Spring Flowers Return to the Lentz Center

The Lentz Center for Asian Culture will present its second annual Ikebana exhibition, "Expressions in Ikebana," from April 8 to 14 in the Lentz Center for Asian Culture, 329 Morrill Hall.

The show will feature Japanese flower arrangements by Marilyn Hoskins, a master of the Ichiyo School of Ikebana, and other Ichiyo school members; Margaret Donlan, instructor; Carla Imray, instructor; Yoshie Mizuno, instructor; Pam Jacobson, Loveda Mitchell, Myrta Pages, Jessica Schultz and Emiko Ward.

Ikebana demonstrations will be given by Hoskins at 2 p.m. April 10 and 13. An opening reception will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. April 8. The public is invited.

Ikebana is the art of Japanese sytle flower arranging. Ike means living and bana means flower. The origins of Ikebana are in floral offering to Buddha. In the 6th century, Prince Shotoku assisted the establishment of Buddhism in Japan, which was already widespread in India, China and other parts of Asia. He formalized the idea of a floral arrangements as offerings to Buddha. Until the 15th century, flower arranging was under the auspices of the Buddhist monks. Under the peaceful period of the Muromachi Shoguns, interest grew in art and culture, including an appreciation for flower arranging. Modern Ikebana can be traced to this period. Members of the court and wealthy nobles began to use flowers for festivals and brought them into their new style drawing rooms. It was at this time that the rules and standards for Ikebana in the Rikka sytle began to develop, under the auspices of the Ikenobo family of Buddhist priests.

A major development came during the Edo period, mid 18th century, when the relationship between earth and sky and man was the topic of the day. The new scientific way of looking at the world was echoed in the establishment of the Seika style elements of heaven, earth and man.

During the Meiji Restoration (1868-1912), which re-established the Emperor to the throne, following the years of Shogun rule, Ikebana became more available to the general public. There was a great burst of creativity and art appreciation, as for the first time, in centuries, Japan opened its harbors to foreigners. The flow of Japanese culture toward Europe included Ikebana. The young masters were quickly developing new styles and ideas, the most interesting of which was the moribana style (arrangements in a low, flat container), developed by Ohara Unshin.

Since that time many new Ikebana schools have developed and new contemporary designs have become the norm.

In 1937, Meikof Kasuya and his sister, Ichiyo, (meaning 'one leaf'), started the Ichiyo School of Ikebana. They focused on two types of flower arranging. The first type focuses on diversified personal surroundings, including the traditional Japanese tokonomono, as well as Western style entries and tables. The other type focuses on large installations for outdoors, hotel lobbies and stage settings.

The talented floral artists will once again create arrangements of long awaited spring flowers including both types of arrangements. These arrangements will vary widely in their design, materials, construction and size. Some of the floral containers have been designed by the Iemoto (head) of the Ichiyo School in Japan, where Hoskins received her training.

NICK NOLTE in Affliction

Affliction Hits Ross Theater on April 15

Paul Schrader's Affliction is an emotionally shattering drama about a man who has taken several wrong turns in his life and who now finds himself on a collision course with his own destiny.

Opening on April 15, Affliction has garnered numerous accolades and awards, including two Academy Award nominations and one win: Nick Nolte was nominated for Best Actor and James Coburn won for Best Supporting Actor. Both Nolte and Coburn are originally from Nebraska.

"Affliction is writer/director Paul Schrader's engrossing adaptation of the novel by Russell Banks. Wade Whitehouse (Nick Nolte) is the sole policeman in a small economically depressed town in New Hampshire. He is reduced to being a school crossing guard and doing odd jobs for a rich businessman. The emptiness of Wade's life is reflected in the film's desolate and snowy landscapes. When a man is killed while hunting, Wade believes the man was murdered. Like Sylvester Stallone's character in CopLand, Wade hopes that solving the murder will redeem his wasted life. A top cast supports Nolte, in peak form in one of the best performances of his career. Schrader's screenplay creates a complex web of relationships, and his direction maintains an acute tension as Wade struggles to prevent his resentment at life from exploding into the family cycle of violence. Affliction is a gripping story that puts a new spin on familiar Schrader themes of masculinity, fate and retribution," writes Ed Scheid of Boxoffice magazine.

Affliction is showing on April 15 through 18 and on April 22 through 24. Screenings are at 7 and 9:15 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays; at 1, 3:15, 7 and 9:15 on Saturdays; and at 2:30, 4:45, 7 and 9:15 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $6; $5 for students; and $4 for members of the Friends of the Mary Riepma Ross Film Theater, seniors and children.

Entries Sought for 1999 Great Plains Film Festival

The Great Plains Film Festival, a regional biennial competition for independent film and video artists working in the heartland of America and Canada, is accepting entries for its next edition scheduled for July 20 through Aug. 1.

Now in its fifth year, the Great Plains Film Festival provides a showcase for artists in this region to present their work to the public as well as to potential distributors and exhibitors from throughout the region and the nation. Entrants are competing for over $11,000 in cash prizes. Special emphasis is being given this year on looking at how women, minorities and other under-served groups are faring in today's media field.

Applications can be requested by contacting festival staff at the following address - Great Plains Film Festival, Mary Riepma Ross Film Theater, P.O. Box 880302; Lincoln, NE 68588-0302; Telephone: (402) 472-9100; Fax: (402) 472-2576; E-mail: dladely1@unl.edu. Application forms are also available at the Mary Riepma Ross Film Theater's web site: http://www.inetnebr.com/ro ssfilmtheater. Entry deadline is May 30.

The 1999 Great Plains Film Festival is cosponsored by the Nebraska Film Office, Nebraska Independent Film Projects, Nebraska Humanities Council, and Native American Telecommunications and is made possible by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Nebraska Arts Council and the Gilbert M. and Martha H. Hitchcock Foundation.

Entries to the festival's competition are solicited through a national publicity campaign. All entries are initially screened in a semi-final round of judging by a special committee comprised of local media experts. All of the resulting finalists are screened for the public during the festival, prizes are awarded by a three-person jury of media experts, and the announcement of the winners takes place at a special public ceremony held during the festival. An extensive publicity campaign is mounted to ensure attendance to the festival from not only the local area but from throughout the region and the nation. This festival is a major attraction for cinéastes from beyond the Lincoln community.

Highlighting the Great Plains Film Festival is the Mary Riepma Ross Award, named in honor of the Film Theater's principal benefactor, an annual tribute to an established film or video artist whose roots and heritage or artistic concerns are grounded in the Great Plains region and culture. Each year's recipient is invited to attend the festival to accept the award and interact with the festival's audience and a retrospective of the recipient's work is presented during the festival. This segment enriches the festival's programming and pays tribute to artists from this region whose work has made a significant contribution to the art of cinema and the culture of our nation. Past recipients include Sandy Dennis, Joan Micklin Silver and Peter Fonda.

New Canadian Play Paints Searing Portrait of the '80s

Theatre Arts will present Unidentified Human Remains and the True Nature of Love, at 8 p.m. on April 16, 17, 20-24 in the Studio Theatre, third floor Temple Building. A special student preview will be performed at 8 p.m. April 15.

The play's author, Canadian Brad Fraser, will discuss his play and the issues it raises in a public talk, "Survivor: The Effect of AIDS on My Art," at 7:30 p.m. April 14 at the Great Plains Art Collection, 215 Love Library. A public reception will occur from 4:15 to 5:30 p.m. April 15 in the Howell Theatre Lobby in the Temple Building. Fraser will conduct a post-performance question-and-answer session following the April 17 performance in the Studio Theatre.

All three events are free and open to the public.

Unidentified Human Remains and the True Nature of Love follows seven 20-somethings who take audiences through a passionate obstacle course of modern romance. Painting a searing portrait of the '80s generation in Fraser's hometown of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, the story revolves around two roommates, David and Candy, played by Jude Thaddeus Hickey and Courtney Kay Shaw, and the destructive relationships each one seeks to fulfill their temporary needs. David is an actor-turned-waiter who struggles with the questions he faces about his best friend Bernie (Eric Moyer) and his young companion Kane (Jacob J. Terrell) forcefully brought home to him by Benita, played by Amy Jirsa. David's ex-girlfriend, is frustrated with dating men and is torn between Robert (Drew Sutherland), a married man, and Jerri (Amy Johnson), her lesbian lover. As the play follows the whirlwind that both David and Candy have pushed themselves into, the story unfolds some other surprises that keep the audience members guessing and gripped to their seats.

Extremely provocative, the show destroys some common images of society and shatters some of our ideas as the seven characters struggle in their need for companionship, relationships, love and sex. In the midst of this, a serial killer is sexually torturing and killing young women throughout the city. Teeming with the intensity of living on the edge, the production contains mature subject matter and explicit language and may not be suitable for all audiences.

Tickets are $6/students, $9/UNL faculty/staff and senior citizens and $10/general public. Call the theatre box office at 472-2073.

Fraser's visit, which also includes appearances in English and Theatre Arts classes, is sponsored by the UNL Committee on Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Concerns, the Department of English, the Department of Theatre Arts and Dance, the Canadian Studies Committee, the Center for Great Plains Studies, the Faculty Liaison Task Force on Diversity, and the Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs.

Irish Dance Meets Broadway in Spirit of the Dance

Show-stopping Irish dance pairs with a story of passionate romance and songs of haunting beauty when Spirit of the Dance steps onto the Lied Center for Performing Arts' stage for three performances April 16 and 17.

Dublin Worldwide Productions presents this blockbuster extravaganza, that has smashed box office records across the United Kingdom and Europe during three sold-out international tours. Spirit of the Dance performances begin at 8 p.m. April 16, and 2 and 8 p.m. on April 17.

World Irish Dance Champion Patricia Murray and the Irish International Dance Company weave powerful Irish dance with the primeval forces of tap, Jazz. classical ballet and flamenco into a production that will captivate even the most strident non-dance enthusiast and charm dance lovers everywhere. This is a program that will appeal to audiences of all ages.

In Spirit of the Dance, the ethereal Spirit, who is played by a prima ballerina, searches for her true love. Dramatic dance segments are linked by powerful love songs that keep the story moving. Terrific lighting effects, stunning choreography and beautiful costumes add to the excitement and charm of this production. Traditional Irish music somehow interconnects with the funky jazz sounds of the 1990s. And it all works when the 30 dancers take the stage with a percussive precision guaranteed to send goosebumps down your back.

The driving force behind Spirit of the Dance is David King, a native of Leeds, Great Britain, who wrote the musical score and powerful love songs. The dances are choreographed by Janet Lewis, one of the UK's most respected classical choreographers. Spirit of the Dance is not connected to Michael Flatley, Lord of the Dance or Riverdance. However, audiences who have seen those performances will find Spirit of the Dance to be equally as entertaining, uplifting and mesmerizing.

Pre-performance talks are part of the Lied Center's ongoing education programming. The talks begin in the Lied's Steinhart Room 55 minutes and 30 minutes prior to curtain.

Call the Lied Box Office at 472-4747 or toll free, (800) 432-3231 for ticket availability.

New Times for Nebraska News on Nebraska Public Radio

The Nebraska Public Radio Network's news programming is changing to allow more statewide news during morning and evening drive times. Beginning April 5, NPRN listeners in the Central Time Zone will be able to hear news from around the state at 6:04 a.m., 7:04 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Mountain time zone listeners will hear Nebraska news at 6:04 a.m., 7:04 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. local time. KIOS-FM, Omaha's NPR station, will carry the Nebraska news segment live at 7:04 a.m. weekdays. The statewide news will be interspersed with the latest national news during Morning Edition and All Things Considered.

News Director Nancy Finken said NPRN is moving from a daily 30-minute news series (Nebraska Nightly) to shorter segments throughout the day. "Many of our loyal Nebraska news listeners told us that they wanted more accessible news in the morning and late afternoon and we are changing to accommodate those requests," Finken said.

The change will give Finken and the other NPRN news and public affairs staff members Carolyn Johnsen and Keith Ludden more time to travel the state and to do more in-depth reporting.

"One of the things that makes Nebraska Public Radio news unique is that we have the ability to produce series and documentaries that give Nebraskans a different look at the important issues that affect all of us," Finken said. As an example, she cited Johnsen's comprehensive series on the hog confinement controversy. "That kind of series takes time," Finken said. "We need to research all sides of the issue, to meet with pork producers, farmers, environmental experts and politicians to get to the heart of the story."

While there will be some changes in the news coverage, some things will remain constant - including NPRN's commitment to providing in-depth coverage of the Nebraska Unicameral. "While the Legislature is in session we intend to have the late afternoon newscast focus on the latest news from the Unicameral," says Finken.

Great Composers Series airs on ETV, EduCable

The personal and often dramatic stories of six enduring and influential architects of Western music have been brought to life in Great Composers, a new six-part series of biographical music documentaries, airing at 8 p.m. April 14, 21 and 28 on the statewide Nebraska ETV Network. The series premieres with portraits of Mozart and Beethoven on April 14, followed by Wagner and Mahler on April 21 and Tchaikovsky and Puccini on April 28.

Great Composers can be seen on Edu Cable at 9 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. on April 16, 23 and 30.

Narrated by actor/director Kenneth Branagh, the series takes an investigative approach to the subjects, digging beneath superficial reputations to examine the composers' lives and times, complex personalities and prodigious talents. Shot on location throughout Europe in the places where the composers lived and worked, the series uses the latest research to put the musical works into a social and historical context, examining key compositions to highlight distinctive hallmarks and innovations.

Great Composers includes performances by many of today's most distinguished artists, as well as commentary by experts who open new avenues to understanding the composers and their music. For instance, in the Tchaikovsky program, one of the most passionate and convincing interview subjects is Valentina, a Russian tram driver whose route takes her around many of her celebrated countryman's old haunts.

Statewide Probes Photojournalism's Role

Discover why "a picture is worth a thousand words" when Statewide, the Nebraska ETV Network's weekly magazine series, takes viewers on a guided tour of a recent photo journalism exhibit in a "Perspectives" segment airing at 8:30 p.m. April 16. The series, which repeats at 7 p.m. Saturdays at and 1:30 p.m. Sundays, includes up-to-the-minute news reports from across the state and other features of interest. Statewide is also seen at 3 p.m. April 18 on EduCable.

Statewide correspondent Bill Kelly takes viewers to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Sheldon Art Museum and an exhibit featuring news photographs taken by UNL College of Journalism graduates and other photojournalists. Kelly's report features insights from George Tuck, a UNL Journalism professor who gathered photos for the exhibit, and Hal Buell, former director of photography for The Associated Press.

UNK Chancellor Is Welsch Guest April 16

Hear how the University of Nebraska at Kearney has worked to gain collegiate credibility of its own when Chancellor Gladys Styles Johnson appears on Roger Welsch & at 8:30 p.m. April 16 on the statewide Nebraska ETV Network. This episode can be seen at 4 p.m. April 18 on EduCable.

Welsch comments, "A funny thing happens when you are not looking - things change. That's what happened to Kearney State College. When I was a student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, we didn't think much of Kearney State. When I joined the faculty at UNL we tended to look down our noses at the college, even after Kearney became a part of the university system. Well I've met the faculty, read their research, mixed with the students and you know what? Things have changed. Part of the change is due to the efforts of Gladys Styles Johnson, the chancellor of UNK."

The weekly television series features humorist and author Welsch in discussion with a variety of Nebraskans - from authors and educators to historians and prominent citizens - whose contributions to the good life in Nebraska make for interesting conversation.

Outdoor Nebraska Season Finale Airs April 15

Outdoor Nebraska concludes its third season this week with a diverse line-up of features. The outdoor news magazine series airs at 7:30 p.m. April 15 on the statewide Nebraska ETV Network and repeats at 8 a.m. April 17. The program is also broadcast at 2:30 p.m. April 18 on EduCable.

Spend a challenging afternoon on the Missouri River in pursuit of buffalo fish and three species of carp. Marlyn Weibelhaus of Wynot prefers to "boat" these fish with a bow and arrow. Such a method can mean a lot of trial and error, but perseverance can reap the archer great rewards.

In the "Wilderness Workshop," Dick Turpin wants to know if you have trouble with breaking glass domes or mantels in your camp lantern. Turpin shares a tip he devised that better cushions the lantern as it gets jostled about on back road drives.

Imagine being invited to attend a star party where instead of being in the company of celebrities - such as Robert Redford, Demi Moore or Harrison Ford - you'll encounter real stars, such as Betelgeuse, Rigel and Sirius. Every summer, several hundred amateur astronomers spend a week of camping at Merritt Reservoir near Valentine to stargaze. Whether you have binoculars or a high dollar telescope, learn how you can take part in this year's event. Nebraska's sparse sandhills country is reputed for its relatively clear weather and lack of city light pollution. Little wonder that the Nebraska Star Party is one of the nation's most popular such events.