Saturday, March 13 WomenSpeak Workshop: The Potter's Art and Hands-on Slip-painting Learn simple techniques with ceramic artist Gillian McMillan, using homemade liquid clay slips on clay tiles. Sponsored by the Leon and Thea Koerner Foundation Yam-noon, room 1620, $10 fee Monday, March 15 Get Growing: envision a “story garden" and create an action plan. Marion Rutter will show you how to start your organic seeds, replenish and prepare the soil and save space by planting complementary companions. Sponsored by the Green Team. noon-1pm, Boardroom (room 4920) Thursday, March 18 Noon at New West presents Student Showcase Recital 12:30 pm, Performing Arts Theatre Thursday, March 25 Noon at New West presents: Student Showcase Recital 12:30 pm, Performing Arts Theatre People love Arthur Miller probably wouldn't approve, shrugs Conrad Alexandrowicz, the director of The Crucible Variations, on stage March 12 to 20 at Douglas College’s Performing Arts Theatre. The director and his cast have taken the themes and images from Miller’s play The Crucible and created new scenes, spanning the era from Salem 1692 toa futuristic Christian fundamentalist state. “The themes from The Crucible are timeless,” he says. “The content — accusation, suspicion and jealousy — echoes in all societies. Whether it’s a witch hunt in Salem ora terrorist hunt in America, it’s the same demonization of otherness — the tendency to see things in completely black and white terms... that simplistic thinking human beings are so fond of.” The Crucible Variations also incorporates excerpts from the original play and parts of Eric Bentley’s play, Are You Now or Have You Ever Been, which is based on the American government's hunt for suspected communists from 1947 to 1956: “The Crucible was also a parable about the Un- American Activities Committee, which was created by the American government to go after Hollywood leaders and other intellectuals during the Cold War. Miller was a good witch hunt, says struck by the similarities of the two witch hunts. Even the words used in court by lawyers in both cases were eerily similar.” Student actors get a chance to test their acting prowess by playing several different characters. They also worked collaboratively in teams to develop some of the scenes. “The play shows that displays of abusive power, like Salem in the 1690s and Washington in the 1950s are just as common today,” says Alexandrowicz. “The moment we feel threatened, our society is ready to violate human rights in the interests of preserving ourselves and our social order.” play director The Crucible Variations, a presentation by Douglas College’s Theatre and Stagecraft departments, runs March 12 to 20, evenings at 7:30pm with two-for-one performances on Tuesday at 7:30pm and Saturday, March 13 and 20 at 2pm. Performances take place in Douglas College’s Performing Arts Theatre, 700 Royal Avenue, New Westminster (one block north of the New Westminster SkyTrain station). Tickets are $10 general admission, $5 students and seniors. To order tickets, contact the box office at 604-527- 5488. For group bookings, call 604-527-5281. Zastrozzi brings morality circus to Douglas College stage Director Denise Kenney turned to the experts to create an atmosphere of chaos in the upcoming Douglas College production Zastrozzi. She brought in Canadian pro wrestler Vance Nevada to help the actors develop wrestling moves for the fight scenes. Former student Brad Tones, who is certified in sword-fighting for the stage, came to help the cast enhance their combat skills. “Zastrozzt is a morality circus,” says Kenney. “The philosophy of the play is that life is a series of meaningless events. In order to avoid despair, you have to keep occupied. And that’s what the characters do — sometimes with violence.” The performance takes place ina set-up akin toa circus ring. The actors are encircled by the audience, except when the events transcend the boundaries of the stage. All of the characters are animalistic — larger-than- life archetypes driven by sexual and lustful impulses. Kenney says they're typical of characters crafted by the play’s author, George FE. Walker, known for provocative, political plays. The characters each have their preoccupations to pass the time. Zastrozzi, played by Surrey’s Baljinder Grewal, is fixated on revenge. © Zastrozzi is a wonderful psychopath,” says Kenney. “He’s the negative, natural consequence you can’t avoid in life, like getting hit by a bus. There’s no rhyme or reason — it just happens.” Other characters are obessed with romanticism, honour, cruelty and reason. In the end, despite all their different preoccupations, chaos reigns supreme. Zastrozzi, a presentation by Douglas College’s Theatre and Stagecraft departments, runs March 5 to 13, evenings at 7:30pm with two-for-one performances on Monday and Thursday at 1pm, Tuesday at 7:30pm and Saturday at 2pm. Performances take place in Douglas College’s Studio Theatre, Room 4140, 700 Royal Avenue, New Westminster (one block north of the New Westminster Sky Train station). Tickets are $10 general admission, $5 students and seniors. To order tickets, contact the box office at 604-527- 5488. For group bookings, call 604-527-5281. Theatre students (left to right) Craig Messere, Adri Searcy, Baljinder Grewal and Sean Ewing fight it out in Zastrozzi, running March 5 to 13 at the College's Studio Theatre. Douglas College theatre students Matt Zustovic and Jessica Willan deal with timeless themes in The Crucible Variations. Students can explore options at Career Fair What kind of work would I like to do? What kind of skills and knowledge do I require? What kind of education or training will help me reach my career goals? The answers to these questions and much more can be found at the Alumni Association’s 15th annual Career Fair on Monday, March 8 at the New Westminster Campus from 9am to 4pm. Event magazine celebrates winners From left to right: Reading at Event Magazine's celebration of the 2003 creative non-fiction contest were runner-up John Vigna (a graduate of Print Futures: Professional Writing) and winners Jancis Andrews and Andrew Westoll. The terrifying experience ofa child exploring a bombed-out house in World War Two England, the exploits of a primate researcher in the jungles of Surinam and the ordeal of an environmental activist who ends up in jail — these stories were the winners in Event magazine’s 2003 creative non-fiction contest, celebrated in a reading held February 25. “Creative non-fiction, if it truly casts a spell, proceeds like fiction, carried along on the lovely slippery back of the language it crafts,” wrote contest judge Marnie Jackson, author of The Mother Zone and Pain: the Fifth Vital Sign. Event, Douglas College’s award-winning literary journal, aims for diversity, excellence in expression and intensity of experience. Two of the contest winners, Jancis Andrews and Andrew Westoll, and runner-up John Vigna read at the event, which took place in the Boardroom (4920) at the New Westminster Campus. For more information, call 604-527-5293.