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The Citizen, 2010-07-22, Page 18PAGE 18. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JULY 22, 2010.‘Winter’s Tale’ a tough journey worth taking Vodden wants new policies for North Huron correspondence With William Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale, it is impossible not to cringe as you watch a man tear down all that he has earned through paranoia and jealousy. In a theme explored all too often in contemporary culture because of its unfortunate and relenting relevance to everyday life, Leontes, King of Sicilia, begins the play on a slippery slope that just continues to steepen. One of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival’s more low-key releases at this year’s festival (being produced, fittingly for the show, in the no-frills Tom Patterson Theatre),The Winter’s Tale is more of an exploration of the psyche of a man than most plays. With the consistent path of the show heading in a downward spiral as Leontes’s life continues to unravel, it can be gut-wrenching and hard to watch, but as his life proceeds (over 16 years elapses throughout the play) despite his mistakes, you may just find yourself pulling for Leontes as he staggers towards the redemption that he has made it his life’s goal to seek. The play begins with Leontes and the king of Bohemia, Polixenes. The pair have been friends for the majority of their lives and the story begins just as Polixenes is set to ride back home. Leontes insists that Polixenes prolong his stay, but it isn’t until Leontes’s wife, Queen Hermione, insists that he stays, that he decides that he will indeed, extend his visit. This, and subsequent actions between Hermione and Polixenes (hand-holding, whispering and other familiar actions between the two), serve as the catalyst behind Leontes’s descent into madness, immediately believing that his wife has begun having an affair with Polixenes. His wife, who is with the couple’s second child, knows nothing of her husband’s suspicions initially, while he travels through back channels to have his friend killed. The nobleman he sends to do the job, however, feels his justification is weak, and spills the beans to Polixenes, leading the both of them to flee from the kingdom, only working to strengthen the resolve of Leontes who eventually lets his queen in on what he is accusing her of. What follows is a further descent into a world of misfortune resembling Michael Douglas in Falling Down or even Hubert Selby Jr.’s Requiem For A Dream as he and the rest of his court await word from the oracle as to the fate of his wife. She is found to be innocent, to which Leontes scoffs, denouncing the oracle, and banishing Hermione. As promised, however, going against the oracle brings dire consequences for Leontes and those near and dear to him. His wife gives birth while underlock and key and Leontes has hisbrand new daughter banished aswell, left in the wilderness to fightfor herself (he was talked down fromthrowing his daughter to the fire). The dramatic ups and downs of the characters as one powerful man shapes the lives of so many are intense and stunning as none of the cast members miss a beat. Along the way there is laugh-out- loud humour and drama to incite gasps and tears, all of which is handled with ease by the Stratford professionals. Leading the way and playing Leontes, the man with the most dramatic peaks and valleys is Ben Carlson, son of 2010 Blyth Festival first-timer Patricia Hamilton. Carlson begins as a joyous man, happy with all he has in life. He descends into jealousy, madness and rage only to be humbled and driven while he seeks redemption for the weighty decisions he has made that affected so many. Perhaps the most touching moment of the production comes from Hermione as she pleads her innocence to her king. Yanna McIntosh is no stranger to complex women, having played LadyMacBeth at last year’s festival andher take on Hermione is no different.Her insistence that she is virtuousis touching and true. It is at thismoment when Leontes is at his coldest, resisting such an impassioned, yet tender plea from his wife. Another standout is Seana McKenna, who plays Paulina, wife of Antigonus, played by one of the Blyth Festival’s favourite sons Randy Hughson. McKenna takes a different approach to defending the virtue of the queen, threatening to be the one woman Leontes’s lords don’t dare to remove by force for fear of their own safety. The Winter’s Tale, because of its intensity, is a journey that may be hard to take for some. The uncertainty of Leontes’s redemption and the path of a Shakespearean tragedy assures that there are no winners and losers, just people who have weathered the storm of life, making this production shockingly relevant and relatable, despite its seemingly far reach from our traditional, day-to-day reality. Continued from page 1 months after the fact.” Vodden then stated that, given the amount of time spent on objections presented by Bob Pike, he felt council was not responding to others’ concerns. Reeve Neil Vincent echoed his sentiment from previous meetings, stating that planning issues need to be evaluated as such, and not with superfluous information. “I believe that I had at least been made aware of the correspondence we received before July 29,” Vincent stated. “And maybe the whole coun- cil hadn’t... but we need to deal with these issues as they come forward. “If [an issue is a] planning issue, we have to look at [it] as a planning issue without any other baggage,” he said. “We have to look at the deci- sions as whether they are good planning or not.” Vincent then stated that councils are sometimes faced with having to choose between two decisions, and neither outcome is desirable, but one needs to be chosen. Vincent went on to say that he didn’t feel there was any apology necessary. “I don’t feel we have to apologize for what we have done in the way of process,” he said. “Yes, maybe we could have a policy of notifying and recording that we received a letter of correspondence from people, but... beyond that, I feel we have acted as prudently as we could.” Councillor Conn stated that she also thinks little change needed to be made, as staff acts as a buffer for certain information that doesn’t need to come to council. “I think there is some information that comes into this office that I don’t want or need in my [councillor’s] package,” she said. “We have staff deal with some material for a reason.” CAO Long stated that things may have been done differently, but echoed that this was the practice set in place prior to the school board’s application. “In retrospect, this could have been done differently, I accept some of the blame for this situation,” he stated. “Typically, when we receive a letter of objection in a planning matter, those letters are brought forward when the by-law is proposed to council. “I think, in retrospect, the correspondence could be dealt with differently, given the sensitivities on this matter,” Long said. Council voted 4-2 against Vodden’s suggestion to have an evaluation of correspondence- handling operational procedures. Elizabeth Ruth McDonald youngest daughter of Ruth and Murray McDonald graduated with Distinction on June 8th, 2010. earning her Honours Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Statistics, Co-op, from McMaster University in Hamilton. Elizabeth is seeking an Actuary Assistant position and continues working towards her Actuary designation. Anne Jane McDonald eldest daughter of Ruth and Murray McDonald graduated May 29th, 2010 at Thunder Bay’s West Campus of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine. Anne continues her studies in the Family Medicine Residency program with NOSM, based in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, for the next two years. G r a duation A king of kings Ben Carlson, Leontes in the Stratford Shakespeare Festival’s The Winter’s Tale, does a superb job of keeping his life and his court together, until he no longer feels his subjects are being loyal to him and he changes everything, including the structure of his family. (David Hou photo) LYNN BOYER Lynn is the daughter of Gary and Brenda Boyer of Ethel. An Ontario Scholar from Listowel District Secondary School, Lynn will be attending Fanshawe College for a Pre- Health program. SHAUNA EDGAR An Ontario Scholar from Listowel District Secondary School, Shauna is the daughter of William and Dorothy Edgar of RR2 Bluevale. She will be returning to LDSS to continue her secondary school studies. LEANNE VAN VEEN The daughter of Dan and Dianne VanVeen of RR2 Brussels, Leanne is an Ontario Scholar from Listowel District Secondary School. Leanne will be departing for Brock University in the fall to study Education. By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen LDSS Ontario scholars