Western News - 27/May/1999

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In Brief

By Communications Staff (University of Western Ontario)
Thursday, May 27, 1999

GREAT SEASON: An Ontario University Athletics (OUA) report card on the performance of member institutions in the 1998-99 season confirms that "it was an outstanding year for Western intercollegiate athletics," says Intercollegiate Athletics Chair Darwin Semotiuk. "Western led the way in almost all categories -- most women's (12) and men's (16) team medals, most all-stars (123) and most athletes of the week (10)," says Semotiuk in a memorandum accompanying the report OUA Numbers 98-99. "It was a great season and fitting tribute to the exceptional talents of the coaches and student-athletes representing The University of Western Ontario."

ARTLAB: The ArtLab in the John Labatt Visual Arts Centre will feature Toni Latour - Drawing Breath From the Body, June 1 - 11. This is an exhibition of paintings and drawings from 1996-98, as well as recent sculpture. "Formal and contextual elements of the sculptural pieces have allowed new interest to be 'breathed' into the older body of work," according to information about the show. The ArtLab is open daily 2 pm - 4 pm. The opening reception will be held June 5 at 7 pm.

PLAYS: Two plays produced by Barbara Metcalf, an instructor in the School of Nursing, were well received at the recent Kitchener-Waterloo Little Theatre Power Plays Festival.

A Modern Tragedy, written by Metcalf in the form of a Greek Tragedy on the subject of 20th-century wife abuse, was nominated for original script and for ensemble acting. Its director, Lesleigh Turner, won the award for outstanding contribution by a newcomer, and cast member Michelle Barnes for outstanding performance by a female actor. Parlour Games, a contemporary comedy of manners by Brian March, directed by March and staged-managed by Professor Emeritus Betty Seldon-MacFarlane, won the award for ensemble work and honorable mentions for overall production and direction.

March won the award for original script. Cast member Cindy Jenner won for outstanding performance by a supporting actor and Luke Macfarlane honorable mention in the same category.

OPERA PREMIERE: English professor emeritus James Reaney collaborated with composer John Beckwith to write a Canadian historical opera, Taptoo!, an account of the founding of the town of York (Toronto) in 1793. The production by McGill Opera had its premiere performance at the Crane School of Music in Postdam, New York, followed by two performances at McGill University and was reviewed by the Montreal Gazette.The opera tells the story of two drummer boys and Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe during the period from the 1780s to the brink of the War of 1812.