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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 ! @@ + HST RITCHIE VALENS EVERLY BROTHERS BILL HALEYBILL HALEY CONNIE FRANCIS 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