Penn State
Behrend Collegia
VOLUME XXXIII NUMBER 7
Controversial Play to be Held
by Rod Luery
Collegian Editor
Despite opposition from Erie
County religious leaders, the con
troversial play Sister Mary Ig
natius Explains It All For You
will be held over this weekend for
three more showings in Behrend’s
Studio Theater.
The cast of “Sister Mary Ignatius.” From left to right: Shirley Minehart, Tom Rihn, Jo Larraway and
Anita Canzian.
SKN Frat House Ready for Fall ’B5
Work will soon be completed
on yet another addition to the
Behrend College. Behrend’s only
active fraternity, Sigma Kappa Nu
(SKN), will be moving into a
house that will be revamped and
ready for use by the fall semester
of 1985.
The house, located on the cor
ner of Cooper and Shannon
Roads, was bought three years
ago by Roger Bush, proprietor of
the ‘Bush House’ on Buffalo
Road which houses many Behrend
students. Bush is offering SKN a
12-month lease at approximately
$36,000 a year with the option to
buy, but neither party has com
mitted anything on paper.
SKN President John Fronko
remarks, “Mr. Bush has been
very cooperative in dealing with
us and we are working very hard
to finalize the contract and get the
house turned over to SKN.”
The play, which was presented
at Studio Theater three times last
weekend, received criticism from
Bishop Michael Murphy of the
Erie Catholic Diocese. The play
“only feeds on ignorance and
bigotry,” Murphy said in a
prepared statement. _
Sister Mary Ignatius, written
SKN was started by Fronko and
three others who have since
John Fronko
SKN President
STATION ROAD, ERIE, PA 16563
by Christopher Durang, is a
satirical play about the Catholic
church and the methods of
Catholic education. Sr. Ignatius,
the title character, is' a nun whose
ideological teaching brainwashes
students rather than educate
them.
The
play has always
departed, and was recognized as
an organization by the University
in the spring of 1983. In January
of 1984, the fraternity received its
charter and three years from that
date SKN will be permitted to buy
their own house. Fronko added,
“Bush will lease the house to us
over the next few years in order to
collect rent money, and in the
future SKN would like very much
to buy it.”
The ground floor will contain
two dance floors; one with a com
plete audio-video system featuring
a large screen TV, and the other
with an extensive bar in the shape
of an ‘L’. It will have two separate
bathrooms and a secluded room
with a jacuzzi. The first floor will
have four bedrooms and the se
cond floor will have five. Fronko
says, “The rooms are very
spacious and we can easily get
(cont. on page 10)
followed by some degree of con
troversy. When it opened in San
Francisco, hundreds of people
picketed the theater. Picket lines
also followed the play to Detroit,
Boston, and other cities this year.
The director of Sister Mary Ig
natius, Lucian Zabramny,
doesn’t think that picket lines will
conflict with the Behrend produc
tion. “We don’t think that will
happen in Erie. We’re looking
forward to a fun play that we
think people will really enjoy,” he
said.
Zabramny commented on the
controversy that is surrounding
his production: “I think the con
troversy is more of a legend that is
following the play... Erie catholics
feel that they, too, must protest.”
He continued, “They are pro
testing...not so much to stop the
play, but just to protest its
presence in Erie.”
Zabramny had originally decid
ed to edit his verson of Sister
Mary Ignatius to tone down the
most abrasive of its anti-Catholic
attacks. “I did a little surgery on
the play,” he said. “Our inter
pretation might be the first time in
its stage history that the play is
not anti-Catholic.”
However, the very next day
Zabramny changed his mind.
Zabramny said that one theater
goer canceled his reserved seat
when he read that the original ver-
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DECEMBER 14,1984
Over
sion of the play was going to be
modified. That and the following
controversy enabled Zabramny to
present the play in its original con
text. “The play is an experiment.
The Erie audience has a right to
see this,” he said.
Zabramny explained that his in
terpretation of the play was not a
religious one, but rather, an ar
tistic one. He said, “They
(religious groups) weren’t aware
of my interpretation. Theirs was
based on reading the play. Now
that they see my view, they should
be open to it.”
Dr. John Lilley, Provost of
Behrend College, defended the
Studio Theater presentation:
“Universities have the respon
sibility to protect the rights of
discussion. What is inappropriate
is any attempt to censor artistic or
other intellectual endeavors.”
With the final approval of Pro
vost Lilley, Sister Mary Ignatius
has been considered an artistic ex
pression at Behrend College, and
in no way does it attempt to de
mean the Catholic church.
The additional showings of
Sister Mary Ignatius will be
presented in the Behrend Studio
Theater on Dec. 20, 21, and 22 at
8 p.m. Tickets are $5 for the Erie
community, and $2.75 for the
faculty, students and staff of
Behrend College.