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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories SOU students march through Ashland in Ferguson protest AHS students form ribbon for AIDS awareness #HandsUpWalkOut With a little help from my friends Help sought finding missing juvenile Education AHS students form ribbon for AIDS awareness Kiwanis, Lions team up to help Nature Center Teacher's Tips: College not the end-all for every student SOU Honors College team takes on Food Bank project Kiwanis club invites fifth-graders to write flag essay Environment Don't like weather where you are? Move a mile or two Salmon: A force of nature can be restored Students nurturing nature SOU eyes burning biomass instead of gas Navickas ordered to pay court filing fees Business Ride & Drive: The 2015 Toyota Camry Greg Zyla: Gift suggestions for car and motorsport enthusiasts Silvio Calabi: The 2015 Jetta returns to its VW roots City says market vendors subject to food tax Southern Oregon reports growth in lodging industry Politics and elections Miller write-in campaign lands Ashland Parks and Rec seat Granlund cartoon: GOP wrecking balls Oregon voters narrowly reject GMO labeling measure Kitzhaber wins fourth term Merkley wins re-election by wide margin State News GMO label measure, losing by 809 votes, headed for recount Resent ballots, late results likely to trigger GMO recount Nation - World Grand jury won't indict Ferguson cop in shooting Obituaries Earle Morgan Swift Jr. Death Notices Fred L. Higginbotham Death Notices Stephen A. Read Sports Latest Stories Raiders look to climb out of deep NAIA pool Keeping Fit: Runners need to do more than run to stay in shape Dodge repeats as Frontier Conference OPOY as 15 Raiders make all-league No. 8 SOU, No. 1 Carroll ready for QF showdown Ducks' season has Lone Star roots High school Six Grizzlies voted MWL first-teamers Grizzlies roughed up at Silverton Upset-minded Grizzlies brace for undefeated Foxes Georgia Williams commits to Columbia Gabe Lehrburger, Grizzlies clean house in MWL all-star voting Southern Oregon University Raiders look to climb out of deep NAIA pool Dodge repeats as Frontier Conference OPOY as 15 Raiders make all-league No. 8 SOU, No. 1 Carroll ready for QF showdown Ducks' season has Lone Star roots SOU invites fans to fly with football team Opinion Latest Stories Granlund cartoon: Charitable donations down Obama should stand up to Imperial Congress Herb Rothschild Jr.: Congress won't stand up Granlund cartoon: Holiday boxes Kent Bush: Ferguson case shows racism belief system still reinforced Editorial Our View: Gray, Black and Cyber Our View: Pool is not a priority Our view: Keep it simple in OSF courtyard Our view: Expanding the season Our View: Letters Letters to the Editor, Nov. 28 Letters to the Editor, Nov. 26 Letters to the Editor, Nov. 24 Letters to the Editor, Nov. 15 Letters to the Editor, Nov. 11 Guest opinions Herb Rothschild Jr.: Congress won't stand up Herb Rothschild Jr.: Greed, love and the Shmoo Guest Opinion: Save the SOU swimming pool Chris Honoré: Was the midterm election a mandate? Herb Rothschild: TPP agreement draws opposition from all sides Revels Latest Stories Community blog: Poetry for birders, birds for poets Festival of Light brings cheer to downtown Ashland Listings for Varsity Theatre and Ashland Street Cinemas Best Bets: Nov. 28-Dec. 3 Siskiyou Woodcraft Guild showcases handmade furniture, toys, vases, bowls and more Theater New design for Bricks takes shape Hard to keep a straight face with 'Red Noses' 'Red Noses' is a romp through slapstick and pathos 'The Drunken City': Bachelorettes meet bar-crawlers Music Peter Chianca: Top 40 songs even a dad could love The Farr Side: Different artists, common songs Longtime area musician Steve Read, 64, dies The Farr Side: CMA telecast was a disappointment Bass Clarinet Takeover Visual Art Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhibits by regional artists Movies Interview: Benedict Cumberbatch on playing ‘The Imitation Game’ Interview: Reese Witherspoon experiences life in 'The Wild' Listings for Varsity Theatre and Ashland Street Cinemas 'Citizenfour' is a matter-of-fact bore Movie review: ‘Foxcatcher’ will leave you shaken and spellbound Food and Drink Blue bows out of Granite Street site, Agave moving in Chef count up at feast for the senses Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories AHS students form ribbon for AIDS awareness With a little help from my friends Squeezing psyches in the aisles at Shop’n Kart Ride & Drive: The 2015 Toyota Camry Keeping Fit: Runners need to do more than run to stay in shape Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs NEWS NOW SOU students march through Ashland in Ferguson protest ... With a little help from my friends ... Squeezing psyches in the aisles at Shop’n Kart ... SOU students march through Ashland in Ferguson protest ... With a little help from my friends ... Squeezing psyches in the aisles at Shop’n Kart ... SOUTHERN OREGON UNIVERSITY Hard to keep a straight face with 'Red Noses' Setting may be medieval, but dangers of speaking truth to power haven't changed By Roberta Kent For the Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By Roberta Kent For the Daily Tidings Posted Nov. 14, 2014 @ 7:01 pm By Roberta Kent For the Daily Tidings Posted Nov. 14, 2014 @ 7:01 pm --> IF YOU GO WHAT: “Red Noses,” at Southern Oregon University's Center Stage Theatre, on South Mountain Street in Ashland WHEN: Performances are at 8 p.m... » Read more X IF YOU GO WHAT: “Red Noses,” at Southern Oregon University's Center Stage Theatre, on South Mountain Street in Ashland WHEN: Performances are at 8 p.m. Thursday-Sunday, through Nov. 23, with matinees at 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday TICKETS: Cost is $21 for regular admission, $18 for seniors and $6 for students. Tickets are available at the Performing Arts Box Office in the SOU Music Recital Hall lobby, noon to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and two hours prior to each performance, by calling 541-552-6348 and online at sou.edu/performing arts. » Social News Really good satire always walks a fine line. Humor can be a balm or a goad. If laughter can defuse an explosive situation, it may also ignite it.   That is the not-so-subtle point of Peter Barnes’ “Red Noses,” now playing at Southern Oregon University’s Oregon Center for the Arts in its Center Stage Theatre.  “Red Noses” is a raucous, irreverent romp with an edge, taking aim at every form of hypocrisy. Playwright Barnes is an equal opportunity offender — he may speak truth to power but he also skewers optimistic innocence.  The play is set in France in 1348. The Black Plague is everywhere. There is no cure. People sicken and die at random. The institutional Church provides no explanation. A humble friar, Father Flote, seeks God’s guidance. How can he offer some solace to the victims of this devastation? He finds his answer in providing outrageous laughter. He gathers a mismatched band of performers — a lustful nun, a blind juggler, a stuttering comic, a mercenary who longs to be an artist, two one-legged dancers and a bored aristocrat. They roam through towns and villages offering everything from hilariously bad vaudeville routines to pointedly irreligious allegory plays.  But when the Plague has run its course, the Church hierarchy no longer encourages Flote and his troupe as a useful distraction. Flote may believe that “every jest should be a small revolution,” but he ruefully learns that mockery is only tolerated when it is not a threat. Speaking truth to power has fatal consequences.  “Red Noses” is a very physical play. Playwright Barnes uses elements from commedia dell’arte, vaudeville, slapstick and pure acrobatics to punctuate his stylized and, at times, outrageously bawdy dialogue. SOU Assistant Professor James Donlon, who teaches Performance with an Emphasis on Movement, directs. Donlon is an internationally known body movement and mime artist. He has skillfully choreographed his 27-member student cast to convey chaos, horror and joyful anarchy. If at times, there is more movement than acting and the dialogue is hard to hear, the pure physicality is broad enough to convey the thought.   The set, designed by Sean O’Skea — an Assistant Professor of Scenic Design in the Theatre Arts Department — is part down-at-the-heels circus tent, part grubby town square and part shabby vaudeville proscenium. The on-stage scaffolding serves as a pedestal, a gallows or a pyre. The costumes by student designer Paige Snodgrass are a bit medieval, a bit vaudeville, a bit punk and totally outrageous — the dominatrix leather outfit for the male leader of the band of flagellants is particularly inspired.  The SOU theater season is designed to showcase the acting and technical skills of Theatre Arts Department’s students. This production of “Red Noses” makes it clear that these students are prepared for any professional challenge.  “Red Noses” plays through Nov. 23 at SOU’s Center Stage Theatre. Performances begins at 8 p.m. Thursday through Sunday, with matinees at 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets ($21 regular admission, $18 for seniors and $6 for students) are available at the Performing Arts Box Office in the SOU Music Recital Hall lobby from noon to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and two hours prior to each performance, by calling 541-552-6348 or online at sou.edu/performing arts. Roberta Kent is a freelance writer living in Ashland. Reach her at [email protected].       By Roberta Kent For the Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By Roberta Kent For the Daily Tidings Posted Nov. 14, 2014 @ 7:01 pm » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2014 Local Media Group, Inc. 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