HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2013-07-04, Page 32Continued from page 30the “farm” portion of Beyond The
Farm Show, whereas the second act
takes us “beyond” the farm into the
homes and lives of those who work
on Huron County’s farms.
Guiding the actors through the
process, setting up interviews and
meeting dozens of people every day
was Director Severn Thompson.
Never before in a Blyth Festivalproduction have I felt the director so
deserving of a place on the
Memorial Hall stage taking a bow
with the cast after the show.
Thompson is to be congratulated
for her work corralling the actors
towards the stories that need to be
told and for the balance with which
they’re told.
Much has been made of theconnection between the two Farm
Shows. Paul Thompson, who
directed The Farm Show in 1972, is,
of course, Severn’s father. But
Severn shines as a director in her
own right, handling the return to a
show that will forever hold a special
place in the hearts of Huron County
residents.
The show is excellent theatre, fullof rich, full-bodied characters,
which brings me to audience
members unfamiliar with the men
and women of Huron County.
While I can’t speak from their
point of view, in my mind the project
speaks for itself. The stories are
well-told and the characters are
worthy of the Memorial Hall
stage.
Day, Munch and the rest of the
cast take turns with musical
interludes that introduce the
audience to the characters being
portrayed on stage. So if you’re not
local and you don’t know who
you’re seeing on stage, at the end of
the scene, the actors are going to tellyou through song.
In North American culture, when
groups feel repressed or left out in
the cold, they often turn to drama to
tell their stories, because through
traditional avenues, nobody is
listening. Beyond The Farm Show is
one of those shows. It explores the
highs and lows of a culture that,
in many ways, feels undervalued
and left behind. Thompson and
her cast give that culture a
podium from which its voice can be
heard.
Beyond The Farm Show plays in
repertory at the Blyth Festival until
Aug. 16.
PAGE 32. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JULY 4, 2013.
A brave man
Neil McGavin, who was portrayed in Friday night’s Blyth Festival season opening production
of Beyond The Farm Show, wasn’t one to shy away from the rain as the annual tractor parade
to help open the Festival went ahead rain or shine according to him. (Vicky Bremner photo)
‘Beyond The Farm Show’ is one for the ages
Retirement life to discover!