Students perform Anon(ymous) at the mantinee performance. Director Carmen Aguirre's experience as a refugee helped inspire the story. DAvio cooper PHOTO A story of exile and hope New Studio 568 play brings tale of a young refugee to life By KRISTEN HOLLIDAY non(ymous), presented by Langara’s Studio 58, is a timely retelling of a classic tale, address- ing themes of refugee displacement and a quest for home, says director Carmen Aguirre. Aguirre, a graduate of Studio 58 in 1994, has returned to Langara to direct the play. She says she was drawn to the adaptation of Homer's The Odyssey in part because she was a refugee herself. Aguirre was six years old when her family fled Chile in December of 1973. Her family made their way to California and they eventually ended up Vancouver where they were accepted as politi- cal refugees. “I thought I could bring the sensibility and the lens of an exile,” Aguirre said. “It is a work that really challenges the accepted narrative that North America is a safe place for refugees.” Aguirre said although the script is over 20 years old, the themes have become increasingly relevant. To highlight this, she sets the open- ing scenes of the play in a present- day refugee detention centre at the border of United States and Mexico. Here, a young boy named Anon begins his journey through the U.S. “Tt is a work that really challenges the accepted narrative that North America is a safe place for refugees.” — CARMEN AGUIRRE, ANON(YMOUS) DIRECTOR in search of his disappeared mother, trying to recover memories of the home they fled from. Ashley Cook, a third- year Studio 58 student, plays the lead role of Anon. She says she hopes audiences will connect with the play’s char- acters and see the humanity in refugees. “The people who are experiencing oppression and war and genocide... they are someone’s daughter, they are someone's dad, and we really get to see that in the characters in this play,” Cook said. “They're not some inhu- man other.” Lucy Hotchkiss, an audience member who attended the Nov. 17 matinee performance, said she was moved by the play’s depiction of refugees who have died or are strug- gling trying to make a better life for themselves. “I cried through the whole thing,” Hotchkiss said, through tears. “Just because we know it’s real, the role that geographic luck plays in your life is so wrong.” Performances of Anon(ymous), which kicked off at Studio 58 on Nov. 14 will run until Dec. 1. Tick- ets are available through Ticketsto- night.ticketforce.com. Shows are being held Tuesday to Saturday as well as Sunday matinee shows. Avid gamers need an endgame Counsellor says students need to reduce video game time By LINA CHUNG aljit Singh, a first -year Langara business manage- ment student, failed a test three times when he was in school in India because he was spent so much time playing avideo game. November and December are two months where lots of video games come out. It is also time for exams for college students. Craig Lee, a clinical psychologist who special- izes in video game addiction said students should reduce gaming time and focus on more important things like exams. “If I have a final coming up and I’m playing games for too long, instead of spending four hours a night playing games, I would cut it to two hours or three.” said Lee. “I would use the rest of the time study- ing for my final.” The fourth time Singh had to write the exam, League of Legends remotely with his siblings and friends for two to three hours. “T just enjoy the social aspect of it,” Kefalas said. For students who are concerned about their gaming, Lee recom- mended tracking he uninstalled “Tm worried that if the amount of the game Play- ; hours they play erUnknown’s I delete this game, each day. Battlegrounds . “If you are commonly what would I do mn playing games known as PUBG my free time?” for four hours or from his phone so he could focus on studying. “T’m worried that if I delete this game, what would I do in my free time?” said Singh who re-installed the game later. Dimos Kefalas, a first-year fine arts student at Langara is not concerned with his video game playing. According to Kefalas, he’s in school for 10 hours a day, and when he gets home he usually plays —DALJIT SINGH, LANGARA STUDENT more per day, for more days than not...you're kind of creeping into that addiction side,” Lee said. Lee also suggested setting goals to gradually reduce the time play- ing, in addition to developing and re-engaging with other hobbies, sports and work. “Reaching out to the counselling department of their school is also a good idea,” Lee said. of Canadians consider themselves "gamers" of Canadian "gamers" have played a video game in the last four weeks is the average amount of time a "gamer" spends playing per week SOURCE: THEESA CA 7 Uniform boycott as strike action Bus drivers wear street clothes as a form of protest against management By GINA ROGERS ovember began with reports of Vancouver bus opera- tors wearing, in one case, a Hawaiian shirt instead of the Trans- Link uniform, as part of an overtime and uniform ban. Bus drivers have not been wearing uniforms as a form of protest since Nov.1 as part of job action. ‘The job action escalated as talks broke down between the Unifor locals and Coast Mountain Bus Company. Judith Zaichkowsky, a marketing professor at SFU who specializes in brand management, said uniforms have bigger effect on the drivers than the passengers. “T think it relaxes the drivers more,” said Zaichkowsky. “It gives the drivers more of an identity, that they are having some action against management, some small revolt in a way. "For the customers’ part, people who ride the transit, people who know what’s going on, I think they’re just darn happy to see the bus, because there’s been a lot of bus “T think it relaxes the drivers more.” — JUDITH ZAICHKOWSKY, SFU PROFESSOR disruptions.” TransLink has two options when drivers cancel because of sickness or other reasons. They can ask existing drivers for overtime, or hire extra board workers. Christy Slusarenko, MoveUP Vice-President of Combined Units said “A uniform ban is one of many methods that can be used to generate public awareness about bargaining concerns with an employer. "It is also a way of demonstrating solidarity." She said their members are encouraged to wear buttons to the same ends. Ahmed El-Geneidy, professor at the McGill University School of Urban Planning, whose research interests include public transport operations, “as long as they have something that identifies them as drivers” the uniform ban won't endanger riders. El-Genedidy has one concern: “Someone jumping in the driver’s seat and taking passengers anywhere without them knowing that they are kidnapped. Until they realize later on," he said. TransLink Spokesperson Ben Murphy said November 18, “The union needs to be more realistic about their wage demands. “The union is still refusing to take part in mediation.” In addition to not wearing uniforms, bus drivers have refused overtime and plenty of bus delays as well as reduced Seabus service.