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THE GAMECOCK ♦ Friday, April 19,2002 . 5 CONTACT US THEY SAIDIT r,. ., , _9 n MARK TWAIN: “Man is the only animal Story ideas? Questions? Comments? . . w , 0r *ds t0.. E-mail us at gamecockmixeditor@hotmail.com ...m ■ : Films to explore Jewish, Chinese communities BY BROOK BRISTOW THE GAMECOCK The Nickelodeon Theatre will play host to the second annual Columbia Jewish Film Festival Saturday night through Wednesday. The festival will showcase in ternational Jewish communities with documentaries that explore the connections between Jewish and Chinese cultures. It will also show two powerful feature films. The festival is being held by the Columbia Film Society in cooper ation with the Cultural Arts Committee of the Columbia Jewish Community Center, the South Carolina Humanities Council and the Nord Family Foundation. The festival’s highlight will take place Sunday with a screen ing of two short films: “Mah Jongg: The Tiles That Bind” and “Minyan In Kaifeng.” New York filmmaker Bari Pearlman will discuss the first film, her documentary about Jewish women who adopted the Chinese game of mah-jongg for recreation in immigrant neigh borhoods. The film focuses oh the lives and families of the women it features. The matinee’s second docu mentary follows Chinese descen dents of a Jewish community in Kaifeng, China, that had lost its traditions a century after its rab bi’s death. Two curious families, trying to re-connect with their past, have invited a group of modern Jewish travelers from Australia, Israel and the United States into their homes. “Minyan in Kaifeng” will be followed by a discussion with Rabbi Sanford Marcus and Rabbi Philip Silverstein, that will be moder ated by Morris Blachman. The festival will also show both documentaries free on Tuesday. Other films to be screened at the festival: “TIME OF FAVOR” Based on a true story, this film follows a religious army officer who is accused of planning to bomb a mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Fighting to prove his innocence, the officer is torn between his loyalty to his rabbi, his love for the rabbi’s daughter and his duty as an offi cer. “Time of Favor” has won six Israeli Academy Awards, includ ing Best Film, Best Actor and Best Actress. The film is in Hebrew with English subtitles and runs about an hour and 40 minutes. “THE KOMEDIANT” This irresistible saga, which fol lows the singing and dancing Burstein family, spans several continents, two world wars, the birth of Israel and the history of the Yiddish theater. This documentary has been an audience favorite at several ma jor festivals. It runs about an hour and 20 minutes. “LEFT LUGGAGE” The past weighs heavily on two Jewish families in Antwerp, Belgium, in 1972, as a rebellious daughter of Holocaust survivors goes to work as a nanny for a Hasidic Jewish family. With memorable perfor mances from its stars, including Isabella Rossellini, Maximilian Schell, Chaim Topol, Marianne Sagebrecht and Jeroen Krabbe, this moving film explores the depth and strength of family bonds as well as the complex re lationship to a Jewish identity apd heritage, which often haunts children of Holocaust survivors. The film runs about an hour and ‘ a half. The Nickelodeon Theatre is on 937 Main St. Festival passes are $41 for the general public and $35 for students and seniors. Passes include admission to all films, Sunday brunch and Sunday screenings. Single-film tickets will be sold based on seating availability 15 minutes before each show. For more information, call the theater at 254-8234. Comments on this story?E-mail gamecockmixeditor@hotmail.com USC theater festival catches ‘Hay Fever’ BY JENNIFER BIRD T1IK GAMECOCK Venture into the past tomorrow night with Theatre South Carolina’s presentation of Noel Coward’s “Hay Fever.” Coward recaptures the nostalgia of the 1920s in this intelligently witty and funny play. USC Theatre Department Chairman Jim O’Connor said: “Coward is such a fun playwright, so blithe and light. I think it will be a wonderful capper to the season.” The story of the Bliss family, which includes a retired actress, a novelist and two diverse children, intrigues the audience, but the costuming and stage decor also enhance this eccentrically elegant English countryside setting. rnuving panels win create a cinematic sense of changing scenes, as well as a sense of motion and the passage of time,” O’Connor said. The production features both faculty and students from the university. Professor Sarah Barker portrays retired actress Judith Bliss, who is married to successful novelist David Bliss, played by another professor, Richard Jennings. Graduate students Marcella Kearns and Michael Kroeker will play the Bliss children, Sorel and Simon. Nic Ularu and Jim Hunter, associate professors in the Theatre Department, accentuate the play with set and lighting designs. This production also features guest artist Paul Mullins, who has returned to USC,to direct “Hay Fever.” Mullins, a company member of the New Jersey Shakespeare Festival, directed South Carolina Theatre’s “Arcadia” two years ago. Also among his accomplishments was the direction of “As You Like It” at The Juilliard School. The plays of Noel Coward, considered one of the most prominent playwrights of the 20th century, typically reminiscence about the glamour and mystique of that era. His other plays include “Private Lives,” “Blithe Spirit” and “Present Laughter.” “Hay Fever” includes surprise, flirtatious dialogue and a witty plot to involve the audience in a comedy that reflects the glitzy 1920s. The play will run April 19-28 at Drayton Hall. Performances will be at 8 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday. Ticket prices are $12 for the public; $10 for USC faculty and staff, senior citizens and military; and $8 for students. The box office also offers discount tickets ranging from $6 to $8 for the opening weekend. Tickets are available at the Longstreet Theatre box office or by calling 777-2551. If you’re going... WHAT: “Hay Fever" WHERE: Longstreet Theatre at USC WHEN: April 19-28 BOX OFFICE: 777-2551 TICKETS: $12 for the public; $10 for USC faculty and staff, active military and senior citizens; $8 for students. Comments on this story?E-mail gamecockmixeditor@hotmail.com Danny Hoskins, left, plays Sandy, and Sarah Barker plays Judith In Theatre South Carolina’s production of “Hay Fever.” PHOTO SPECIAL THE GAMECOCK Stroll through Senate Park New venue tries to fill hole left by Elbow Room, avoid its errors BY AUBREY FOGLE THE GAMECOCK. * A new live music club has come to the Vista, and concert goers finally have a suitable re placement for the Elbow Room. USC students have been hurt ing for a concert venue with na tional draw ever since the popu lar Five Points venue went bank rupt just a few months ago, and Senate Park has come to fill that need. Owners of Senate Park, which has taken over the old Momentum location at Senate and Park streets, say they’re not going to fall into the same traps as other Columbia venues. Managers hope to increase the national draw of Columbia, normally a secondary market, and bring in acts that residents typically wouldn’t see in South Carolina. This is great news for anyone who can’t find the time or gas money to go to Atlanta or Salem, N.C., to see their favorite bands. Ryan Goforth, co-owner and operator of Senate Park, said the venue will avoid the obstacles that led the once-great Elbow Room to bankruptcy. Managers are first consider ing cleanliness, which was a ma jor problem for the Elbow Room. Goforth said managers know that cleanliness is important to concert-goers. “I make sure that, every hour we’re open, there’s somebody in there with a mop in their hand,” he said. “We keep it very clean. Clean restrooms.” Managers have also been con-' sidering how they’re going to capture staying'power and con stant popularity in Columbia’s fickle market, and they’re draw ing on their own experience in the industry to help. Goforth was once part of a lo cal band, Sourwood Honey, and he said knowingVhat artists and audiences expect out of a venue goes a long way toward predict ing how long it will last. “You’ve got to couple good management with good aesthet ics and experience and talent buying,” Goforth said. “I believe we’ve got that combination. “I’ve been in the music busi ness industry now as an artist, then as an agent, and then as a talent buyer for 10 years.” The Elbow Room’s many changes in style and manage ment eventually led the public to lose interest in it. That’s one thing Senate Park managers will try hardest to avoid. “You can’t look at every tal ent buyer and manager that was in [the Elbow Room] and say they were terrible,” Goforth said, “because there were some good days. But it’s challenging aesthetically and on a manage ment level, and we just don’t have that. “Most people go into this busi ness and say, ‘Let’s open a bar and start booking bands,’ and they don’t realize that the music industry operates in its own di mension. And if you don’t un derstand that dimension, you “You’ve got to couple good management with good aesthetics and experience and talent buying.” RYAN GOFORTH CO OWNER OF SENATE PARK don’t need to be playing that game.” Goforth’s one crucial piece of advice to aspiring club owners is, “Don’t do it unless you’ve got deep pockets.” Bands coming up at Senate Park include singer/songwriter Jerry Joseph this weekend; Jump, Little Children at the end of April; Edwin McCain on May 10; and widely popular metal band Adema on May 14. If you’re going... WHAT: Senate Park WHERE: 931 Senate St. CONCERT DATES: April 19: Jerry Joseph & The Jackmormons. $8 advance, $10 at the door. April 25: Patrick Davis and Joal Rush. Free. April 27: Jump, Little Children with Danielle Howie and The Tantrums and Patrick Davis. All ages. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door. Comments on this story?E-mail gamecockmixeditor@hotmail.com