Page 7 - Spelman Spotlight
Setting Goals For The Black Theatre
by Elayne Walker
Byron Saunders came to Atlanta
three years ago in order to start a
top quality black theatre group in
the Atlanta area. He founded the
People’s Survival Theatre which is
a function of the Southern Chris
tian Leadership Conference. A
year ago he joined the administra
tors of the Just Us Theatre Com
pany, and is now the general
manager of that group. Mr.
Saunders says that now he can
work freely with a producer, Mr.
Christopher Manos, who is in
terested in the development of
Afro-American theatre.
Saunders has a goal for Just Us:
“to become a self-sufficient theatre
company with regular patrons, an
interested audience, season ticket
holders, and to generally develop
black theatre throughout Atlanta.
There are a number of obstacles
which he and the Company must
alleviate. For one, there has never
been a place with which people
could associate black theatre, and
only black theatre. The Omni or
the Atlanta Civic Center are
known to provide quality enter
tainment for the people of Atlanta,
and the masses will pay money to
attend functions at these sites
because of their reputations. How
ever, there is not a place that peo
ple recognize as being the center
for quality black theatre perfor
mances. Saunders says that provi
sions must be made for a
demanding audience for top grade
entertainment of this type. At a
middle school or elementary
school auditorium, people do not
expect to see fantastic performan
ces and therefore do not feel the
obligation to attend such functions.
Another barrier which hampers
the development of black theatre is
the “discipline of actors due to a
lack of money.” The actors do not
get paid for their performances.
They are preoccupied with a means
of survival and are actually donat
ing their talent for the developing
of the art. Saunders says he treats
his actors as stars. This is what they
are and they should not be denied
the treatment which they deserve.
Black theatre in Atlanta will be
better when the groups can balance
their budgets and acquire bank
accounts with which to work. Also,
a balance of community and pro
fessional actors is needed so that
there is a constant rate of
improvement.
While at Hampton Institute,
Virginia, Mr. Saunders wrote and
"God” Comes To The
Academy Theater
People’s Survival Theater has
entered into another award win
ning project. People’s Survival
Theater and the Playground Play
ers are proud to announce an
alliance and a brand NEW SHOW
for Atlantans this fall. THE
INTERNATIONAL SENSATION,
RAY McIVER’s GOD IS A
"(GUEST WHAT?)" COMES TO
THE ACADEMY THEATER IN
ATLANTA FOR A LIMITED
RUN OCTOBER 11-21. The
modern-musical-minstrel-morality
play boasts music by Jazz artist
Ojeda Penn, Choreography by
Barbara Sullivan of the famed
Atlanta Dance Theater, and Direc
tion by PSPs founder and Presi
dent Lizz Williams Omilami. The
playwright, Ray Mclver, was nom
inated by the Atlanta Circle of
Drama Critics for his performance
in “Fly In The Coffin," which he
wrote as well. His works are widely
known and he is the only play
wright with exclusive rights to pro
duce, stage & adapt Georgia
author Erskine Caldwell’s novels.
God Is A “(Guess What)", has been
performed from New York to Lon
don with some critics saying:
“Laughter from the belly, with a
trace of happy shock in it” L.A.
Times; “A constant delight to the
eye, ear and mind” — N. Y. Times;
“Jazz, Jive, Jokes, Tap Dance &
Sermon” — N. Y. Times', and
“Constantly alive, burning with
irony, anger, and an ambivalent
affection for that it so trenchantly
derides” — London Sunday.
God Is A “(Guess What?)" pre
mieres at the Academy Theater,
1374 West Peachtree St., in
Atlanta October 11-21 with Cur
tain times at 8:30 p.m.
For ticket information call or
write: Academy Theater; P. O. Box
27033, Atlanta, Ga. 30317; 892-
0880.
Deficit Cripples
tration. The new administration
has two options opened to it for
resolving the deficit. The first is to
cover the deficit by reducing the
expenditures for this year. The
second involves fund raising pro
jects. When approached as to
which avenue the SSGA would
take, SSGA President Ms. Kathy
Carter refused comment but
stated that there would be a stu
dent body meeting Friday, Sep
tember 22. That meeting (like a
previous one) was canceled. How
ever, when the question of resolu
tion was posed to Flanigan his
response was “as it stands now the
SSGA will reduce expenditures for
this year to compensate for last
year.”
The solution of reduced expen
ditures presents a very real prob
lem for the Spelman student. It is a
fact that most of the money allo
cated by the SSGA goes to student
publications, namely the yearbook
and the newspaper, yet last year
much of it went to affairs of little or
no interest to the student.
Last year’s newspaper was a dis
appointment to many students.
Many felt that it was published
infrequently and that the quality of
the paper was poor. If students are
to be informed as to the affairs of
Spelman, the Atlanta University
Center, Atlanta and even the
world, a sufficient amount of
money must be available for the
adequate running of the news
paper. The reduction of expendi
tures for this year due to the follies
of last year’s SSGA administration
will not aid in the newspaper’s
quest for production of a quality,
competitive news medium.
JOB EXPERIENCE
FROM A PART-TIME JOB.
The skill you learn serving 16 hours a month in the Army
Reserve can be helpful in finding a full-time job. Call your local
unit to find out what’s available. It’s listed in the white pages of the
phone book under “U.S. Government!’
THE ARMY RESERVE.
PART OF WHAT YOU EARN IS PRIDE.
produced a soap opera about the
family life of blacks which played
in a lunch box theatre. It was called
“It’s a Bet.” It was a serious drama
about a black family in Atlanta.
The name was changed to “The
Promised Land.” Likened to be
Atlanta, and played for eight
weeks on two radio stations neither
of which were black. Now Mr.
Saunders would like to sell the
soap to television. He says there is
a need for a black version of the
“Walton.” All the black shows on
television presently are unreal and
are “a laugh a minute” comedies.
This particular type of show
should come out of Atlanta
because this is the hub of Black
Americans, says Saunders. In
Atlanta we have the very poor
black man all the way up the ladder
to the very wealthy black man. Tel
evision does not want to expose
America to the realities of the
black man’s struggle or to be con
sciously aware of his true image.
Saunders says when we have a
show that deals realistically with
the black man, then black women
will, as the rest of America, under
stand the black man and his prob
lems. We have the resources with
which to work, all we have to do is
to stand up for what is right. There
must be sound principles with
which to run a business.
Saunders says, “There is no time
for negative feelings. We must live
in the truth and maintain the truth.
I am a perfectionist. My parents
instilled it in me. I am a writer,
director, actor, producer, and I am
the best. If I don’t think like that,
who will? I am my own best agent.
I am doing my best to make Just
Us the number one black theatre
group in Atlanta. It’s nothing
personal, it’s just business.”
Upcoming
Events
October 6
Are We Along? (Lecture)
David Dundee, Astronomer, Fernbank
Science Center
October 6-8
Alvin Ailey Dance Company, Civic Center
October 9-14
Dance Classes, Ivory Coast Teachniques;
Instructor, Ms. Rose Marie Guiraud; Spelman
College
October 11-21
God Is A "(Guess What?)” performed by The
People’s Survival Theatre at the Academy
Theatre; 8:30 p.m.
October 22 - November 4
African Dance Classes, Pearl Primus, Spel
man College
November 19
“The Men of Bronze,” a film based on the
history of the “Harlem Helraisers,” the 396th
black U. S. Infantry Regiment, accurately
depicts the wartime patriotism of the unusual
troop, whose band was led by ragtime pianist
Eubie Blake and Jime Europe. The Walter Hill
Auditorium, The High Museum of Art,
Admission: FREE, 3:00 p.m.
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