HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1979-08-01, Page 5• z
irector and actressfin•
Blyth Festival unique theatre
Leclmew SNOW, Wednesday, An ut 1a 1979—Page %
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BY SHIRLEY McPHEE see McGillicuddy come to life through the
portrayal- by actor Layne Coleman.
Janet Amos and Anne Anglin met in high Janet Amos explains that the play tells the
school. Since those school days in Toronto, `' tale of McGillicuddy's plans to go away for a
they have crossed each other's paths a peaceful long weekend but how, at the last
number of dines, most often through their minute, he is deluged by a rush of problems
work with Theatre Passe Muraille where and ,complaints.
they ,have both acted or followed their Harriet Moneybanks, played by Anne
husbands' work. Anne Anglin is the wife of Anglin, is only one . of McGillicudy's
Paul Thompson, founder of Passe. Muraille headaches. As the domineering banker's
and Janet Amos is the wife of Ted Johns, a wife, Mrs. Moneybanks wants immediate
Clinton native and major contributor to the actin after her son. is kidnapped.
Toronto based theatre group. .`Playing Harriett is fun. I don't know any
Although their husbands are well known one person like her. She's an amalgamation
in Canada and abroad, these two highly of a whole bunch of people," Anne explains.
talented ladies have no need to stand in the Anne, who has worked on television and
shadows of .their spouses. They have both with Passe Muraille, is enjoying the play.
proven themselves as accomplished actress- "Comedy is pleasant and easier to work
es on a number of stages in the country. with but I like to make a point as well. A play
This summer, they will be showingtheir can get boring if it's too funny."
talents. at the Blyth Summer Festival. Anne Janet notes,. "Anne works closest to the
is acting in two plays, This Foreign Land and style of the minor characters in the play. She
McGillicuddy's Lost Weekend. makes them crazy, wonderful and funny."
Janet will show her yearsof experience in As director, Janet enjoys working with
theatre and television as she prepares to McGillicuddy's .playwright.
take on the job as the Festival's artistic "Keith takes a character and gives -them
director and as her fist task, directs certain weaknesses and works the play
McGillicuddy. • around that. Some of his characters were too
Presently, the women are both concentrat- broad and I had to develop them to show
ing all their efforts on McGillicuddy which
opened Tuesday night, July 24 and will run
until August 17.
The play is likely to draw a large audience
from the community since it was written by
Blyth's own Keith Roulston. Keith,wzwho is
now known for three other plays, is also
remembered by people as former editor and
publisher of The Blyth Standard, editor of
the Clinton News-Recordand. is . currently
editor and publisher of The Village Squire.
It is on the back pages of this monthly
magazine that the chronicles of the hard-
working, underpaid Constable McGillicuddy
began.
People have been enjoying the antics .of
the small town police chief for the past two
and a half years and now they will be able to
their other -sides."
"I've been working with Keith on this for
a while now. The play's been rewritten twice
but Keith works very quickly and he easily
understands any structural .changers. It must
have something to do with his newspaper
training," she comments.
"1'm doing things again and: again till
everyone's - sick . of it," Janet admits,
throwing a quick smile to Anne.
"If a comedy isn't funny it's nothing. It's
so delicate to get it right."
Despite all the efforts put into the play,
only audience response will show the true
success of McGillicuddy. I
Both Janet and Anne trust the generally
appreciative audience,wilt accept, the newest...
performance with all thegusto they have
given to others.
"This is a unique theatre," Janet
exclaims, "tile audiences are just great."
Both Janet, who has worked with CBC on
the weekly series., A Gift To Last and Anne,
who worked with the Stratford Festival for '
two years, agree that working in Blyth is a
great privilege.
"It's great to work in a place where you
like to live," Janet explains.
Not only the rural atmosphere, but the
area people make Blyth an enjoyable change
for these native Torontonians..
"Most of the things that support our
careers are in Toronto," Anne notes. But
she comes to Blyth • with husband Paul and
their two children even when she's not
working.
Janet prefers working in Blyth as well and
notes, "Television's a lonely thing to do.
You sometimes forget that people will watch
you and you get easily disgruntled. Even in
larger theatres, you're too remote from your
audience."
"But the audiences who come to Blyth
show that there's a tremendous need for
theatre.
Both Janet and Anne -ere completely
devoted to their work, not only in Blyth but
also throughthe winter months as well.
When. the . Blyth season finishes, Anne will
be going to Montreal to work. Janet will
return to Toronto for next winter, but will be
back in Blyth next season to carry on as
artistic director.
Neitker actress ever thought that their
weekly drama lessons in high school would
lead to this.
"I always did theatre for fun," Janet says.
"I really didn't get hooked until 'I did
Canadian •work."
"1 like theatre," Anne adds. "It's not
relaxing but it is a challenge."
Not only is their wok a challenge, but
when the day's rehearsals are finished,' both
women must return home to husbands and __admits, "but then every job has its
children: Janet's are two and nine -years -old drawbacks."
and Anne's are aged five and eight.
"The kids aren't suffering. We work
together as a family here," Anne notes as
"she eyes her two youngsters quietly sitting
in on the intervie w. The children have
always been involved in the theatre andthis
year Anne jokes that her oldest daughter is
going on tour. She will .be on the stage as she
takes part in the Children's Theatre
Workshop which will travel around the area.
With some concern, Janet explains that
the theatre can be hard on people with
families. The long, late hours, the amount of
travelling and the pressure of the work can
leave a mark on children and many theatre
couples split up.
"You have to make some sacrifices for
your family," Janet claims, "but sometimes
when an opportunity comes up you have to
take it because it might not come again."
Janet has, faced such situations before.
Last summer, she was away for six months
and only got to see her family after a long
drive back to Toronto.
"I was always working, driving or living.
out of two residences. I don't think I could do
that again."
_ Another time, she accepted .a job just
before her second child was due. The baby
was born between jobs and Janet managed
as a mother and actress by taking her baby
to work.
"Having a husband in the theatre
business makesit easier on the family,"
Anne reasons.,, "He realizes the difficulties '
and can help too."
When Anne or Janet's husbands aren't
working on a steady job, but the women are,
the men take care of the children. The same
works in reverse when the men are working
on a play. At Blyth however, the families J'"
work together, making home life more
comfortable.
"This can be a tricky. business," Anne
Mercury the mystery metal - a persistent pollutant
BY RON REID
One of the most persistent
and controversial pollutants
of the last decade has been
mercury - one,of the so-called
heavy : metals.. Originally \ id-
entified as a concern because
of high' emission=s`from pulp
and paper operations, mer-
cury provides a fascinating.
case study, into the 'handling
of toxic pollutants in Ontario.
Mercury is very stable,
meaning that once it escapes
into the environment it stays
there for a long time. As
well, a form of mercury 'be-
comes biologically active, and.
enters the food chain, accum-
ulatin higher and higher
levels•in the predators at the
top of that chain. Man is at
the very top, and occurrences
of mercury poisoning 'in
Japan sparked fears of a
similar tragedy here.
Mercury affects the nervi-
system. When seeds for
field crops were treated with
a mercury pesticide, pois-
oning of birds, causing stag-
gering, convulsions, and
death was fairly common.
When mercury poisoning in
humans reaches high levels,
similar symptoms occur.
The control measures of
the last, ten years are
beginning to show results.
Mercury concentrations in
falcon eggs have dropped
steadily on the prairies as a
result of the banning of
mercury treating of seeds.
Samples of crayfish in mer
curt' -polluted waters .show a
similar decline. Mercuryem-
issions from chlor-alkili
plants, a major source, have
dropped 99% since 1972
when tough regulations came
into effect.
Nevertheless, the problem
remains serious. Large .quan-
tities 'of mercury remain in
the polluted sediments at the
Dates
Available
tucknow &
District
Community
Centre
AUGUST
Friday 10
SEPTEMBER
OCTOBER
Friday 12
Friday 19
Friday 28
• FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION AND MID
WEEK BOOKINGS
CALL 528-3532
bottom of lakes and rivers
contaminated before 1972.
One of the side effects of the
increasing acidification of
these waters by acid,.rain is
an increase inthe availability
of heavy metals, including
mercury.
One puzzling aspect is the.
presence of mercury• in many
lakes with no industrial
source located nearby. Scien-
tists now think that airborne
transport plays a major role,
and that emissions into the
atmosphere from smelters,
the burning of fossil fuels,
and chlor-alkili plants could
be important sources.
If you eat fish caught in
Ontario, you are wise to
check the provincial govern-
ment's guide on safe levels
for their consumption. While
we are coming closer to
control of mercury emissions
from major sources, the
legacy of our past errors will
be with us for a longtime to
come.
6
r
Dungannon's Third Annual
,_, - SLOW PITCH TOURNAMENT
:=, At Dungannon Boll Park
.e • g Dun anon Agricultural Grounds
Friday ,Aug. 3
itthru Sunday, Aug. S
. j`' , r`, '' , Trophies Awarded to Winners
i`' Food On Grounds
/ / t>
qw Held Under The Authority Of A
Special Occasion Permit
SATURDAY, AUGUST 4 - •
FRIDAY, AUGUST 3 - '
6:45 p.m. Kinloss vs Lucknow 9.00 a.m. Signal Star vs Try I-Iards
8:00 p.m. 1863 vs Tickers 10:15 a.m. Lanes vs Kingsbridge
9:15 p.m. Stothers vs Dungannon 11:30 a.m. North Ashfield vs Port Albert
12:45 p.m. Oldtimers vs West Wawanosh
2:00 p.m. Belfast vs Winthrop
— Games continue eveiryhour and 15 minutes on Saturday and Sunday. Sunday games start at 9 a.m.
— Sunday 8:30 p.m. "A" division winners play "B division winners for grand championship