Village Squire, 1978-06, Page 16New
theatre
At the rate he's going, Jim Schaefer should soon have fans all
over Western Ontario.
A London native, Schaefer began his theatre career there after
giving up a career in journalism that took him to daily
newspapers in Windsor and London. With the Theatre London
young company he took part in several productions then moved
on to Toronto. In Toronto he auditioned for a role that brought
him back to Western Ontario with the Blyth Summer Festival in
its inaugural season of 1975.
He took part that year in the creation of Mostly in Clover
adapted from the books of Harry J. Boyle. After a stint in
Vancouver that winter, he came back for his second season in
Blyth in a double capacity. He recreated his role in the
remounting of Mostly in Clover, acted in two of the other
productions and wrote the final production of the year. Shape,
which dealt with the Olympics.
In addition his children's play Turkey was produced and he
starred in it himself.
In 1977 he returned as an actor and a writer and co -directed
with James Roy, the production of The Blood is Strong. Again his
play Turkey was performed. At the same time he oversaw a
children's workshop program for local youngsters where another
of his plays was done, The Maitland River Mud Monster, which
he had first had produced in Vancouver.
He wrote the Blyth Memorial History Show to celebrate the
community's centennial. It was a hilarious collection of tidbits
from the history of the area.
In the spring of this year, however, he decided he wanted to do
more so resigned his position as associate director at Blyth to
start a theatre operation in Port Stanley.
The new Port Stanley Summer Festival will open July 7 and
will be a total Jim Schaefer production. He has written all the
plays and will also direct them.
He received an $18,000 Young Canada Works grant to hire 11
Elgin County actors and Theatre Ontario gave him another grant
for $7000, its largest grant ever. At the end of the summer he
hopes to keep the company together for touring shows and
theatre workshops in Elgin county schools.
The season will open with the Fraser House Follies about a
posh turn of the century hotel in Port Stanley. It will be an
old-fashioned melodrama in the Victorian style. Between scene
changes there will be olio numbers and entr'actes.
The show will run Wednesday to Sunday each week until July
21. The second production will be The Port Stanley Memorial
History Show. The show will feature music and snipets from the
history of the village. The two shows will alternate throughout
the remainder of the season until August 26.
Two of Schaefer's children's productions will also be on view
at Port Stanley. Turkey will be served at Saturday and Sunday
matinees from July 29 to August 26.
There will also be a children's workshop program which will
feature one play made up by the children and another will be the
Kettle Creek Mud Monster.
Also planned as part of the season is an art display in the main
hall of the municipal offices and late in the season, a talent show
to which any Port Stanley area resident can take part.
If even a small portion of the friends Schaefer has made across
Western Ontario through his work shows up in Port Stanley, the
Port Stanley Summer Festival should be assured of a good start.
PG. 14. VILLAGE SQUIRE/JUNE 1978.
LEATHER FASHIONS
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