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CAU Players Kick-Off New Season
By Diva AmatuUah-Hafiz
Contributing Writer
The Clark Atlanta University
Players kicked off their 1993-94
season with The Colored
Museum by George C. Wolfe.
They performed in Studio A
in the Mass Media Arts building
Novemberl6 thru the 21. Club
president, Monica L. Ellis, a
junior at CAU, said the play
questioned society’s view of
blacks. “It revealed stereotypi
cal views of black mothers,
black males and black chil
dren,” she said. Ellis wanted to
note the seriousness of The
Colored Museum, because
although the concept of the play
is very serious, it is portrayed in
a humorous manner. She added
that the play was full of “ritual
ism and symbolism.”
Last Tuesday’s performance
became a dress rehearsal due to
a bomb scare that required an
evacuation of the building.
Audience members
described the play as “funny,
energetic, and thought- provok
ing.” Many said they were
impressed by the choreography
of Michelle Benjamin Cooper.
She is a Clark College graduate
and is presently an actress on
CBS’s In The Heat Of The
Night and just finished a
Disney production.
Cherrylee Pinder, a senior
psychology major at CAU,
played several roles in the play.
“Ethel” who gave the recipe of
making a negro, “a pinch of
style, dash of flare and stir in
preoccupation for the texture of
their hair.” and, “Mama”,
she said, conveyed how
whites usually depict the black
women as boisterous, preoccu
pied with God, and abusive to
children. She said all of the
scenes are spoofs of black plays
or dramas.
Another cast member,
Marcus White, played two roles
“Walter Lee Beau Jones” and
“The Man. “ White described
“Jones” as a “school of actors
from other plays rolled into
one.” He contends “The Man”
was a corporate employee try
ing to get rid of his past. He
said the play was important
because, “It dealt with a lot of
things that we are dealing with
as a (black) people. Every
aspect of our lives is covered in
the play.”
Ellis said the loyalty of her
staff, Tracey Robinson, Anika
Madison, Kelly Jackson and
April Burnette, proved benefi
cial to the success of the pro
duction, “Teamwork is impor
tant, it’s about getting a job
done as a team, not worrying
about individual recognition,
because it’s a group thing,” she
said.
Next semester the group
plans to perform an encore per
formance of Ice-House, which
they performed last spring.
Theater Company Teaches AIDS Awareness
one of the m
immunity tod'
ills plaaui
By Diya Amatullah-Hafiz
Contributing Writer
The Aids Project was full of
theater games, improvisations
and writing exercises to “free
the creative voice” of students
November 11 and 12 in the
Clark Atlanta University Mass
Media Arts building.
Created a year ago by Talvin
Wilks, workshop director and a
playwright for Crossroads
Theatre Company in New
Jersey.
The project is designed to help
students learn how to create the
atrical productions on topical
issues in today’s society. The
AIDS theme was selected
because it’s one of the most dev
astating social ills plaguing the
black community today.
Wilks said the students were
phenomenal. He contends he
was both excited and inspired by
the caliber and intensity of the
work created by the students.
The project is part of the
African American College
Initiative Program sponsored by
the theater company. There are
six other universities included in
the program; Howard, Hampton,
Florida A&M, North Carolina
State, North Carolina Central
and Norfolk State respectively.
According to Wilks, the pro
gram began to improve the rela
tionships between professional
theater and academic institu
tions. The company also wanted
to become more involved with
the training of technical theater
students at undergraduate level.
Being one of the largest black
theater companies in the coun
try, Crossroads is celebrating its
15th anniversary season this
year. The company boasts a 2.8
million dollar budget and pro
duces six shows annually. It is
the only black theater company
that is a member of the League
of Resident Theatres.
Their touring program, New
Roads, just returned from South
Africa, the first American the
ater company to perform in
South Africa since the lifting of
the cultural sanction.
Wilks said he was pleased to
add that CAU was the first stop
on the college tour, next is North
Carolina State .
Kelly Jackson, vice-president
of the CAU Players, and a stu
dent at CAU, who attended the
seminar said it was very inspira
tional. She added that she never
liked writing, because she
thought she didn’t have the cre
ativity it demands, “His method
of teaching made it easy as tak
ing candy from a baby,” she
concluded with a smile.
To find out more about
Crossroads Theatre Company,
you can write them at 7
Livingston Ave., New
Brunswick, N.J. 08901, or call
(908)220-1082.
Carlito’s Way
Leads The Right Direction
Courtsev of MCA Universial Home Video.
Al Pacino stars in new movie, Carlito's Way.
By Persephone Crandall
Staff Writer
Carlito’s Way is, without a doubt, one of the best films
of the year.
With a cast of Al Pacino and Sean Penn how can you
go wrong?
Carlito (Pacino) has just been released from prison after
serving five years on a 25-year sentence for selling drugs.
He owes his freedom to his dedicated lawyer David
Kleinfeld (Penn). Carlito vows to go straight and tries to
keep himself out of trouble.
He is hired by Kleinfeld to run his disco for a short
while. He plans to save money to go to the Bahamas and
rent cars to tourists. Of course things don’t run so
smoothly. Trouble just seems to follow Carlito wherever
he goes.
But, he knows two things- he can trust his lawyer and
his old flame, Gail (Penelope Ann Miller), whom he is
still in love with. While Carlito tries to patch things up
with Gail, he runs into some trouble with the mob..
Director Brian De Palma serves up some of his best
work in this one. The film draws you in from the very
beginning. Immediately, you’ll sense that something
traumatic has happened.
Being set in the mid-70’s, many of the scenes were set
in discos and much of the music will bring back memories
for some of you (music score by Jellybean Benitez).
Flashing lights and platforms shoes decorate the back
ground. Ironically, Pacino rarely wears anything other
than basic black, which made him stand out from the
crowd.
Pacino was excellent as Carlito and Penn undoubtedly
gives a laudable performance. These two definitely
deserve Oscars. Miller was decent but not as great.
Surely they could have found is another more qualified,
actress for the part of Gail.
As far as great Pacino films go, Carlito’s Way is right
up there with Scarface, Dog Day Afternoon, Godfather I
and II and Scent of a Woman.
V
J