The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, August 30, 1978, Page Page 29A, Image 29
*
J ?
IlCdUCi
By Doug Jolley
ewntcock Stuff Wrltvr
USC. The place where ideas are
born?
Well, maybe some of them. It all
began on a cold night last
December. "I was looking for a
new direction for the nrotact. and
one night when I was reading an
enormous buzzer went off in my
head, because I knew I had found
what I was really looking for."
And so was born a unique pilot
program which may have national
implications if successful. The
sneaker is Patti Gillesoie.
chairman of the Department of
Theatre and Speech, and she was
talking about the department's use
of a reader's theatre to reach drug
and alcohol abusers.
The project will attempt to reach
teenagers and senior citizens as
primary target audiences. It will
not focus on current users because
it's felt there would be no major
uapact on this group, Gillespie
said.
INSTEAD, IT will try to reach
people who are currently experimenting
with drugs and
alcohol and those who have not yet
experimented with them. The
I project will try to suggest reasons
why experimentation turns into
addiction, and suggest alternative
responses to the stresses which
I lead to experimentation and addiction.
i FTTTT"
ICR.
Now there are tw
Introductory
I 'Xy
h 1
s theatre
USC tn
"We will not be preaching,"
Gillespie said. "Drug and alcohol
abuse is a very, very complex
problem and there are no simple
solutions. You can't say, 'Hey,
that's not good for you,' and expect
^ _ _A " *
urcm w stop, we want to use the
theatre to explore the complexity
of the problem and suggest there
are no simple solutions."
The theatre will consist of a
writer-director, five paid actors, a
technician receiving half pay, and
two persons who are on independent
study or receiving some,
kind of academic credit for their
work.
THE WRITER-director is
Kenneth Cameron, who though not
a permanent member of the USC
faculty, is no stranger to USC. He
came to USC on an NEH (National
Endowment for the Humanities)
grant through a program called
"Writers in Residence." While
here, he wrote four original scripts
for the university, one of which is
being held and produced this
weekend in Hilton Head and
Frino' Islands.
Cameron will work full time with
the program, writing most of the
scripts, directing it in the beginning,
and leading the troupe when
they first begin touring.
Another possible consultant on
the project is a current inmate at
the Central Correctional Institute
eGottiu
no
Fiti
F<
itm notymr
ws klllliv
o facilities convenient
f rates for our first 501
or 77
. ?|^|!g?fg| T
mjpi
&**%( ""M^KSsS^KrW^R
ov*-' : K:^y.::aK^PMfe? jgs
3fc
M
jupe hopes i
who is a former dri
himself. Notwithstanding
grade education and a bl
prison, he has proc
complete his college
become an ordained min
published author.
THE PROJECT will b
funded, and the univ<
provide matching funds
community service coi
with a combined total
more than $48,000. T1
funding is received
Program IMPACT unde
the Higher Education A
and administered by
Commission on Higher
through the U.S. Com
Education. It is dei
strengthen communit
projects of colleges ai
sities.
In reader's theatre th
not memorize lines,
scripts when on stage,
stage sets and costumc
absent in this theatrica
Because of this, readc
is ideally suited for
project, Gillespie said.
"Using reader's the
excessive costs of nrnr
cuts space limitations,
This curtailing of space
is particularly imports
the grant"productions '
staged in regular theat
> 'RpAf.
uiik
ness & aerobic el
or Men and Wonr
i ? NOW,
for students. 90
students. Call ti
2-4688 at Dutch
to reach drug
iig addict "OFTEN WE a
t an eighth discuss a problem
leak life in can display it,"
eeded to "Theatre is a mea
education, complex ideas an<
ister and a the consequences
of action, even
understand the id<
to logically discus
e federally The troupe ii
srsity will rehearse most of tl
through its beginning in f<
nmitment, sessions just bef<
budget of once classes tx
ie federal practice approxim
through week and will bet
r Title I of iate fall semester
id of 1965, semester exclus
the S.C. Carolina and focus
Education the Columbia arei
mission of
signed to An interesting n
nHlmlwr work w"?>
cording to Gillesj
problem with tl
ticularly the abuf
e cast does 41180 ot^er substai
but uses coming to light
Elaborate ways," she said,
s are also "APPARENT1
1 form. among the elder 1
;r's theatre them to begin ale
the grant they never used tc
'that many of the ]
atre limits dealing with are r
luction and now? but are cur
she said, aiconoi, or at ie<
limitations alcohol as the s
nt because problems," she s
will not be "This is ciirren
res. for the first time
s ?
Hnntoi
i/iwm
AT USC - F
1 Harden St. (near I
t>day for a free visil
Square Blvd.
alcohol experi
in t describe or major healtl
i as well as we country, and
Gillespie said, believe Colunr
as of displaying ? . . ..
1 demonstrating ,J?rig,! y,
to various lines e<Jera gran(
when we don't storing prise
&as well enough Pnme Papula
sthem."^^ ^c?Pcerne^i
the theatre d<
J planning to on drug
< it ? . mo inmo^oo
fie iaii semester, ' ,
>ur eight-hour **,ves as a 1
re registration, therapy grou
gin, they will Ciillesp
ately 20 hours a members bee
Jin to tour from area WIJ
through spring Pnme target
ively in South However fin
ing primarily on ProJ?0* and tl
L eliminated.
"I BELIEF
luwiciu wwccriib field and one
>r citizens, ac- somehow,M
pie. "The whole unfortunatel:
ds group, par- not currentl
e of alcohol but terestingly c
ices, is just now we talked to 1
in some major inmates we a
that they did
,Y, loneliness and become
y leads some of they enterec
ohol abuse when palling fact,
i before. I believe parently the
people we will be to these subs
lOt addicted right in nrisnn
rently turning to ""it's an e*
ist the abuse of project, and
solution to their unique. If we
aid. well serve ?
tly being studied many other
as a recognized the nation."
HMMHHHnnHH
> ucTftu
r
ive Points
JSC) and Dutch Squ<
f 779-8385 at Horde
1 f i |
L? ! ^
Li r'
' {
......
JPT w
. :-^s. *??||
*'''?*%.< . . s&i&f W&
P**:' vJra-.~';.;.- ..:::?:: ;j^l:l>'a^
>
memers
k problem In this
I have no reason to
ibia is an exception."
written into the
t was the concept of
his to reach one of the
tions reader's theatre
nhniit Turn VAorc QffA
"W ^v?uo
spartment produced a
abuse in prison that
had written themresult
of an internal
P
and other faculty
ame interested in this
>te it in as one of the
area$ of the project,
ids were cut on the
le prison project was
/E that it is a fertile
i that needs covering
Gillespie said, "but
V it's one that we are
y funded to do. Inenough,
the prisoners
two years ago and the
ire talking to now said
not start taking drugs
addicted until after
I : ni- ? ?
i pi uuu. 11 s on apif
it is a fact. So apinmates
have access
tances for abuse while
:citing and interesting
I as far as I know
succeed, it could very
is a pilot project for
groups like it across
re Blvd.
nSt.