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Village Squire, 1975-02, Page 29• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • That's• • • •• • • Entertainment•• • • .••••••••••••••••••• , • • • • • • • • • • Permanent home for Playhouse When the professional theatre news in this area starts coming fast and furious can spring be far away? The casting notices from the Stratford Festival have been appearing regularly for more than a month and now comes news from the Huron Country Playhouse, the Grand Bend -area summer theatre. The Playhouse is taking a step towards permanence with the appointment of an architect to design a permanent playhouse on the farm that has been home for the tent theatre for the past several seasons. The building, to be completed in three phases over the next three years, will have seating capacity for 500 people compared to the 300 capacity during the 1974 season. While the new building will be modern on the interior, it will be designed to blend in with the rural atmosphere on the exterior. There will be stage enough to allow full-scale musicals. Architect is to be Peter Smith of Lett/Smith, Toronto who took part in the design of the Firehall Theatre and the Shaw Festival Theatre in Niagara on the Lake. This, will be a modest venture in comparison, however with phase 1, the basic structure, to cost about $50,000. This section is expected to be completed for the 1975 season. Benson Tuckey, who served as chairman of the board for the past two seasons, is heading as fund-raising campaign to finance the building. NEW FACES FOR FAMOUS [ OR INFAMOUS] TORONTO PLAY Despite the publicity that makes it out to be some sort of pornographic cheapshot, critical reviews for the Toronto play I Love You Baby Blue have been generally favourable. As usual in many cases like this, the sensation over nudity has completely covered up (if you'll excuse the expression) the content of,the play put on by Theatre Passe Muraille which is an exploration of the sexual attitudes of Torontonians. Many in the area are probably wondering how the friendly open actors who took part in such familiar shows as The Farm Show, Them Donnellys and 1837, The Farmers Revolt could now be uncovering themselves in this famous production by Theatre Passe Muraille in a United Church in Toronto. Well they aren't. The cast for this play has little resemblance to the casts of the other plays. Actors such as David Fox, for instance, are working elsewhere at present. Fox is down at the St. Lawrence Centre playing in the highly acclaimed play Article 58 by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. Meanwhile, no reason was given (such as the adverse publicity over Baby Blue which could hurt the group locally) but the company has decided not to go ahead with its planned spring tour of this area with a new play. It's to be hoped that because of one controversial production in Toronto we don't lose the skills of the group which brought such good entertainment to local audiences in the past couple of years. For many, it was the first professional theatre they had seen locally for a generation. If the group doesn't continue to bring its work it will be our loss. JULIO moi/ ROYAL HOMES LIMITED WINGHAM, ONTARIO, CANADA P.O. BOX 370 PH. (519) 157-2606 This is the floor plan of one of our most popular models. May we suggest that you visit our model home located in front of our factory in north Wingham. Turn west at the liquor store and cross the bridge, then turn left and we are at the end of the street. The model is open daily, except Sunday, from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. or evenings by appointment. It would be our pleasure to discuss at your convenience all details and the possibilities of modifying the layout to your requirements - no obligation of course. Please send me more information - Name Adress Phone O I own a lot ❑ I do not own a lot. VILLAGE SOUIRE/FEBRUARY 1975. 27