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12 THE .BLYTH SUMMER FESTIVAL ISSUE
ith Rotilstorl,B1 th's administrator is also a writer
lE
iY
It all began the first week after Keith
Roulston bought the Blyth Standard and
attended a Lion't Club meeting in the old
Memorial Hall.
"It • was dirty and dusty, but I couldn't
believe the theatre inside," he said, "I
kept thinking, what a terrific little theatre it
would make."
Keith, one of the founders of the Blyth -
Summer Festival and This year's adminis
trator; said it wasn't until his second year
in Blyth when he became active with the
Board of Trade and had.. to find a place for
the annual fair queen competition that the'
thought, of cleaning up the' theatre came
about.
He said it was Helen Gowing, then,
president of the Board of Trade, who
organized a group of volunteers to begin
restoring the old hall.
With clean up crews working hard, the
olcl hall was far from restored, In 1974
restoration was halted when it was found
that faults in .the roof structure added
pressure to the walls making the building
unsafe. An approximate $60,000 had to be
spent on repairs that year..
Keith said it wasn't until he met Paul
Thompson, founder of Theatre Passe
Muraille; working in Clinton with the Farm
Show, that the possibility of turning the nld
hall into a theatre came into focus.
It was Paul who later introduced James
Roy (artistic director for five seasons) to
the idea of summer theatre in Blyth, to the
" old hall and in March ,1975 to Keith to talk
about theatre.
"We got things off the ground the first
year with only $70,000 in grants," said
Keith, explaining they only hired non-
equity actors.
When Mostly in Clover, a collective
production based on Harry Boyle's book of
the same name, out-did Mouse Trap, a
play based on Agatha Christie's famous
• book, in ticket sales by two to one, Keith
said they knew there was a market for
Canadian plays.
Born north of Lueknow, just 10 minutes
from Blyth, Keith attended journalism
school Toronto at Ryerson. In the
summer of 1967, Keith gained reporting
experience working, for the. Huron Expos-
itor in Seaforth and after graduating in
1969, he, began working in public relations
with, a Toronto company:
"I wasn't a city, person," said Keith
explaining why he soon left the city to work
as editor at the Clinton News-Record,
It was while he worked in Clintodthat
Keith and his wife bought, the Blyth.
Standard and later because of his interest
in magazines, started Village Squire and a
few years later the Rural VOice.
Reflecting on McGillicuddy's Lost
Weekend, Keith said comedy is not only
difficult to write, but difficult to perform.
"What happens in 'comedy is that you go,
over and over it so often in, rehearsals, that
it is not funny after, awhile."
Citing last year's performance, he said
`the cast was convinced that McGillicuddy's
Lost Weekend was not going to be funny,
Keith added they were amazed, when they
actually did' the play and the audience
. laughed',
As for;the future of Blyth theatre, Keith
said he'd like to see the audiences continue
to grow.
"I'd like to see the company 'do more
touring to become wider known," he
added.
For' himself, Keith said he wants to
continue writing and hopes to begin work
on a book. •
"I'd justlike to get to the point where I
can earn 'a livina." he said.
"I'm a starter-a creator type of persOn,
'not a manager," he said explaining why he
late sold both the, magazines and *he"
newspaper be published.
As creator, Keith has concentrated a
great deal of his efforts on writing. T° date' he has bad three plays produced,in Blyth..
The Shortest Distance 'Between Two
Points was the 'first of Keith's plays
performed in Blyth, during the end of the
1977 season. _
In 1978, His Own Boss, a story about the
frustrations of being self-employed was the
second to be produced at the festival.
His third play, Remember When, was
written for the Wingham Centennial and
his last play, McGillicuddy's Lost
Weekend, adapted from hieVillage Squire
colUmn McGillicuddy's Diary about the
adventures of a small town - police chief,
was prOduced last season in Blyth.
Keith decribei himself as a "prolific
writer," he 'added his biggest problem is
thmkmg things through. , • '
McGillicuddy's Lost Weekend, he said
was one of the easiest and most difficult
plays to write.
"It was easy to write because I knew the
characters, but it was difficult at times
because I -couldn't change the characters,
people knew Ahem from the column, they
were set.' '
"The other shows," said Keith, "I was
trying to say, something, but McGilli-
cuddy's Lost Weekend, was just a satire.'.'
a funny process sort of like
lightening striking. In most cases it's
something you want to say and you saiit
on stage in your play.", •
For,a playwright, Keith said one of the
most upsetting experiences is to see your
play in rehearsal. '
"Suddenly you've got all of these
critics," he said. "Everyone. in the arts ,
runs on ego. Acters,are layingit on the line
the most,' so they are very 'eerie , about
what they have to say on stage."
"As long as you have a good give and
take situation with the director and catt,
things are usually ok." Keith Rouiston London Free Press Photo