HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2015-04-23, Page 26PAGE 26. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, APRIL 23, 2015.
Blyth’s Duncan McGregor has
been busy over the past several
weeks preparing for Crow Hill, a
play that will be on stage at The
Livery in Goderich next month.
The show focuses on the
development of telecommunications
in rural communities. While Crow
Hill (the name of the community in
which the play takes place) isn’t a
real place, McGregor said that it
could easily be in Huron County.
The play takes place in the earlier
half of the 20th century when a
doctor, who lost a patient in a
lumbermill accident because he
wasn’t able to respond quickly
enough to news of the incident,
realized the value that a telephone
system could bring to the
community.
The play was originally crafted by
4th Line Theatre and has resulted in
significant consultation according to
McGregor.
“There are four operations in the
play,” he said. “We had Dr. Jim
Hollingworth in to consult on that.
“The telephone system we’re
using in the play is very technical
and we had [former Bluewater
Mayor] Bill Dowson help us with
that,” he explained. “He was a
linesman for Tuckersmith
[Communications] in the 1950s and
1960s.”
A Model T Ford also plays
prominently in the play and, since it
was built as realistically as possible,
with real parts of the antique vehicle,
some outside help was necessary.
McGregor even went so far as to
add crows to the play, brought to life
by young actors, to make sure the
play’s title wasn’t a misnomer.
Adding them, however, required
some expertise outside his own.
“I brought in Mona Estrati-
Mulhern,” he said. “She is an artist
and has a spiritual fascination with
crows. She brought in a pile of
research, which was great because it
allows the crows to be something
actual instead of just a fantasy
creation.”
While the play revolves around
communication and medicine,
McGregor said that the real story is
about a doctor’s commitment to his
patients.
“There are events we find out
about and we see how much the
main character wants to help
people,” he said. “The Second World
War happens and young men go and
come back and you see how the war
affected them.”
The story is told through the
viewpoint of a switchboard operator
which provides a unique story-
telling device according to
McGregor.
“She talks to the audience, so she
plays that part, but she is also a part
of the story,” he said.
Party lines will also make an
appearance, according to McGregor.
He said that whenever he tells people
about the play, anyone who dealt
with that style of phone system said
that it absolutely has to be
included.
McGregor said that the play is
simultaneously the most exciting
and curious one he has ever done,
but that it fits in a place like Huron
County where there are so many
small communication companies
Stuff the Bus drive to end soon
Continued from page 23
St. Anne’s to take part in a group
band activity, where music students
from each school gathered in the
gymnasium to play songs together.
This is a great event because it
allowed students to share their
musical knowledge with one
another, as well as maintain a strong
relationship with St. Mike’s, St.
Anne’s sister school.
Friday, April 17 was Green Day.
On this day students were
encouraged to come to school clad
in green clothes and pay $2 to
support Habitat for Humanity.
In sports, the senior boys’ and
girls’ soccer teams travelled to
London to play in an indoor soccer
tournament hosted by the Goderich
District Collegiate Institute. Both the
senior boys’ and girls’ teams took
home a banner for St. Anne’s, both
winning their final game.
There is a PD day on Friday, April
24, making for a long weekend for
St. Anne’s students. Closely
following this weekend will be the
start of May, marking the end of the
Stuff the Bus campaign, where St.
Anne’s collected various non-
perishable foods and other items
such as toiletries for a local charity
in Huron County.
McGregor works on ‘Crow Hill’ at former school
‘Crow Hill’
Blyth’s Duncan McGregor, right, is staging ‘Crow Hill’ at The Livery in Goderich next month.
The play has been a new experience for McGregor who said he had to pull in the expertise of
four different consultants to help with the play including former Bluewater Mayor Bill Dowson,
left, who plied his experience as a linesman for Tuckersmith Communication to help hook up
authentic old fashioned telephone equipment for the play. (Denny Scott photo)
SUNDAY MAY 10th @ 3PM - TICKETS $30 + HST
BLYTH MEMORIAL HALL
423 Queen Street519-523-9300www.BlythFestival.com
ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK !
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BILL HALEYBILL HALEY
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JERRY LEE LEWIS
CALLING ALL 1950’s ROCK’N’ROLL FANS!CALLING ALL 1950’s ROCK’N’ROLL FANS!
Adam MacDonald
& Erin Moore’s
Buck & Doe
Saturday, April 25
9 pm - 1 am
North Huron Wescast Community Complex
Arena Floor
99 Kerr Drive, Wingham
DJ, Games, Prizes & Late Lunch Provided!
$10. ~ Tickets available at the door
ABC Ladies’
Spring Breakfast
presents
Daughters of the King
Saturday, May 2
Registration 8:30 am
Free will donations
Heartland Community Church
52 Victoria St., Clinton
Speaker:
Marilyn Hiller
Wife and mother who sings
and performs with her
husband and 10 children,
who will be speaking on
“Caring for the
King’s Riches”
Ticket Outlets:
Percy’s — Clinton
Radiant Life — Goderich
The Purple Poodle — Blyth
Expect a Welcome And A Blessing!
Happy 50th
Anniversary
Love from your family
Mom and Dad
Janet & Dave
McCutcheon
April 24
Happy 40th
Wedding Anniversary
Mom & Dad
Bev and Brian Walden
Saturday, April 25, 2015
Love from your family
Entertainment StopsStopsStopsStopsStops
a l o n g the wayalongtheway
A VISITORS’ GUIDE TO HURON COUNTY
stopsalonglakehuron.com
Look for
entertainment ideas
on our
Stops Along the Way
website at...
430 Queen Street, Blyth, Ontario
226-523-9720
Specialty Coffees &
Espresso Bar
LIVE ENTERTAINMENT
May 2 ~ David Mintz
12:00 - 2:00 pm
By Denny Scott
The Citizen
Continued on page 28