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North Carolina School of the Arts
THE N.C, ESSAY
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Intensive Arts Period
Two Weeks in December . . .
What Happened?
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.- The two-week period of intensive arts
from December 4 to 15 found most of the students involved in some
kind of performance experience.
“The Nutcracker,” scheduled for a total of 9 performances in three
cities, involved all of the ballet students. The traditional Christmas
ballet was performed in Winston-Salem on December 8,9 and 10, in
Wilmington on the 12th and 13th and in Greensboro on the 16th and
17th.
The School of Drama mounted one studio presentation and two tours
during the two week period. Scheduled in the Dome Theatre was a
program of one-acts featuring “A Last Supper,” by James Pendleton,
the winner of the NCSA New Play Cr,nipetition. The program, under
the direction of Donald Hotton, Instructor in Acting, also included
Strindberg’s “The Stronger” and Pinter’s “The Dumb Waiter.”
Two public school tours, supported by the State Legislature, were
“Russian Roulette,” a program of Checkhov one-acts directed by
Robert Murray, Instructor in Acting, and Emlyn Williams’ “A Murder
Has Been Arranged,” directed by William Dreyer, Instructor in Voice.
The Checkhov cne-acts were prcccrted in high schools in the coastal
area during the first week and in the southwestern part of the state
during the second week. Included in the program were “The Brute,”
“Marriage Proposal,” and “Swan Song.”
Described as a ghost story, “A Murder Has Been Arranged” was
presented in elementary schools in the eastern and southern parts of
the state. It will be presented in Winston-Salem by the ChUdren’s
Theatre Board in January.
Students in the School of Music presented Berlioz’ “The Childhood of
Christ,” featuring the NCSA Chorus and Orchestra and soloists, under
the direction of Nicholas Harsanyi on December 11 at the Salem Fine
Arts Center and later in public schools in Burlington, Greensboro and
Durham.
The heavy production schedule provided a crew assignment for
everyone in the School of Design and Production as well.
And What
Students Said
About It!
“Best work I’ve done all year!”- Penny Dennis,
Drama
“I’d like to see two intensive arts periods during the
year.” -Kerry Benson, Music
“Intensive arts week reminds me of an idyllic,
cascading tapestry of warm, amiable hours spent lazing
languidly between the solitary movement class held in
the morn and the serendipity potpurri hodgepodge
during the hour of bruncheon. These hours are
ceremoniously given birth to annually in the smoke-
filled recesses and the secreted quarters of the com
bined shadowy resources of the entire faculty’s
faculties.”— John Coggesahll, Drama
“Intensive Arts (period) was about as intense as a
flash flood in a Fizzie factory... (and) was good for
people who like to sleep.”- Denise Myers, Drama
“Better last year due to the fact that there were more
guest artists brought in,”- Pauletta Pearson, Music
“Intensive arts was a bore... dahling!”- Bev Petty,
Drama
“... very different; we were put out of practice rooms
into the halls.”- Ernest Stuart, Music
“Intensive arts is great for early Christmas shopping.
However, I’m delighted that the Nutcracker is the
reason for intensive arts, because I love Tchaikovsky.
Don’t you think so?” - Missy Snelling, Drama
,... nm
Hv:
DRAMATIC SCENES IN DECEMBER
Top 1. to r.: The Brute,
A Marriage Proposal, The Brute.
Bottom 1. to r.: The Dumbwaiter,
The Swansong, A Last Supper
“I liked it very much. I thought the reviews given in the
paper were unfair. The reviewer takes a bad attitude at
things ^ne at our school.”-John Patykula
“I found that it had beautiful moments. Tlie sets were
hidious and used much too often. Some of the dancing
was sluggish but for the most part I was surprised that it
went as well as it did with most of the cast being
relatively new members. The lighting was not effective.
The technical aspects lessened the enthusiasm for the
dancers.”-Steve Carson, Drama
“I think the performance speaks for itself.”-Tim Swing,
Music
“It’s great to eat on a dollar a day in downtown Raleigh;
that’s why I haven’t been on tour since my freshman
year.”-Don Martin, D&P
... AND nutcracker, 1972
“Nutcracker was a good show - especially if you like
fairies (Sugar Plum and others). It was also an attempt
to kill the D & P department, if they don’t kill Mr. Lin-
dgren first . . . but that’s snow business,”-Michael
Shurgan, Music
“ . . . most impressive!”-William “Rocky” Fulp-
Drama
“The Ballet was goo^, but I thought it lacked a certain
amount of togethero^ or oneness on the part of the
performers involved ’*—Ann Robinson, Music
“It reminded me my childhood.’’-Dale Stucken-
bruck, Music
Three Days In January
Self-Evaluatiom By
Faculty and Staff
Borrowing three days from the Winter Term, the entire faculty and
staff met together January 3-5. It was necessary to postpone the
resumption of classes and to suspend all activites for the faculty to
deal effectively with the important concerns of curricular review and
the Institutional Self-Study. The faculty and staff discussed the issues
and proposed changes in three different settings; mixed groups cut
ting across schools and departments; customary departmental
meetings; and finally in convocations of the general faculty.
Several representatives from the conununity and the boards par
ticipated in the sessions, and Dr. Cameron West, Vice President for
Planning for the greater University, spoke one evening on the role of
NCSA in the University. The tenor of all of the meetings was quite
positive. Agreement was reached quickly on the principal proposition
that the concept coordinated studies should be studied to the end that
the educational program for each student reflect the full range of arts
and academic resources of the Shcool.
At the concluding Friday afternoon session, the general faculty
voted (without dissent) the following(
I. To form a broadly representative Curriculum Review Commission
(30 students and faculty) to study and make recommendations to the
general faculty concerning four topics:
A. Transdisciplinary Courses.
B. Wednesday Convocation Series.
C. Use of an English course as the focal point for a Wednesday Series
and-or production critiques.
D. Advisory System.
II. To direct the Arts Deans, both collectively and individually, in
consultation with their faculty and designated representatives of the
Academic and Student Affiars departments, to make recom
mendations to the general faculty concerning four issues:
A. Definition of and standards for the Certificate and the Degrees.
B. Define the program of study for majors.
C. Specify ancillary courses (ex. music for dancers)
D. Do advance work on the calendar of productions paying special
attention to the number of productions and their overall educational
purpose.
III. To direct the full Administrative Committee together with the
Faculty Council to study and to make recommendations to the general
faculty concerning faculty work loads and the alignment of faculty
duties.
Meeting time was specified (12:30 - 2:30 on Wednesdays) for the
Curriculum Review Committee. Note was made of the conflict with
the Self- Study conunittees, but both groups were asked to proceed
giving priority, if need be, to the Curriculum Review.
All of the groups given assignments were asked to prepare progress
reports for meetings of the general faculty scheduled for 12:30 - 2:30 on
successive Wednesdays, February 7 and March 7.
-Samuel M. Stone,
Chairman
Steering Committee
Self-Study
And How the Evaluators
“Everyone’s eyes were on Lauren Eager ... Thank (jk)d
for Lauren Eager.’’-Denise Myers, Drama
“No comment ... on the grounds that it may in
criminate me.”-Val Ondines, Dance
‘Not as good as last year!’’-Mike Shindleman, Music
“I think the performances went rather well considering
all the mishaps that occurred. The cast was worried if
things would go well. The younger people were excited
and exciting to work with. Enthusiasm made up for
experience. I enjoyed working Nutcracker very much
though there were times when things looked grim and
parts were a bit shakey. It was true that the dancing
caliber was not as high but the cast was young and it was
many of the performers first year. I was starting at the
bottom to work towards a peak.” -Adam Miller, Dance
Evaluate It!
“The spirit of cooperation among the arts and
academics departments was the most hopeful thing I’ve
seen in this school in eight years.” -Marion Fitz
simmons
“It was a great airing situation for everyone.”- Emile
Simonel
“I was very impressed with faculty response and I’m
sure that I speak for the majority of student body in
expressing thanks for their participation. I think a lot of
good ideas came out of the meetings, and it was the first
time since this school began that the entire faculty had
joined together on a singular issue. Maybe next year
curriculum review will be the supposed topic of
discussion instead of trans-disciplinary courses.”-
Peter Girvin, D&P Student
“I felt that these meetings provided a very important
oj^rtunity for all of us to take a look at the past and to
begin to think about the serious planning we need to do.
These meetings also gave us an opportunity to ask
questions and to give and receive information
previously unnoticed. It also gave us a chance to voice
personal feelings and aims for the school’s future. I
think that the meetings were very helpful, and I’ll try to
make this an annual thing.”- Chancellor Ward
“It gave us a new sense of perspective about what we
are doing- an extremely valuable experience.”- Paul
Meier