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Home My WebLink AboutThe Citizen, 1992-02-05, Page 19E ntertainment Community play plans underway THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5,1992. PAGE 19. Area artists invited show work at Wingham library A positive response to the idea of a Community Play for the Blyth area from the 50 people who attended a public meeting Wednes day night means the wheels will likely be set in motion for the play to be held in June 1993. Blyth Festival Artistic director Peter Smith said he hoped the meeting would be "the beginning of something I hope will be very exciting." A community play is a play writ ten and performed by residents of the community under professional direction. Similar plays in England and elsewhere in Canada have involved hundreds of people in the cast or behind the scenes, helping to tell the story of the community. John Orum, the British director who will be involved in the project, explained that the community play project was bom almost by acci dent in England. A London theatre professional moved to Dorset and was asked to write a play for the local school. "The play- got out of hand. Before she knew what hap pened, she had a cast of 250." Par ents, grandparents, neighbours and the comer grocer were recruited to help fill the roles. The play was presented in a fair-like atmosphere with several stages and the audi ence in the middle. The play proved so successful that similar plays have been presented in sever al other British communities, in Denmark, and in Eramosa town ship, near Rockwood in the Guelph area. He explained that a group of local researchers will start digging into the community's history look ing for interesting stories to tell and working with a professional writer. The researchers will help decide what the play should be about. There will be a reading or work shop of the material they have gath ered, then the rewriting of the script will begin. After a second draft of the script has been completed the casting will be undertaken, involv ing people from the community. There will be three months of rehearsal and 12-15 performances. The community play is "incredibly successful and rewarding". People involved get the energy of discov ery in finding "I didn't know I could do that." The play, he told those present, is "a theatre that is about your ancestors". It is a work of art, not just a social event. "If you take part you'll be in the front line of world theatre," he told them. Dale Hamilton, who was instiga tor of the Eramosa project and who will be the writer in the Blyth pro ject, showed slides of the event which was held in the ruins of an old woollen mill where five stages were set up. One of the attractions of the play is that anyone who wants a part will get a part in a community play, she said. In Eramosa many children wanted to take part so parts were created for A New Spirit of Giving A national program l<> encourage giving and volunteering In the beginning John Orum (left) a British director who has overseen several community plays in Britain, Canada, Denmark and the U.S. talks with one of about 50 people who attended a meeting in Blyth Wednesday to discuss the idea of a community play in Blyth. Support for the project was strong and work will start soon on plans for a play in June 1993. Some of the cast members of the Eramosa play were present to tell of their experiences. Nora Menzies said she was skeptical when first asked to be in the play and asked a lot of questions and read the script before agreeing to take part. She said she liked the idea of what the play was about. During the rehearsal and performances of the play she made friends of people she'd never have met otherwise. The play gave everyone new confi dence, she said. "You please and astonish yourself." The changes in the community have been tremen dous with a flourishing little theatre group growing out of the event and two Christmas variety nights being organized. There is a writers' group that meets monthly and a new polit ical awareness led new people to run for local council. Rick Hughes , who had moved to Eramosa in 1988, at first thought the play was too ambitious to get off the ground but when it did, and he got involved, he found it some thing special and unique. Through the play process people came to feel that they could do things, that they could take control. "People lost some of the fear of feeling they don't have any control.We could The Blyth Festival Singers Ceilidh An Evening of Scottish Song and Dance Saturday February 8 8:00 pm at Goderich Township Hall in Holmesville (snow date Feb. 22/92) Tickets $ 12.(Advance) $14. (At the Door) includes Buffet Supper after Show Tickets Available from Choir members, Blyth Festival Box Office (519) 523-9300, or Les Ciseaux, Clinton 482-3826. A fundraising event for the Blyth Festival Singers,. Licensed under an LLBO Special Permit. see what we could do as individu als, as a group of people and as a community." The play was a new beginning, not just an event, he said. Eramosa became"a more com passionate community, a less judg mental community". Mr. Orum said a survey sent out to Area residents had shown a very positive response. With the Blyth Festival behind the project there was a lot of local support. "We don't want to come to a community that doesn't want us," he said. He asked for a show of hands as to who wanted the project to go for ward and the response was unani mous. The project is budgeted for $115,000 with $10,000 of that to be raised through fundraising through the sale of T-shirts and other ways. Another $10,000 in grants is avail able. Mr. Orum said the Blyth Festi val's support was a way of saying thankyou to the community and an attempt by the theatre to break down barriers between the profes sionals of the theatre and the com munity. Further meetings are planned in the future to organize the research into the stories of the community. The Second Annual Exhibition of Wingham and area artists will be held at the Wingham Public Library from Feb. 25-March 14. Area artists are asked to submit paintings done during the past year to the library by Feb. 10. Anyone wanting more information can con tact the library. The event is sponsored by the Friends of the Library, an organiza tion formed to enhance activities at the library and to raise money for equipment and supplies not avail able through the library system. Chris Lee records shut-out Continued from page 18 those in attendance with four assists. Defencemen did all the first period scoring as Peter Craig counted two and Jonathan Collins notched one off of a bomb from the blueline. Ryan Chamney, Jerrod Button and Benjie Hakkers bal anced out the Scoring from the for ward ranks as each counted one goal and one assist. Tim Lyons, Wilfred Datema and Tim Cowan added single assists in the winning cause. Once again “The Leakster” came through with the big save when it was needed as he recorded yet another shut-out. Our best wishes go out to Henry Bos who broke his ankle in a snowmobile accident recently. We wish him a speedy recovery and caution him about participating in such a dangerous sport. QUOTE OF THE WEEK: Detroit Red Wings' associate coach Doug MacLean, filling in as head coach, on how he slept after his first loss: “I slept like a baby. I slept hard for two hours, woke up and cried for an hour, then went back to sleep.” Happy 19th Birthday Slim & Jeff Love Nadine The art exhibitions last year was very successful and was enjoyed by hundreds of area residents. 7 CHANCES TOWIN! BRUSSELS OPTIMISTS VALENTINE'S DRAW 1st Blyth /Londesboro Venturer Company DUCK DINNER to be held V FEBRUARY 14, 1992V at Londesboro United Church 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Adults: $8 Children: $6 For more information call: Greg Terry McClinchey Gredanus 523-9660 523-4420 THURSDAY NIGHT IS WING NIGHT 5 P.M. - MIDNIGHT WINGS 35<t EACH MINIMUM ORDER 10 a variety of sauces available Wings available for take out at regular price of 50c each. THURS., FRL, & SAT. 5 P.M. - MIDNIGHT WINGS & CHIPS $5.45 EAT IN OR TAKE OUT FRIDAY & SATURDAY FEBRUARY 7 & 8 SPECIAL RIBS & KRAUT Choice of Potato 5-8 p.m. EAT IN OR TAKE OUT THURS., FRI. & SAT. NITES PIZZA 5 P.M. - MIDNIGHT EAT IN OR TAKE OUT