U. spotlight shines on 'Arcadia' author

The final act of the 1995-96 Penn Reading Project will begin today with the arrival of author Tom Stoppard, who wrote Arcadia, the focus of this year's program. At the beginning of the school year, 5,000 copies of Arcadia were distributed to incoming freshmen, faculty and parents. For the first part of the project, freshmen discussed Stoppard's play in small groups across campus. For the third and final act, Stoppard will be the keynote speaker at the Steinberg Symposium February 6-8, according to promotional information. While on campus, he will participate in lectures, panel discussions and classes with the University community. The idea of the project is what attracted Stoppard to the University, according to Resident Faculty and Steinberg Symposium Chairperson Robert Lucid, who is also an English professor. "Stoppard is coming because we have kept the text alive through education," he said. "He wants to hear what the students thought about his play." Lucid added that Stoppard's visit is very unusual. "Stoppard doesn't just jump on an airplane when someone asks him to," Lucid said. "Last year he turned down the opportunity to speak at Harvard's commencement and to receive a honorary degree from them." Both students and faculty are genuinely excited for the visit to begin. "I'm really excited that Tom Stoppard is coming to Hill," said College freshman DebraLee Santos. "I will have the opportunity to hear one of the greatest living playwrights speak in person." Provost Stanley Chodorow said he agreed. "I am looking forward to participating in Stoppard's events," he said. "I have been enjoying his work since I was 18." The first sessions of Stoppard's hectic visit will begin tomorrow. While on campus, Stoppard will present three major public events, attend related classes, take part in discussion groups and enjoy a dinner with University President Judith Rodin, among many other appearances. Stoppard's first event is tomorrow at 4 p.m. at the University Museum's Harrison Auditorium, where he will give a lecture about the art of staging a play. Discussion topics will include the writer's manipulation of the performance and the contribution of the director to the play. Wednesday, Stoppard and English Department Chairperson Wendy Steiner will discuss "the landscape of late Modernism" and how the experience of modern society relates to its art. The conference will take place at the Annenberg School Auditorium at 4 p.m. Stoppard's final public appearance of the visit will be on Thursday, when he and members of Philadelphia's academic and professional theater communities join in a open forum to discuss "the challenge of bringing intellectually rigorous ideas to the stage in an era more atuned to commercialism," according to the description of the event. The event is scheduled to be held at the University Museum's Harrison Auditorium and will be moderated by Cary Mazer, Theatre Arts program chairperson. During Stoppard's three-day visit, special events will be held for specific English majors, theatre arts majors, Hill House and English House residents. In preparation for Stoppard's visit, the University has begun several projects. ResNet has been presenting a "Tom Stoppard Film Festival" during the past week. The films all contain screenplays written by Stoppard. Tonight's film, Billy Bathgate, will begin at 8 p.m. And University students can also attend Stoppard's The Real Thing, which is playing in downtown Philadelphia at the Arden Theater. In addition, the Office of Academic Programs in Residence has begun circulating questionnaires to attain a comprehensive evaluation of this year's Penn Reading Project. The survey should play a crucial role in deciding whether a symposium will be held in future. The second division of the Penn Reading project took place in November when two actors from the Lincoln Center production of Arcadia performed excerpts from the play in the Zellerbach Theatre for the Penn community.