UpDate - Vol. 15, No. 7, Page 3
October 12, 1995
Visiting entertainers provide challenges, memories

     It was during that unforgettable winter two years ago, with all
the snow and ice. Gregory Hines, the well-known tap dancer, was booked
for a performance in Mitchell Hall. Snow was predicted, and power
outages were happening all over the area. I was concerned about all
the 'what ifs': What if the snow came and the show had to be canceled?
What if the power went off and the audience was suddenly left in the
pitch dark? Not to mention the special stage for Hines that was lit
from below and amplified the sound of his tap dance routines.
     "I did what I could and sent my student staff out for portable
heaters and lanterns and discussed the weather and power conditions
with Gregory Hines. "Don't worry," he said, "No matter what, I'll just
keep on dancing." Well, of course, I did worry. By show time, no
disaster had happened. But, I was amazed to see Hines make his first
appearance on stage wearing a ski cap and carrying a lantern,
explaining, "Well, they told me it was going to snow, and the
electricity might go off." The audience went wild; they loved it, and
I relaxed. Luck was with us the rest of the evening. The snow even
held off until we finished the clean-up at 2 a.m."

                                 * * *

     Backstage or in the office, Julie Demgen has to be resourceful,
flexible and keep her cool. As associate director of the Perkins
Student Center, she has a job she describes as a "giant jigsaw
puzzle," where the challenge is getting all the pieces into the right
spaces.
     This past year, Demgen was involved with 146 individual campus
events, with 36,090 in attendance. The programs, targeted primarily at
students during the academic year, are partially funded by the
comprehensive student fee.
     The office, staffed by Demgen, staff assistant Nancy Benderoth
and recent graduate Saundra Jenkins, works to provide a good mix of
activities, including rock performances, such as the Jesus and the
Mary Chain concert, bus trips, films, the Oxford debate, Delaware Day
and spirit events-such as pep rallies-and buses to athletic
competitions. Summer programs include lunchtime music on the student
center patio and a Faculty/Author Spotlight Series.
     The Student Center Programs Advisory Board assists Demgen in
planning each year's events, and staff also works with the Events
Committee, which acts as a clearinghouse to coordinate what is
happening across campus.
     A core group of the student advisers helps make the arrangements,
organize and publicize events. The members also help to set up for the
visiting artists, doing everything from unloading equipment to
securing the stage, setting up for meals, doing laundry and cleaning
up after a performance. For this kind of hands-on work the day of a
performance, students receive a basic stipend.
     It's a win/win situation, Demgen said. The student help is
essential, and, at the same time, students who are interested in the
music and entertainment field get good experience. For example, one
student had an internship with a concert tour booking agency last
summer. Thomas Lyons and his crew of UD movers also are key team
players, Demgen said.
     Some programs, such as the monthly bus trips to New York and the
weekly film series are routine, Demgen said, but dealing with the
performers and crew at a rock concert is more complex.
     "Each contract contains about 25 pages about what we are required
to provide in great detail-from special menus, to literally hundreds
of towels, to special equipment on the stage. One act arrived with its
own washer and dryer that we had to connect at the Carpenter Sports
Building. We ended up connecting the washer with a hose to the water
supply of the swimming pool," Demgen recalled with a smile.
     "My all-time nightmare was when a group's agent sent us the wrong
contract so we got all the wrong information. We discovered the
mistake when the manager asked us if we had provided the Indian food
for lunch. We said, 'What Indian food?' A student got on the telephone
and managed to get Indian food for dinner, if not for lunch. We had to
go over the contract item by item and spend the day scurrying around
redoing everything. The agent heard about it from everyone concerned!"
she said.
     Working with the artists who come on campus is fascinating and
fun, although problems can arise, according to Demgen. "Some of the
most pleasant people onstage are not as easy going offstage and vice
versa. But you have to remember they are in a business and regard it
as such," she said.
     "George Carlin, the comedian, who is known for his raunchy
routines and rather aggressive manner, is gentle and calm offstage.
The Cashes were a delight to work with, as relaxed and pleasant
offstage as onstage. Then, there was the show featuring two brothers
who sang together but didn't speak to each other. Everything had to be
planned so they were never near each other, even onstage together,
which made the arrangements quite complex," Demgen said.
     The event she enjoys the most is the annual Oxford debate. "The
British style of debate is quite different from the American style. It
is far more theatrical with more intensity and gestures, so that last
year we had a visiting Shakespearean actor coach the Delaware team.
It's an occasion for Delaware students to meet their counterparts from
Oxford, who someday may be Great Britain's leaders," Demgen said.
     The Oxford team has its share of interesting people. "Once, a
German baron was a team member, and one team member was roughing it
because he was traveling for the first time without his valet," she
said.
     Looking ahead to the coming academic year, the Oxford debate is
planned, as is a concert by the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra. Actors
from the London Stage from the ACTER organization will be in residence
during November and will perform Romeo and Juliet.
     Each Winter Session, the programs office coordinates events
around credit courses in the English department. Last year, the theme
was the "American West," and this year will be "100 Years of Film."
                                                   -Sue Swyers Moncure