The Citizen, 2010-04-22, Page 23THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2010. PAGE 23. Entertainment Leisure&
There are familiar faces among
the actors cast for the productions on
the Blyth Festival stage in 2010.
Artistic Director Eric Coates has
announced that Gil Garratt and
Catherine Fitch will appear in the
opening production of A Killing
Snow, by Paul Ciufo, the Grand
Bend playwright who was
nominated for a Governor General’s
Award for his 2007 Blyth premiere
of Reverend Jonah.
Garratt and Fitch appeared
together in Courting Johanna in
2008 and The Nuttalls in 2009.
Garratt will be part of the company
for his 12th consecutive season.
Joining them is Lisa Norton who
was in the same cast with Garratt
and Fitch for Courting Johanna and
Against the Grain in 2008 and
previously appeared in The Gingko
Tree in 2005.
A Killing Snow, opening June 25,
will be directed by Kate Lynch who
directed The Nuttalls and Courting
Johanna.
Garratt and Fitch will also appear
in Pearl Gidley, by Gary Kirkham,
author of 2007’s Queen Milli of
Galt. Also in the cast is Sam Malkin
who appeared in Festival
productions like This Foreign Land
in the 1970s. Pearl Gidley will be
directed by Miles Potter, long a
familiar figure at the Festival who
directed Innocence Lost, and will
open July 30.
Marion Day, who starred in the hit
Innocence Lost in 2008 and 2009,
will return for Bordertown Café,the
second production of the season,
opening July 2. She’ll be joined by
Michelle Fisk, a long-time member
of the Blyth company as both a
director (Reverend Jonah,Having
Hope at Home) and actress. Also in
the cast is Brad Rudy who starred in
Mail Order Bride last year.
They will be directed by Katherine
Kaszas, a former artistic director in
the 1980s who returned for last
year’s 35th anniversary season to
direct Mail Order Bride.
Day and Rudy will also star, along
with Coates, in the final play of the
season, the world premier of The
Book of Esther by Leanna
Brodie who wrote the 2006 hit
Schoolhouse. It will be directed by
Leah Cherniak who also directed
Schoolhouse.
The Book of Esther opens
August 8.
Old favourites return to Blyth Festival for 2010
Gary Schellenberger, Member of
Parliament (Perth-Wellington),
today announced additional funding
for the Stratford Shakespeare
Festival. With this funding, the
Government is fulfilling
commitments made in 2009
in Canada’s Economic Action
Plan.
“Our Government proudly
supports culture and strongly
believes in fostering tomorrow’s
great artists,” said Minister James
Moore. “That is why we have
invested more in arts and culture
than any Canadian government in
history. We are committed to giving
artists all the tools they need to
succeed.”
The Birmingham Conservatory
for Classical Theatre at the Stratford
Shakespeare Festival is the only
program in Canada that concentrates
exclusively on assisting actors
in the interpretation of classical
text.
Through classes in voice,
movement, text, and other
disciplines, the 18- to 20-week
program prepares young actors for
the rigours and requirements of
acting in classical theatre.
The participants are then hired by
the Festival to take part
in the following season’s
productions.
“We are happy to make a
difference in the lives of future
generations of artists,” said Mr.
Schellenberger. “Thanks to the
dedication of organizations like the
Stratford Shakespeare Festival,
many talented actors can now
pursue their dream of a professional
artistic career, and emerging
directors will receive valuable
training in directing
theatre productions in quality
facilities.”
The Michael Langham Workshop
for Classical Direction will train a
number of early- and mid-career
directors from across Canada.
They will work at the Festival as
assistant directors and, through
master classes, lectures, and
classroom seminars, will explore the
specific textual, vocal, and physical
skills used in bringing classical
plays to the stage.
“It is crucial that we use the
unmatched talent and artistic
resources of the Stratford
Shakespeare Festival to develop the
skills of emerging Canadian theatre
artists,” said Antoni Cimolino,
General Director of the Festival.
“The Michael Langham Workshop
for Classical Direction, together
with the Birmingham Conservatory
for Classical Theatre, will allow us
to train the actors and directors in
state-of-the-art facilities; they will
carry our traditions forward and
contribute to the evolution of
stagecraft in the 21st century. We are
grateful to the government for
providing the financial resources
needed to pursue these significant
projects.”
Thanks to the Economic Action
Plan, an additional $150,000 in
funding will be added to the
$150,000 that the Stratford
Shakespeare Festival is already
receiving for 2009-2010 through the
Canada Arts Training Fund,
bringing the total funding for this
year to $300,000.
The government is also providing
$350,000 to the Stratford
Shakespeare Festival’s Sound and
Sustainability project through the
Canada Cultural Spaces Fund.
The project will enhance the
physical conditions in three theatre
spaces by upgrading sound and
speaker systems.
The government is providing $20
million over two years for training
in the arts sector through Canada’s
Economic Action Plan. The budget
has risen from $17.1 million to
$24.1 million per year, an increase
of 41 per cent.
The increased funding will be
provided on an ongoing basis. The
Canada Cultural Spaces Fund is also
benefitting from additional funding
of $60 million over two years,
doubling its budget in
2009-2010 and extending it to 2010-
2011.
The Canada Arts Training Fund
(formerly the National Arts Training
Contribution Program) offers
funding to non-profit Canadian
professional arts training institutions
for training of the highest calibre.
With the success they achieve,
artists trained in schools that receive
support from the Fund provide
outstanding cultural leadership.
The Canada Cultural Spaces Fund
(formerly known as Cultural Spaces
Canada) seeks to improve physical
conditions for artistic creativity and
arts presentation or exhibition.
It is also designed to increase
access for Canadians to performing
arts, visual arts, media arts,
museum collections, and heritage
displays.
Buck & Doe
for
Kyle Elliott &
Paula Bowles
Come party with them
before the BIG day!
Saturday, April 24th
Mitchell Arena
9 pm - 1 am
Tickets
$7 in advance, $9 at the door
For tickets please call
Caitlin 519-291-8255
or Rob 519-229-6606
Age of majority. Sweet prizes.
Late lunch provided.
SS TT AA GG && DD OO EE
ff oo rr LL aa uu rr aa MM ee ii ee rr
aa nn dd GG rr ee gg BB ll aa cc kk ww ee ll ll
Saturday, April 24
9:00 pm - 1:00 am
Teeswater Community Centre
$5.00/ticket Live DJ
Lunch provided
Age of majority
For tickets call Nicole
519-357-3360
Bus leaves Brussels arena 9:00,
Belgrave arena 9:20,
Wingham arena 9:45
Love always from your family!
Happy 85th Birthday
to Frank (April 7)
and Isobel (April 26)
Burke
90th Birthday
Dr. Richard Street, formerly of
Blyth, would like to send his
regards to friends and former
patients in the Blyth area. He is
celebrating his 90th birthday on
April 22. If you would like to
send a greeting you may do so
c/o his daughter, Kathy Lee, at
421 Forest Hill Dr., Kitchener
ON, N2M 4H3
Buck & Doe
for
Darryl Houston
& Jodi Semple
Saturday, May 1
BMG Community Centre
Tickets: $5.00 in advance,
$7.00 at door
9 pm - 1 am
Music by DJ
Age of majority - lunch provided
For tickets call
Crystal 519-887-8299
or Chris 519-955-2343
Open House
for
Ruth Shiell’s
Birthday
Sunday, April 25
2:00 to 4:00 pm
400 Alexander St.,
Brussels
Everyone welcome
Best wishes only
Shakespeare Festival receives funding
Beat the
temptation.
TOLL-FREE
1-877-513-5333