THE KANSAS CITY STAR

STARS COME OUT TO LAWRENCE FOR EVOLUTION DISCUSSION

Saturday, July 1, 2000
Section: FYI
Page: E4

By AARON BARNHART

What began as a curriculum debate in Kansas last summer escalated into a statewide referendum on the teaching of evolution and now a national media event.

KANU-FM (91.5) and KCPT, Channel 19, will broadcast the live performance of a new radio play based on transcripts from the 1925 Scopes trial, followed by a panel discussion sponsored by the liberal People for the American Way Foundation.

Kansas City, Kan., native Ed Asner stars as William Jennings Bryan and James Cromwell ("Babe") plays Clarence Darrow in the one-hour performance, which begins at 7 p.m. July 12 at the Lied Center in Lawrence. The broadcast also will be offered to public radio and TV stations through NPR and PBS.

At 8 p.m. national experts will take the stage to debate the role of evolution and creation in the schools. The stations will carry that, too.

The panel will include Eugenie Scott, president of the National Center for Science Education; Edward Larson, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning history of the Scopes trial, Summer of the Gods; Leonard Krishtalka, director of the natural history museum at the University of Kansas; and Lake Quivira lawyer John Calvert, an organizer of the creation-minded Intelligent Design Network.

It's all part of Scopes Week, a series of events around Kansas marking the 75th anniversary of the famous evolution trial - and undoubtedly calling attention to the upcoming Kansas Board of Education elections. Five of 10 seats on the board are being contested.

The Aug. 1 primary is making July a very busy month for KCPT. On July 21 the two local candidates for the Kansas board will face off on Channel 19. One of them is vice chairwoman Linda Holloway, who became the spokeswoman for the majority that voted last summer to remove aspects of evolutionary theory from state assessment standards.

On July 28 KCPT will sponsor a debate among the three candidates competing for the Republican nomination from Kansas' third congressional district currently occupied by Democrat Dennis Moore.

For the July 21 and 28 debates, KCPT is using KCTV's "Speakers' Corner" booth to solicit viewpoints from students and voters around the area.

Some Kansans may not appreciate People for the American Way for barging in on a local political issue. (TV producer Norman Lear founded the group in 1981 to take on the Moral Majority.) But KCPT's Nick Haines is delighted to have the radio play.

"You've got Hollywood actors and that's a lure to people," Haines said. "We can pull people into the discussion who would not normally tune in."

Other stars include Harold Gould, Shirley Knight and John Rothman as H.L. Mencken. Richard Masur will direct.

Haines said he had negotiated the panel with both sides, pro-evolution and intelligent design, "to make sure this was a genuine dialogue."

To attend the event live, call the Lied Center at (785) 864-2787 or Ticketmaster. Seats cost $20, $15 for students and seniors. KANU's schedule shuffle

KANU-FM (91.5) is moving its locally originated Saturday jazz program from mornings to afternoons to showcase two nationally distributed shows.

Beginning today Michael Feldman's offbeat quiz show, "Whad'Ya Know?" will air at 10 a.m. Saturdays. The live program simulcasts in Kansas City on KCUR-FM (89.3). At noon KANU airs "This American Life," the documentary and fiction program with Ira Glass. (You also can hear it at 11 a.m. Sundays on KCUR.)

KANU program director Darrell Brogdon said that despite the move to 1 p.m. Saturdays, "Jazz Scene" will continue to be a mainstay of the station's schedule. Dick Wright, who was host of the show for 40 years, died in November.

Bruce DuMont's political round table "Beyond the Beltway" marks its 20th anniversary on radio this week. The Chicago-based program is heard 6-8 p.m. Sundays on KCMO-AM (710).

To reach Aaron Barnhart, phone (816) 234-4790 or visit www.tvbarn.com @ART CAPTION:Asner; Cromwell @ART:Photos (2)