tl19690418-003 "April 18, 1969 TOWER LIGHT Page 4 THEATRE Theatre U-stimulates understanding by STEPHANIE PANOS As the designer of the set for Ceremonies in Dark Old Men, Whitney Le Blanc shares the joy and excitement with which this play has been welcomed by New York audiences and critics. The current production of the Negro Ensemble Company, Ceremonies, by Lonne Elder, III, deals with 'the decline of a family in Harlem. "" 'Ceremonies' is an extraordin-arily well-written play by brand-new dramatist, Lonne Elder . . The set, a combination barber shop and back room, was the good work of Whitney LeBlanc"" (James Dav-is, Daily News 2-7-69). ""Other tech-nical credits are earned by Whit-ney Le Blanc, for a barbershop-and- bedroom setting . . ."" (Wm. Clover, AP, Morning Sun, 2-10-69) After the close of the N.E.C. performances, all of which have been sold out, the play will reopen off-Broadway with a new company and with another set designed by Whitney Le Blanc. Le Blanc's work on Ceremonies has brought attractive offers his way. Be has refused many of these, however, as he and his wife have recently started a community theatre in Baltimore, called Thea-tre U. Le Blanc feels that this ven-ture is so important that its de-mands must have priority over the glory of New York theatre. In fact he says, ""it was only an accident that I found the job as designer for the N.E.C. I had gone to New York to get Robert Hooks (of ""N.Y.P.D."") to launch the new theatre here. He was unable to come due to other commitments, but while I was in New York, the possibility of designing the set for Ceremonies was presented. Robert Hooks has subsequently endorsed Theater U as an honorary patron, as have Mayor Thomas J. D'Ales-ndro III, Moses Gunn, Sidney Hol. hinder, Joseph C. Howard, Alex Katz, and Tony Montanaro. Theatre U grew from a deep de-sire which Le Blanc and his wife, Volunteer Army by BLAINE TAYLOR This is the first in a three-part series by Blaine Taylor concerning the proposal of volunteer army and the question of the present draft system. As a former serviceman and vet-eran of the Vietnam War, I think that I have good qualifications to speak � on our current Selective Service System and the concept of a volunteer army to replace it in the future. 'First, let me say that I oppose the institution of a volunteer Unit-ed States Army. My reasons are as folows: 1) I do not believe, despite some statistical figures I've seen, that the United 'States can meet its worldwide comitments without the the draft. 2) It has been my experience that most career soldiers (in the ranks) who are now serving are Negroes and Puerto Ricans. They make, on the whole, excellent sol-diers; and the reason that they're in the service is because the Army is one of the few institutions in (continued on page 5) Elizabeth Walton, have had for a long time: to have a theatre of their own. This desire took definite shape after the assassination of Martin Luther King, when the Le Blanc realized that they had to do something in their own way, to communicate as King had done. The purpose of the theater is, therefore, specific: ""to stimulate better un-derstanding among people, about people of all races. Our desire was to make this theater the first and only theater in Baltimore to be an equal opportunity theater. We see Theater U as tackling 'the job of 'moral communication' to all peo-ple, a job at which churches have failed."" Le Blanc feels that since the churches, and it is increasing-ly clear, the universities, do not now facilitate real communication among people, the theater must take over. ""Very simply, Theater U is trying to do a job which just needs to be done. Actually, the theater is able to do this job more effectively anyway."" ""It is fitting, in a sense,"" points out Le Blanc, ""that we are using for our theater a church, the Gar-rison Blvd. Church Center, to do a job which the church in its present form is unable to do. Reverend Phillips, who made his facility available to us, is one of the all too few churchmen attempting to find new channels of moral corn- (Continued on page 6) Photo by Quante 'TIS SPRING AND A YOUNG MAN'S FANCY TURNS . . . Pic-tured are some of the turned fancies the warm weather. that appeared on campus with Epic movies portray mechanical boo-boo's by CHARLIE HOPWOOD soul-city of Jerusalem�the Chris-tians!"" Lady Diana yawns and shuts off the marble boob-tube as her hand-some husband, Lord Marcus (who suspiciously looks like Richard you-- know-his-name) walks into the TOOTTI. ""Diana, why did you turn off the tube? The Christians are supposed to be great."" ""I've seen them on 'The Brutus Brothers Show`."" she yawns. ""They may be wowing them in Jerusalem, ,but they'll never catch on in Rome. They're so anti-established."" Marcus shrugs and then smiles at her. ""Why don't you model for me that new dress from Crete you bought? I'd like to see it."" Diana smiles and goes into an-other room. A few moments later she returns wearing a stiff yellow skirt. That's all. Marcus nearly has a heart attack. ""Are you off your Roman gourd? No wife of mine is going to go walking in the Forum with no top on, fashion be damned!! 100 ses-terces for that! And it's not even deductible for taxes rendered unto Oaesar! Today it goes back!!"" ""But, dear! It's the latest thing from Crete! And you always said that you wanted me to keep abreast of the fashions!"" ""Forget it!"" he retorted. ""What in the world is the Roman Empire coming to with such a breakdown of morals?"" Now that they're finished talking about the rise and fall of the Ro-man hemline, they notice a rumbl-ing in the air. Going onto the ter-race, they see black smoke pouring out of Vesuvius. ""Dear,"" Diana says concerned, ""could it be that Vesuvius is get-ting ready to erupt?"" ""No, it's just a publieity stunt for that new movie showing here in Pompeii. It's called I Was a Teen -Age Gradiator. The notice was in the Pompeii Picayune this morning."" Diana smiles in remembrance and they both walk back inside as burning ash begins to fall on the seaside city which, is no doubt ad-miring the terrific advertising dis-play. There was a time when a movie epic on Rome or Greece was a pleas-ure to watch, but not anymore. Since I became wise in the ways of the modern and ancient world, I've noticed that these epic movies contain a great deal of boo-boo's �like when Tony Curtis plays a Greek slave or Viking warrior and speaks with a Brooklyn accent. Oh, the pain!! And did you know that Cleopatra had a British accent? Well, she did when she, was played by Liz what's-her-name. And as for setting, why are the palaces of Byzantium decorated with fixtures that look modern?' 1So, carrying this trend to it's logical conclusion, lets look at a few feet of the new multi-million dollar remake of ""The Last Days of Pompeii,"" subtitled ""Or How I Made an Ash of Myself."" Our scene opens on a study in a mansion in 'downtown Pompeii on August 24, 79 A.D. Lounging on a vinyl divan is the Lady Diana (who looks suspiciously like good or Liz what's-her-face) watching an entertainment program on the marble television console. ""Friends, Romans, and Swinging Countrymen,"" says the announcer (who looks suspiciously like Ed something or other) ""today we have a rilly big show! First we bring you that smashing new musical group direct from a three-week en-gagement in Antioch, and who have been knocking them dead in the MOORE THOUGHTS Conservatives stage revolting demonstration at Towson? by WARREN MOORE There has been a lot said recent-ly about college ""riots"" and police enforcement of ""law and order"" or as its known in layman's terms ""bustin' heads."" Semantically speak-ing, the two phenomenas are mere-ly horses of the same color, (or is it hogs of the same hue?) and in any case they have been notably absent from Towson State. Why, at TSC the term student unrest refers to a dorm student who has trouble sleeping at night. It has always been ray conviction that if a riot ever started at Tow-son, it would have to be done by the conservative group. The resi-dent liberals could never agree among themselves on when and how to do it, and the only other group around save the conservatives (a strange phrase) is the world fa-mous apathetic majority. Besides, Towson conservatives must be very frustrated when they meet their fellow fascists from other colleges, since the only accomplishment of Towson students was a rally for Spiro Agnew (not to be confused with muscular distrophy) which drew' only a crowd of 800 people to begin with and 400 to end with. (If these figures don't seem ex-actly precise just compare them to the ones Spiro used in his speech and they'll seem fantastically pre-cise.) My suspicions were reinforced this week when I was approached by a certain self-sung conservative leader, who stopped to explain a plan for conservative take over at Towson. The focal point of the impend-ing right wing revolt is the course change controversy. The local rightists are pushing for a plan whereby all of the courses a stu-dent takes would be picked out by the school. Some opposition is ex-pected from racial leftists who think 120 credits of required courses is a bit too much. ""How can they not realize?"" my conser-vative source asked ""that the school knows what's good for you more than you do. Besides,"" he added, ""these people who call for free-dom of choice must be communists."" Other demands of the revolting group include the remaining of Scarborough Hall as Byron Hall; the renaming of the ""A Wing"" in Linthicum Hall as ""The Right Wing:"" the return of Wesley Mc- - (continued on page 5) Veep and Pole take poll Current Student Government Association Vice- President Charles Johnson, (left), and SGA Vice- President-elect Tom Walkiewicz swept the balloting for SGA executive positions this week. Johnson will succeed Ray Wachs as SGA President for the 1969- 1970 academic year. Photo by Quante"
