HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2018-08-02, Page 20PAGE 20. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2018.
'Wing Night' to feature Shindig sold on stage
By Denny Scott
The Citizen
Visitors to the Blyth Festival
production of Wing Night at the Boot
will get nearly the full experience of
visiting the iconic Blyth Inn
restaurant with the addition of
draught beer to the on-stage
production.
The beer, which will be available
for cash on stage at every production
of the show, is just a natural fit
according to Blyth Festival Artistic
Director Gil Garratt.
Comin' in hot
The Walton Brewers claimed the B -A Championship in the Brussels Tigers annual Men's
Invitational Tournament with a 4-1 win over the Goderich Grizzlies. The squad earned their
berth in the championship with an impressive 8-1 win over the Monkton Muskrats, shown
above. (Quinn Talbot photo)
Blyth -centric `Boot' opens Aug. 8
Decades worth of colourful stories
and memories that have emerged
from the Blyth Inn commercial
tavern will be captured in the Blyth
Festival's Wing Night at the Boot, a
play written by The Company,
which opens Aug. 8.
"It's been a real community effort.
The writers have teased stories out of
a long list of people who have
worked at or frequented the Blyth Inn
over its impressive 141 -year history.
They've heard stories about the inn —
affectionately known as "The
Boot" — that are outrageous, funny,
poignant, and sometimes stranger
than fiction. The stories are told from
all different perspectives — owners
and proprietors, waitresses and line
cooks, bartenders, musicians and
patrons, couples falling in love, rival
ball teams out to settle the score, old
timers reminiscing, local practical
jokers out to pull a fast one, you
Tops in Canada
Not only was Team Cowbell awarded as being the biggest
team in this year's MS Bike tour from Grand Bend to
London and back over the weekend, but with nearly
$145,000 raised, the team has the highest team fundraising
total in all of Canada. The team included riders from all over
the province and some special guests from Tennessee this
year, with Blyth residents Jeff Peters, left, and Shawn
Loughlin representing Cowbell's home community. (Photo
submitted)
name it," said Blyth Festival Artistic
Director Gil Garratt, who is also a co -
creator of the play.
From the days when the rubber
boots at the bar were still "fresh"
from the barn, to dollar draft night,
to snowmobilers, to fiddlers, to
karaoke contests, Wing Night at the
Boot celebrates and lampoons the
Blyth Inn.
While the play is set in Blyth, the
audience will never have had to set
foot in the village or the Blyth Inn to
see the humour.
"No matter where you're from,
there's probably been a place like
the Blyth Inn, or 'The Boot,' in your
life," said Severn Thompson, the
play's director and co -creator.
The Festival has a special treat for
its audiences, giving patrons the
opportunity to walk right on stage
and buy a beer, served by the actors
and Festival special guests, before
the performances and during the
intervals. Age of majority required.
"We want folks as welcome on the
stage as they are in the bar. This is
the Rubber Boot. You're right in
there. For the run of this show, we're
all regulars on the well-worn
barstools," Garratt said.
Wing Night at the Boot is created
and performed by Georgina Beaty,
Graham Cuthbertson, Marion Day,
Gil Garratt, Nathan Howe, Tony
Munch and Daniel Roberts, along
with director Severn Thompson.
The creative team for Wing Night
at the Boot is: Anita Nitoly, fight
director; Jenna McCutchen, set
designer; Jennifer Triemstra-
Johnston, costume designer; Itai
Erdal, lighting designer and Heidi
Chan, sound designer. Stage
management by Christine Oakey
and Daniel Ou1ton.
Reserve your seats by calling the
box office at 519-523-9300, toll free
1-877-862-5984 or online at
blythfestival.com
"It was an inspiration that came to
me," he said. "If people are going to
experience The Boot, they should be
able to do so with a beer in their
hand.
"It's not like we live in a dry
county anymore," Garratt added, a
nod to Blyth's Prohibition -era
history which will be explored
through the stories in and around the
on-stage version of the Blyth Inn.
Garratt expects the beer on tap will
be Blyth Cowbell Brewing
Company's Shindig, a Huron
County -inspired pilsner.
Earlier this year, the beer was
chosen to be served in the Ontario
Legislative dining room after being
voted best lager by MPPs, cabinet
ministers and legislative staff.
The pilsner is made with
traditional Bohemian floor -malted
pilsner malt from Germany along
with German hops.
Garratt said that working with
Cowbell to have the beer on stage
has been great, crediting company
founder and CEO Steven Sparling,
Chief Development Officer Grant
Sparling and Vice -President,
Operations, Natasha Fritzley with
displaying significant support for the
project and helping with equipment.
Though it might be a Blyth
Festival first, this isn't the first time
a theatre organization has offered
such an experience, with Garratt
pointing to the Broadway show
Once.
The play, akin to how Wing Night
at the Boot focuses on the well-
known Blyth watering hole, focuses
on a bar in Dublin, Ireland and
allowed theatre -goers to drink in the
bar.
While all the logistics have yet to
be nailed down, Garratt says that
audience members will be able to
walk on to the stage, cash in hand,
place an order with a member of the
cast or crew (including Garratt and
Blyth Festival General Manager
Rachael King) and receive some
Shindig.
Wing Night at the Boot premieres
Aug. 8.
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