Newspaper Page Text
Ashford-Simpson
Sizzle Soul at Hall
By Ronald Cain
Page Five PANTHER October, 1974
Wolverine Produces
Original TV Drama
By Wanda
The popular singing-
composing team of Nicko-
las Ashford and Valerie
Simpson, along with the
George Faison Universal
Dance Experience, per
formed recently to the
theme of “A Touch of
Class” at the Atlanta Me
morial Arts Center, Sym
phony Hall.
The show began with the
George Faison dancers,
who flawlessly excuted
their choreography to the
music “Grand Ma’s
Hands”, “Pharoah’s Child
ren” by Stevie Wonder,
“Swing Low Sweet Chariot”
and ‘"Outer Space” by Billy
Preston.
The choreography was a
mixture of modern dance
steps and spiritual move
ments in response to the
music of Stevie Wonder
and Billy Preston. The
music was new renditions
of popular spiritual favor
ites.
One of the most impress
ive features of the perfor
mance given by the dan
cers was the choreography
done in “Tribute to Otis
Redding. ” The well-
developed performance ap
peared to give the audience
a new insight, feeling and
appreciation for the music
of the great Otis Redding.
The songs used in tribute
to Redding were “A Little
of Your Love”, “Can’t Turn
You Loose”, Satisfac
tion”, “I’ve Been Loving
You” and “A Little Ten
derness”.
The team of Nickolas
Ashford and Valerie Simp
son, known for its success
in composing numerous
song hits is now riding
the waves of success as
singers-composers, Ash
ford and Simpson, gave a
show that will long be re
membered by the capacity
crowd at the Symphony
Hall.
There was no need for
flashing or trick lighting.
All that was necessary was
the audience, music, and the
team of Ashford and Simp
son to create the clear,
clean sound of soul they
are known for.
Nick Ashford’s solo per
formance of “Didn’t You
Know” was well received.
Valerie Simpson soloed
with “Silly Wasn’t I?”
Ashford and Simpson be
gan their performance with
the songs, “Keep It Com
ing” and “You’re All I
Need”, with both well re
ceived by the audience.
The hit single of Ash
ford and Simpson, “I’d
Know You Anywhere,” was
received with thunderous
applause as the audience
was now in the mood for
the soul session taking
place. The sounds were for
the mind, body and soul
which combined to hold the
audience’s complete atten
tion.
Ending their perform
ance, Ashford and Simp
son did a medley of songs,
which they composed, rang
ing from “Lets Go Get
Stoned”, “Ain’t No Moun
tain High”, up to the more
recent “Nothing Like the
Real Thing.”
Ashford and Simpson re
ceived a standing ovation
for their skillfully and soul-
fully, executed show.
Dr. Florence Robinson
PROF.
HOSTS
SHOW
By Harry B. Gibson
Dr. Florence Crim Ro
binson, chairman of the
music department at Clark
College, has another item
to add to her list of achieve
ments. She will have a
syndicated network radio
program entitled" “The
Many Sounds of Black
Music”. The program will
originate from the CBS
radio studio in Chicago. At
present it has been sold to
48 major markets across
the United States, and will
be broadcast, beginning in
mid-October, three times
a week.
Dr. Robinson has pre
vious experiences with the
mass media, in "radio and
television. She earlier had
a television program on
NET television network in
Denver, Colo. Recently she
hosted the “Florence Ro
binson Show” on WPLO
radio station in Atlanta.
Dr. Robinson commented
that Clark College would
receive an enormous
amount of publicity from
her program. She plans to
sign on and off the air with
a message involving the
school.
William “Bill” Ran-
son, a new addition to the
Mass C o m m u n i c ations
Program at Clark Col-.
lege, announced today that
Clarks’ s production of an
original play, “The Tie
That Binds’ ’, is scheduled
for airing in October over
WGTV, (Channel 8) in
Athens. The play will also
be aired in Atlanta over
Georgia Educational
Television Network.
The play, written by
Morris Brown student,
Clarissa Myrick, marks
the culmination of a 14-
week creative writing
workshop for Atlanta Uni
versity Center students.
The workshop was
funded by the National En
dowment of the Arts and
involved training young
black writers how to work
specifically for television
using the dramatic format
The program consisted
of two phases. Thirty-
nine students throughout
the AU Center submitted
scripts. Fromthese
thirty-nine students,
twenty were chosen, ten
alternatives to work on
scripts. These students
received instructions in
television writing, tele
vision production and the
dramatics of television
format during phase one t
A television producer-
direct or,television!
writer, and a drama coach
formed the instruction
team.
Phase two of the work
shop involved specialized
instruction by two accom
plished television writers
who have produced dra
matic work for the me
dia. The two were Clayton
Riley, freelance drama
critic for the New York
Times and Joan Lewis,
drama director at Clark
College.
L. Edwards
On June 18 final drafts
were submitted to a panel
of judges. On June 28 the
judges made final decis
ions choosing the two
scripts that would be pro
duced. Two $1,000 stip
ends were awarded to as
sist the students in pro
duction.
Barbara Molette of
Spelmans drama depart
ment, gave individual in
structions on the develop
ment of ideas, form and
the final stages of the
scripts. Bob Caniff, pro
ducer of Sesame Street,
was a guest lecturer.
Pre-production activi
ties for “The Tie That
Binds” were conducted at
Georgia Educational
Television - networks This
included casting and re
hearsals of the play. The
final taping was on August
27-28 in Athens.
Directed by Joan Lew
is, the play has a cast of
17 persons. It stars At
lanta actors Sam Jackson,
Latunya Richardson and
Minnette Coleman.
The play focuses on a
Black Georgia family
whose matriarchal struc
ture dissolves because of
the death of the mother
figure. Her death leaves
the family to deal with
each other as individuals.
This includes the return
of a member of the family
who left her Georgia rural
home twenty years before
her mother’s death.
A second work,
“Brothers Of The Broken
Stone” written by More
house, senior Darold
Ross of Sacramento, Cal
ifornia, is scheduled to go
into producti on later
:his year.
POET’S CORNER
By Janice D. Smith
Seeking solitude-
Nowhere to go but within myself.
Seeking peace from a troubled
mind and rest from a restless spirit.
Deep within are innermost feelings,
Imprisonee-wanting release yet
fearful of escaping
Got to take time to find lost emotions
bring them to surface and discover
their true meaning.
Seeking solitude-
Seeking peace and rest for my gratification
Apathetic about tomorrow
Disturbed about yesterday
Disillusioned with today
Got to elude the monotony of
merely existing and not living.
In you I see the sun, the moon, the
darkness of night, the brightness
of day.
In you I see what my mother saw
in me
You are my Love. A bundle of joy
to be cuddled, crooned over,
cared for and taught.
I will teach you what my Mother
taught me.
Charity, Honesty and Love.
These things you will use to defend
yourself from your offenders.
I will prepare you for combat and
you will not go unarmed.
Feelings of insecurity no longer flood my
my soul
Because I know who I am.
I have been reborn and baptized
in a steadfast spirit -
Regenerated by new and real emotions.
There is no longer a reserved place
for loneliness in my abode.
Because I have made friends with myself.
My awareness of those feelings that compose
my being have made all the difference,
And a calmness prevails-
Those minute emotions unified
signify power and strength.
I am no longer concerned about my
quitetness or my inability
For I have conquered myself,
And discovered every crevice that
exists within me.
It is no longer relevant why I exist,
but rather now I'should use
the time God has allotted me