Page 6
NorUi Carolina School of the Arts
October Issue
Sist.
THE DOME: HOW IT GOT HERE
On the lower parking lot here at
school lies a strange-looking
white thing. At first glance you
might expect one of Uie sections
of this “thing” to slide open and
eject a huge telescope or guided
missile. This futuristic-*looking
structure is known as a “Hexa-
Pent Dome” or “Geodesic
Dome”.
The “Dome” concept comes
from the mind of Buckminster
Fuller, a man of diverse talents
and ingenuity. The “Dome” is
comprised of a series of
hexagonal and pentagonal sec
tions. Stress and weight are
diverted to the base of the
structure by using this type of
exact design. Each hex and pent
section was made separately and
belted into place like a huge
Chinese puzzle. One key factor to
the success of this dome, or any
dome, lies in the “gussets” which
are pieces of plywood or steel (in
this case steel) cut to a precise
shape and holes drilled ac
cordingly so as to hold and
strengthen the frame of each hex
and pent.
If you’re unfamiliar with the
geodesic dome concept, the mere
mention might invoke visions of
some dreaded geometry you
flunked. It is easy to understand
by just trucking on over one day
and having a close look about.
After you’ve observed the dome,
those mathematically proven
lines will begin falling into shape
and you’ll walk away satisfied
and much relieved.
CLOSET JOCKS PREPARE FOR ’72
N.C.S.A. has never been big on
sports. Football seemed fat^ to
remain an informal weekend
activity. Last year, however, the
jocks canip out of. t^ie closet!
Some of the Saturday regulars,
feeling their oats, wanted to pit
their strengths against some of
the Wake Forest heavies.
Arrangements were made and
the N.C.S.A. boys began to get
into shape for what they knew
would be the most strenuous
contest in their athletic careers to
date.
Word of the game spread like
wildflowers. Tongues and
imagination began to wag and
soon the school had organized its
peared cheerleaders and letter-
sweater clad,, saddled bobby-
rendition of “Homecoming
Weekend”. Out of nowhere ap-
soxers. Friday night the hop and
pep rally took place and the
queens were selected and
crowned.
Meanwhile, outside, the team
continued its rigorous training
with a knockdown, dragout mud
fight. Saturday night the
fraternities, We Tappa Keg and I
Phelta Thi, provided unlimited
suds and brought the school
together for the last big rally.
Unfortunately, the team broke
training. Carried away by the
spirit, they partied until dawn
and by gametime were ready to
jettison their pancakes. The rest
is history. The NCSA squad,
before a record breaking crowd.
was defeated in a close heart-
breaker. (See announcement for
1972 Homecoming p.8)
Andy Wood, director of student
activities and coach of last year’s
team, is trying to bring more
footbaU to N.C.S.A. He has set up
three games with Wake Forest
intramural teams. In the prac
tices held so far, there has been
great enthusiasm. With returning
veterans and talented new
rookies. Coach Wood said, “It
looks like we’U have a real fine
ball club this season.”
There are problems, however.
Recently the team has been
riddled with injuries, from pulled
ham-strings to “quarterback’s
elbow.” Schedule conflicts have
made practices impossible for
many players and may com
pletely prevent them from
playing. Because of the above,
exact dates for the games are
still pending. Also, the playing
field is inadequate. Besides being
almost square, it is full of ob
stacles and potholes. The only
solution may be a move to the
field behind E - F dormitory.
Lastly, there is the problem of
finding a name for the team. Last
year’s N.C.S.A. “Chickens”
simply will not do. Readers who
have suggestions should send
them to Box A223 or A233 and
eventually a name will be chosen
by student votes.
-Barbee, deGrazia, Newton
4
The construction, however,
was not so simple since no one
working on the project had any
previous experience with such a
structiu-e. Everything had to be
measured and cut as exactly as
possible. There is little room for
big errors in dome building. The
erection of the Dome (two long
days) took comparatively little
time as opposed to the time used
in planning and building.
The work on the dome was done
by students of the Design and
Production Department under
the leadership of Michael Byrum,
a member of the D&P faculty.
The dome will serve as a
“temporary” theatre while the
auditorium gets an overhaul, and
the gym finally becomes a
theatre. It will seat ap
proximately 70 people, too small
for any major production, but
adequate for a number of ctiier
functions such as workshops,
lectures, and demonstrations.
Domes have a wide and
limitless use for every con
ceivable building purpose, as the
future will undoubtedly show.
- Bob Gambrill
And Now
That It’s
Here
Ideas and remarks vary when
the dome is mentioned. The
members of the faculty that were
confronted were optimistic and
favorable. The students, on the
other hand, were thumbs down.
The D&P majors, who have put
their entire summer into this
project, feel like mothers with a
newly born child.
Dean Pollack stated that only
“studio productions” will be
staged in the dome with the one
major production being held at
Summit School. “The audience
will be close; therefore, the
acting must be honest. This will
require adjustments for actors
used to working in larger
theatres. But I believe people will
enjoy working in the dome so
much no one will want to go back
to the larger theatre.”
When passing Bob Murray in
the Commons, he replied, “I
think it will be a nice, intimate
theatre. ... it better be!”
As for the students’ opinions,
the dome was called a variety of
names varying from “a geo-
f^ysic pimple” to a “waster of
money”, “a ^trange-looking
theatre”, and “a wonderful piece
of artwork”.
The dome may prove to be a
fascinating experience. The
outlook for tile future is good. And
as the saying goes, “"niere’s no
place like dome.”
1971 “Team” Out of Action
-Connie Kincaid