The
S TUDENT P RINTZ www.studentprintz.com
SERVING SOUTHERN MISS SINCE 1927
Thursday, September 30 , 2010
ZA? WHAT-APALOO
Volume 95 Issue 12
ON CAMPUS
BUDGET
Angry high schoolers send letters Mary Margaret Halford Printz Writer
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ATHLETIC
BUDGET
Freddie Lance Newman/Printz
Third year MFA students Joseph Lopez, left, and Towey Truong, right, portray two of the main characters of Marat/ Sade. French revolutionary leader Marquis de Sade is whipped by Charlotte Corday for his rebellious actions.
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84/52 INDEX Calendar ...................... 2 Crossword ................. 2 News ............................ 3 Opinion ......................... 5 Feature ......................... 6 Arts & Entertainment ..... 7 Sports ......................... 8
Insane play opens Patrick Laughlin Printz Writer Theatergoers will be whisked to a turbulent era tonight with the opening performance of Peter Weiss’ “Marat/Sade” at 7:30 p.m. in the Martha R. Tatum Theatre. “Marat/Sade” is set in 1808 in post-revolutionary France. The play takes place in the confines of an insane asylum, where the inmates engage in the production of a colorful and charged play of their own under the direction of the noted libertine, firebrand and fellow patient the Marquis de Sade. “Marat/Sade” is a play within a play, explained cast member Twoey Truong. “It focuses on the historical imprisonment of the Marquis de Sade, who actually wrote plays and was allowed to have them performed at the asylum during his internment there,” she said. “It’s one of those pieces that has inspired generations of artists,” said the play’s director, professor of theater Monica Hayes. “It’s had a huge impact on the development of alternative theater. A lot of people have built on this as a method of storytelling in a postmodern way of mixing timeframes and genres. It’s an exciting, environmental piece of theater.”
Truong, a third-year graduate student, plays Charlotte Corday, an inmate and the controversial historical murderer of the titular Jean-Paul Marat. Truong explained that on one level, the play is an overt cri-
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feel it is about the consequences of revolutions, the idea that history repeats itself and that power is easily abused.” However, Weiss’ brush may paint a much wider arc according to junior Chris Dixon, who plays
They’ll enter into the world of the play the moment they walk in.
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Cast member Annie Cleveland tique on the politics and society of 19th century France. “In ‘Marat/Sade,’ they’re performing this play about 15 years after the French Revolution and during Napoleon’s reign as emperor. Through the play within a play, Weiss is trying to show how the Marquis de Sade feels about the Revolution and his role in it, and it makes a political and social commentary on French society. I
the patient starring as Marat. “The play was written when we were starting to get into the Vietnam conflict, so the whole world was changing, which is true for now as well. It has some interesting concepts, because you can find similar aspects at different times in history, so now is a good time to play it.”
See MARAT/SADE, 4
Students at Saint Andrew’s Episcopal High School in Jackson, Miss., have decided to voice their opinions about the recent budget cuts affecting the Latin program at Southern Miss. About 25 Latin students at St. Andrew’s have written letters to the provost concerning the program’s recommended termination. Patsy Ricks, who has taught Latin for over 40 years, came up with the idea of involving her students. “One day I mentioned to them that Southern Miss was planning to cut the classics department, and they all felt really enthusiastic about writing letters to share their thoughts,” Ricks said. “The bottom line is that they have really enjoyed their studies in Latin at St. Andrew’s and wouldn’t want to go to a university that did not offer them the chance to continue,” Ricks said. Laura Landrum, a senior at St. Andrew’s, is one of the students who wrote letters to the school. “Latin is not just a language,” Landrum said. “Taking a Latin class is like taking literature, history, language, riddle and a morality course all in one.” Landrum said she is upset about the Latin program being cut at USM. “This choice speaks to extremely ignorant judgement on the part of Southern’s leaders,” Landrum said. “I can unfortunately say that I do not believe I will be applying to USM because it seems the leaders do not care to consider the students when making decisions about their futures.” Not only is Landrum’s opinion of Southern Miss being affected, but she said the opinions of her peers have been affected as well. “I know for a fact that their application decisions are greatly affected by the cuts,” Landrum said. “I believe USM is making a grave mistake in cutting Latin not only because of the loss of those in the major but because of the image it portrays for the school.”
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