HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1990-07-25, Page 23THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, JULY 25, 1990. PAGE 23.
New play gives youngsters taste of theatre life
BY BONNIE GROPP
Three area youngsters have a
chance this summer to experience a
thrilling opportunity as members of
the cast of Blyth Festival’s produc
tion of Carol Sinclair’s “Firefly”.
Ben Thomson, 10, of RR 1,
Auburn is playing the role of Peter,
whom he describes as “a little boy
who runs around singing and
telling everyone the news”. Ben is
not a novice to the stage. He
previously appeared in 1988 with
his brother Earl in “Fires in the
Night” a play about the historical
Sloman family and their School on
County reform study underway
The first stage in the preparation
of a report on the restructuring of
Huron county is underway with a
series of fact-finding meetings
across the county.
Meetings scheduled until August
3 will get information from PUC
officials, fire and police chiefs, OPP
personel telephone company offi
cials and landfill board members.
The purpose of the meetings, Jason
Chu of the Huron County Planning
and Development office said, is to
identify “communities of inter
est”. The result will be a series of •
“overlays”. “What do we do with
he overlay is see if there are any
Seniors ’ centre gets new name
The Board of Directors and staff
of the Day Centre have been very
busy with some new developments.
First of all, the Day Centre is no
longer known as the Wingham and
Area Day Centre for the Home
bound; the official title of the day
centre is the Wingham and Area
Seniors Day Centre.
The clients felt that a name
change would promote a more
positive image for the role that the
Day Centre plays in the commun
ity. The Day Centre under its new
name will continue to serve those in
need of a Home Support Service by
providing the opportunity to par
ticipate in social, recreational pro
grams outside the home, at least
once a week.
The Day Centre is fortunate to
have an addition to the staff
complement. Kate Keiffer, origi
nally from the Teeswater area has
been added to the staff as Recrea
tion Activity Programmer. Because
we serve clients from Bruce Coun
ty, the Waterloo Office of the
Ministry of Community and Social
Services has contributed some
operating dollars that have allowed
the Day Centre to make this
'ddition to the staff.I Hopefully by October 1990, the
Letter to the editor
Continued from page 5
attitudes reflect a notion that
governments and corporations are
always right, that the masses are
frequently wrong, and that the
people eventually will accept what
ever is handed to them, no matter
how objectionable it might have
seemed at first.”
Mr. Keller goes on to explain in
his July 4 editorial how Canada
Post’s plan to install community
mail boxes (CMB’S) in Shelburne
showed a total lack of planning or
sensitivity to local needs (not a
surprise if you’ve dealt with Can
ada Post). And he rightly points out
that the ultimate aim of these
cost-cutting measures is to make
Canada Post even more profitable
so it can be totally privatized, the
Mulroney government’s acknow
ledged plan. Then he asks: “Would
the Shelburne post office be a
Wheels. Ben was Billy Sloman.
Working on Firefly has given
Ben a chance to see some familiar
faces as a number of the cast also
appeared on or behind the scenes
in Fires in the Night, including Ms.
Sinclair, who played his mother in
the latter.
Maridale Bromley, a 13-year-old
from Blyth will be on stage for the
first time portraying Becky. Mari
dale says she has always been
interested in theatre and working
here is a “thrill”.
The third youngster in the cast is
10-year-old Erin Roulston of RR 3,
patterns from different service
providers.”
Once the information is gathered
it will be presented in stage two of
the study in a series of public
meetings to get comments from
county residents. The meetings are
tentatively scheduled for early
autumn.
The third stage of the study will
take a closer look at the interaction
between the municipal and county
government.
The study was prompted by the
Ministry of Municipal Affairs
which has indicated it wants to
streamline municipal governments,
Day Centre will occupy a new
facility located on Josephine Street
beside Cruickshank Park in Wing
ham. The new facility will be
owned and constructed by McDou
gall Construction. The Ministry of
Community and Social Services
granted some dollars to assist in
the construction of the new facility
in exchange for a long term lease.
The clients, staff, volunteers and
Board Members are looking for
ward to the move. Over the last
years we have been fortunate to
have had an agreement with the
Town of Wingham by renting the
armouries in exchange for a grant.
The Day Centre Board appreciates
everything that the town has done
for the centre over the years. The
Day Centre is moving to another
location to allow for the expansion
of staff and programs.
A new program that will begin
once we have moved into the new
location, is a Day Away Program
for those with Alzheimers or relat
ed disorders. We are entering the
planning stages that will outline
the details for the program. More
information will follow at a later
date.
Now it’s time to tell you about
the programs planned for the rest
necessity in a for-profit corpora
tion, given that the Shelburne mail
would be sorted in Mississauga and
distributed through the unpopular
CMB’s”. Very good question.
The message is simple. It’s time
rural Canadians took back what is
rightfully ours: the power to control
our own lives, including the ser
vices which make our rural way of
life worthwhile.
Please let your Federal member
of Parliament, your Provincial
member of Parliament, and Mr.
Harvie Andrew, Minister respon
sible for Canada Post, know that
rural Canadians will no longer
tolerate such abuse.
Write them today!
Mary Anne Doyle, President,
Ontario Branch,
Canadian Postmasters and
Assistants Association,
Finch, Ontario. K0C 1K0
Blyth, who plays Ella. Erin says
that her favourite thing so far has
been the songs they get to sing in
the romantic musical. “We sing a
bit in all of them and have some
rhymes that we do ourselves,” she
states.
The budding thespians were
invited to audition by the Festival’s
Artistic Director Katherine Kaszas,
who is also directing Firefly, and
rehearsals began almost imme
diately.
Some might find the schedule
gruelling with regular rehearsals
slated daily except Sunday, but
eliminating all municipalities with
less than 4,000 population (all but
one in Huron), amalgamating
several municipalities to meet the
minimum requirement. The pro
vincial report also recommended a
maximum of 20 people on county
council. Huron County currently
has 32 councillors. While the
county last year rejected such
recommendations it did agree to go
ahead with its own study of
restructuring.
County council has indicated it
wants to complete the process by
the end of its current term in
November 1991.
of July. We are going to become
involved in our craft program once
again, in preparation for the Ann
ual Craft and Bake Sale scheduled
for November. The Water Exercise
Program has had a great turnout.
Due to all the developments at the
centre the Water Exercise Program
has been reduced to five weeks. If
you would like some more informa
tion, please give us a call.
The plays at the Blyth Festival
Theatre have been extremely popu
lar this year. We are planning to
see “Albertine, In Five Times” on
August 2 and “Firefly” on August
23.
We will also be taking in a play at
the Huron Country Playhouse in
Grand Bend. We will see “Annie
Get Your Gun” on August 28.
On July 24 we will be host to
clients, staff and volunteers of the
Huron Day Centre in Clinton. The
staff are busy putting together
some special entertainment and
activities for the afternoon. Every
one is looking forward to the visit.
A Mystery Tour is scheduled for
July 25. Sorry! I can’t tell you
where the bus will take you. We
have more people sign up for Bus
Trips where they don’t know where
they are going, than when they do.
The next foot clinic is scheduled
for July 26. The next hearing clinic
is scheduled for August 13.
LOVE K.K. & S.
the enthusiastic performers say it’s
been “lots of fun”. Ben remarked
that he has had to miss a few ball
games but was reminded by Erin
that he gets paid better to do this.
Maridale was surprised to dis
cover rehearsals were different than
she had expected them to be. “It’s
really been fun,” she said. “I
didn’t think it would be but it really
is.”
Learning their lines was no
problem either, according to the
three because of the time spent
rehearsing. “You practise so often,
saying the lines over and over, that
you learn your lines without really
trying,” Maridale explains.
All eagerly anticipated dress
rehearsal last Monday, when they
would have the chance to wear the
“neat” costumes. “I love the
costumes,,” Maridale said. “I’d
like to be able to wear them. Not all
the time, but for a party or
something special.”
“Maridale and I are going to look
alike on stage,” Erin said, “be
cause we wear our hair the same
and dress kind of alike.” Both girls
remarked on their shoes that have
“laces and heels and take a half
hour to do up.”
Ben says his favourite part is
when he gets to be the boxer. “I
don’t box with anyone, I just show
off,” he said. He also gets a chance
to show off his musical talent,
playing “Greensleeves” on the
violin.
Only Maridale admits to any
stage fright, though Erin remarked
that she was glad the preview
performance would give them two
chances to do the play in costume
before opening night.
And what of their future? Has
ISABEL & BRIAN
the experience thus far put a love
for acting in their blood? Are they
all aspiring for a career on stage?
Both Maridale and Ben are certain
that it is something they would like
to strive for. A more cautious Erin
has reserved judgement. “It de
pends how this play goes,” she
said.
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