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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2013-07-25, Page 23THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JULY 25, 2013. PAGE 23. By Marie Beath Badian Prairie Nurse is a play about my mom….sorta. My mom immigrated to rural Saskatchewan from rural Philippines in 1967. She came to be a nurse in a small community hospital. She stayed two years before moving to Toronto. In September 2007, I took my mother back to Saskatchewan – on the 40th anniversary of her arrival in Canada. We returned to the village where she lived – Arborfield, Saskatchewan - a tiny farming community with a population of 300. To our surprise, many of the people that knew mom were still there – other nurses and people who lived and worked in the community. And the first thing they would say when they saw mom was “Where’s the other one?” Who’s the other one? Her name is Penny. She was the only other Filipino nurse that was stationed in Arborfield. She came on the same flight as mom back in 1967. We had not planned to see her, as my mother rarely spoke fondly of her, except to say that Penny didn’t want to be there. Though both their contracts were for two years, Penny stayed just shy of a year, moving away shortly after sponsoring her fiancée over from Manila. On a whim, I typed Penny’s name into the SaskTel search engine and found her in Saskatoon. On the day we were scheduled to leave Saskatchewan, we sat down with Penny in an airport café. She was short, sweet and grey haired. And she looked very much like my mom. From that encounter I was tickled by the idea of what it must have been like back then when no one could tell them apart, when everybody thought they were like two-peas-in-a-pod but in truth had nothing in common other than nursing, and the Philippines. So Prairie Nurse was born. A partly-true play about my mom, the other one and everyone else who couldn’t tell them apart. For those who have already seen this summer’s smash hit, Yorkville – the Musical, you will be delighted to see the dynamic and energetic cast back onstage together to amaze audiences. The same palpable energy will return with Ryan Bondy, Steph Sy, Jess Abramovitch, Michael Torontow, Rob Torr and Sarah Cornell. There is an addition to the cast, welcoming Lana Carillo to the team. The cast will be led by Director Sue Miner with set and costume design by Eric Bunnell. It will be a treat for the senses as this comedy of errors will leave you laughing all night long! Tickets for Prairie Nurse are on sale at the Blyth Festival Box Office at 1-877-862-5984 or by visiting the website at blythfestival.com It has been a short 28 years since Garrison’s Garage made its world premiere on the Blyth Festival main stage and it seems that time doesn’t move too quickly over at the Garage. Come and see for yourself Aug. 2 through to Aug. 31 at the Blyth Festival. Written by the incomparable Ted Johns, Blyth Festival’s most produced playwright, Garrison’s Garage is a Festival gem which will have audiences laughing just as hard as the first time it was on stage. Garrison’s was written in 1985, “before the world of cell phones and ‘blueberries’ – or whatever you call them,” remarks Johns. With a few tweaks and updates by Johns, Garage now reflects the 21st century, while maintaining the charm of the original. Johns, “hopes people will enjoy [this production] as much as they did in the past.” There is a unique similarity between the two productions. David Fox, who stars as the quirky garage owner Garrison this season, was cast as the taxman, Blair, in the 1985 production. Director and Interim Artistic Director, Peter Smith, was somewhat of a spring chicken in 1985 and remembers watching the original production, “I was in the acting company then… I can see it all now like it was yesterday” describes Smith. “One of the main quotes I remember audiences saying was, ‘Hey! I take my car here.’ – The show is on a lot of people’s top 10 favourite lists.” This season’s Garage will also have a tie to the past. The designer Pat Flood, has been working with the original consultant Dave Roy, and the “two have been doing a great job bringing it together,” says Smith. Roy has brought in “a phenomenal amount of props.” It’s a play full of charm and wit and some unforgettable characters. Garrison’s Garage features a full- sized car on stage, which Frank is trying to fix, while its owner, Blair, paces about waiting impatiently. Blair, as it turns out, is a field officer for Revenue Canada and while he waits he observes various oddball events – enough to convince himself that he has stumbled upon the tax swindle of the century. He launches an attack on Frank’s books but is thwarted by Garrison, Garrison’s daughter Lorna, and by Bert, the innocent but ever-calculating local councillor. The cast from Beyond The Farm Show, Catherine Fitch, Tony Munch, Jamie Robinson and Rylan Wilkie, return to the stage with additional help from David Fox. This crew is sure to recreate the dynamic energy developed in Beyond The Farm Show and with the keen directorial eye of Peter Smith, Garrison’s Garage will be the laugh of the season! Get your tickets through the Blyth Festival box office by calling 1-877- 862-5984 or by visiting the website at blythfestival.com. The 2013 Blyth Festival Season is proudly sponsored by CTV and Sparlings Propane and Garrison’s Garage is graciously sponsored by Ideal Supply and The Rural Voice. Playwright puts her mother on stage with ‘Prairie Nurse’ Festival’s ‘Garrison’s Garage’ to open Aug. 2 Updating the ‘Garage’ Ted Johns, creator of Garrison’s Garage, which will return to the Blyth Festival on Aug. 2 for the first time since it first hit the Memorial Hall stage in 1985, is seen here in front of a car, hood open, brandishing some of his cash. The play, a fan favourite, will run at the Festival from Aug. 2 to Aug. 31. (Keith Roulston photo) Then and now Prairie Nurse playwright Marie Beath Badian visited Saskatchewan with her mother who first came to Canada in 1967 and worked at the hospital she is pictured in front of. The left picture was take in 1967, the right in 2007. Prairie Nurse tells her story. (Photo submitted) Louis and Nancy Greidanus are proud to announce that their daughter, Nicole Greidanus, has graduated with distinction from the Honours Specialization of Kinesiology BSc. program at the University of Western Ontario. Nicole now endeavors to complete a Masters of Physiotherapy while studying abroad. We are very proud of you and wish you all the best in the future! From your family: Louis, Nancy, Donny, Katerina, Lukas, Hailynn, Warren, Kathy, Mikeal, Makenzie, Bailey, Brad, Jess and boyfriend Josh. Graduation Great Food Streetfest July 27 Blyth Entertainment Londesborough ON.............................................www.seedforwildbirds.comnaturesnest@tcc.on.ca 430 Queen Street, Blyth, Ontario226-523-9720Specialty Coffees &Espresso BarLunches, fresh pies, buttermilkbiscuits, cakes, etc.