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Village Squire, 1978-06, Page 11Oklahoma, which ran for five years on Broadway, will be the 1940's entry. The play will run for two weeks from Aug. 1-12. The 1950's play, Picnic, is a story of conflict and romance sparked when a young vagabond saunters into a small mid -western town. The author, William Inge, won a Pulitzer Prize and Critics Award for the play, which was made into a hit movie starring William 'Holden and Kim Novak. Mr. Murphy said this play running for two weeks from Aug. 15-26 "sums up the decade very beautifully." The final production of the season from Aug. 26 to Sept. 2, is the 1930's Springtime for Henry. This British comedy by Ben Levy, presents a wealthy young bachelor whose affairs are temporarily interrupted by a prim young secretary. Mr. Murphy said this season, though basically similiar to its proceeding ones, is characterized by some changes. For instance, he said this is the first time the playhouse has put its productions. which are focused upon the idea of classics, into a neat little package saluting the decades. Another change is the premiere production of a new script, Two Below. ' Or in the case of Parlour, Bedroom and Bath, digging up a play from obscurity and producing it for the first time in 40 or 50 years. "I would say there is a certain experimental quality in it," said Mr. Murphy. Unlike previous years when there would be a different play each week, this season there will be six productions in the eight-week schedule. The artistic director explained that the playhouse is now able to relax its previous "weekly stock" format and hold certain plays for two weeks, since audience size has sufficiently expanded. The seating capacity of the four-year-old barn theatre is 500. Mr. Murphy said at present they cannot boast of a full house every evening. but with seasonal subscriptions he expects the theatre will be 75 to 80 per cent full for every performance, including Wednesday matinees. In addition to the six plays, the playhouse has other seasonal plans which include a children's theatre. At the time of this interview, •plans were not finalized, but Mr. Murphy said he expects two groups from Toronto will come to the playhouse and put on separate shows for children. He said this attraction in earlier years drew several thousand children. On Aug. 6, a fund-raising international art auction will be held for the second year at the playhouse. A collection of international paintings put together from various art dealers will go on the block, with proceeds going to the playhouse. Last year gross sales from the auction were 525,000. Mr. Murphy said the playhouse's annual operational budget is 5200,000. He said the non-profit corporation raises money from ticket sales, assistance from various levels of government, private contributions and the auction. Individual actors and actresses are hired by Mr. Murphy. who assigns them roles in the plays. He said the players numbering about 50, form a "working nucleus from show to show but leading roles are different.' This season's star attractions,are Toronto actors Jack Duffy and Les Carlson. who will appear in The Odd Couple. Also CFPL-TV personality Judy Savoy will be a feature player in Parlour, Bedroom and Bath. She will play the part of a gossip columnist who, while getting the scoop. gets entangled in an hilarious menage a trois. Local players include Tracey Holman from Grand Bend appearing in Oklahoma, Don Flackser and Alison Grant from London, who have not yet been assigned roles. Mr. Murphy said while the majority of players are from Toronto. the technical department predominantly consists of local people. Rehearsals are slated to begin June 19, with opening night July 4. Besides being entertained by the plays, Mr. Murphy wants to leave the people with an insight into human nature. "We learn quite a bit about ourselves by watching theatre," he said. "And I frequently think we can learn more from comedy than any other form," for observing a human situation in a comedy "enlightens the audience in a very charming way." He said the bulk of the playhouse's audiences are local people, even though Grand Bend is a popular tourist resort in the summer. He said the playhouse has developed an audience in Grand Bend that did not previously exist, for current season subscribers were not theatre goers before. In 1972 Mr. Murphy founded the playhouse because "there was an obvious need for an entertainment spot in this region." And seven years later, he calls the venture a success for "100,000 people cannot be wrong." "I am pleased of course that people hale identified with the playhouse and have enjoyed and supported it," he said, adding there is always more to be done, for a job is never finished. Future plans for the playhouse include expanding audience size and the length of the season, which is now restricted to the summer months because of lack of heating facilities in the barn theatre. He would also like to be able to do more of the slightly unusual productions like revival of the 1920's play and presenting a play for the first time. However, Mr. Murphy said the playhouse will continue to concentrate on the popular plays, as they fit in well with the casual, relaxed atmosphere of the rustic barn theatre. "We try and do what we do best and kind of make a speciality of it," he said, emphasing that each theatre is unique in its style and characteristics. .1 YOUR LAST OPPORTUNITY To Reserve A Seat On Our SEPT. 8 TO 24 SERENE SEASON* U.K. TOUR AT CHARTER CLASS FARES SEND FOR OUR BROCHURE NOW. 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