The Citizen, 2013-06-27, Page 23THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JUNE 27, 2013. PAGE 23.
Ask David Fox what he
remembers about being in The Farm
Show, the legendary Theatre Passe
Muraille production that is the
inspiration for Beyond the Farm
Show and he says one word:
“terror”.
“It was my first professional
[acting] job,” he recalls. “I had no
experience in collective creation, no
experience in building our own
stories.”
Fox was still a full-time teacher in
1972 when he was invited by
Atwood native Paul Thompson,
artistic director of Toronto’s Theatre
Passe Muraille, to join a group of
actors at Holmesville. Committed to
teaching until the end of June, he
came to Huron County to start work
July 2. The rest of the cast was
staying in a farm house on Ray
Bird’s farm but Fox and his wife
were staying at a cottage north of
Goderich. After two weeks he
moved in with the other actors, who
by this time he had gotten to
know, and it became a more
holistic experience. Still, it
wasn’t easy.
The actors went out and
visited their neighbours in the
Holmesville area and got to
know them, then came back
and created scenes from their
impressions. Sometimes it
worked, sometimes it didn’t.
“Those times when you had
nothing to offer, it was
terrible,” Fox recalls.
“Everybody experienced those
empty, terror-striken days.”
The actors had no idea if they
were creating something useful
or not but through it all
Thompson always remained
buoyant, Fox recalls with a
touch of amazement. If he saw
something he liked he’d
scribble a note and stick it in
his back pocket.
After a while they began
stitching together the scenes
that they felt worked. At the
end of the rehearsal period they
invited the neighbourhood to
the barn on the Bird property
where they acted out their
impressions of the people
they’d met to the real people
who inspired the scenes. It
could have been a disaster,
but it became a triumph.
The Farm Show went back
to Toronto and won rave
reviews. It toured back
through rural Ontario into the
northern U.S. and eventually
to England.
“Creating it was a
landmark for me,” Fox
remembers. “It was
remarkable for it to be my
first professional
production.”
And it changed Fox’s life.
He gave up teaching and
turned to acting full-time, a
decision he says he’s never
regretted for a minute, despite
the uncertainty of never
knowing where your next job
might come from.
He also made friends for
life. with the original group
including people who became giants
of Canadian theatre: Thompson, his
wife actress Anne Anglin, Miles
Potter (this year directing Three
Musketeers at Stratford Festival) and
Janet Amos, who served two terms
as aristic director of the Blyth
Festival.
Fox has returned to The Farm
Show various times during is long
career and always recalls “How
difficult it is to rehearse and how
pleasing it is to perform”.
David Fox
Fox returns to Festival, remembers ‘Farm Show’
On display
Stratford-area artist Brenda McDonnell opened her exhibition Transparent Architecture at the
Blyth Festival Art Gallery on Friday night in conjunction with one of the last productions of Dear
Johnny Deere of the season. The exhibition runs until July 16. McDonnell is seen here
sandwiched by two of her favourite pieces, Ontario Street Corbels, left, from 1995 and
Flowerpot Graffiti, right, from 2013. (Shawn Loughlin photo)
Entertainment
By Keith Roulston
The Citizen
Saturday, June 29, 2013
10 am - 3 pm
Memorial Arena, McDonald St., Goderich
goderichchildrensfestival@yahoo.com
Tourism Goderich at 519-524-6600
12th Annual Goderich Children’s FestivalAIR AIR EVERYWHERE
Bubbles, Balloons and Bouncers plus a model airshow by the
Sky Harbour Modellers, Fincher’s Tent, Face Painting, Crafts,
Playdough and Goop and much more.
Featuring Erick Traplin ~ children’s entertainer
* Silent Auction fundraiser
Fun for kids of all ages, all activities are free
The family of
Len & Betty Archambault
invite you to a
Come and Go Celebration
of their
65th Wedding Anniversary
on Sunday, June 30, 2013
at the
Auburn Community Centre
from 2-4 pm
Best Wishes Only
65th Wedding
Anniversary
273 Hamilton St., Blyth • 519-523-4590
www.blytheastsidedance.com
Blyth East Side Dance
Learn
the Cha-Cha
Wow! Al’s 65
and still alive
Happy Birthday
from your friends
Happy 80th
Birthday
Gail Lear
July 1
Love from your family
Happy 40th
Dad
Love your boys
Darren and Justin
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We Try
Harder!
Recent circulation figures for the
8 paid circulation newspapers
serving Huron County show
The Citizen has the 3rd
highest circulation.
The Citizen
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Community-
Owned
Since 1985
Londesborough ON.............................................www.seedforwildbirds.comnaturesnest@tcc.on.ca StopsStopsStopsStopsStopsalong the wayalongthewayA VISITORS’ GUIDE TO HURON COUNTYstopsalonglakehuron.comLook for entertainment ideas on our Stops Along the Waywebsite at...