Page 4
Politics
The N.C. Essay
Second In A Series:
of
Drama Department
Emotion
For the politically aware and socially concerned woman the in
sinuation that she votes on the basis of her emotions can be very un
settling.
With an eye towards the truth about the relationship between sex
and politics, two assumptions should be dispelled:
First, that the term voting emotionally implies voting for a can
didate’s good looks, chani^g voice, elegant mannerisms, ap
pearance of his family, and so forth.
Second, that voting emotionally is a bad thing. Emotions are con
sidered to be feminine traits. Hence, the man who votes with his
emotions is less than a man.
In approaching the first assumption, it is perhaps more true that one
votes emotionally on the basis of issues rather than on the basis of
ai^arances.
Take the overwhehning victory of Eisenhower in 1952-a victory for
which the women of the United States were primarily responsible. Not
only did they turn out in record numbers at the voting polls, but they
broke their traditional alliance with the Democrats.
Why? Because Eisenhower’s platform for foreign policy promised
an end to the war in Korea: because his platform for domestic policy
promised an economy which would provide good schools for children,
security for the aged, a decent standard of living for the American
family.
That American women voted to support Eisenhower’s platform
clearly reveals a reliance on emotions-emotions having to do with war
and peace, rich and poor, young and old, security and insecurity,
emotions so strong that they cut across party lines and marital ties.
The year 1952 was neither the first nor last time that women showed
their emotional concern for issues of the day.
History has hardly noted that in 1924 a women’s committee sub
mitted a draft platform at the Democratic Convention which
foreshadowed many of the New Deal programs-the eight-hr>ur work
day, government support of collective bargaining, f^eral aid for
maternal and child health, the welfare system. These programs
weren’t made into legislation for another ten years.
Also, as more and more women found their way to the polling place,
more and more big city bosses found themselves without a populace to
dominate. Again it was women who crossed party lines to eliminate
the power of tradition.
Today it is the more emotional woman or man who wants to end the.
war in IndoChina, but who is realistic enough to support G.I. benefits
for the soldier on the battlefield and the returning veteran. A recent
Gallup poU found that more women were opposed to war than men.
History dispels the assumption that women who vote emotionally
ignore the issues in lieu of the image.
Moreover, history dismisses the pretension that men who allow
emotions to influence their politics are weak and effeminate.
Lord Kenneth Clark in the series, “Civilization”, informs us that
what distinguished the Age of Reason from other eras was its em-
I^asis on the feminine qu^ties of man. He tells us that it was the first
time in centuries that men felt strong enough to allow this side of their
nature to show through.
Lord Clark further points out that this feminizing influence was also
reflected in architec^e and design, the two elements noted in these
constructional efforts being delicacy and strengUi, attributes all
gentlemen of the age tried to perfect.
The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were written
during the Age of Reason, and the writers were men who had been
exposed to the philosophies of the emotional thinker, Voltaire.
Voltaire himself realized that one of the most dangerous elements
that can pervade a nation’s ethos is the glorification of no-nonsense
thinking as opposed to emotional thinking.
Dictatorships stress function over art, construction over creation,
development of resources rather than appreciation of truly human
needs. In a culture where Mars rules and strikes out for the strong
masculine ideal, very little gets done. When men and women become
victims of this tj^e of pseudo-masculine idealism, sterility sets in.
Traditionally it is the feminizing segment of society which manages
to preserve civilization. While men were warring during the Middle
Ages, women were painting and composing music. While the
Sinurais were busy battling for territorial imperatives in Japan,
women were creating the Japanese alphabet and formulating the
basic structures of the other arts which men took up after they finally
laid down their arms.
Today we still remember Athens for what Athens left in the areas of
art, science, literature, philosophy. What do we remember of Sparta
except that it was a society found^ on the principles of self-denial; a
culture where the armies were well provided and whose women told
their sons, “Either come home with your shield or on it.”
What will the 20th century be remembered for? A president who
says a war cannot be halted because “I don’t want thLs country to
become a weak pitiful giant”; and a populace who ignores poverty
while ix'eserving the image of its homeland as a power ready to right
wrongs (almost) everywhere?
We may be remembered for just these things unlsss we reevaluate
our concept of politics. What is feminine or emotional in all people is
necessary if we are to return the world to a livable shape.
But let us remember that women, as well as men, have been capable
of war. Men have traditionally fought to defend an ideal, an ab
straction. Women have often fought to defend what was real to them-
their homes, their husbands, their children.
Russian women carried arms against the Nazis; English ladies
manned anti-aircraft guns; Israeli women fought in the ’68 war to
preserve their country against overwhelming ^ds.
Anthropologist Margaret Meade once stated that she’s glad women
don’t fight wars because they would be completely rutMess on the
battleSeld. In other words, men fight to preserve the ideals of other
men. A woman will fight to preserve what is essentially important to
her.
In the U.S. women stand on the threshold of becoming the most
powerful force in the country’s political future. It is hardly important
whether or not a woman rules the White House as long as we put
someone there who will understand toe differences between the
historically associated masculine ideals and reality. We need someone
stro^ enough to be gentle and gentle enough to be strong, the
traditional male-female elements in equal proportion.
As the Chinese said when they fashioned the philosophy of yin-yang,
“Nothing exists without its opposite, and to take from one to give too
much to th^ other eventually destroys everything.”
Robin Kaplan
Editor
By Ronald Pollock
Dean of Drama
This has been a year of
{H'ogress and achievement for the
School of Drama- some of it
spectacular, some of it mundane.
The selection of “The Little
Foxes” for participation in the
American College Theatre
Festival in Washington this
month, the receipt of the Irene
Ryan Scholarship by Duke Em-
sberger and the fine showing our
seniors have made in the
University Repertory Theatre
and Theatre Communication
Group auditions have given the
School a boost in pride and
prestige.
These achievements are im
portant for other reasons also.
They reflect the kind and quality
of teaching which sustains and
supports all of the efforts of the
Sdiool of Drama and they reflect
the kind and quality of our
students - the lifeblood of the
Letter:
School. I feel myself to be very
fortunate to be administrator of
the School of Drama.
The organization of these
talents in the most efficient and
effective manner is my ongoing,
sometimes rewarding,
sometimes frustrating task. The
initiation of the monthly scene
workshops open to students of all
levels hsus been positive and
rewarding innovation. On each of
these evenings there has been
much good and satisfying work
and usually at least one really
fine piece of work. I have found
each scene workshop to be en
joyable, revealing, and richly
satisfying.
The full-length workshop
program has moved in fits and
starts. Nevertheless, two of the
three works attempted to date
were well received and resulted
in a demand for additional
performances. “Brecht on
Brecht” played at Davidson
College and “Ceremonies In
Dark Old Men” will play 5 per
formances in the model cities
area of Winston-Salem in late
April and early May.
A much fuller workshop series
is planned for 1972-73. Nine
pro^ams are proposed provided
a suitable space and equipment
can be set aside to accomodate
them. I regard this as high
priority.
Our major production efforts
have brought us commendation
as well as providing a variety of
performance experiences for the
students who participated. We, of
course, need much more op
portunity of this kind. However,
until the School has the resources
(money and manpower) to
service more majors we must
supplement what can be done
with workshop productions.
The faculty production of
“Dear Liar” was a delight.
Re-ordering and re-structuring
of the classroom program to
Continued on Page 8
Scripts Placed In Library
Dear Editor,
Just recently I have placed four
of my origin^ scripts in N.C.-
S.A.’s library. I would deeply
appreciate some “blurb” in the
Essay so somebody will know
they’re there. Here are the titles,
and brief descriptions:
THE GATHERING: a one act
play concerning the masks
people wear in life. It deals with
people in a twilight world thrown
together under the influence of
E^l.
THE LUCKY STIFFS: A three
act black comedy. A play where
the characters are corpses. It is a
whacked-out Spoon River, with a
set consisting of nothing but eight
coffins.
JALEO: a two act play based on
Lorca’s poem, Death Of A
Bullfighter. It deals with a love
trian^e between two men and a
woman.
THE TWILIGHT’S LAST
GLEAMING: A three act play
dealing with four homosexuals in
Viet Nam who are soldiers, under
the thumb of a Sargeant using
them for his own purposes.
I would deeply appreciate yoiu"
consideration and help in this
matter. Some student might find
them interesting reading, if
nothing else.
Sincerely,
Ira David Wood III
Review:
Black Arts Week Festival
Reviewed by William Baskin
A Black Arts Festival, the first
of its kind in the history of the
School, opened for a two night nm
on We^esday, February 9. The
show - and it was a show in every
sense of the word — played to
good houses both nights. This
reviewer saw the Thursday night
performance and the audience
was especially enthusiastic. It
was refreshing to see such a large
number of our black friends from
the community and their ap
preciation of the show was ob
vious. As the evening progressed,
in fact, there was considerable
audience participation with
hands clapping to the music,
some singing and shouting and
hai^y, excited small children
cau^t up in the spirit of the
evening.
Student designed and produced
and staged and choregraphed by
Rael Lamb who is now a member
of the resident North Carolina
Dance Theatre, the show sparked
and glowed under this direction
and with the fine support of all
involved. Particularly effective
were the lights which were
handled by Harvey McCuUers
and the very impressive
costumes were bright and deep
toned and beautifully tailored,
and were as handsome as any
seen in this community for a long
time. The fact that the show was
mounted on a non-existant budget
(though small monies were found
in support of it) made one wonder
how such an impressive
(x-oduction was achieved on so
little. This in itself was a sizable
accomplishment and somehow
funds should be sou^t in future
years to make it possible for this
kind of student production to
bccome a permanent part of the
activities and training in the
School.
The show opened with an in
troductory number, “Black
Women,” in which many of the
lovely girls in the show presented
stunning fashions as they took
their places on stage. Especially
noteworthy was a long black
maxi coat trinuned in a wide
band of gold at the bottom and
worn with great style and beauty
by India Cooke. This sequence
was followed by an introduction
to the show handled well, as
always, by Delle Chatman. This
velvet beauty is a delight to see
and hear and her printed, long
dress was magnificent. She
handles herself with great
sophistication and her voice flows
like honey. The next two numbers
on the program were “I’ve been
Buked” and “The Wizard.” Fine
dancing in the latter by Sharon
Penn and Rael Lamb was most
enjoyable and the singing in the
first, especially by Marymal
Holes, was very moving.
Karen Wilson offered two
readings from black writers
accompanied by a small combo
led by David TiUman. The first of
these was the selection on black
art by Leroy Jones who, to my
mind, is a writer of questionable
artistry and this selection was an
.unhappy choice. There are many
fine black writers far superior to
this and who would have been
more representative of black
American literature in a festival
of this kind. The second selection
by Sonya Sanches entitled Soul
was effectively done and drew
good response from the audience.
This reading was accompanied
by some very interesting
choreographic effects danced by
Elijah Gill and others. The
closing number of the first part of
the [ffogram prior to intermission
was called “Liberation”—a
splendid piece of choregraphy,
beautifully danced and strikingly
costumed in deep pink and green.
Particularly fine in this section
were Cortlwidt Jones, always a
delightful dancer, Warren Lucas
and Sharon Penn.
Part II of the evening of music
and dance opened with singing by
Marcia Epps and a show-
stopping, spectacular rendering
of Suzanne featuring the soul
tingling vocal beauty of Marjpial
Holmes. She was ably assisted
in this number by Pauletta
Pearson whose voice has a
glorious tone and quality to it.
and India Cooke, again stunning
in a wine and gold dress. The
music for this number, again
provided by David Tillman and
company, was beautifully suited
to the vocal excitement and
brought a well-deserved standing
ovation from the audience.
A musical group featuring
David Tillman and his combo
followed. Edward Hood and
Marcellus Pailen on trumpet and
a fine saxaphone (not identified
in the program) were featured
along with splendid handling of
the drums.
“The Second Maze”,
choreographed by Elizabeth
Brotman, was next. This is a very
impressive piece refreshingly
danced by Warren Lucas and
Cynthia Penn against a vivid red
backdrop which later changes to
sky blue. The costumes of pink
and black and good lighting ef
fects added to the effectiveness of
this work. Rael Lamb, in bright
red, poignantly danced the
anquished Mud Bird, a memorial
to Malcolm X.
Further fine singing by
Marymal Holmes and the full
company in “God is a Spirit” and
a dramatic scene by Delle
Chapman rounded out the
evening.
This show was a full evening of
fine entertainment — perhaps a
Wt too full, but wiOi the amount of
talent and enthusiasm demon
strated, one would be hard put to
suggest where cutting might
have been made. Perhaps the
pace of the show would have been
better had the sequence of the
numbers been better planned to
avoid too frequent shifting of
piano, drum stand and equip
ment. Some difficulties with the
sound system also slowed the
pace.
In all, a great show and a
memorable evening and a
rewarding one for all who ab-
viously worked long hours to
bring it off. One was impressed
by the taste and sophistication
with which the show was
designed and those responsible
can be proud.