The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, February 22, 1995, Page 4, Image 4
[PEOPLE PLAC
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CURTAIN CALL
CHUCK GRIFFITH Staff Writer
Learned Ladies
-kit-kit (out of four stars)
The Learned Ladies" was written by
French poet and playwright Moliere during
the 17th century. This romantic comedy
is a tickler and a must-see as the
content is still true today.
The story takes place in 1995 in the
home of the influential Chrysale and
Philamente, a husband-and-wife duo
played by Mack Amick and Kathryn
Leahy. Their house is a storm of flamboyant
characters including a deadbeat
poet, a French maid, a ballet instructor,
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guests from all over town.
One town boy, Clitandre (Nathan
Whitworth), falls in love with the naive
daughter, Henriette (Amy Dietz). Clitandre
plans to many Henriette, but her
mother has different plans: Philamente
wants her daughter to marry the hippy
beatnik poet Trissontin (Patrick Holland).
This begins the household conflict
and the calamity of the characters involved
The play also demonstrates what
happens when society begins to care more
about fads, fashion and gossip rather
than family and feelings.
The surprise in this production is the
young talent on and off stage. Unlike
"Othello," this production is a cast of all
undergraduates. Yet, the play is rich in
acting, colors and design.
All the actors are phenomenal. As the
play begins, we get warmed up with upbeat
1990s music, and no one talks. The
French maid come out with a green dustr
ing gun and goes about her job. We see
characters moving in and out of the living
room, which is beautifully designed
by Tad Feekes. The set, with everything
symmetric, illustrates how the family
yearns to be "nice and trite," but we soon
see that this is far from the family's goal.
Dietz displays her ability smoothly
and subtly. With her innocence, Dietz
portrays a character we can so easily
cling to as she uses her face and eyes to
convey meaning and love for Clitandre.
Whitworth has a style that we so quicklv
become accustomed to as he sneaks
with energy and nervousness, which
makes his character of Clitandre so believable
and charming.
Melanie Kneuker does a fabulous job
of executing Henriette's extremely pretentious
sister. She whips her head around
with purpose and seems to be such a
stage presence that she uses the audi
The Eagles return after a short brea
Eagles ready f
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) ? All the Eagles
needed to do was follow the advice in
one of their biggest hits: "Take It Easy."
The band, whose members once vowed
they would reunite when Hell froze over,
got back together for a 70-concert tour
last May but had to quickly cancel it
when Glenn Frey needed colon surgery.
They went back on the road last month.
UXT7 111 1 TIT i? 1 N
we neeaea a DreaK. we were nrea,
fellow Eagle Don Henley said in Tuesday's
editions of the Star Tribune. "On
the first leg we were touring and recording
at the same time, and we were also
planning the TV show. It was too much.
It really frayed everyone's nerves."
And the bride wore... a bildni?
NEW YORK (AP)?The bride and groom
wore white, but just barely.
"Baywatch" star Pamela Anderson
walked down the aisle in a skimpy white
bikini for her wedding Sunday to Motley
Crue drummer Tommy Lee in Cancun,
Mexico. Lee, 32, wore white Bermuda
shorts and no shirt or shoes.
"The bride wore a very tiny ? an ex
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rom 'Ladies'
ence for what she wants it to do: laugh.
Amick and Leahey have a masterful
chemistry as the husband and wife. Amide's
monologue in the first half is a work
of comedic art. His use of his arms flapping
in the air and his body to add a spice
of humor in his lines would put Jim Carrey
to shame. Holland tends to steal the
scene, as we want him to, as the poet
who is going after Henriette for her money.
His poetry is terrible, but the "learned
ladies" of the town hang on his every
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lives.
The minor characters are to be applauded
as well. They come on with such
subtle facial expressions that they become
a dominant eye attraction on stage
and funny to watch. The painting instructor
(Matt Horgan) is an amusement
of his own. He never says a line, yet we
laugh when he comes on stage because
he is always calm with all the chaos of
the household. Matthew Alford as Vadius,
nemesis poet to Trissotin, is uproarious
and a thrill to watch as he moves
his fingers with every line.
Ariste, Chrysale's brother, is depicted
by Nathan Terracio. If there is any
one unaercasiea to nis talent, its rerracio.
He comes on and off stage with the
grace intended for his character. He's
the only normal character in the play,
and when he exits the room, we begin to
associate him with an essential peace
needed in the hysteria within the story.
Meredith Mosle/s costume designs
are brilliant and dutifully orchestrated
to the personality of the characters. Kevin
Shaw's lighting design is to be commended,
as the uses of pinks, soft whites
and blues give us the aroma of love. Steve
Hart's directing is a visual symphony
that grabs the eye. At times, there are
14 actors on stage, yet he fits them perfectly.
His dynamic style to this modernization
of a 200-year-old play is done
well and hilariously. At times, I felt like
I was watching a game between the characters,
as their lines were rhymed with
the sort of charm we look for in these
types of romances.
The play is a beautiful triumph with
tour-de-force acting, visual conquering
design and magnificent directing. Take
one night away from Five Points and see
this play; you won't regret it in the morning.
USC Theatre's production of "The
Learned Ladies" will run today through
Saturday at 8 p.m. in Longstreet Theatre.
Tickets are still available.
ik from tholr 70-concort tour.
or 'Long Run'
tremely tiny?white bikini," Judge Pedro
Solis told the Daily News.
He wasnt missing a finger
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) ? Mistaking
one of the road crew members for Jerry
Garcia might be all but sacrilegious to
Grateful Dead fans, but local authorities
say it still doesn't justify a punch in
the mouth.
Disc jockey Dave "Crazy Dave" Bentley
said he was only looking to talk to
the Grateful Dead legend when he
knocked on a hotel room door at 8 a.m.
Tuesday and asked the man who answered
if he was Garcia.
He said William Grillo responded
with an expletive and asked, "Do I look
like Jerry Garcia?" Then Grillo punched
him in the jaw, Bentley said.
Sgt. Lynn Rohlind of the University
of Utah police said Grillo, 47, was issued
a misdemeanor citation. He faces a maximum
$1,000 fine or six months in jail.
Grillo did not deny hitting Bentley,
Rohlind said.
I
! Bract
! Student loans pr
i By Allison Williams
I Features Editor
For most of us, financial aid is a fact of life. Whether
| it's scholarships, grants or loans, going to school would
be close to impossible without them.
But, with proposed financial aid cuts, rising costs
| of education and a questionable job market are stuI
dents going to be in over their heads after graduation?
Six months after donning your cap and gown,
marching down the aisle, reality rushes in. If s payback
time. All of a sudden, you're paying back a loan,
I plus other expenses like a car or apartment. Frater
nity parties seem like a long time ago and $50 a month
payments are all too real.
If s a no-win situation said freshman Stan Charles.
"Without student loans and maybe even with I don't
I know if I'll be back next year. At the same time I'm
not going to be able to get a job if I don't go to college."
Charles and most other students are pretty con
fident about getting a good job right after graduation.
After all, after a few thousand dollars here and many
all-night study sessions there, the least students can
expect is a job, right?
According to Alisa Mosley, director of Career ConI
nections in the Career Center, the good news is that
| 98 percent of USC students find a job within 12 months
. after graduation.
However, 13 percent of this 98 percent either go
| into the military or graduate school and 23 percent
are underemployed. This means some students accept
jobs that do not necessarily require a four-year
I degree.
However, loans must be paid off starting sue months
! Students debate
JACKIE MARIACA Staff Writer
I Some students will do just about anything to get
into a Greek organization. On the other hand, some
students feel that Greek life is something they'd nev
er want to get involved with.
What is the appeal to Greek life, and how does
one select the particular organization that he or she
will be involved with? Julie Mashore of Alpha Chi
Omega sorority answered, "I joined a sorority for so
rial reasons; I wanted to meet more people."
Ronny Stevenson of Omega Psi Phi said, "I was
attracted by the bond and organization between the
members. I liked the way each person is able to upI
lift another and better themselves."
Being away from home and family creates more
reasons.
Ifs like a second family, a family away from home,"
Stevenson said. "You always know that there will be
someone there for you. You can always count on your
frat brothers."
When deciding which fraternity or sorority to
pledge, Mashore said, "I looked around at all the
sororities on campus, then joined the one that I felt
I the most at home with."
Stevenson adds, "When looking for a fraternity to
join, I looked at their qualities and at what they con
tributed to their communities. I selected the one that
would benefit me the most while allowing me to play
. a significant role in helping them in turn."
There are 36 Greek organizations presently on
I the campus, and the pledges continue to pour in each
semester. With such enthusiasm, the Greek traditions
carry on.
I However, there are those who are opposed to the
| very concept of Greek life and who would never even
consider joining one.
"I don't like the procedures that are required in
| order for you to be accepted" said political science
I major Keisha Jeeter said. "The sorority sisters intimidate
vou and make vou do stupid things."
Jeeter recalled her friend's experience when she
| was pledging a sorority: "She couldn't speak to any
guys or eat any sweets. She was spanked and thrown
into the bushes while ketchup was poured on her."
Practices such as these commonly take place dur
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ove to be necessary
i'm paying loans back right now. It's a
pain. It's going to be an even bigger
pain. But as a graduate student, if you
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have to get a loan.'
Computer science graduate student Will Dover
past graduation, and a good job search may actually
take six to nine months. Mosley estimated that 60
to 70 percent of USC students find employment within
six months.
But no matter if you have found a job or not, the
payments will be here. As criminal justice major Chris
Merlino puts it, "Later is coming."
"Students need to be conscious of what they're doing
before they in debt themselves," said Jackie Bell,
assistant director for loans at the Office of Financial
Aid.
For some students, later is already here. Students
who are on subsidized loans will start building interest
after graduation, but students who are on unsubsidized
loans have started accruing interest from
the time they signed for the money.
Also, many graduate students are paying off loans
from their undergraduate education.
Computer science graduate student Will Dover
is pursuing his doctorate degree at USC while still
paying off his undergraduate bills but sees this as a
necessary evil.
"I'm paying loans back right now. It's a pain. Ifs
going to be an even bigger pain. But as a graduate
student, if you want to go to school you're going to
have to get a loan. Some people work, but you're probi
the pros and coi
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Fraternities and sororities are prolific with par
ing rush. Hazing is the name given to such initiation
practices. Because of hazing, many students are
turned off by Greek life.
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rersonaiiy, i was lumea on 10 ureeK. lire oecause
of what I heard about hazing through the media,"
said Lauren O'Neill, an accounting major.
MTV News recently aired reports about hazing.
According to their sources, there have been approximately
25 documented deaths since 1983 that were
directly related to hazing rituals. For this reason, 38
states have now enacted anti-hazing laws.
When asked if she was required to participate in
any hazing practices, Mashore replied, "There was
no hazing done at all during rush."
Stevenson said, "We, at Omega Psi Phi, do not
condone hazing. We just don't get involved because
we don't need it."
Nonetheless the practice is still very popular,
claimed the MTV report. But it's being driven un
ife,
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RYAN SIMS The Gamecock
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evils of college
ably going to have a little extra, or a lot of extra, help,"
Dover said.
Graduate students, particularly law and MIBS
students can easily rack up pretty hefty bills. But
exactly how much money are we talking about here?
Money depends a lot on what type of aid or aids
you receive. Loans that are available for USC are the
Stafford loans (unsubsidized and subsidized), Perkins
loan, health professions loans, nursing student loans
and some private loans.
These loans are in addition to other financial aid
sources such as the Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental
Educational Opportunity Grant, federal nursing
and health professions scholarships/grants and workstudy.
The major loan is the Stafford loan. With the
Stafford loan undergraduates can borrow up to $23,000.
Graduate students can borrow up to $65,500 if they
are on a subsidized loan, $73,000 on an unsubsidized
loan. The interest on the Stafford loans for the 19941995
year is 7.4 percent. Interest rates can never be
higher than 8.5 percent.
This means that if you borrow the maximum of
$23,000 you will probably be paying at least $50 a
month for about 10 years.
If this sounds like a lot of money, it is. But on the
other hand, if it hadn't been for $50 million in loans,
11,000 students would not have been able to attend
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And so maybe loans really are a necessary evil.
But as students are hit with possible financial aid
cuts, tuition hikes and the future of car payments,
rent, food, etc. are students really thinking about
what is to come?
"Students don't realize. It's fun and games now.
That's going to be a lot of money," said Charles.
ns of Greek life
BRIDGET QAFFNEY The Gamecock
aphernalla.
derground because of the publicity it is receiving. Victims
of forced drinking and branding often go without
medical treatment because they do not want to
betray their fraternity or sorority. Such misplaced
loyalty can be extremely detrimental to themselves,
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Some authorities feel that the problem lies in the
fact that such a tremendous amount of power rest in
the hands of relatively young and inexperienced men
and women. During rush, these members of the fraternities
and sororities often abuse their power over
the pledges.
Despite the negative publicity, the tradition of Greek
life is still strong on the campuses nation wide. However,
the scrutiny into their practices continues to increase
with each incident of hazing-related violence.