo-classi
cal theater is quickly turned 'into a
scene from the ‘50s, complete with
Pink Ladies, hot rods, and the hand
jive as the Opera House Theatre
Company presents its fourth pro
duction of the 2000 season,
“Grease.”
The show opens as Miss Lynch,
an English teacher from Rydell
High, asks the audience, whom she
refers to as Rydell alumni, to fol
low the bouncing ball” and join in
the alma mater. From the begin
ning, the audience is invited to take
part in the show, sing along with the
songs, and maybe even do a little
hand jive as the story of Danny
Zuko and Sandra Dee comes alive
on the stage.
Be warned, however, said
Michael Cammack (Danny Zuko)
“The play is different from the
movie.”
Cammack is right; for those who
grew up watching the movie star
ring John Travolta and Olivia New
ton John, some of the songs are out
of order and a few, including “You
Better Shape Up,” are missing from
the play, replaced by different, less
familiar songs. However, other
memorable songs including “Sum
mer Nights,” “Greased Lightnin’”
and “We Go Together” are brought
alive by the talented cast which
ranges from a recent graduate of
Scott
Star in
latfer and Meagan Jolliffe
“Grease” at Thalian Hall.
Laney High School to veterans of
the Thalian Hall Stage and even an
UNCW student.
See Grease, Page 17