Village Squire, 1979-10, Page 30PEOPLE
Heinar Piller may have left London
behind when he quit Theatre London
several seasons back to form his own
production company but he hasn't
completely forgotten the city where he
made his first big splash and the people
who helped it happen. Piller's Errant
Productions recently opened two new
shows in Toronto. One was American
Buffalo the David Mamet play that was the
hit of last season at Centre Stage Theatre
in London. Starring in the show is Wayne
Burnett who stood out in the London
production and is directed by Centre Stage
Artistic Director Ken Livingstone. The
second production is The Vaudevillians
written by former Londoner Peter Colley.
Colley got his start in writing under Piller
at Theatre London but since Piller moved
on had not had a single production at the
London theatre but had moved his
performing home north to Blyth and the
Summer Festival. His own home has
moved to Toronto where he's enjoying a
pleasant fall brightened not only by the
opening of The Vaudevillians but by the.
excitement generated by his hit play I'll Be
Back for You Before Midnight which was a
box office smash at Blyth this summer and
has producers lining up to get a chunk of
future productions.
While some seek the bright lights of
success others don't mind being out of the
harsh light. One of the latter is
Lucknow-native Paul Henderson, once a
national hero for his goal scoring feats with
Team Canada '72 in Russia. In recent years
he's played in relative obscurity in
Birmingham Alabama and he likes it that
way, so much that he won't take advantage
of offers to join NHL clubs but will continue
to play in Birmingham now that it is a
minor league city again. Henderson who is
36, wants to finish out his career in the
deep south then hopes to enter the
ministry. He's been deeply religious for
several years taking a good-natured
ribbing from members of teams he has
played with.
Out of the convent and into the bestseller
Bit was the path taken by St. Thomas
writer Mary Shaver. Ms. Shaver had an
instant hit two years ago when her book
The Naked Nun was released. It sold more
than 100,000 copies in paperback. Now
she's published her second book, A
Woman Alone, a novel that may not be so
sensational but has already seen an
advance order of 60,000 copies from
bookstores. The first book told of her break
from the church after spending 10 years
from 1959 to 1969 struggling with her
religious committment and her inner
desire. She finally studied art, was
dismissed from her teaching job at a
Catholic school because she sent out
28 Village Squire, October 1979
invitations to her art school with pictures of
herself in the nude and thus became
completely a part of the world outside the
church. The new book, she hopes will make
people realize she's more than an ex -nun
but a good writer as well. In January she'll
be leaving for the Caribbean to complete a
third novel.
Blacksmithing is supposed to be a lost
trade but Jim Wallace is setting his sights
on reviving it. Blacksmithing for Mr.
Wallace is not shoeing horses (the proper
name for someone who does that he says is
a farrier) but in all the other kinds of work
with iron such as wrought iron railings,
gates and other ornamental work. He set
up shop earlier this year in Benmiller in a
building that once housed one of the two
blacksmithing shops in the village. Since
then, he says, he's been kept busy because
the people of Huron county are interested
in hand crafted work. Mr. Wallace who
figures he's one of only three blacksmiths
left in Huron county picked up his interest
in blacksmithing from his father, the late
Dr. J.W ".".:."-ace of Goderich. He's part of
a very busy family. His mother Dorothy is
chairman of the Goderich Performing Arts
Foundation which is organized to turn a
livery stable into a performing arts centre.
Two brothers Bob and Bill run Maitland
Woodworking in Fordwich and a sister
Ruth owns the Bayfield landmark The
Little Inn.
With today's cutbacks in theatre the one
way to make sure you have work is to
create your own play. That's what Stratford
Festival actor Eric Donkin has done and it
will keep him active this winter touring
across the country. With friend and
director John Banks he created the
one-man play The Wonderful World of
Sarah Binks. Actually it could be called a
one -woman show since Donkin plays Miss
Rosalind Drool, a former student of
elocution who has as her goal to tell the
story of Sarah Binks the prairie poetess and
invention of Manitoba writer Paul Hiebert.
Donkin will tour the country with the show
this winter stopping at Theatre London's
McManus Studio from Jan. 8 to 12.
can vt'ea
A CHRISTMAS
COUNTRY FAIR
DISPLAY & SALE
OF LOCAL ARTS,
CRAFTS & COUNTRY BAKING.
Wednesday. October 17 and
Saturday. October 20, 1979.
Salttord Valley Hall
north of Goderich
SPECIAL FEATURES INCLUDE:
Metal sculpture by Wm. Clawson,
Camlachie;
wrought iron by James Wallace, Benmiller
Sommersun Glass Works, Dungannon
(Philip Sommer & Pauli Polzin];
glass & dried flower designing.
THE
BOOK
SHOP
13 WELLINGTON STREET N.
ST. MARYS,
(519) 284-3171
Enjoy the
relaxed
atmosphere
of a friendly
bookstore.
Browse and
talk books.
Excellent assortment
of children's books.
Canadiana
special orders.