Page 90 - TheGoldBug1969-70

page 4 the gold bug april 13, 1970 Strata ··~dramadepartment deserves highest credit by Dr. Wm. Riddington Since some members of the audience at the recent pro- Since the propriety of the scenes In "Strata" has been the center), and the Civil War (on the rIght) was a local ductton of "Strata" found the play Objectionable,lthought questioned, we might look at attitudes toward the theater concept, The orchestral music was developedonthe cam- that some comment on the situation from one not Involved In other places and times. It Is certainly withIn recent pus to fIt each part of the play, as appropriate. The slides in It might be pertinent to any discussion of the production. weeks that I have seen a news story from India dealing used as background In the Civil War part of the play were I had no part whatsoever inthe selection of the theme, nor with a movement there to permit kissing to be shown In researched on the campus, the movie developed here, as Its production. However, I can hardly can myseU a devn's their Cinema. A generation ago, I seem to remember that were the costumes, Choreography, and all the manyparts advocate, since In this case It might Imply that I found the some countries had trouble introducing nurses Inhospitals, of the drama. play devilish. since decent girls could not be persuaded to break their At the discussion on Monday many who took part In the In the first place, Western Maryland does not produce tradition by caring for male patients. In our own country, production were present, and during the two hours I attend- plays merely for the pleasure of Its constituency, but has I seem to remember hearing that a generation ago a sur- ed, discussion was constant and lively,lhad the feellng that a major In Dramatic Art, and students with thIs major, if geon attending a woman patient might be expected to cover if our department of Dramatic Art could produce this it Is to be respected, must be exposed to varrous types of her with a sheet, feeling rather than exam Inlng his handi- theatrical productions, and productions from various work, out of regard for the sensibilities of his patient. In ~::II~~I~:rt~eU~~~~:tO;~~s~~~~:~;~u:tt~o;~~:~t,hi~~~::~~f historical periods. It must also Involve the experimental this sort of context, the appendages used in the Greek only acting out a play already written and often produced theater and give students the chance to take part In dev- portion of "Strata" might be considered more as different elsewhere, the department deserved thehlghestcredUfor eloping versions of a theme, as well as producing estab- from our mores than Inevitably opposed to them. In any achieving one of Its major objectives. Those who parti- Itshed verstons, case, the professional theater Is moving into vastly chang- cipated In any aspect of theplay were deeply Involved in The crtncar comments I have heard seemed to center ing mores, and we offer a major in Dramatic Art. It in all its parts. around the part of "Strata" basedonArlstophanes" Lysis- I attended the discussion of "Strata" scheduled for the We are left with a play some ofwhose aspects otlended trata." Any serious study of world drama will place fifth Monday evening after the production and stayed for the the mores of members of the audience. We must not for- century Greece as one of the great periods of the theater. first two hours of discussion, leaving whUe it was still get that the play achieves remarkable success and serious Greek tragedies such as "Oedipus the King," and "Antl- going strong. The discussion centered almost entirely Interest In involvingthosewhotookpartinfts development gone" are frequently produced. Greek comedy is also around the dramatic purposesandeffecUvenessofvarlous and execution. Especially after listening to the dtscusston, one of the greats In the history of the theater, but has scenes, lines, muste, slides, and film that were a part of I realize that I personally missed many of the points that been much less frequently played till the present gen- the production. It dealt with the emotional Impact of the the play was intended to put across, and I cannot help feel- eration because of differing standards of taste between production on both audience, actors, and producers, and Ing that many others in the audience saw some aspects filth century Greece and today, and because it Is often discussed the way the pr'oduetfon, announced as "A work of the play that were acceptable in Greece but not here bound by its own culture rather than expressing a uni- In progress" developed dur-Ing r'ehear-sa ls , with changes and failed to see many of Its serious aspects. ' versal theme easily applied to our own times. Since the In all aspects of the production being made by all involved The plays of Arlstophanes were for Instruction as well "Lyststr-ata" has a universal theme Understandable in as they improved the concepts of the play during as for entertainment, and "Strata" was very much in the our generation, it is being produced nowin various places, rehearsals. Greek tradition in this regard. I am confident that anyone and I have seen It performedseveraltlmeswithln the last What Impres sed me most about this W3Sthat except for who listened to the discussion of the play and then saw It few years. These productions have been under auspices the lines of the Greek part of the play, which were taken for a second time would come away with a much d1fferent of serious drama, such as productions by departments of from the Greek play "Lysistrata", the whole concept of feeHng about the seriousness and moral purposes of the Dramatic Art, and have not been produced for the general "S.trata" was developed on the campus. The idea of the production. It had much more than the "redeemingsocial entertainment audience. Elizabethan period (on the audience left), the Greek (In value" which the Supreme Court considers in matters of censorship, Ad hoc committeee reports on January term The report of the Ad Hoc Committee to Evaluate passing and 5 failing. sophy," accorotng to tile report. In addition, "about the January Term was presented to the faculty at Us In relation to the question of how well the Term sue- 80% of the respondents indicated that the pass-fail was April 8th meeting In Decker Auditorium. ceeded In Us aim vto emphasize the greater importance sufttctentjy acceptable that they would recommend it for The Introduction to the report emphasized that its of quality and creative work and inteUectual actue ve-, another January Term." "About 75%of the participat- purpose "Is not to project or to make recommenda- me ntv by Instttutf ng- a pass-fall grading system, 198 ing faculty believed the total January Term was success- tions but to analyze and report the response to a series feIt that this aim was achieved, 210 felt that their ach- Iul and an addItional 12% bellevedlttobe highly success- of questlonnarles dealing with the January Term 1970." ievement would have been the same had the regular ful." The report continues with the statements that "the system been used. 1I5 felt that less emphasis on quality The aspects Term cuesttcnnartas Indicate a definitely favorable response was achieved but were "nevertheless happy that normal most generally of the campus-centered January the lack criticized by the faculty were: to WMC's first January Term," and that it "can be grade pressure was removed," and 22 also reu that less of a break following the term; the offering of regular consider-ed a success." emphasis on quality was achieved but indicated that they courses which fulfUl basic college requirements during A quick sampling of the tabulations show that ap- wished the regular grading pattern had been used. the term (many felt that 11 these courses are offered, proximately 86% of the 573 participating students who Most students cited the relaxed atmosphere of the the philosophy of the January Term should be modIfied); returned the questionnaries felt that the philosophy of January Term as a major reason for its enjoyment, In the lack of regulation of the student work load (i.e., the January Term was well or moderately well accomplish- addition a large number felt that they had a better amount of work required for courses varied too greatly; ed. The phUsophy of January Term envisoned the term chance to participate in the courses, that the discussion as "a time when the teacher places some of his special was generally better than usual courses, and that there since almost all courses carried three credits, the knowledge and personal interests at the disposal of the was a closer interaction and cooperation between fac- achievement was too unequal; the lack of compensation, monetary or In a reduced load during the regular either student's curiosity, in a particularly sustained, consctous ulty and students as well as among students, semesters (this In spite of the voluntary, non-remuner- and organized interaction," and where "the student will According to the report, "the largest cluster of com- have the sense of engaging with his instructor In a coop- plaints and suggestions centered around normal courses, ative nature of the program); the shortness of the term; system, the Pass/Fall erative venture, one In which together they explore new normal classroom situations, and normal course struc- The two following excerpts from letters received by areas, and open and extend intellectual horizons." ture. Clearly, most of the students. , • desire unusual the committee appeared In the report as part of the ad- Six hundred and eighty-two students participated In ministration's evaluation: January Term. Participation among the various types courses structured in fresh ways, courses and experi- "During the January Term the Library was used for of courses was as follows: 215 In regularly offered study and not for visiting. There are varying opinions courses (English 104, Religion 106, Math Ill, and ences they cannot have during the normal terms." about just how much It was used. Our circulation was Computer Science), 75 In the nve off-campus courses Seventy-Cive percent of the participaUngfacultybelieve heavier during the first week, but some of us were dis- (FrenCh, German, Biology, Drama, and Math), 44 in that that the philosophy of the January Term is a valid appointed not to see more faces." In the future, faculty srecrer Studies, and 348 in other courses. The number one. "The over-whelming percentage of responses in- should "consult with the Library Staff so that a plan can of students completing the program was 679 with 674 dicated that the professor believes his course accomp- lished well/moderately well the objectives of the philo- be made for the best use of the material avanatne.' __ LIbrarian From an administrative point of view, the January Term was a massive headache. In the men's residence Halls It was next to Impossible to keep people not re- gistered off the campus •••. There was far too much free time for some students to handle ••.• I should say • • , that the Term should be judged primarily on an educational basis since we can live with the admin- istrative problems or hopefully improve on some of them." In personal interview with the committee, Dean Mowbray emphasized two problems; (1) that some students had too much free time because of their work load, and (2) that since the breaks before and after the term were not long enough for some students to go home, they had to be housed and fed. __ Dean of Students The Ad Hoc Committee's report wlll be used In two ways by the faculty and administration: "to make some kind of preliminary decision about what use, 11any, to make of the January Term after 1971; and to Improve the 1971 program by maintaining the strengthsandwork- - .. IS>- Jng to remove the Weaknesses that this report points out." A computerized analyses of student response to Part I of the Student questionnaire wlll be out In two weeks.