Village Squire, 1978-10, Page 31because the theatre has tended to do pretty
modern things.
The end of January will see the third
production of the season The Lion In
Winter. It is hoped to import two guest
artists to play the lead roles of King Henry
and Eleanor of Acquitaine but this is
dependent on a special Canada Council
grant.
Those who like musicals will get their
turn when A Funny Thing Happened on
the Way to the Forum is put on stage as the
fourth production of the season. Perhaps
"on" stage is the wrong phrase since the
stage will overflow the usual stage area in
the little theatre in order to accomodate the
large set for the play.
The season will end with something for
those who like Canadian theatre with a
double bill of Herringbone. by Tom Cone
and Surprise. Surprise by Michel
Trembley.
"If somebody asks me the philosophy
behind my choice of plays," Rex says, "I
say it's first of all survival. There's
something for everyone. something that
will appeal to virtually every taste."
Still, although survival is a key
consideration in choosing plays for the
theatre Rex refuses to play it safe. One of
the plays he has produced was Eugene
O'Neil's drama A Long Day's Journey into
Night. a show many people find a little too
heavy for enjoyment.
The Road Show Theatre has become a
stepping stone to bigger things for many of
the young people working there. It's
basically a young company because of the
low budget and the fact the theatre can't
afford bigger salaries. "We can't offer
actors a lot of money but we can offer them
some good parts," Rex says. This policy
has been responsible for bringing some of
his actors back to the company after
they've left for bigger theatres but found
themselves in tiny roles.
The theatre is not a member of Actors'
Equity, the union of professional actors in
Canada. To some that means the theatre is
not a "professional" theatre, he says, but
he regrets that there is this sense in
Canada that unionized and professional are
the same things. Still he has hopes of being
able to join Equity in the near future and
already pays close to the union scale to his
actors.
Community involvement is a heavy part
of the success of the theatre. Apprentices
from the university and the high schools
are involved both on and off stage. One
high school even gives course credits for
work done by its students at the theatre.
Community volunteers also help out in
many other ways. There is also a double
board of directors with a management
board of eight and a large advisory board of
resource people.
One of the areas that Rex tries to work
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hard at is the image of the company.
Guelph, he says, is a conservative town
and so he impresses on his company that
they can't go around town with long greasy
hair, a ripped T-shirt and sandals. One of
the first tasks of the theatre was to
establish credibility to let people know that
this wasn't just a bunch of kids downtown
in an old church who would be there today
and gone tomorrow. That has been done,
he says, by the simple fact the theatre has
survived for four years. Now he wants to
make the next move to make the theatre a
thriving and popular part of the local
scene. That day will arrive when the 160
seats are full every night. With patience
and enthusiasm, Rex Buckle seems sure
the day is just around the corner. 0
No running.
No walking.
No exercise.
No effort.
Penalty —
a shorter life.
No argument.
Fitness is fun.
CaTry some.
EpaRAOpa[I/On��
iNis Tv
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VILLAGE SQUIRE/OCTOBER 1978. PG.29.