Enjoy the show, and let's do lunch

Despite the bold, bald, and occasionally ribald entertainment of Performing Arts Night, which opens tonight, performing arts leaders do not hide the fact that they don their masks in a recruitment effort to rival that of the Army. In their allotted four minutes, performing groups such as Penny Loafers and Penn Players will try to show how they differ from Penn 6-5000 and Pennchants, and are in no way to be confused with Penn Pipers and Penn Dixie, according to Penn Singers Business Manager Steve Querido, who called the evening a "must" for all arts-minded new students. The two-hour showcase effectively dredges up talent for century-old and verdant arts groups alike, said Bloomers member and College sophomore Leslie Wolf, adding that last year's performance by the women's song and dance troupe pushed her to audition. Other groups said that they rely on the two Performing Arts Night shows being held tonight and tomorrow night at Zellerbach Theatre for the majority of its tryouts. Yet despite the gala's importance in the University arts community, group leaders said this week that they put little time into preparing the acts, usually calling on popular pieces from their repertoire. Although it has been the true curtain call of New Student Week for almost 20 years, the program is not officially linked to orientation. Instead it is organized by the Performing Arts Council, an umbrella student arts organization which relies on the show's approximately $6000 gross to fund activities for the year, such as printing costs for its brochure Penn Performs. Performing Arts Night will take place tonight and tomorrow night at 7:30 p.m. in the Zellerbach Theatre. Tickets are on sale at the Annenberg Center box office. Tickets cost $4 for new students and $6 for returning students.

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