Composed of former congressional staffers, Capitol Steps embodies the lighter side of politics.

Capitol Steps Put The Mock In Democracy

Take a break from the presidential election madness with political comedy troupe, the Capitol Steps. This musical satire group will perform at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 3 at the Lied Center for Performing Arts.

The Capitol Steps are a troupe of former congressional staffers who now spend their time poking fun at those who used to employ them. With lyrics ripped from today's headlines, the Capitol Steps perform "tributes" to everyone from Bill Clinton "Livin' Libido Loca" to George W. Bush Jr. "Son of a Bush." No political party or individual politician is immune from the lyrical wit of the Capitol Steps. And with plenty of scandals, controversies and gaffes, the Capitol Steps are never in danger of running out of material.

The Capitol Steps began in 1981 when three staffers for Sen. Charles Percy were planning entertainment for a Christmas party. According to lore, their first idea was to stage a nativity play, but in the whole Congress they couldn't find three wise men or a virgin! So they decided to dig into the headlines of the day, and created song parodies and skits that won over their audience and launched a phenomenon.

Since its humble beginnings, the Capitol Steps have grown to 22 cast members, five of whom are on stage for any one performance. They have staged over 4,500 shows in 48 states and recorded 20 albums. Their Lied Center performance is sure to include several tunes from their latest album, It's Not Over 'til the First Lady Sings. In addition, the Capitol Steps have been featured on NBC, CBS, ABC and PBS and can be heard four times each year on National Public Radio with their "Politics Takes a Holiday" radio specials.

Local comedian Juli Burney will deliver a preperformance talk in the Lied's Steinhart Room 30 minutes prior to curtain.

Tickets are $30, $26 and $22, half-price for students.

Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Ohlsson at Lied Nov. 2

Internationally acclaimed for its musical excellence, the 33-member Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra appears for a 7:30 concert Nov. 2 at the Lied Center. Pianist Garrick Ohlsson (shown at left) joins the orchestra for the Nov. 2 concert.

Pieces scheduled for the Lied Center performance are Suite from "Nais" by Jean-Philippe Rameau and Piano Concerto No. 2, in B-flat Major, Op. 19 by Ludwig van Beethoven and Symphony No. 3, in D Major, D.200 by Franz Schubert.

Under the leadership of Baroque series director Nicholas McGegan and creative chair Bobby McFerrin, The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra presents more than 150 concerts in its 38-week season with a repertoire of standard chamber fare and works by new composers.

Throughout its 42-year history, The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra has enjoyed a distinguished history of artistic leadership. As stated by the Independent of London, The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra is "arguably the best" chamber orchestra in the world.

Its versatility and distinctive size enable the orchestra to present musical genres from piano trios to chamber symphonies. The orchestra has commissioned 81 new works in its history and has premiered 46 additional works by prominent composers. The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra has received 10 ASCAP awards for adventuresome programming of contemporary music.

The ensemble has over 56 recordings with distinguished soloists including Mstislav Rostropovich, Pinchas Zukerman, Ito Midori, Isaac Stern and Emanuel Ax.

Since his triumph as winner of the 1970 Chopin International Piano Competition, American pianist Ohlsson has established himself as a gifted musician with a special interpretative talent. His repertoire is unusually wide and eclectic, "ranging from Haydn and Mozart to 20th century masters." During the 2000-2001 season, Ohlsson will appear as guest soloist with the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, and San Francisco Symphony, as well as The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and other ensembles.

Ohlsson was born in White Plains, N.Y., where he began piano studies at age eight. He furthered his musical education at the Westchester Conservatory of Music and The Juilliard School. Ohlsson last performed at the Lied Center during the 1997-1998 season.

Larry Lusk, retired dean, UNL Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts, will deliver a preperformance talk in the Lied's Steinhart Room 30 minutes prior to curtain.

Tickets are $42, $38 and $34, half-price for students. Call the Lied box office at 472-4747 for ticket availability.

Moran Woodwind Quintet Performs Nov. 3

The School of Music presents the Moran Woodwind Quintet in recital at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 3 in Kimball Recital Hall. Admission is free.

The quintet will perform works by Endre Szervansky, Lalo Schifrin, Alvin Etler, and Josef Bach.

The quintet is composed John Bailey, flute; William McMullen, oboe; Diane Cawein, clarinet; Gary Echols, bassoon; and Allen French, horn.

One of the most active and visible quintets in the Midwest, the Moran Quintet is the resident faculty woodwind quintet of the University of Nebraska School of Music. Formed in 1986 and named for the late John Moran, director of the School of Music, the quintet has toured extensively throughout the Midwest, performing as a featured ensemble at the annual national convention of the College Music Society in Chicago and in 1992 performed in recital in South Korea. The Moran Quintet was nominated for NPR's Lucian Wulsin Award for Best Regional Performance, Small Ensemble and was so popular that it was played nationally in three separate broadcasts.

Bob Nugent, Amazon Journal #33, 1998. Watercolor, ink and pencil on handmade paper. 18 1/4 x 18 1/4".

Printmaker Nugent Visiting Oct. 23-28

The Department of Art and Art History brings visiting artist Bob Nugent to Lincoln on Oct. 23-28.

Nugent, a professor at Sonoma State University in Santa Rosa, Calif., will be working from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on those days in the print studio (Room 306) in Woods Art Building, to complete an edition of prints for the Under Pressure Print Club Brayer (patron) members with UNL students as print assistants. The printmaking studios on the third floor of the Woods Art Building will be open for visitors to see his work in progress.

Nugent received his B.A. and M.F.A. from the University of California, Santa Barbara. His works are represented in collections held by the Coca-Cola Corp., McDonald's Corp., 3M Corp., San Francisco City Collection, and the Center for Book Arts in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Nugent's visit is sponsored by the UNL Department of Art and Art History and the Under Pressure Print Club. For more information about his visit, call Karen Kunc at 472-5541.

Gao Hong, who studied at the Central Conservatory in Bejing, performs with The Spirit of Nature Nov. 3.

Chinese Musical Trio Spirit of Nature Launches New Lentz Center With Nov. 3 Performance

The Spirit of Nature will perform at 7 p.m. Nov. 3 in the new home of the Lentz Center for Asian Culture, 1155 Q St.

The trio of Chinese musicians will be in Lincoln from Oct. 30 through Nov. 3, performing in Lincoln Public Schools and other area schools as part of UNL's Arts Are Basic program, the aesthetic education program of the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts.

Gao Hong began performing in China as a young child and has since traveled and studied extensively worldwide. At the age of 22, Gao was one of only two pipa players who survived myriad tests to become a student at China's premier school of music, the central Conservatory in Beijing, where she studied with pipa master Lin Schicheng. Gao has given hundreds of solo recitals and workshops since arriving in the United States, first touring here in 1994, and is combining Eastern and Western music by performing with community and professional orchestras in the United States and Europe. In 1998, she flew to the Czech Republic to record a new pipa concerto with the Moravian Philharmonic. Gao has introduced hundreds of students to the pipa through courses she teaches at MacPhail Center for the Arts and Metropolitan State University, and as a guest lecturer at universities throughout the United States. Gao Hong performed with the Lincoln Symphony Orchestra in 1997.

Wang Hong has performed and lectured in Germany, the Netherlands, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, and the United States. He is an acclaimed multi-instrumentalist who has performed on the sheng (mouth organ) in Meredith Monk's opera Atlas and on the ehru (Chinese fiddle) with the Stanford Symphony in a violin and erhu double concerto. He is a graduate of Nanjing Normal University's Music Department where he studied with famous ehru master, Zhang Rui and the esteemed Professor Lu Xiaokie, virtuoso player of the huqin (Chinese two-stringed instruments).

Zhao Yangqin has been studying the yangqin since 1982 and graduated with honors from Nanjing University, where she later became head of the faculty of instrumental music. She has won many awards and honors for her playing and has performed in Hong Kong, Australia, Mexico, Germany, China and the United States. Zhao Yangqin's recordings are available on many CDs and video cassettes.

This performance is free and open to the public and will be hosted by the Lentz Center and Asian Culture Guild, sponsored by Arts Are Basic with support from Priscilla Parsons. For questions about the performance, contact the Lentz Center at 472-5841. For more information about Arts Are Basic, contact Maureen Gallagher at 472-6844.

Great Plains Studies & Art Collection Move to New Home

The new address for the Center for Great Plains Studies and the Great Plains Art Collection is 1155 Q St (0214). Their phone number stays the same: 472-3082.

The new address for Great Plains Quarterly is 1155 Q St. (0245). Their phone number stays the same: 472-6058.

The new address for Great Plains Research is 1155 Q St. (0246). The phone number is 472-6970.

The new address for Encyclopedia of the Great Plains is 1155 Q St. (0213). Phone number, 472-4523.

The new address for GPR/GPQ Book Review Editor (George Wolf) is 1155 Q St. (0214). His phone number is 472-4368.

The new address for Great Plains Studies Adviser (Chuck Braithwaite): 1155 Q St. (0245). His phone number, 472-6058.

The Great Plains Art Collection has moved into the new building across from the Lied Center at 12th & Q St. Their new address is 1155 Q St. (0250). Their phone number, 472-6220. A public open house will be from 1:30 to 5 p.m. Nov. 12.

For more information, email: cgps@unl.edu.

Oates' Bad Girls Staged Nov. 2-4

Theatrix continues the 2000-2001 season, staging Bad Girls at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 2, 3 and 4 in the Studio Theatre in the Temple Building. Admission is $4 at the door. Adult language and situations are depicted.

In this play of betrayal and lies, a single mother must choose between a boyfriend and her three daughters. Bad Girls by Joyce Carol Oates, a renowned poet, explores the depths of lovers and loved ones as a mother is confronted with the tale of her daughter's rape at the hands of her boyfriend. She knows her three daughters have set out to find the evidence they need to convince their mother that "this man is not for her." As they are caught breaking into her lover's apartment, the story of rape breaks the relationship apart, leaving the audience with one question - can a mother ever love again? Presented in a thrust stage, the play's intimacy and intensity will surely capture the audience.

Staging this play, in her directing debut, is Melissa Loveless, a senior theatre arts major. An aspiring casting director, Loveless has appeared in many small performances presented by Nebraska Masquers and Theatrix.

Theatrix is a producing organization of the Department of Theatre Arts whose mission is to encourage theatrical artists to explore and experiment with contemporary, classical, and new material. Through its broad diversity in material and artistic expression, Theatrix hopes to help culturally enrich the lives of members of our university and community.

For details, contact Daryn Warner, managing director, 472-2638.

Award-Winning Chicana Writer to Read at UNL Nov. 7, 9

Pat Alderete, (shown at right) Chicana writer, performer and Veterana will be in Lincoln reading her fiction throughout the week of Nov. 6-10. Alderete is a Los Angeles native. In 1996 she was an inaugural member of the PEN Center USA West Emerging Voices program.

Alderete and Amelia Montes, UNL assistant professor of English and ethnic studies, will give a free public reading at 3:30 p.m. Nov. 7 in the Bailey Library in Andrews Hall. Alderete will also do a free public reading beginning at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 9 in the Nebraska Union.

Alderete has performed and read her work on various stages in Southern California including the University of California-Santa Barbara, California State Los Angeles, and most recently at The Getty Museum. Her work is funny, poignant and reveals a deep understanding of the human condition.

Alderete draws heavily on her experiences with The Movimiento, the Chicano Liberation movement of the 1970s in East Los Angeles, which she terms was a "wake up call" for Chicanos and others.

"Writing has given me an outlet to talk about those times even though none of my stories talk directly about the Movimiento per se," she said in an interview with Montes.

She tells students to not be afraid to find their own voice in writing.

"Just do it and love it. Try and push away the critic and don't worry about anything except getting the stories out."

The main sponsors of her visit are the UNL Committee on Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Concerns, the Women's Studies Program, and the Creative Writing Program.

For more information, or for your group to meet with Alderete while she is in Lincoln, contact Barbara DiBernard at 402-472-1828.

Seats Available for Televised 1st District Debate Oct. 29

A limited number of seats are available for citizens interested in attending the live televised debate between incumbent congressman Doug Bereuter (R) and challenger Alan Jacobsen (D), candidates for Nebraska's 1st District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. The "1st District Congressional Debate" will be broadcast live Oct. 29, beginning at 5 p.m. from the Nebraska ETV Network studios in the Terry M. Carpenter Nebraska Educational Telecommunications Center at 1800 N. 33rd St.

Tickets may be picked up at the front desk of the NET Center or at the front desk of the Lincoln Journal Star, 926 P St., Nebraska ETV's co-sponsor of the event. Those interested in attending may also call 402-472-9333, ext. 358, to make a reservation.

The debate will be rebroadcast on NETV2 (EduCable),* the cable television service of Nebraska Educational Telecommunications, Nov. 1, at 9 p.m. CT (8 MT); Nov. 2, at 11 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. CT (10 and 2:30 MT); and Nov. 5, at 4:30 p.m. CT (3:30 MT).

The debate will feature Jacobsen and Bereuter responding to questions from a panel of three journalists: Nancy Hicks, Statehouse bureau chief for the Lincoln Journal Star; Kent Warneke, editor of the Norfolk Daily News; and Diane Vicars, editor of the Beatrice Sun. Andrea Gallagher, state government reporter for Nebraska ETV, will moderate the debate. A special feature of the debate will be a half-hour devoted to candidates answering questions solicited from citizens on videotape and collected from letters and e-mails.

The "1st District Congressional Debate" is presented as part of Campaign Connection, an initiative combining the television, radio and online resources of NET to give Nebraska voters a voice in the November election. This Campaign Connection program was made possible by the PBS Democracy Project through a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Production funding has also been provided in part by the Association of Insurance & Financial Advisors-Nebraska. The "1st District Congressional Debate" is closed captioned for hearing impaired audiences by the Nebraska Captioning Center.