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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2009-12-03, Page 35Constantly trying to get people to listen to your stories? Always looking for an opportunity to get on a stage? Ever wonder what it would be like to try acting? Wish there were a place where you could go and talk about art? Tired of the winter blahs dragging you down and keeping you in? The Blyth Centre for the Arts has an answer to all those questions and more, with its brand new initiative - The Winter Arts Umbrella, a series of programs designed to reach into the community and further develop its artistic interests and needs. Through a wide range of artistic activities the BCFA hopes to develop and nurture the existing artistically minded individuals and groups within the community. Blyth Festival artistic director Eric Coates hoping to reinvigorate the community’s connection with the BCFA, has spearheaded this initiative. The Winter Arts Umbrella wants to energize the artistic pulse of the community. The first branch of the umbrella is aimed at the children and youth of the area offering an after-school drama class on Thursdays and a morning improv class on Saturdays. The after-school class is for Grades 5-8 and runs one hour from 4 - 5 p.m. beginning Dec. 3. Join the Arts Hooligans as they play games and have fun. The Saturday morning improv class will begin Nov. 28 and runs two hours from 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. The improv team is for high school students and will focus on various styles and genres of improv. The BCFA is also launching a March-Breakaway camp for kids in Grades K-8. The camp will have a different theme each day and everyday will explore a variety of arts components. The second arm of the umbrella will be to target adults with artistic inclinations. The first of two programs will be held on Friday nights beginning Dec. 4 and is an arts club. This will be an informal meeting for arts ‘newbies’ where participants discuss and explore various art forms. The programming will range from improv to choral singing to play reading to drawing to you name it; it is meant to be eclectic, informal and fun. The second program is a theatre intensive class held every Saturday from 2 - 4 p.m. beginning Nov. 28. The class will focus on the basics of theatre and will range in topic from scene study to character development and everything in between. Another focus of Winter Arts Umbrella is to create an active arts movement for seniors. The first development from this project is a seniors story sharing group. This will be an informal meeting over coffee and tea where stories are swapped and memories are created. These story swaps will take place before the monthly luncheons. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2009. PAGE 35. On Nov. 15, the Maitland Valley Camera Club hosted an image competition entered by eight camera clubs. The competition, known as the Grand Valley Image Battle is an annual event and camera clubs from Brantford, Woodstock, Stratford, Fergus, Halton Hills, plus two clubs from Kitchener, (The GRIPS club and Highland-Glen club) as well as the host club entered both mounted prints and digital projected images. One hundred and sixty images (20 from each club) were presented and assigned points by a panel of judges. The GRIPS club of Kitchener was awarded the trophy for most points earned. The Maitland Valley Camera Club meets twice a month at the Town Hall in Wroxeter. Guest speakers, field trips, learning sessions, and showing of members’images are just some of the club activities. To learn more about the Maitland Valley camera club, visit: www.maitlandvalleycameraclub.ca or contact club president Dennis Schul 519-887-9270. Take cover from winter under arts centre ‘umbrella’King of the parade The Brussels Lions had one of the more eye-catching floats in the weekend’s Santa Claus parade with costumes included. (Shawn Loughlin photo) The rafters at Knox PresbyterianChurch in Goderich are sure to beringing as the Blyth Festival Singerspresent, Rejoice and Be Merry!After a several year hiatus thesingers are returning to Knox on Sunday, Dec. 6 at 2:30 p.m. The Beard Family Ensemble consists of 18-year-old Emily playing harp and cello, her twin brother Thomas on cello, and their mother Marg accompanying them on piano. The family has been making music together since the children were infants. Then singing around the piano as well as at the kitchen table acted as the stage. Starting with soprano recorders at the age of six, the children keenly applied their love of music to other instruments. Participating in the Kincardine Summer Music Festival for the last10 years, they have moved throughthe ranks from beginning strings toparticipants of the chamber program.Through the chamber musicprogram they have received instruction from internationally- renowned musicians such as Simon Fryer, The Gryphon Trio, The Le Blanc Quartet and the Montreal String Quartet. Both Thomas and Emily are third- year members of the Kitchener- Waterloo Youth Orchestra. They have received numerous awards and scholarships at local music festivals in Owen Sound, Walkerton and Stratford and this year Emily won an award at the provincial music festival in Peterborough. Thomas, this summer, was a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada – a 100-member orchestra performing atvarious venues in Ontario andQuebec.The Blyth Festival Singers willfeature many well-known joyful and reflective carols, both sacred and secular. Admission for adults is $12 and for children it’s $6. Tickets can be purchased through the Blyth Festival Singers or the Blyth Festival Box Office 519-523-9300 or from the following ticket outlets: Westcoast Photography, Goderich; The Dutch Store, Clinton; Tasty Nu Bakery, Zurich; The Village Bookshop, Bayfield; Snyder Concept, Wingham; The Citizen’s Brussels office and Don McCaffrey, 519-235- 0301. Last minute tickets may be purchased at the door as well. Camera club hosts eontest Festival Singers rejoice The Best Christ m a s Present Ever! Come & See this Fantastic Christmas Production that is for the Entire Family! Sunday, December 6th 7:00 p.m. Huron Chapel EMC 119 John’s Ave., Auburn