Remembering Underground Theatre
Just read the new Beloit College Magazine today with the usual mix of whimsy and weltschmerz. You folks do a great job.
The piece by Marion Stocking on the underground dramatic exploits of the late ’60s recalled for me many familiar names, including hers. Alas, I took Prof. Stocking’s Advanced Exposition class in 1964-65, when I was determined to flunk out of college and prove something to the world about something or other. I recall getting an “A” in the first of the weekly assignments, then handing in none of the remaining 14 or so, thus earning my “F” in spades. I recall her with pleasure, all these years (and published words) later.
John Thorn’68
Saugerties, N.Y.
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Another magazine that makes me proud to be a Beloit graduate, especially the article on the improved state of dining services, which I remember as having the first salad bar I ever saw in the late 1960s. Since I’ve been a food professional for the past 10 years, that subject is dear to my heart.
Even dearer is theatre at Beloit. A drama major, I watched in envy as (Bob) Arnebeck et al. made their magic. Marion Stocking’s article brought that back. But may I fill a couple of omissions, and make one correction? As I recall, Mike Rafkin’69 (speech and theatre arts faculty, 1969-70) risked his status in the department by directing underground productions, and Carol Rathe’70 was the female star, such as anyone was a star. And Prof. Stocking may remember Cabaret, but I can assure you we did not sing: Jeanie McNeel’71 was a thrilling Sally Bowles in I Am a Camera, the John Van Druten play also based on Isherwood’s Berlin Stories.
Suzanne Fass’70
New York, N.Y.
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Being remembered in Prof. Marion Stocking’s memoirs is like winning an Academy Award. And there are a load of people who should jam the stage and take a collective bow: Amy Leos’69, Ken Rocke’69, Maggie Lee’72, Norm Stone’71, Jim Casey’69, Milt Geffen’72, Bruce Wineberg’69, Tim Taylor’72, Etan Boritzer’72, Andy Ogus’71, Judy Blake’72, Amy Weissbrodt’70, Miche Wessler’72, Jim McKenzie’69, Tony Toepfer’70, and Laurie Hudson’71 were all in the adaptation of Pound’s Cantos, and half of them were in other productions along with Mike Rafkin’69, Carol Rathe’70, Steve Blount’69, Bill Gansner’69, Bob Adams’70, Roger Dixon’68, Mark Alessandroni’70, Jill Angrist’70, Andrea Olmstead’70, Bob Blue’70, Jim Jones’69, Amy Wright’71, Mary Jane Sheedy, Alan Wittert, Bindy Marks’72, Gail
Irish’72, Pat Funt’72, Farn Rumore’72, Gay Gann’69, Ellen Couch’69, Ellen Smith’71, Millie Whittemore’68, and Bobby Coffey’69, who taught me anything I know about acting and directing.
I can see the faces of the casts of Lysistrata and Tamberlaine the Great, but can’t remember all the names. Leslie Kuter’69, still my sidekick, acted, made props, costumes and sets, and sensed something was amiss when we dropped two eggs at breakfast. We hurried to the Chapel basement in time to rescue our costumes and props for Lysistrata that were unceremoniously being carted off to the city garbage dump! Many before us had turned the Chapel basement into SAG, an art gallery and coffee house, where happenings made theatre seem a natural follow up. So thanks to them, especially Sara Ransom’68 who ran things, and the cast of the God Machine: Gregg Robinson’69, Josh Reckord’66, Richard Carr’66, and Earl Kamsky’68, who showed that with some sheets and a football helmet, the universe could be recreated.
Among the faculty, the Stockings and Chuck Seguin were great supporters. Art Robson, who after all is funnier than Aristophanes, pepped up our translation. Bink Noll taught play writing and said “Do it … in the basement.” And then there was Aaron “Ace” Sawyer’69, the Tesla of the tensor lamp, who did some acting but made the whole thing work with his genius at lighting. After we blew out the electricity on one half of campus operating out of the Chapel basement, we blew out the other half operating in Pearsons. But Ace saw to it that the lights never went out on stage. Truly it can be said that many who were not at our show were completely in the dark.
With our last production, a black-light extravaganza that had Marlowe turning in his grave, the college administration wised up to us; a memo was sent; and Prof. George Garner, the Da Vinci of Day-Glo, our faculty advisor and then some, told me to forget about the memo and do the show. And it went off without a hitch, almost. Tim Taylor’72, our Tamberlaine, started marching off to another battle but forgot to stab a virgin who had her toga stuffed with Day-Glo spaghetti, our piece de resistance. I got the slaughter back on track by climbing up on a lab table and calling out “come back, come back.” Memorable lines that now I often find myself repeating. Those were good times.
Bob Arnebeck’69
Thousand Island Park, N.Y.
Marion Stocking’s article on 1960s theatre in Beloit made me want to be there. Wait a minute, I was there. Again, maybe not. I was a member of the above-the-ground theatre at Scoville Hall. But, one should not restrict the talents of those times to a divide between the creativity of Bob Arnebeck’s group and straight theatre at Scoville. Many students both wrote and acted well in plays in cellars and any other venue that was amenable, including Scoville. It was a time alight with theatrical energy, one of the counterpoints of an often self-destructive era.
Roger Dixon’s (class of 1968) plays come to mind. I also recall a student translation from Spanish to English of Federico García Lorcas’ Yerma, which my memory says was done by a deceptively ethereal-looking, intellectually focused young actress named Maryanne. There were other writers and many marvelous actors. I even wrote an odd number, slightly fancied by Al Barraclough as a training piece for actors (for however strange the play was, it was certainly chock full of characters).
My effort has long since gone to dust with the remains of Scoville Hall. But, perhaps the mischievous shadows of old performances and productions from time to time slip out to dance upon the green.
Linda Hurley-Bruce’69
Los Angeles, Calif.
BSFFA Origins
As the co-founder of the Beloit Science Fiction and Fantasy Association, I write to correct several errors about the group’s origins that appeared in the spring 2006 issue. Marion K. Stocking claims that BSFFA was founded by fans of Dungeons and Dragons. This claim is incorrect. BSFFA’s origins began when I showed up at Beloit College in the fall of 1975, loving science fiction novels and wanting to find students who shared my enthusiasm for books and science fiction magazines. I found librarian Clyde Peterman and philosophy professor Scott Crom, but no students. I eventually found Jennifer Levin’81, and we decided in the fall of 1978 to start a science fiction club. (The name was chosen to avoid confusion with the British Science Fiction Association.) The mythology that BSFFA has something to do with Phi Psi is also wrong. I am a Beta, one other BSFFA member was a Sigma Pi, and no one else belonged to a fraternity. Moreover, BSFFA was founded in 1978, and
I don’t believe Phi Psi was reconstituted at Beloit until the fall of 1979.
Martin Morse Wooster’80
Silver Spring, Md.
I can’t believe I am looking at the spring 2006 issue of Beloit College Magazine. The riot of color on the cover and throughout the magazine is fabulous. And my wife (Margaret Maurer Gibson’35) and I enjoyed every article. The stories by Valerie Reiss’95 about clowns were so interesting.
I continue to be amazed at the scope of what Beloit College offers today and the interesting, worthwhile things the students are participating in. This calls to mind Tom Friedman’s new book, The World Is Flat, which I am pleasantly engrossed in right now. It is up to the present generation of students to do more, to study harder, to be more educated, if they are to stay ahead of the bright, hard-working young people who are coming in hordes from the rest of our “flat world.”
I continue to be a proud alumnus when I read about all the innovative things that are happening at Beloit College. Keep it up!
Noble Gibson’35
Columbus, N.C.
How interesting that the first circus we took our son to included a Beloit alumnus. After receiving the (spring 2006) magazine, we recognized Luke Brechtelsbauer’01 right away because he came right up our aisle at the circus and waved to us. We thoroughly enjoyed reading the article and remembering the different acts he participated in.
Michelle Smith Padfield’98
Bowie, Md.
