HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2011-10-13, Page 19THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2011. PAGE 19.
Playwright honoured
Festival’s Archibald lends talents to students
David Archibald, possibly best
known locally for his work on the
music in the Blyth Festival’s 2011
season opener Hometown, decided
to bring his artistic experience to
students at Blyth Public School.
Archibald, with the assistance of
the Ontario Arts Council and the
Blyth Festival, spent last week
brainstorming, writing and
recording songs with local students.
Blyth Public School is one of six
schools that Archibald will be
visiting thanks to the grant from the
arts council, and was added to the
program due to his experiences
there.
“Peter Smith [the director of
Hometown] and I did interviews for
Hometown, and a lot of people
talked about the closing of the
school,” he said. “We went to the
school and did interviews there.”
Archibald said that he felt this
would be a great opportunity to
come in and help students reflect on
their time at Blyth Public School.
Archibald worked with every class
except for the Kindergarten class,
writing songs about the playground
with the Grade 1/2 class, the walk to
school with the Grade 3/4 class, the
special days that Blyth Public
School holds with the Grade 4/5
class, the experiences that await
students at Hullett Central Public
School with the Grade 5/6 class, and
the disappointment facing the Grade
7 students in the Grade 7/8 class,
who won’t be able to graduate from
the school.
“There were all kinds of different
feelings about the school closure and
we dealt with many of them,” he
said. “The Grade 4/5 class’ song
about Hullett Central is a dialogue,
with some students playing the part
of Hullett students telling the Blyth
students how things will be.”
Archibald says the five-day
program, which he has been running
for several years, was really enjoyed
at other schools.
He typically spends a half day in
each of the classrooms he is working
with and sings them a song to
demonstrate the parts and elements
of music. The class then brainstorms
about the style and content of the
song and writes the original draft.
He then returns to record the songs
after putting basic tracks down to
guide the students recordings and set
the tempo for the different music.
On the final two days the students
are recorded singing their song.
Archibald does two recordings and,
if there’s time, experiments with
small groups doing harmonies.
At the end of the program, the
students put on a performance for
their peers, parents and community.
Blyth Public School, for example
held a concert on Friday, Oct. 7 to
show what they had learned.
Archibald will take their
recordings, add in any instruments
that will fill out the sound and send
the songs back as digital music files
to the school.
“Some schools have used their
music as a fundraiser, others have
put it on their websites,” he said.
For examples of the work, which
may eventually include one or two
Blyth songs, visit Archibald’s
website at davidarchibald.com
A playwright from Blyth
Festival’s 2011 world premiere
Hometown has been named as a
finalist for this year’s Siminovitch
Prize. Mansel Robinson, of
Chapleau, Ontario, is no stranger to
awards. His many accomplishments
include the 2010 John V. Hicks
Award and the 2010 Uprising
National Playwrighting Award, both
for his play, Two Rooms.
The Siminovitch Prize was
created in 2001 in honor of Lou
Siminovitch and his late wife
Elinore. For 2011, the award
honours a playwright “who has
made a significant contribution to
the Canadian theatre scene in recent
years.” Each year, the winner is
presented $75,000 and is asked to
name a protégé to receive the
remaining $25,000.
Blyth Festival’s Artistic Director
Eric Coates is thrilled that Robinson
is being recognized for his body of
work this time rather than only a
single play, “Mansel’s experiences
living, working and writing across
Canada have led him to create plays
that celebrate the contributions of
the blue-collar Canadian.”
The Blyth Festival is a
professional theatre that endeavours
to enrich the lives of its audience by
producing and developing plays that
give voice to both the region and the
country. For more information visit
www.blythfestival.com
The Blyth Festival’s 2011 season
sponsors are Sparling’s Propane
Company Limited and CTV. The
Roulston Roy New Play
Development Fund is generously
supported by Blackburn Radio Inc.,
Pioneer Hi-Bred and many
individual donors.
Tom and Barb Shannon
and
Kevan & Cathy Broome
are pleased to announce
the forthcoming
marriage of their children
Lindsey Ann
&
Adam John
on
Saturday October 15th 2011
at Egmondville United Church
Reception at 9:00pm at the
Seaforth Community Centre
To m and Barb Shannon
Forthcoming MarriageForthcoming Marriage
Forthcoming Marriage
Shari and Kevin Good
together with
Laurie and Debbie Campbell
are pleased to announce
the forthcoming marriage
of their children
Danielle Christine
and
Nicholas Lucas
on Saturday, October 22, 2011
at 3:00 pm
at the groom’s parents’ farm.
Happy 75th
Birthday
Joanne Lyon
October 17
Love Bert & family
Old Tyme
Country Breakfast
Sunday, October 16
9 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
at Londesborough Hall
• Eggs • Bacon • Sausage
• Pancakes and Homefries
Adults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $7.00
Children Under 12 . . . . . . . . . $3.00
Sponsored by Londesboro Lions Club
Proceeds to Goderich Tornado Relief Fund
Happy 50th
Wedding Anniversary
Bill & Doreen
Taylor
October 11th, 2011
Love your family and friends
80th
Birthday
Please join the family of
Lois McCall
Sunday, October 23
for a come-and-go tea
celebrating her
80th Birthday
from 2-4 pm
Huronlea
820 Turnberry St.,
Brussels, Ontario
Best wishes only
Entertainment Leisure&
Musical master
David Archibald, who wrote and performed the music in the
Blyth Festival’s 2011 season opener Hometown, returned
to Blyth to teach and create some music with the students
of Blyth Public School last week. Archibald worked with five
classes to produce songs, which started with
brainstorming sessions like this one in Mrs. Middleton’s
Grade 3/4 class on Oct. 5. (Denny Scott photo)
By Denny Scott
The Citizen