The Citizen, 2016-04-14, Page 19THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2016. PAGE 19.
Entertainment & Leisure
McGregor's `Let's Do Munsch' to bring 5,400 to Blyth
Bringing Munsch to life
Duncan McGregor, shown here with some of the less lively
characters from his upcoming play Let's Do Munsch, has
brought together a bevy of local talent to bring five of author
Robert Munsch's plays to life. Artists, both on stage and
behind the scenes, have been working hard to prepare the
show which will bring at least 5,400 students, teachers and
parents to Blyth Memorial Hall. (Denny Scott photo)
Duncan McGregor will be
directing a troupe of actors including
several locals and artists with Let's
Do Munsch in the coming weeks.
The play, which opens at Blyth
Memorial Hall on Monday, April 18,
will set a record for McGregor as it
will be the first time since he began
producing plays with an intended
audience of children five years ago,
each iteration of the show will be
held in Blyth, bringing at least 5,400
people to the village over a two week
period.
The play will bring to life five of
children's author Robert Munsch's
unforgettable stories: Murmel,
Murmel, Murmel the tale of a
mysterious hole leading to a surprise
adoption; 50 Below Zero, a tale
about braving the cold; Mud Puddle,
the story about an anthropomorphic
mud puddle that makes children
dirty; Millicent and the Wind, a tale
about a little girl and her relationship
with the wind and Mortimer, an
ultimately relatable tale for children
who don't like to go to bed.
McGregor, who both directs and
adapted the plays, said he is excited
for the show which runs twice a day
April 18-21 and April 25-27, then
runs a show each on April 28 and 29.
Because they only had one venue,
more of a focus was able to be put on
the set.
Normally, McGregor's shows are
also performed in both Blyth and
Stratford at Stratford Central
Secondary School, meaning set and
props have to be somewhat
transportable.
"The school's drama club needed
their performance space, so we're
doing all the shows in Blyth," he
said. "It makes it easier, not having
to travel and, while the shows
are never small, it let us dream a
little bigger with our sets by not
touring."
McGregor is joined by local actors
Steve Cook of Blyth and Suzanne
County supports auctioneer event
Huron County Council has
decided to support the Canadian
Livestock National Auctioneering
Championships, which will be held
in Brussels on May 12-14.
Kevin McArter, a Brussels native
now living in South Huron, spoke to
council at its March 9 meeting
regarding the importance of the
event and asking for the county's
support.
McArter, who was the event's
reserve champion last year, said that
over 1,000 people are expected to
Brussels for the event and that it
would be a huge boon to Huron
County, not just Brussels.
At council's April 6 meeting, a
proposed grant of $5,000 for the
event was up for discussion after
Treasurer Michael Blumhagen
provided council with a report on the
•pima 4
ire**4'ifP
• inemake
C3hop
Make Your Own
Beer, Wine, Coolers
and Fruit Wine
Grew here
or at hemet)
84 Kingston St.,
GODERICH
524-2323
request.
Blumhagen told councillors that
funds were available for the grant if
council so wished, adding that the
county's annual provision account
for the unforeseen currently sits at
$100,000.
Huron East's Joe Steffler spoke in
favour of the event. He said that
Brussels Livestock has been
operating in the community
since the late 1950s and has become
a cherished business in
Huron County for over half a
century.
Goderich Mayor Kevin Morrison
also spoke in favour of the grant
request. He told his own life story
about an early career in the world of
auctioneering and encouraged
everyone to attend and witness live
the art of auctioneering.
Council approved the request.
For more information on the
event, visit the organization's
website at lmacmarkets.ca.
OItI jjmt
€ountr Breakfast
Sunday, April 17
8 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
at Londesborough Hall
• Eggs • Bacon • Sausage
• Pancakes and Homefries
Adults $8.00
Children Under 12 $3.00
Sponsored by Londesboro Lions Club
Proceeds for community betterment
MacVicar of Auburn who is also in
charge of the music for the play.
"Steve is playing the wind in
Millicent as well as the father in 50
Below," McGregor explained. "He's
great. He's so into what he's
doing and he has been in all the
shows."
MacVicar joined McGregor for
last year's performance and played
the titular character in Charlotte 's
Web.
"She will be performing, playing
the synthesizer and singing,"
McGregor said. "She's a beautiful
singer."
Behind the scenes, local talent
includes Jane Smith of Blyth who is
the assistant stage manager and in
charge of lighting and has been
working with McGregor for the last
three years.
Also working hard from the
technical side of the performance is
Blyth artist Scott Ramsay who, aside
from being McGregor's neighbour,
"paints rust like nobody's business"
according to McGregor.
"Scott painted the whole thing and
he's really good at it," he said. "I
knew he was a fine artist, but after
seeing him work for three weeks on
and off to get it ready, I can say he's
a great artist and he really does a
great job with rust."
While McGregor could easily be
talking about any of the paintings of
farm machinery that Ramsay has
recently been unveiling at local art
shows and contests, he was actually
talking about a painting of a station
wagon that plays an important role
in the show.
The show is a fundraiser for both
the Blyth Festival and the
Foundation for Education Perth
Huron. Shows will run at 10:30 a.m.
and 1:30 p.m. and McGregor
explained that, while most of the
audience is made up of students
from schools travelling to Blyth,
there are 90 seats set aside for each
performance for people wishing to
enjoy the show.
For more information, contact
the Blyth Festival box office
at 519-523-9300.
Maple Products
Maple,
Moose
398 Queen St.,
Blyth
519-523-4276
111M Sir •
[Buck & Dae
IR Ted
Ai it 4.,
Jle tutu
.('awt ac Snell
SATURDAY, APRIL 23/16 1.4
BMG Community Centre
Brussels - 9 pm - 1 am ill
I Tickets available at door $10. "
Christopher 519-357-8389
or Tyler 519-357-8821
Imo` T
30 The Square / -
�l�r
GODERICH 519 524 7811
FOR MOVIE INFORMATION...
www.movielinks.ca long distance?1-800-265-3438
AIL
PAQUETTE PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS
A TRIBUTE TO:
The(K)
L,.. .
pAt$!1,,�C1
ST
li 111'NG
I8tRL '', BER
With THE SWEET DREAMS SAND
Il
TICKETS
35.00 (all indusia)
BLYTH
FRIDAY. MAY 13
Blyth Memorial Hall
519-523-9300 or
blythfestival.com
SHOWTIME
8:00 pm
VISIT PAQUETTEPRODUCTIONS_COM FOR MORE INFO