WEB PAGE TOOLS ~ Print this article ~ E-mail your opinion on this article OTHER NEWS STORIES ~ Golden idol and all, Moore appearance was religious experience ~ In Progress: Student panel encourages discussion ~ Multicultural Week Events Guide ~ News Briefs 'Cabaret' poster design comes under scrutiny Scott McCulloch A&E Editor The poster for SCC's upcoming musical, "Cabaret," which incorporated a swastika in its design, has drawn criticism, resulting in a decision by the office of President Holly Moore to discontinue off-campus distribution of the posters. According to Public Information Office (PIO) Director Judy Yu, a promotional flyer which used the same image, and was due to be sent out at the end of last week (April 18) will be redesigned in the form of a postcard, without the swastika. The posters will continue to be displayed on campus. The poster's design was brought to the attention of the administration by Dean of Humanities Norma Goldstein, who objected to the use of the swastika, said Yu.   SCC Administration decided this poster was potentially offensive, asking that it be changed before being distributed off-campus. A redesign is underway. Goldstein was on vacation this week and unavailable for comment. "Cabaret" is about an English cabaret singer, Sally Bowles, who works in Berlin in the early 1930s, as the Nazis are coming to power. The poster, designed by Shoreline VCT student Liz Martini and printed on campus, has a bright-red background, and features a woman who looks like a cabaret performer, sitting slouched atop a black swastika. The top half of the swastika is obscured by a square block of white background. "While we all wanted to be careful with the use of the swastika, we thought it was definitely appropriate," said Martini, referring to the people she consulted about her design. "I understood all along that someone might have a strong reaction, because that is an awfuly strong symbol." Yu said President Moore and she discussed the implications of having this publication go off-campus. "There was concern that the graphic would offend some people. Plus, I think President Moore was concerned that the piece did not go through proper authorization and approval channels," said Yu. Technically, anything printed on campus with school funds needs to have PIO approval before being distributed off-campus. In practice, probably not every publication gets that approval before distribution. Over at the Campus Theatre, "Cabaret" cast member Russ Coffey said he was worried that the time necessary to redesign and reprint the posters would adversely affect the turnout for the musical. The first performance of will be on May 16. When asked what she thought of the posterŐs design, Music Director Susan Dolacky said, "I thought it was very creative. It's depicting history. If it didn't have the word 'Cabaret' on it, I would wonder, but it is content that is showing what 'Cabaret' is all about. 'Cabaret' isn't a pretty story." She also pointed out that the cabaret singer on the poster did not print as dark as she should have, and that this error upset the balance between the woman and the swastika. "Something happened in the one I signed off on," said Dolacky. "The girl's body was very formed. You could see everything. You could see the costume. You could see the arms and legs... "Somehow in the layout, something went wrong. When I came to pick it up, I said, 'This isn't what I approved.' But it's still stunning enough that I wasn't going to have it re-done. I never thought we would have problems with it." Still, Dolacky said that she saw the discussion on campus regarding sensitivity and freedom of speech as something positive which had come from this controversy. "I think the most important thing is that it has brought about a wonderful dialogue on campus," she said. "It is occurring in the multi-cultural classes, it's occurring all over." © 2003 Shoreline Community College™