HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2011-08-11, Page 22PAGE 22. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2011.
Ambassador to be
awarded this
Saturday night
‘Early August’ delights its intended audience
Early August, the fourth show
opening at the Blyth Festival this
year, shines on the exact stage it was
intended to be shown on.
While some shows developed in,
around or for Blyth give subtle nods
or simply play on the lifestyle
around Blyth, playwright Kate
Lynch, who has been involved with
the Festival since its early years,
threw away the pretense and placed
the play directly in Huron County’s
north end.
Starring Festival regulars Tova
Smith in her third year, Gil Garratt in
his 13th and Catherine Fitch in her
fourth, as well as newcomers Haley
McGee and Sarah Orenstein, the
play takes place in the backstage of
what can only be Blyth’s own
Festival Theatre given the references
to the surrounding area (such as the
drive to Goderich) and the lifestyle
of Huron County.
Fitch and Garratt play the most
prominent roles in the play with
Fitch becoming show manager
Teddy and Garratt playing Albert, an
actor who returns year after year to
the small-town theatre.
Fitch, exasperated with what the
cast-playing-the-cast refers to as the
problem with Early August, defined
as artists becoming to involved with
their own drama to focus on their
roles, attempts to get the lives of the
actors back in order so they can
focus on their craft and avoid the
play delays and over comfortable
feeling that tends to strike during the
dog days of summer at small
summer festivals.Garratt expertly portrays Albert, anatural flirt, who finds himselfdeeply entrenched in what appearsto be a love triangle at first, bringscomedy to the front of the femaleactors change room which serves asa backdrop for the entire play.The characters find themselves putout of their natural element by the
problems of small-town living.
Situations such as the trouble with
finding gourmet ingredients, the
scarcity of trained professionals and
the realities of living in the country
play a huge role in creating the
tension that fuels the comedy of the
play.
By the end of the play, Fitch’s
Teddy has convinced the crew to put
aside their differences and put on
their best performance yet, but the
question remains, to what end had
she maneouvered everyone into their
positions.
The stage manager’s own
ambitions become clear, however
they end up being turned back on
her, leaving simultaneous feelings
that justice may have been done, but
that she also deserves what she
initially set out to get.
Haley McGee, in her Blyth debut,
takes on the role of a tattooed,
heavily made-up 20-something who
has trouble with her sleeping
accommodations.
The Waterloo actress expertly
plays her character who is both
struggling with wildlife and her own
naivety about the courting process.
Orenstein, who plays Gina in herfirst role on the Festival stage, playsa character playing a grandmother,and mirrors that act, guiding theyounger actors she has become closewith and causing her own brand ofmischief along the way.Smith, who earlier this year madewaves in Vimy at the Festival, playsStephanie, the official love interest
of Garratt’s Albert. The younger
actress wants to begin focusing on
her career and wishes Albert to come
with her.
While the play relies heavily on
the characters creating the mood in
contrast to the amazing mood-
setting light and sound from other
performances this year, the
backstage room portrayed adds great
environment to the piece and really
feels as if it is a part of the Festival.
Sounds from the play-within-a-
play going on in the “background”
remind the audience that these
actors, who appear quite driven by
their emotions, are immediately
switching from ecstatic to stoic,
from tears to extreme happiness and
from backstage drama to centre
stage drama.
The Blyth Festival’s main lineup
definitely ended on a high note this
season, as Lynch’s story, directed by
Shari Hollett, is a necessary play to
see for everyone who has been to
Blyth and anyone who has worked in
the theatre, and a great comedy that
should be viewed by everyone else.
Early August opened on August 3
and will run through August 27.
Continued from page 1
of Jeff and Cathy Cardiff of RR 2,
Bluevale. Matt is headed off to the
University of Guelph for his first
year in the Bachelor of Commerce
program. Matt is involved in curling
and he participates in both the
Wingham and Brussels clubs. In the
wintertime Matt enjoys skiing,
snowmobiling and in the warmer
temperatures four-wheeling. Matt is
a member of the Brussels
Agricultural Society and is the vice -
president of the Youth for Huron-
Bruce PC Association. For the
summer, Matt keeps himself busy by
working on his family farm
and working for Cardiff BBQ
Catering. Matt was also an Ontario
Scholar.
Matt is sponsored by Pioneer Hi-
Bred, Brett and Laura Fischer.
404 Queen St.,
Blyth
519-523-4792
541 Turnberry St.,
Brussels
519-887-9114 The Citizen
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Check out all our books at...
A play made for Blyth
Early August, a tale set in Huron County about the mid-summer crises that often arrive in
seasonal play houses, debuted on the Blyth Festival stage last week. Shown are, from left to
right, actresses Tova Smith, Haley McGee and actor Gil Garratt who, along with Festival
regular Catherine Fitch and newcomer Sarah Orenstein (not shown), bring this comedic view
of the backstage to life. (Terry Manzo photo)
By Denny Scott
The Citizen
Get entertainment
information on the
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of our
website at
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