Village Squire, 1978-08, Page 30Mazurka, the wicked witch played by Ann Coulter and her Warlock Borsten played by Rob
McEwan plot to destroy the pretty witch Rondo, Debbie Shaddick in a scene from The
Foundling Witch by the Goderich Little Theatre.
with no money.
"We had a joke that this is a poverty
theatre so everybody scrounge, beg and
get whatever you can."
She said props and costumes were
recycled from the regular season's stock,
and people lent furniture. The performance
of four plays have cost about $25, which the
co-ordinator said proves that vast sums of
money are not necessary to put on a
summer theatre.
The season's last scheduled show from
Aug. 9-11, consists of two plays by Brian
Markson of Goderich. The first, "Faith is a
PG. 28. VILLAGE SOUIRE/AUGUST 1978.
Sure Bet", is a Light comedy, while the sec-
ond, "Winter Wheat" is a comedy drama
dedicated to the gaol. Anna said the second
has a little bit of everything in it including
some Shakespeare.
Other plays written by local people were
"Hans-Gret" an adaptation of the
traditional story of Hansel and Gretel by
Pat Reinhart of Goderich and "The
Foundling Witch" by Warren and Eleanor
Robinson, Goderich high school teachers.
The Robinsons are also the authors of the
light drama "The Gray Ones" performed
Aug. 2-4.
Anna is pleased with the audience
response. "We got a lot more people than
we thought we would have." She said
turnout has been as high as 45 at the goal
and 100 at the provincial park.
"It's a pleasant way to spend an evening
and for a buck it is cheap."
Without hesitation, she calls Theatre
Summer '78 a total success. And because
of its success, Anna said there is no reason
why it cannot be carried on next year "for
it takes so little effort and the costs are so
minimal."
"It will be something that just grows
each year," she said.
"And even if we had a flop, they (young
people) have got involved and we have
enjoyed it."
SUMMER HOUSE ONE
While Theatre Summer '78 entertains at
the gaol and provincial park, Summer-
house One presents live theatre in the
park.
Each Monday during lunch hour at the
Court House park in Goderich this group
presents improvised plays depicting the
town, its people and historical beginnings.
Spokesman Leslie Hogan said Monday
mornings the group members get together
and select a theme that is relevant to
current events in Goderich.
"We are holding up a mirror to what is
going on in Goderich," she said.
Once the theme is choosen, the actors
then develop plot lines, situations and
character roles to illustrate it. All this
before the noon hour performance.
What we do Mondays is almost totally
off-the-cuff, Leslie said.
She said the idea of improvised theatre is
to take a theme then illustrate it with
between seven to 15 scenes in an
entertaining way without a script.
Improvisation theatre does not resemble
conventional theatre, she said, but is
rather like a "grab bag of styles...includ-
ing, mime, songs, dance, comedy and
some standard routines."
For instance, one week the group chose
the theme entertainment. Their characters
were a group of clowns appropriately
made-up and dressed, which itself was
visual entertainment. The plot involved a
clown who had lost his job. His peers tried
to cheer him up with slapstick comedy
routines. The group even incorporated a
song and called it "Saturday Night in
Goderich."
Leslie said though the clowns did not
depict the town, the characters they played
were definitely Goderich. The unemployed
clown had worked at the salt mines, and
one of his buddies was a downtown
merchant concerned about the develop-
ment of shopping malls.
People enjoy plays centered on Goderich
and area because they can relate to the
situations and characters, said Leslie.
For the rest of the week, the actors
polish up Monday's play to perform at
children's shows and nursing homes.
The actors, mainly in their late teens, are
working with an $8,000 arts grant from
Canada Manpower. When the eight-week
program ends Aug. 25, Leslie said they will