HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1992-06-10, Page 23Theatre Review
Japanese play mesmerizing
THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10,1992. PAGE 23.
BY CHRIS ROULSTON
This weekend Blyth Festival
goers were treated to three spectac
ular performances of Kanashibetsu,
a Japanese play written and direct
ed by Soh Kuramoto, and put on by
the touring theatre troupe from
Furano, Japan.
The troupe played to a packed
house and enthralled viewers with
the story of Kanashibetsu, a once
prosperous coal mining town which
A proud moment
M.P.P. Murray Cardiff presented a Canadian flag to the
visiting Japanese theatre group after the performance
Friday night. The play received a standing ovation.
Kincardine hosts summer music festival
Sun, sand, fun, and lots and lots
of music!
That's the agenda for the
Kincardine Summer Music Festival
to be held August 2-8. This
musical extravaganza will include
some 200 students and 30 staff and
performers, as well as a small army
of volunteers and the music-loving
public-at-large. For the students,
festival week will be packed with
intense learning in varied
situations, and activities. For the
Kincardine area community, it will
be a musical feast, with several
concerts being held on most days.
The concerts will be celebrations of
musical friendships involving
students, teachers and some
renowned performing stars.
About one-third of the students
are expected from Kincardine, with
the rest being bussed in from
Walkerton, Hanover, Port Elgin,
Southampton, Goderich and others.
Some students from further afield
will be billeted in Kincardine for
the week. All levels of playing will
be accommodated, from beginners
to advanced musicians considering
a professional career.
Featured in the line up of
professional performing artists will
be Music Director Alain Trudel.
During their recent trip to Halifax,
members of the Kincardine High
School Senior Concert Band
experienced some of this amazing
trombone virtuoso's flair charisma
and joy of music making. He is
also a composer and conductor and
is currently completing a ballet
suite for orchestra, to be given its
premiere performance by the
Festival's Senior Orchestra.
Trumpeter and pianist Guy Few
will join Alain Trudel as instructor
for brass students, as well as in
musical collaboration during
concerts.
loses its mine following a change in
the government's energy policy.
The young people, without jobs,
leave their homes, promising to
return in three years on New Year's
Eve to search out a time capsule
rumoured to be buried deep in the
closed down mine.
Two men and a local reporter
return to complete the promise and
the search. After entering the mine,
they soon become trapped by a
cave-in and uncover the where-
String students will be coached
by the acclaimed Penderecki String
Quartet. Formed in Poland in
1981, the quartet has been hailed as
one of the finest of international
ensembles. They are currently in
residence at Wilfred Laurier
University.
There are very few pianists in
Canada in the same league with
Robert Silverman. Known as "The
Dean of Canadian pianists", Mr.
Silverman is known around the
world for his deep musicality and
technical brilliance.
There will be many programs and
activities offered, but in all, the
emphasis will be on fun in music
making. There will be programs
for all levels of playing from
beginner to advanced.
Jackie Hawley, director of the
Centennial Singers of Port Elgin,
will lead a special "Music for
Young Children" program. A half
day program will be offered for
children aged 4-6, and a full-day
program including recorder playing
(beginner) will be offered for
children aged 6-8.
At the other end of the spectrum,
the festival is expected to attract a
number of very advanced students
for whom music is a complete
passion, and who are considering a
professional career. They will
work in small ensembles such as
string quartets, piano trios and
woodwind and brass quintets, and
will be featured in week night
concerts.
Jeannette Steeves, director of the
award-winning Southampton
Children's Festival Chorus will lead
a vocal program including a
massed choir for all students, as
well as concentrated attention to
those with a special interest in
singing.
abouts of the time capsule. Their
discoveries give them new hope for
the future.
As the play is entirely in
Japanese, translation were project
ed onto a screen. Not all lines are
translated, but the dialogue was
easy to follow nonetheless.
Kanashibetsu has a strong envi
ronmental and human awareness
theme running through it, brought
about by an advancing civilization
that seems to have no care in either
direction. An old woman, played
by Yasuko Hatori, gave a running
commentary on the state of the
abandoned town and of the towns
people who are also feeling aban
doned by their country.
Scenery was minimal: screens,
cloth and scaffolding were basical
ly all the materials used. What
played up this minimalism were the
lighting and sound effects. Images
of darkness and light are strong ele
ments in the play. In one scene, a
screen is dropped in front of the
actors and they are lit from behind
to create shadows on the screen.
The effect is mesmerizing as most
of the scene is a pantomime while
one character does all of the talk
ing.
Flashbacks of the mine several
decades before take form in dance.
Those scenes left the audience
spellbound. They were so primi
tive and arousing that all eyes were
riveted on the stage. The grace of
the Japanese actors was extraordi
nary. One of the dance scenes is
set to the universal peace anthem
"Imagine" by John Lennon. The
results are quite emotional.
The plot moved quickly and kept
the audience entertained. The
Japanese performers were so con
vincing and hypnotizing that one
often forgot to read the surtitles and
just absorbed what was happening
on stage.
It was very interesting to know
that some of the problems faced by
the Japanese miners have also been
felt by miners here in Canada. The
world seems like a much smaller
place when you are aware that
everyone shares the same prob
lems.
The atmosphere after the play
was one of exhilaration and breath
lessness. Kanashibetsu is a very
stirring play and a great cultural
insight. All people involved with
the organization of this tour should
be loudly applauded.
KENNEDY-RAITHBY
Mr. & Mrs. Wayne Kennedy of
RR 3 Blyth are pleased to
announce the forthcoming mar
riage of their daughter Crystal
Diane to Eric William Raithby,
son of Mr. & Mrs. Harold
Raithby of Clinton.
The ceremony will take place
June 20, 1992 at the First
Baptist Church, Clinton.
Open reception to follow at the
White Carnation, Holmesville at
9:00 p.m.
Happy 25th
MOM & DAD
The family of
RALPH & SHARON DARLOW
Would like to invite friends,
neighbours & relatives to a
25TH ANNIVERSARY
CELEBRATION
at the Bluevale Community
Centre
SATURDAY JUNE 13, 1992
Dancing 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Best Wishes Only Please
Eugene and Mildred McAdam
invite you to a "come and
go" on their back lawn from
2-4 Sunday, June 21, 1992.
All friends and relatives
are invited to a
Come and Go Tea
for
Gordon and Agnes
McBurney's
50th Wedding
Anniversary
at the home of
Jean & Ron McBurney
on
Sunday, June 28
from
2:00 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Best Wishes Only
25th Anniversary
Purr------ty 30
Happy Birthday
’’Nettie”
June 15
The family of Don & Lenore
Scrlmgeour wish to invite
friends, relatives and
neighbours to a dance In
honour of their 25th Wedding
Anniversary on Saturday
June 13th, 1992 from 9 p.m.
to 1 a.m. at Blyth Community
Centre.
Best Wishes Only Please
ENGAGEMENT
523-9381
THURSDAY NIGHT IS
WING NIGHT
5 P.M. - MIDNIGHT
WINGS 35c EACH
MINIMUM ORDER 10
a variety of sauces available
Wings available for take out at
regular price of 50c each.
THURS., FRI., & SAT.
5 P.M. - MIDNIGHT
WINGS & CHIPS
$5.45
EAT IN OR TAKE OUT
THURS., FRI. & SAT. NITES
PIZZA
5 P.M. - MIDNIGHT
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June 12 & 13
PARK THEATRE
LONG DISTANCE? CALL 1-800-265-3438 FOR TOLL FREE MOVIE INFO j
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