HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1990-08-29, Page 23THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 1990. PAGE 23.
Janet Amos back in ‘favourite place in the world’
BY BONNIE GROPP
It’s been six years since her
tenure as Blyth Festival’s Artistic
Director ended and Janet Amos,
who returned this year to star as
Astrid Kirshbaum in the comedy
“Local Talent’’, found coming back
a “little overwhelming at first.”
When Janet left Blyth, she spent
the few years immediately after as
Artistic Director of Theatre New
Brunswick (TNB), then, she says,
“took two summers off quite
deliberately”. Last season, she was
invited to come to Blyt|i by the
present Artistic Director, Kather
ine Kaszas, but it conflicted with a
show she was doing in Regina, so
she had to turn it down. This year,
plans to complete an Immersion
French course were left backstage,
when Blyth beckoned again. Janet
felt it was “time to reconnect”.
“It was a fantastic opportunity
for me that I couldn’t pass up, and
with this being Katherine’s last
year here I really felt I wanted to
come back and do this.”
“At first, it was hard to adjust.
The scope is bigger now than when
I was here, particularly in admini
stration, with the capitol project
that has been undertaken. But, it
has been very exciting to see the
development and note the contin
uity. A lot of the same people that
came to this theatre while I was
here are back.” She mentioned
Shawn Kerwin, who was here
iJanet’s first season in 1977 and is a
costume and set designer this
season. “It’s that philosophy and
spirit that have continued that have
always been part of this theatre.
That’s what makes Blyth so
unique.”
Janet feels that the productions
at Blyth have not changed that
radically over the years, though she
adds, the workshops have helped a
bit in improving the end results.
“There have been some larger
productions, involving more people
in the recent years, too. The largest
cast on stage we had saw about 12
to 15.”
She says that the problems are
never lessened for artistic directors
in finding and developing new
plays, nor is the job ever easy. “It’s
the same kind of problem faced by
every artistic director. Sometimes
you take a risk with a less
interesting play and it becomes a
hit”. Conversely, she adds that a
great idea may not work on stage at
all. “It’s the same ups and
downs.”
“Every Artistic Director has
different tastes,” Janet said.
“That’s why they leave after a few
years, so it doesn’t become stale or
predictable. You need new energy
to keep it alive. That situation has
never happened in Blyth. There
has always been that change of
Energy and personality. It’s fascin-
—ting to see.”
While theatres need fresh ideas
and identities, the transition for a
new director is not easily made.
When Janet left Blyth in 1984, she
was finishing up the season here
and planning the upcoming season
as well as TNB’s. “We did our last
show, “Country Hearts” and two
days later 1 left for New Brunswick,
arriving two days before Labour
Day. The Young Company was
already in rehearsals.”
She explained that TNB’s season
is quite different from Blyth’s in
that it tours to nine cities beginning
with eight or nine shows in
Fredericton which are followed by a
few one-night stands, then another
run somewhere else. It is, she says,
a “massive operation”.
Another difference is the size of
the audience. “The whole popula
tion of New Brunswick is 700,000
and one-third are French speak
ing,” says Janet. “You don’t have
the density of population that you
do here so the resources in terms of
audience and fundraising are smal-
Smiling return
Janet Amos takes a break outside of Blyth Memorial Hall.
Janet, who was Artistic Director of the Festival from 1984-1988
is back for the first time since appearing in Colleen Curran’s
comedy “Local Talent”, the season’s opening play.
ler. You couldn’t do things the
same way you do here, which was
hard to get used to at the start.”
It was an experience she would
n’t have missed. “I was privileged
to get to know one province in the
Maritimes and understand the
regionalism. They are a microcosm
of Canada, a place with all the
elements of Canada, like a mini
country.”
After four years at TNB it was
again time to move on. Janet says
that she felt four years a good
length of time and there wasn’t a
lot for Ted, (husband Ted Johns,
writer-in-residence this season at
Blyth) to do, as TNB is the only
theatre in that area. Her final year
OPP worried about
The Ontario Provincial Police is
encouraging safe and attentive
driving during this last holiday
weekend of summer. T/Sgt. Bob
Lyon says the usual heavy volume
of traffic, particularly on roadways
leading to and from recreation
areas, puts a strain on drivers.
“Reaction time is lessened when
aperson has been behind the wheel
for more than an hour”, says Lyon,
provincial traffic program co-ordin
ator. “And if a driver is distracted
at all, that’s another reason to pull
off the highway for a break”.
Statistics indicate between 11
and 19 people died and more than
500 were injured in accidents
investigated by the OPP during
each of the past three Labour Day
weekends.
“I encourage motorists to allow
coincided with the 20th anniver
sary, “a spectacular season” ac
cording to Janet. “We did two new
plays, ‘Guys and Dolls’, a Welsh
play and finished with a new play
based on a book called “Various
Persons Named Kevin O’Brian” by
Alden Nowlan. The play was
written by Paul Hanna and Terry
Tweed and was Janet said, “a
wonderful way to finish my time”.
Returning to Blyth, has proven to
be another wonderful experience
for Janet, Ted, and their sons,
Joey, 13 and Chris, 20. It has
provided them with the opportunity
to renew old acquaintances and
make new ones.
Chris, who is studying at George
Brown College to be an actor has
holiday drivers
sufficient time for their trip and to
resist the desire to make up for lost
time by passing other vehicles
when it is not clearly safe to do so”.
He says his goal is to reduce the
number of accidents this holiday
weekend.
T/Sgt. Lyon says: “Speed, alco
hol, drugs and failure to buckle up
continue to be contributing factors
in most fatal accidents around the
province”.
The family of
HARRY AND LUELLA
REGELE
would like to invite their
friends, relatives and
neighbours to an
to celebrate their
40TH WEDDING
ANNIVERSARY
to be held at
Brodhagen Hall on
Sunday, Setember 9,1990
from 1-5 p.m.
only been able to visit briefly with
his family, as he is working at the
concessions at the Royal Albert
Theatre in Toronto for the summer.
But, on one trip home, he attended
a party with a lot of friends from his
Grade 8 class, Janet said, in
addition to seeing several friends
from hockey school. Joey, on the
other hand doesn’t have strong
memories of his years in Blyth as
he was only seven when the family
left, so was therefore a little
reluctant to spend the summer
here. However, after becoming
involved with the Young Company
he has made many new friends,
Janet said which has been terrific.
For Janet the return has been
busy, but enjoyable. While only
performing in one production she
also directed the award winning
“Albertine in Five Times” by
Michel Tremblay. But, it is her role
in “Local Talent” that she regards
with the most enthusiasm. “I have
liked doing Local Talent,” she said.
“It’s been tons of fun and if we
have a good audience it’s unbeliev
able.” It takes a really good
audience to get things cooking.”
She does however admit to some
bias on the subject, being an ardent
admirer of Colleen Curran’s work.
“I think Colleen’s work is extreme
ly warm. It creates a camaraderie
in the group and that spills over.”
Taking the time to look at Blyth
Festival in retrospect and beyond,
Janet is optimistic about its future.
Both she and Ted, who as writer-in-
residence has worked very closely
with next year’s Artistic Director
Peter Smith, are very impressed
with what they have seen. One of
the hardest parts of the job, Janet
explains, is to keep everyone on an
even keel, particularly when they
know the script isn’t quite ready. A
director needs to be able to sense
what has to be done with the script,
while at the same time being
sensitive to the needs of the writer,
You say only 59 years
But now you’ve been caught
You’re actually 60
Who would have thought.
Happy Birthday
anyway
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who, she says is especially vulner
able. “You can be a good director,
but, not have a clue what to do with
a script or how to work with the
people involved. Peter, seems to
have that ability. I am excited
about the future here.”
Janet looks forward to being part
of other Blyth seasons, though she
says, perhaps not in the immediate
future. “I believe that new Artistic
Directors need to make their own
way for the first while, without any
previous ones around. But, I hope
Peter does ask me back eventually.
This is my favourite place in the
world.”
TheFamilyof
ERNEST AND ANNA
SNELL
wishes to invite
relatives and friends
to an
in honour of their
50thWEDDING
ANNIVERSARY
on
SATURDAY
SEPTEMBER 1,1990
from 2 p.m.-4 p.m. and
7p.m.-9p.m.
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