The Carolinian [October 27, 1981]

              The Carolinian
"Serving Ihe academic community since 1897."
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Greensboro, N.C.
Permit No 30
October 27. 1911 Volume LXI Number 15 The lintverUty of North Carolina at Oceiuhoro Hive ■ norv Idea? tall a, it J7»-5041.
A onein-100,000shot
Student Captures Playwright Award
feSTEVE GILUAM
Special i» The < aroliniin
It's a link- outside the ordinary
when a college Ircshman sets oul (0
write an original play and then
completes ii. It's even more unusual
when I he drama is entered in a
national playw riling competition.
Hut it's almost amazing when the
play-the author's lirst one cver--
goes on to win the competition, gets
produced by a prolessional com-pany,
and wins the writer a $1,000
award.
Such have been the fruits ol an
independent study project that
Meredith Schnit/cr completed last
year at the University ol North
Carolina at (ircensboro. And since
mid-September, Miss Schnitzer has
been in Kansas City, Mo., where her
three-act drama. "Mount Up With
Wings like Angels," is being
produced by the Unicorn Theatre.
The show opens Oct. 23.
"The experience, the writing, the
production-it's all been an
education tor me," said
MissSchnit/cr in a telephone inter-view.
"1 was very apprehensive
because it's my lit-t play, but
everything has gone smoothly since
I got here."
The 20-ycar-old author arrived in
Kansas City on a Friday as the
resident playwright lor
the Unicorn Theatre's opening
show ol a new season. The next day,
she went to the auditions with the
director to help pick actors who
would llcsh out the characters she
created.
"I wus surprised that the director
and I had such similar thoughts on
the physical characteristics ol the
actors lor the show," said Mfts
Schnil/er. "We auditioned the ac- himsell.
tors together and the cast is
everything I imagined it would be."
The play is set in a nursing home
and locuses on the lives ol the
home's residents. Her inspiration
lor the show, Miss Schnitzer said,
came Irom a year ol volunteer work
that she did in her hometown ol
Blacksburg, Va., lollowing her high
school graduation. During thai
time, she was continuing her work
with a creative writing tutor in
Blacksburg and she decided to write
a play.
"It was as simple as (hat; I just
wanted to write a play," she said.
"A lot ol people are turned oil by
the idea ol a nursing home. But 1
got to know a lot ol the people there
and I got to like them. The play isn't
a slory about any one ol them or all
ol them. It's more ol a story about
what lile is like in a nursing home."
The play's main character is
Homera, a 78-year-old woman
whose roommate and close iriend
dies. As the action progresses,
audiences can watch as the old
woman tries to deal with what has
happened.
During (he early stages ol her
work. Miss Schnil/er was accepted
at UNC-C as a drama major. When
she arrived, she moved into UNC-G's
Residential College and set
about establishing an independent
study project in which to complete
her play.
Although independent studies lor
ireshmen are rare at UNC-G, Miss
Schnitzer was able to get one in
Residential College with ihe aid ol
Dr. John L. Jellicorse. head ol
UNC-G's Department ol Com-munication
and Theatre. When
Jellicorse couldn't tind an advisor
lor her project, he agreed to serve
Pine Needles
Creates New Moods
By JOY BRITT
NtWB I .1IIOt
The preparations toward our
1981-82 Pine Needles yearbook are
on! Madeline Mulvihill, editor and
the stall members are working
diligently to provide UNC-G
students with a world ol valuable
memories in picturesand in story.
This year's annual will contain
special! added leatures. It will
exhibit more pictures ol students at
dillerenl gatherings such as,
Falderal and Spring Fling, in color.
Captions to candid pictures will be
added. Articles, descriptions ol
organizations, and story lines will be
included. Also, students will be able
to purchase two-line personal ads
(messages to a iriend) lor $2. Watch
lor details later.
The 1981-82 yearbook will serve a
special purpose by presenting a
documentary to UNC-G within its
covers. The story line will begin at
the roots ol the university and build
into ihe present.
How do students go about getting
a copy? One must register at one ol
/Continue* on Page Jj
"1 was a link' skeptical al lirsl,
incredulous even," said Jellicorse.
"But she had done so much work on
Ihe play and had such vivid ideas
about where she wanted to go with
it, I thought it was something
special. What I did was lo help her
get it into the proper lorm and help
locus her characters into a dramatic
structure.
In rellecting on Miss Schnitzer's
success with her lirst play, Jellicour-se
said winning the Unicorn Theatre
competition under such circumstan-ces
"is a onein-100.000 shot.
"It's just that her play is, lirst,
about one ol the most dillicult sub-jects
in our society, what happens to
old people, and second, Meredith
had recent experiences which
allowed her to generate vivid
characters and scenes lor the play.
"Her characters, like all charac-ters,
generate trom specific in-dividuals,
but are not themselves
specific persons. She was able (o
avoid copying Irom reality, and was
able 'o abstract Irom it, which is
essential to good drama."
The play underwent several draits
belorc ii was sent to the Unicorn
Theatre.
"1 had to rewrite it so many
times," she said. "Since I've been in
Kansas City lor the production,
though, I haven't had to rewrite
anything other than one scene."
The show has been in rehearsals
lor nearly three weeks. Miss Schnit-zer
hasn't missed a rehearsal since
her arrival, even though ihe prac-tices
go on six nighis a week lor
three to lour hours. The show is
scheduled lor cighi pcrlormances
beginning Oct. 23 and going
through Nov. 7.
As winner ol ihe playwriting
competition, Miss Schnitzer is
receiving iree lodging as the
Unicorn Theatre's guest. i"hc$l,000
prize, she said, will be given to her
at (he show's close.
Although she came to UNC-G
with a drama Jegree in mind, she
admits she doesn't come Irom a
theatrical lamily. Her lather is a
business laculty member at Virginia
Polytechnic Institute and State
University and she wasn't involved
in drama in high school.
When her opening night rolls
around on Oct. 23 in Kansas Cily,
Miss Schnitzer will be watching
Irom the wings or the audience.
She'll be as nervous as any ol the ac-tors,
with big buiterilies in her
stomach.
"I'll probably need to have some
help to get through the opening per-lormance,"
she said. "I'll be very
nervous. Out here (in Kansas City),
everything is riding on the opening
night pcriormance and it has to be
perlect because the critics will be
there lor the reviews."
But when the perlormances are
over. Miss Schnitzer will head back
home to Blacksburg. And she'll
return to UNC-G lor spring
semester as a sophomore.
"I'm looking forward to getting
back to school," she said. "I want
topicV up where I leltoll."
Miller To Answer Charges
By SCOTT PITTS
Stalf Writer
Student Government President
David Miller will appear in District
Court tomorrow to lace a charge ol
"lalse pretense" in relation to credit
card ir.md. Miller and another
UNC-G student, Darius Davis, were
arrested by Greensboro police on
September 24.
The arrests ol Miller and Davis
stem trom an incident which oc-cured
last month. The two 21-year-olds
stand accused of attempting to
use a stolen credit card to make a
purchase at the Sears department
store on Friendly Avenue.
Police report that Davis, a part-time
sales clerk at the Sears Service
Center on Industrial Avenue, rang
up the bill lor the repair of a
customer's lawnmower September
10 and apparently pocketed the
credit card when the customer lelt it
behind.
According to police, Miller and
Davis appeared at ihe Friendly
Avenue Sears store on September 22
and attempted to buy two sweaters
and two pair ol slacks. Davis
presented the stolen card and
pretended to be the customer, police
said.
Police say that Miller and Davis
lied Irom the store when the sales
clerk began to run a credit check on
the card. Several employees
recognized Miller, a part-time em-ployee
in the Friendly Avenue Sears
paint department, and called the
police.
Once contacted by ol I icers, Miller
and Davis turned themselves in al
the Greensboro Police Department
on September 24. Both were
released without bond alter
promising to appear in District
Coun October I.
Al Miller's preliminary hearing
October 1, attorney Herman Taylor
asked lor and received a continuan-ce
until October 28. Meanwhile,
Miller took a leave ol absence Irom
his presidential poaition, effective
throughout the month ol October.
On the advice ol his attorneys.
Miller has declined to comment on
the charges.
Student Government Vice-
President rusty Weadon presently
serves as acting president. Senate
Pro Tern Diedra Smith has tem-porarily
assumed WEadon's normal
role ol chairing the Senate.
Weadon, along with the Student
Government and Senate, have adop-ted
a "wait and see" position.
"We're not going to touch il until
he (Miller) gets his day in
court,"Weadon commented.
Miller's day in court takes place
tomorrow. II convicted ol "false
pretense," a lelony. Miller and
Davis lace maximum prison senten-ces
ol ten years.
Cone Pledges Largest Gift in UNC-G History
1 Terry WillUm.
E.S. (Jim) Mrlvin (rear) praise* Benjamin Cone, Sr. for hli generosity.
Special lo The Carolinian
Benjamin Cone Sr., retired board
chairman ol Cone Mills Cor-poration
and a long-time civic
leader here, has pledged a gilt ol $2
million to the University ol North
Carolina at Greensboro toward con-struction
ol a new, S5.5 million
building lor Weatherspoon Art
Gallery and the Department ot Art.
Cone's gilt, made to the Excellen-ce
Fund at UNC-G, was announced
by University oilicials al a special
luncheon in Alumni House.
"This splendid gilt represents a
landmark lor the University," said
UNC-G Chancellor William E.
Moran in an earlier interview. "It is
the largest single gill in the history
ol our campus, and we are deeply
appreciative to Mr. Cone lor Ihis
marvelous contribution." ■
Dr. Moran explained (hat the
University will be seeking an ad-ditional
$1.5 million in private gilts
lor the $5.5 million building, which
would contain 50,000 to 60,000
square Icet. Moreover, he said the
remaining $2 million will be sought
in slate lunds lor the project. Site
lor the structure has not been
chosen yet.
"Our aim is to create a
distinguished building, using state
and private lunds. which will be
marked by architectural excellence
and which will provide a facility ol
high quality lor Weatherspoon An
Gallery and our Department ol
Art," said Dr. Moran.
Words ol appreciation to Cone
also came Irom William C. Friday,
president ot the University ot North
Carolina. "We are profoundly
gratclul to Ben Cone lor his superb
gilt toward the construction ol a
new art lacility lor the University of
Norlh Carolina at Greensboro,"
said Friday.
"This distinguished North
Carolinian throughout his liletime
has generously contributed to the
University and we are especially ap-preciative
lor ihis manilcstation ol
his .nth andconlidence in the work
jcbthcUnivcrsily."
Dr. Moran added that Cone has
taken "a bold step" toward con-struction
ol a new art center at
UNC-G.
"In so doing, he crowns a liletime
ol good work, a lifetime devoted to
the interests ol others, in ihe best
tradition ol his remarkable family,"
staled Dr. Moran. "The good works
ol Mr. Cone will alfect the lives ol
others tor a long lime to come, and
among those good works the new
art center, lending distinction to the
University and to ihe slate, will not
be the least."
E.S. (Jim) Melvin, chairman ol
UNC-G's Board ol Trustees, also
praised Cone's "great generosity."
He added, "The Weatherspoon Art
Gallery has been one ol Green-sboro's
great treasures lor some
time. Uniortunately, il has noi been
housed in an adequate lacilitj. Ihis
gilt will go a long way toward giving
the gallery an appropriate home.
"This challenge excites the
imagination lor the kind of building
that can be designed and construc-ted
to house both the Weatherspoon
Gallery and Ihe Deparlment ol
Art." said Melvin.
"With its outstanding collection
in contemporary American art,
Weatherspoon Gallery is a statewide
resource already. It is our hope that
a truly distinctive building can be
erected which will provide a
showptace lor the gallery's collec-tion,
as well as expanded quarters
lor the Department ol Art."
Through the years. Cone has been
well known in Greensboro bolh as a
business executive and civic leader.
He served as chairman ot the board
ol Cone Mills Corporation from*
1956-1965. Earlier, in 1935, he was a
member of the N.C. General
Assembly. From 1947-53, he was a
member ot Greensboro Cily Coun-cil,
serving as mayor Irom 1949-51.
Among other civic endeavors, he
was president ol Greensboro Com-munity
Chest, 1954; president ot
Moses Cone Memorial Hospital,
1956-71; and president ot United
Fund. 1957-58.
In making the gilt. Cone said, "I
want to see a home established for
the Deparlment ol Art as a lirst
priority, and display space tor the
valuable collection in (he Weather
spoon Art Gallery. In addition, I
would like to see satislactory and
Secured storage space lor the
growing collection ol art (hat
Wcalherspoon has acquired."
Cone said he hopes that ihe
building, once constructed, will be
highly accessible to the public. "We
would hope that Ihis would help the
public to come to a fuller ap-iConUnued
on Page il
On The Inside
New.
Editorial
Sports
.pages 1 and 3
p»g*2
_p«ge 5
Arts and Featurespages 6 & 7
Etceteras page I
America The Stank page2
News Briefs page3
Spartans Claim Dixie Crown
page 5
Art Collection Gives Gallery
Prestige page 6