Dylan enjoys sweet sound of success
Submitted by David Carpenter

Fifty-three years after his death,
Dylan Thomas never sounded so
good. That’s because the
Eldercollege Theatre Company's
production of Sidney Michaels’
play, Dylan, features an
extraordinary soundscape created
by Capilano College’s David
Rankin.

An instructor with the Interactive
Design program and a volunteer
with Dylan, David jumped at the
chance to indulge his two
passions —jazz and poetry.

The play is set in 1950s New York

where swing music predominated,

but the new stylings of bebop were

changing the face of jazz. It is

from this musical backdrop that os

other sounds m the play emerge. Damon Calderwood as Dylan Thomas
The play’s subject was also an

"aspiration. David’s passion and formal training
(he holds a Fine Arts degree with a
concentration in film and music
from Simon Fraser University)
characterizes the talent of other
volunteers in the production.

“I like to explore subjective
soundscapes rather than literal
reconstructions of environments,”
David said. “The brilliant tormented
poet whose mind was unraveling
provides fertile ground for such
explorations.”

Among these is Dick Mells, Dylan
director and member of
Continuing Education’s
Eldercollege. Dick has been
involved in more than 100
theatre and entertainment
events. Assisting with directorial
duties is Don Williams, another
Eldercollege member and one of
Canada’s luminaries in the
entertainment industry. He was
national president of the
Director's Guild of Canada and
has won numerous awards in the
entertainment field.

In addition to seasoned pros,
Dylan has attracted people with
no theatre experience. Marianne
Ketchen, office manager in the
Continuing Education department,
is the production manager and
also gets to tread the boards as a
reporter. She says she is “in awe
over the incredible talent that
gave their time to Dylan.”

The play runs at Presentation
House Theatre from April 18 to
29. For more information, call
the theatre box office at
604.990.3474.

Janis Connolly

Janis Connolly has joined

_ Capilano College’s Development

Office in the newly established
position of alumni relations
officer. Janis brings with her
years of experience in building
alumni programs at the
University of British Columbia

_and the University of Western

Ontario, and working in
business development for
executive education programs at
UBCs Sauder School of
Business.

As the alumni branches manager

_at UBC, Janis was responsible

for starting and maintaining an

_alumni network worldwide,

initiating the university s frst
alumni branch in Taiwan in the
early 90s.

“The UBC experience was very
meaningful and satisfying,” said
the native Vancouverite. To
start an alumni relations
program from the ground up is
an exciting prospect for me and
an important one for Capilano

College.”

Janis, who lives in Vancouver

with her husband, Jim, and
their cat, Luis, has a BA in

Urban Geography and a B.Ed,

both from UBC. She is currently
working on a Fine Arts
certificate at Emily Carr
Institute of Art and Desian.

In the coming weeks, she hopes

departments and faculties to
( i relations

supports the goals and mission
of Capilano College,” she said.
“Tt will be an important

“mentoring and recruitment tool

that will showcase the
achievements of our graduates -
and help establish a lifelong
relationship with our students
right from the start.”

(Caz Capilano
€ex College