Feature
Political scandals 11
Opinion
Sports
MacEwan courses should stand alone 7
gateway November 13th, 2013
THE
Pandas win bronze at nationals 17 Issue No. 14
Volume 102
written by bruce cinnamon photos by mat simpson
TH E O F F IC IA L STUDE NT NE WS PA P E R AT T H E U N I V ER S I T Y OF A LBERTA
Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes tells the story of Prior Walter, a gay man living with AIDS in 1985 New York, and chronicles his fantastical journey as all the forces of the chaotic universe seem intent on turning his life upside down. Over the course of two plays totalling seven hours, Prior is abandoned by his faithless lover Louis and visited by an eccentric angel who demands he become a prophet of stasis. He shares a dream/hallucination with delusional pill-popping housewife Harper, confides in fabulous drag queen nurse Belize, confronts his lover’s new closeted lawyer boyfriend Joe, befriends his ex-lover’s lover’s Mormon mother Hannah and even makes his way up to heaven and back — all in defiance of the powers that seek to control him.
For their 20th anniversary production, the U of A’s Abbedam Productions, an extra-curricular theatre company, is taking on this monumental challenge of a play, presenting Angels in America, Part One: Millennium Approaches. Tony Kushner’s Pulitzer prize-winning play is celebrating its own 20th year, and its longevity and popularity has set the bar high for the student company. “It’s going to be huge and vibrant, exciting and scary,” says director Nick Eaton, a recent graduate of the BA Honours Drama program who acknowledges that the play’s vast scope and history has put them under pressure in a good way. “It is a canonical text. You see the title Angels in America and you have an idea of what you expect it to be, especially if you’ve seen the HBO film.”
PLEASE SEE angels PAGE 15
Angels in Alberta students vote
Andrea Ross
O
staff reporter @_rossandrea n-campus voting will likely return to the University of Alberta following a successful turnout at last month’s advance polling station. In what he called a “major win” for all Alberta students, Students’ Union Vice President (External) Adam Woods said the SU is close to securing future campus polling stations and simplifying students’ voting process. Despite a location change from previous municipal polling stations in Lister Hall residence, student turnout at the Oct. 17 advance polling station in the Students’ Union Building reached a record high, he said.
“I believe the final number was 1,280 total, and that was between Grant MacEwan, NAIT and the U of A,” Woods said. “Between those we got probably 950. This is the first time we had posted one in SUB and clearly it went quite well. “As a result, I think Elections Alberta was very impressed and saw the potential for future polling stations in 2016.” Woods said the SU recognizes the barriers students face at polls, and has lobbied for on-campus polling stations since 2011. But changes aimed at simplifying the student voting process were made to the Elections Act recently, after a meeting with Elections Alberta. There were previously no clear regulations dictating where students could vote, Woods said.
“Elections are very complicated matters. You need a lot of rules to regulate them to make sure they run smoothly,” he said. “Some Deputy Returning Officers and Chief Returning Officers defined it as you have to vote at home, so wherever you go home during the summer or wherever you grew up. Others say so long as you have an address, you can vote. “There wasn’t that clarity, which is what we’ve now received.” Brad White, Technical Supervisor for Edmonton Elections and Census, said last month’s elections were a proven success for on-campus voting stations and an indicator of their likelihood in future elections.
PLEASE SEE elections PAGE 5
“What if our heads are just hats for our legs?”
#3LF page 7