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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1988-08-17, Page 8PAGE 8. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 17, 1988. Four students have had a chance to see theatre work close up this summer with their jobs at the Blyth Festival. Working at the Festival have been [left to right] Mark McDonnell, Stephen Souch, Christina Roulston and Heather Morton. Cranbrook Compiled by Mrs. Mac Engel. Phone 887-6645 Australian visitors given Canadian tour Local students learn working in theatre not all glamorous Working at the Blyth Festival for the summer may take you close to the bright lights but four area young people have discovered that all is not glamorous in the world of theatre. Heather Morton of Belgrave, Mark McDonnell and Christina Roulston of East Wawanosh and Stephen Souch of Blyth have discovered that for every shining moment on stage there are many hours of hard work going into the behind the scenes work of every­ thing from laundering costumes to stringing electrical wires to clean­ ing toilets. In herwork as a dresser, Heather comes the closest of the students to sampling the bright lights. One of her jobs is to help the actors with quick changes when they come off the stage in one costume and have to re-enter in another seconds later. The grade 12 student at F.E. Madill Secondary School has other duties with the theatre as well. She spends about three hours a day washing and ironing costumes and making repairs where something has been damaged during a previous performance. The most difficult of the shows this summer for both parts of her job is “Fires in the Night,’’ the show about the School-on-Wheels. There are dozens of costumes in the large cast show that must be kept in order as well as a huge cast that must get on and off the stage. Heather has been in charge of the children in the production between the times they spend on stage. As if all this hasn’t been enough to keep her busy, Heather also helped Alison Dunn, another student from Clinton working at the Festival, with the children’s workshop program for young people from the area. Mark McDonnell has been part of the youth workshops at the Festival for three orfour years, joining his first year to “pass the time’’. He’s alsobeen involved with the drama club at Seaforth District High School. Now he is getting close to the professional world as a technical apprentice. He was hired to help out with the lighting and sound crews at the theatre but has been helping in the carpentry shop as well. He’s learned that in theatre you start at the bottom getting the ‘ ‘joe jobs” of everything from cleaning rehearsal halls to taping down electrical cables. He helps hang the lights when a new show opens and does “the most boring job in theatre’’ when he “walks’’ the stage, standing in different places on the stage while lighting design­ ers adjust the lighting level to eliminate shadows. It helps to bring a book for that job, he says. Brighter things are ahead how­ ever as he is being trained to look after lights and sound for the touring attractions that will come to Memorial Hall this fall and spring when the professional staff isn’t on hand. For Stephen Souch and Chris­ tina Roulston the glamour of the theatre is even more distant. They are the cleaning crew for the theatre doing everything from vacuuming rugs to plunging toilets and picking up cigarette butts that clutter the sidewalks and grass around the theatre’s entrance Ethel Compiled by Mrs. Margaret McMahon. Phone 887-9250 Ethel area population increases There’s a new baby on the sixth of Grey. Mr. and Mrs. Dick Dewit have a little girl. Several people from Ethel at­ tended the buck and doe for Sherry Stevens and Bradley Black on Saturday evening. Congratulations to Tom Bowes and Darlene Smith who were married on Saturday. Michelle Krauter is to be the Ethel W.I. representative in the Brussels Queen of the Fair compe­ following each performance. This is the fourth season for Stephen at the job after coming in late one season to fill in for that season’s janitorwhowas leaving to goto school. He has also worked as a volunteer usher for five years and as part of the job has helped out in The Food Spot, the theatre’s food concession. While the job gets a little monotonous sometimes, he says, the good part of the job is getting to meetall the nice people who are part of the Festival company. It’s been nice this summer to have two people on the job, he says. Christina, a grade 13 student at Central Huron Secondary School, is in her first summer in this position althoughshe worked in the Food Spot three years ago and has ushered as well. Both agree the worst part of the job is dealing with malfunctioning toilets. More exciting things are in store for Stephen as he cuts his summer job short this week and leaves for a year-long exchange to Norway. After having a break from the theatre he might like to come back and be involved in some other aspect of theatre, he says. tition. Joan and John Smith entertain­ ed 39 members of John’s family on Sunday afternoon. Michelle McMahon and friend RobertElTantawny from White River attended the Francis Ford and Jane Saldivar wedding in Seaforth on Saturday. Send a UNICEF card, Save a child’s life. Mr. and Mrs. Ross Knight and their daughter Mary Ellen and her husband John Bignell have return­ ed from a two-week trip to the east coast. They also took John’s mother, uncle, and three aunts from Australia to see the sights. They stopped at Brighton where John and Mary Ellen will live in September, stopped at Picton to visit Mr. and Mrs. Hector Knight, took 1000 Island boat cruise, toured old Fort Henry at Kingston, the locks at Peterborough, Quebec City, the Magnetic Hill, at Monc­ ton, N.B., Louisburg on Cape Breton Island, and had a delightful visit with friends on P.E.I. who cooked up a scrumptious lobster feed. Mr. and Mrs. Wilfred Strickler and grand-daughters Jennifer and Jolanda Vanass attended the Cornish-Delage wedding in Corn­ wall on August 6. The groom is Mrs. Strickler’s nephew. They visited with Bruce and Ann Roger and family at Pickering on the way home and enjoyed fishing from their new boat. Wilfred caught a big one. Mr. and Mrs. Bert van Donkers- goed, WestMontrose, were dinner guests with Mr. and Mrs. Jack Conley on Saturday. Mr. and Mrs. Don Cotton visited Monday and Tuesday in Wallace­ ONLY 16 SHOPPING DAYS LEFT SO IT’S myJ w SALE RACKS $6.00-9.00-10.00 & More AUTUMN LINE OFTANGIERS, PANTS, SWEATERS&SKIRTS SWEATERS BY KNITCRAFT FASHIONS OFCANADA CONTINENTALS PICKLES CLOTHING FOR BOYS FLEECESETS SEE THE LATEST IN FALL CLOTHING & FOOTWEAR FOR BOYS & GIRLS SIZES 7 -16 MasterCard burg with Garnet Starr. A miscellaneous shower for Christine Bragg, was held in the Community Centre on Tuesday evening, August 9. Mrs. Jack Knight presided for a program consisting of readings by Mrs. Stuart Stevenson, and a fun game which involved everyone, conduc­ ted by Nancy Vanass. An address to the guest of honor was read by Mrs. Dave Rapson, who was seated along with her mother Mrs. Harold Bragg, and sister Laurie. Each wore an attractive corsage made by Mrs. Frank Workman. Many useful and beautiful gifts were presented to Christine and she expressed her thanks to all. A lunch of cake, ice cream and beverage was served by several neighbours and friends. Mrs. Pearl Hinckley, Owen Sound, Mr. and Mrs. Don Lewis, Toronto, Mrs. Pearl Plewis, Gravenhurst, and son Gary and wife of Grimsby, Sharon Engel, London, Mrs. Bruce Burdett, Rosanne and Brent, Waterloo, called on Mrs. Mac Engel during the past week. Mrs. Wilfred Strickler was a patient in Wingham hospital for a couple of days. Lloyd Smith underwent surgery on his arm in University Hospital, London on Thursday. k FTODAY