C A LIFO R NI A S T A T E U NIVE R SIT Y , F U LLE R TON INSIDE 2 n NEWS: Theater students nudge out thousands of others for recognition “Shrek” star John Lithgow 7 n SPORTS: Softball Assistant Coach enjoys playing Kelly Ford will depart for managing posi- the Hollywood tion at Mt. SAC following this season villain —see Detour page 3 VOLUME 72, I SSUE 45 THURsdAY M AY 10, 2001 Cars collide on Chapman n up truck coming from Acacia Avenue, The driver of the Chevy truck was running along the curb. Paramedics INJURY: Some causing a massive road block during taken to the UCI Trauma Center for took out the driver and passenger from complaints say that a the afternoon traffic. The signal on his injuries. His three sons were in the four-door vehicle on a gurney. The Acacia blazed green. the car with him at the time of the sole witness, Anita Tapia of Whittier, quick changing traffic “Accidents happen here at least accident. stood with police as she watched the once a month,” said James Barnum, “The red car was coming and it paramedics assist the victims. signal is causing traf- shaking his head. was our turn [to go],” said Miled Seja “I was behind the truck and he went fic accidents Barnum works at Impact Perez, the son of the victim. “My — then got hit,” she said. “It’s hard Productions, a company inside the brothers and my dad were all inside making a left turn because you can’t office building on the corner of Acacia the car when they hit us.” see the cars coming from the other BY KATHLEEN GUTIERREZ and Chapman Avenues. Perez did not speak English and direction. I always wait before I go,” Daily Titan Staff Writer “The signal turns red then green was not sure exactly what was going she said. almost immediately. This sign right on with the accident because the offi- Tapia said she travels Acacia The traffic signal on Chapman here has been plowed through four cers were speaking English. Avenue to work everyday. It is the first Avenue turned yellow, then red. A times in the past year,” he said, point- “My dad is hurt, that is all I know,” accident she has seen, but has heard burgundy four-door vehicle sped past, ing to the sign in front of his build- he said. KATHLeen GUTIerreZ/Daily Titan colliding with a beige Chevrolet pick- ing. Engine oil poured out of both cars, ACCIDENT/ 6 Fullerton paramedics assist the injured victims after the collision. Professor takes plays off burner nTALENT: After a 30-year hibernation, profes- sor Keith Neilson resumes his examination of human nature through playwrighting BY DEBORAH V. GERMINARO you do in just a casual way,” Neilson Special to the Titan said. Something interesting about Neilson Cal State Fullerton professor of 30 is that, while a lot of people struggle to years, Keith Neilson, is having a series find their niche in the world, he found of plays produced in late April after a himself in the world and there was his break that has lasted more than three niche. decades. After graduating from Princeton in Neilson’s newest plays, collective- 1957 with a bachelor’s degree in his- ly called “Dirty Laundry and Dead tory, he decided he did not want to Virgins,” opened last weekend at the pursue a related career. Empire Theater in Santa Ana and will He got a job at a mental institution run until May 13. in Hartford, Conn. called the Institute “Answering Machine,” “The Death for the Living, earning $27 a week. of the Virgin,” “Spindry!” and “Hades’ Neilson found a way to make the most Bobbin” are absurdities influenced of what may seem to some as tough by playwrights Beckett, Ionesco and situation. Genet. “I purposely requested to work in “Answering Machine” is about a the extremely agitated ward because man’s relationship to his answering it seemed more interesting,” he said. machine. “It was interesting, and more edu- CHAD SENGSTOCK/Daily Titan “The Death of the Virgin” is about cational than education — it is also Rocket from the Crypt performs Wednesday afternoon as part of AS Productions continuing concert series throughout the year. an obsessive painter who is trying to probably why all the characters I write recreate the great masterpieces. are crazy.” “Spindry!” is about sex and laundry, Somewhere between history and Strong turnout for AS concert series which Neilson admitted is the result of psychology Neilson decided he want- a conversation he had with another ed to be an English professor. writer after a writer’s workshop he “I believe Voltaire was right when nEVENT: The band kled with fans, some were students, Lisa Boosin, a Fullerton resident, before but I thought they were good,” took in Los Angeles. he said, ‘History is a series of tricks but most were in the audience spe- danced and sang to every song, said sophomore Emily Smith. She “We just started talking about laun- played on dead people, psychology is Rocket from the cifically to see the band. bouncing around by herself, her tat- stayed for the entire event and said dry, which naturally led to talking a series of tricks played on live peo- “I heard about the concert on their too-sleeved arms grooving to the she attends many of the concerts Crypt plays for both about sex,” Keith said. ple, and English literature is a series Web site — I came all the way from beat. held by AS. Neilson explained “Hades’ Bobbin” of tricks, but nobody’s pretending,’” fans and students in New York,” Daniel Meyer said with “I jog around campus a lot and I “Yeah, we’ve been to every con- by saying, “It’s about a group of people Neilson jokingly said about why he a laugh. “I’m visiting California and just saw those posters all over,” she cert for the last month,” said her who may or may not be conspirators, chose to become an English teacher. Becker Amphitheater I thought I’d stop and see the concert said. “I saw Rocket From the Crypt, friend Rachelle Lopez, a child and and who may or may not be trying to He went back to college in 1960, before heading to the beach.” and said, ‘oh, must take day off, adolescent studies major. “You total- overthrow the government, and whose this time to the University of Chicago, BY KATHLEEN GUTIERREZ The band blazed through a tight must see Rocket From the Crypt.’” ly meet people here.” Daily Titan Staff Writer leader is a man covered in bandages.” to earn his master’s and eventually his set. Front man Speedo Ray asked the As she spoke, she swayed her long Lopez and Smith both said they The road that led him back to play- doctorate. crowd to check his cheeks for sun- red hair behind her in time to the have made many friends at the con- The sun lit a fire; not underneath, wrighting — however long — was Now that he knew what he wanted burn. The crowd members shifted music. cert series and are looking forward never closed. Keith put his passion for to do, he was about to find something but on top of punk band Rocket constantly, bobbing their heads and Students melted off to other areas to the next event. From the Crypt Wednesday at the playwrighting on pause to “get seri- he would love. wiping the sweat. A small crowd of campus, some just venturing out “I love that part of our money ous” and finish his academic career, Keith discovered a little theater Associated Students concert series. gathered directly in front of the farther to find shade. Those willing goes to cool stuff like this,” Smith Hot as it was, the band rocked on. after which time he found himself in called The Last Stage in Chicago stage, and one guy brought his video to brave the heat stayed for the entire said of the concert series. “It’s so California. He then landed a job at while going to the university. He acted Becker Amphitheater and the sur- camera. He stood in front the entire show. hard to meet people because this is a rounding grassy knolls were sprin- CSUF, got married and had four chil- in several plays and became interested time taping the performance. “I’d never heard of their music CONCERT/ 6 dren, which left no time for writing. “Playwrighting is not something PLAYS/ 6 Students enter designs at confer- TitAN nCOMPETITION: The neering skills of the students involved. hold any weight. e x t r a s Lympany said there were several different Monshizadeh said that eight other schools American Society of Civil criteria on which their canoe was judged. had similar problems, and that only 10 of the Students practiced for an endurance, a sprint participating colleges were able to success- online Engineers built a hand-made and a four-man canoe race. Judges also fully finish the bridge. canoe and steel bridge considered the appearance of the hand-made “Miscommunication between the captains n Check out canoe. was the problem that we had this year,” the Daily Titan In addition to the canoe event, CSUF Fathalla said of the mistakes made in the BY TAYLOR GOLDMAN also entered into all six of the other com- event. online this year Daily Titan Staff Writer petitions at the conference, Fathalla said. A Lympany also mentioned that ASCE cre- at http:// steel bridge Construction competition was ated a horseshoe out of cement with wire dailytitan.fullerton.edu.