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Home My WebLink AboutThe Citizen, 1993-08-25, Page 18PAGE 18. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 25, 1993. Writer shares views on TV, theatre FRENCH IMMERSION classes are being offered at Jeanne Sauve School, Stratford, and St. Mary's School, Goderich. Happy 20th Mary & Henry giappy _10th Sandra & Gary From the it, was wantabes THE HURON-PERTH COUNTY ROMAN CATHOLIC SEPARATE SCHOOL BOARD STUDENT REGISTRATION JUNIOR KINDERGARTEN - GRADE 1210.A.C. Parents of Catholic school age children who are new to Perth and Huron Counties may register their children on the first day of school - TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 1993, 8:45 A.M. - 3:30 P.M., or during the week of August 30 to September 2, 1993 by contacting their local school. KINDERGARTEN children need to be 4 years of age on or before December 31, 1993. Please bring Birth Certificate, Baptismal Certificate and Immunization Record Card of the child you Intend to register. The real Storey Raymond Storey visits the Blyth Festival Garage where work is progressing on the set for his play The Glorious 12th, which premiered in Blyth last season and returns this Friday. In addition to writing Mr. Storey is also directing the production. Besides writing for theatre he is also penning scripts for CBC's Road to Avonlea. By Bonnie Gropp When you have brought such notable works as 1987s Girls in the Gang or 1989sDreamland to life it could only be a matter of time before you take one more step up the ladder of success. Raymond Storey, whose well received 1992 Blyth production The Glorious 12th, returns this sea- son (opening Aug. 27) is also mak- ing a name for himself penning the scripts for CBC's highly touted Road to Avonlea. When questioned about this success, however, Mr. Storey is modest. "Writing for tele- vision always sounds more success- ful; certainly the pay is better; but there are certain values, wants and needs in writing for theatre that people can relate to. It's my first love." He shares the view of many today who see a lack of quality television. "I feel the TV audience isn't as slow-wined as a lot of TV producers believe. It can be extremely difficult to write for it and maintain a sense of self." Mr. Storey says he has an advan- tage, however in that he "learned to write before I learned the technique of telling television stories. That is holding me in good stead as my characters, I believe anyway, have more complicated emotions. Their lives have realism." The playwright feels strongly that the experience he has had working in Blyth has given him a skill base that allows him the confi- dence to create the work he is now. "You don't have the hands on con- nection in television that you have in theatre. There is the immediate reaction of the audience. They let me know what they like." Mr. Storey suggests that if audi- ences like the Blyth ones were used as test audiences for all film and television the producers would be surprised at what is accepted. "There's a kind of truism that nobody knows what works in tele- vision. That's partly true in theatre, but it makes a huge difference to look the audience in the eye or stand beside them in the grocery store or bank. You learn to respect and appreciate these people," he says. That exchange should work both ways, too. Mr. Storey says that he believes his work has become more challenging, more thought provok- ing, noting the issue of racism addressed in The Glorious 12th, the "darkest" of his plays. "I don't pre- tend I'm better than the audience; I don't set out to preach. I'm just say- ing we all have these fears to a greater or lesser degree so let's be open about them." He senses that there is so much concern about being politically cor- rect people are refusing to show the real world. "To me the gratuitous sex and mindless violence depicted is more offensive than dealing with social issues." Though he says "fast food enter- tainment" has its place there should be alternatives. Unfortunately, a happy medium seems difficult to achieve. "We have high tone PBS, which is like vegetables — they might be good for you, but few really enjoy them — or the extreme." He feels "extremely lucky" to be working with Avonlea producer Kevin Sullivan, who, he says dis- covered him in 1990 after seeing Dreamland in Toronto. I have been writing for him ever since." "I think what captivated Kevin, in terms of his imagination was that the play was evocative of a simpler time. It was Canadian and dealt with people in a rural context in an honest manner." Mr. Storey says he enjoys writing for the female characters in the show. "Often television writers tend to be able to write for just two types of women — Moms or bim- bos. Bimbos do not seem to be in my vocabulary." Mr. Storey says he understands the real power of women as opposed to imagined or revisionary. "Women in earlier eras had power in the homes. We can't pretend they had political clout, just because we want it to be: What's important is that women then found other ways to display their strength. They found their own way of influencing authority." That strength is displayed by the women of The Glorious 12th who were the voice of the community and the driving force behind the decisions the men made. "That's a very important function," he says. Most recently Mr. Storey has developed two films for Mr. Sulli- van, A Betrayal of Innocence, which is presently in the casting stages and The Snow Queen based, loosely on the Hans Christian Anderson fable. In the works is a new musical with often collabora- tor John Roby and a play called South of China, which took him on a tour of the Orient. Continued on page 19 ST. MICHAEL SECONDARY SCHOOL Is a Catholic Secondary School serving Stratford and area from Grade 9 to 1210.A.C. The location of the Catholic schools are as follows: St. Joseph's School St. Boniface School (KINGSBRIDGE) Laurie Kraftcheck, Jane Whaling, Principal Principal R.R.#3 GODERICH Mary Street ZURICH 529-7646 236-4335 St. Columban School St. Patrick's School Don Farwell, Principal Don Farwell, Principal R.R. #2 DUBLIN Mill Street DUBLIN 345-2086 345-2033 Our Lady of Mount Carmel School St. Mary's School (HESSON) David Sharpe, Principal Adrian Pontsioen, Principal R.R. #3 DASHWOOD R. R. #4 LISTOWEL 237-3337 595-8929 St. Joseph's School St. Ambrose School Edward Cappelli, Principal Ray Contols, Principal 169 Beech Street CLINTON 181 Louise Street STRATFORD 482-7035 271-7544 Precious Blood School St. Joseph's School Sandy McOuilian, Principal Gary Birmingham, Principal 133 Sanders Street, West, EXETER 363 St. Vincent Street STRATFORD 235-1691 271-3574 St. Mary's School St. Aloysius School Fran Craig, Principal Mike Dewan, Principal 70 Bennett Street, E, GODERICH 228 Avondale Ave. STRATFORD 524-9901 271-3636 St. James School Holy Name of Mary School Jim McDade, Principal Joe MacDonald, Principal Chalk Street SEAFORTH 161 Peel Street ST. MARYS 527-0321 284-2170 Sacred Heart School St. Patrick's School (KINKORA) Jim Steffler, Principal Paul Nickel, Principal 225 Comyn Street WINGHAM R.R. #1 SEBRINGVILLE 357-1090 393-5580 St. Michael Secondary School Jeanne Sauve School Dan Bishop, Principal Sam Alberico, Principal 240 Oakdale Avenue STRATFORD 8 Grange Street, STRATFORD 271-0890 273-3396 Parents who expect that their child will enrol In the optional French Immersion Program in Grade 1, in future years, have the option of enrolment for Junior/Senior Kindergarten at either their local Catholic School or the French Immersion Centre (St. Mary's School, Goderich or Jeanne Sauve School, Stratford) at which they expect to enrol their child for a French Immersion program. Louise Martin James S. Brown, M.A., Ed.D., Chairperson of the Board Director of Education