VOL. IV, NO. 9
An "experiment in drama" Sweet
at Capitol Campus • Newi'oint
'James Cherry
_ ,tAdelines
o appear
Graduate
program
eittjoysAp 6 a
ringinthet
B:®p.m.will
be
Auditorium
on December
be the Greater Harrisburg begun
Chapter of the Sweet Adelines.
S The
sponsoring Cu ltural
gthis Commit tee
itis
and the
public is invited to attend. The
program will include a medley
of Christmas Carols. Sweet
Adelines is a female bar
bershop group singing four
part harmony. The Harrisburg
Chapter numbers ap
proximately 70 voices and is
presently holders of second
place
_medals in Region 14
(comprising a five state area).
Sweet Adelines is an in
ternational organization with
chapters in all of the states
(including Hawaii), Canada,
Panama Canal Zone and
London, England. Started in
Tulsa, Okal., by four women
who wanted to sing barbershop
harmony, the organization
quickly grew and now numbers
25,000 members. Greater
Harrisburg is under the
direction of Mrs. Betty Pet
tibon and the President is Mrs.
Crystal Snyder
Russ Hogg and
Fred Prouser
On both nights of Nov
ember 22nd and 23rd, the
auditorium drew a full
house. James Cherry!,
people were rumbling, Who
is he, What can it be about?
The stage was imaginative
ly set up with innovations
becoming of a creative
college drama club. To the
left was James' bedroom
containing two huge tinker
toy looking objects, pil
lows, mini-sign posters, a
bed, various objects sur
rounded by a red brick
background with a huge
beanbag chair on the floor.
To the right lurked a
blackish grey hue reeking
with mystery - a grey stone
wall, black drapings, and
timber supports giving the
aura of a cave with strange
jagged seats resembling
rocks whithered away by
nature. 7:30 drifted into
8: :PM. Darkness, the
amorphous crowd fell si
lent. As the lights came
back on, there stood James
Cherry (Frank Daloisio) at
center stage having come
through the red, white and
blue 'draped entrance. Be
hind him stood a militant
school marm (Becky
Rebok) and a fellow class
-Ate (H - ^n► Marquiss).
This was it, no idea of
what to expect - only the
advertising posters through
out the halls to go on.
"'Good' evening,"he said,
"my name is James Cherry
ancßhis is my nightmare."
The teacher (Becky Rebok)
put on a rendition typical of
people who are teachers,
not educators, by her
constant drilling of the
students in the opening
scene.
In the spirit of "James
Cherry" what follows is a
series of vignettes that
capture the flavor of the
play.
Memorable in his per
formance as James
Cherry's father (Gary B.
Macchioni) in the role of
William Cherry did wonders
with peanut butter sand
wiches, rat poison and
dead turtles, all being
essential elements in this
absurdist play. Showing a
genuine concern for his
sortarighl up until the time
he 'met his demise in the
crocodile pit, James'father
believed that money was
the one true sedative in life.
Elizabeth Cherry (Tobi
Porter) showered her son
with loving affection as she
n a state of shock due to the world situation and his son, James
Inquired whether he brush
ed his teeth and said his
prayers before he went to
sleep because if he didn't
she threatened him that al
all his teeth would rot and
fall out one by one and If he
didn't pray a great beast
would eat him. Mr. and
Mrs. Cherry are confronted
with a dead turtle on their
living room floor with a
note attached saying "Help
I'm turning into a dead
turtle Your loving son,
James." Believing that the
worst has happened to
their son, Bill and Liz
Cherry begin to talk to the
turtle whom they believe to
be their son. All of a
sudden, James bursts into
the living room, hits a chair
and falls down. He is
reprimanded by his father
while his mother stands by
with rheumatism, lumbaga
and bursitis rutabaga.
James rises angrily and
shouts "You two don't care
, a whole hell of a lot for me,
do you?
By this time, tragedy has
struck the Cherry family
with the death of Betsey
Cherry (Debbie Mabry),
James' sister. She fell off
the roof after smoking
"marijuana cigarettes" with
a friend. All James knew
was that she was happy.
James matures and
fantastic schemes
moves to New York into a
cheap apartment with a
roommate named Charly
(Gerard Lavelle) who also
has a pet pig named Stripe.
James tries out for his first
acting job under the direct
ion of Susquehanna B.
Hominy (Pat McClure) who
tells him "Never under
estimate the power of a
prop,Mr. Berry, in the
psychology of an actor."
C.C. READER
The props consisting of a
cowboy hat, gun and
holster transform meek
James into Allegheney
Ludlow, a rough tough cow
poke who threatens the
agent with long insults
riling himself to the point
where he shoots out the
lights and kills the agent.
With his acting career
shot, James returns to his
girlfriend Tunbunny (Diane
McGarvey) who is well on
the way of having their
child. James choking re
plies, "Well .ti a ti "
James Cherry's girlfriend, Tunbunny, Is
consoled by the abortionist, Dirtie
Girtie "It won't hurt a bit."
It is at this point that
James begins his soliloquy
about a truck bumping up
against his car as if to
determine what sex It was,
then running it down an
embankment and tearing
both its doors off. The
truck then eats the car and
burps out a hubcap as it
leaves, picking its teeth
with the steering wheel.
A change of pace occurs
when James' grandmother
(Leah Petrokubi) accuses
the audience of being
"dead in the pecker". She
still gets a charge out of
life because -even though
she's old, very old, she still
likes to do it!!
Another character
throughout the play is the
ever present Uncle Men
dacious Porpentine
(Charles H. Weyhenmeyer
III) who sets each scene
with his words of wisdom
about the weather. He
refers James to a first rate
abortionist and to the
whereabouts of James'
childhood sweetheart and
if he ever is in need, the
name of a quack of a
doctor.
Third
Art-
Show
opens
The third art show of the
1974-75 school year is now
being held in the Gallery-
Lounge of Penn State-Capitol
Campus. The show opened
Monday November 25 and will
continue until. Friday,
December 15.
James R. Gallagher from
Lititz and George E. Fogg
from Mechanicsburg, are the
featured artists of the current
show.
Mr. Gallagher, an ex
perienced potter, has exhibited
his work at the Gallery Doshi,
the Lititz Art Show and
throughout the central Penn
sylvania area. lie is a graduate
of Kutztown State College anti
is presently teaching at
Manheim Township High
School.
George Fogg, a painter, is
chairman of the Harrisburg
Arts Festival. He has a
Master's degree in Landscape
Architecture from the
University of California and
has worked extensively in park
and landscape design. Many of
his impressionistic paintings
are of rural and natural
scenes. Mr. Fogg is presently
Chief of Division of Outdoor
Recreation for the Com
monwealth of Pennsylvania.
OUR COVER
MACADAM
PERSPECTIVE
BY
FRED
PROUSER
DECEMBER 6, 1974
A completely unique
program is being started at
The Pennsylvania State
University. A joint graduate
program in Educational Ad
ministration is being offered at
Penn State-Capitol Campus in
Middletown and at University
Park starting in the winter
term, January 2, 1975. This
program is designed to provide
training for school ad
ministrators in the Harrisburg
area.
"Although the Graduate
Educational Administration
program is not new for
University Park, the
`cooperative' concept certainly
is," says Dr. R. E. McDermott,
provost of the University in
Middletown. Yet the program
will not require additional
University resources.
Dr. McDermott explains that
students will be admitted to the
graduate program, leading to a
Master's of Education Degree,
under existing criteria and will
begin their studies at Penn
State- Capitol Campus. Twelve
of the minimum 30 credits
required can be taken at the
Capitol Campus. Students will
then take a minimum of 18
credits at University Park,
during the summers. Students
who wish to receive cer
tification as principals may
register at Penn State-Capitol
Campus for up to 18 of the 45
credits required by the
Commonwealth.
Dr. Duane Smith, advisor of
the program at Penn State-
Capitol Campus said that
"students will be advised by
faculty members at both
campuses, and each student
will have a duplicate set of
records." Procedures also
have been outlined to assure
that no student will receive
ambiguous advice or counsel.
Persons interested in this.
graduate program sho7ld
contact Director of Graduate
Admissions, Penn State-
Capitol Campus, Middletown,
Pa. 17057 or call 717-787-7734.
THE BLACK STUDENT
UNION will bq featured on
WHP-TV, Channel 21 at
6:00 PM Saturday, Decem
ber 21. The same program
will be aired on WHP
RADIO Sunday, December
22 at 9:30 in the morning
on the FM dial and again at
9:30 in the evening on the
AM dial of WHP-RADIO
SOCIAL
COMMITTEE
DEC. 10—MEETING
8 PM MIDDLE EARTH
DEC. 14—KEGGAR
9 PM-1 AM
STUDENT CENTER
Music by "Strawboss"