The Citizen, 2019-04-11, Page 2PAGE 2. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 2019.
The artists behind the Blyth
Festival hit The Pigeon King are
putting on a slightly different kind of
show on Thursday, April 18,
launching the production’s album at
Memorial Hall with a special
interactive concert event.
Earlier this year, Blyth Festival
Artistic Director Gil Garratt and his
fellow creators of the show were in
Holmesville to record an album of
music from the show. The group
worked with renowned musician and
producer John Powers, who not only
supervised the recording process at
his studio, but he also mixed the
finished product as well.
The recording process, Garratt
says, was really “old school” in that
the performers all played the songs
together during recording sessions.
He said that process, in addition to
recording it in a barn studio with
John Powers, lends itself to a real
warmth that can be felt in the album
and a real grassroots project.
The April 18 event, Garratt says,
will be different from the play that
entertained Festival audiences for
two seasons and is now heading to
the National Arts Centre stage in
Ottawa. It will be a concert of the
music from the album, as well as an
interactive experience between the
audience and the artists. Garratt says
there are many stories to tell from
behind the scenes of The Pigeon
King production. Whether it be
stories from the creators’ exhaustive
research, songs that were cut or titles
they brainstormed that didn’t end up
with songs attached to them, Garratt
says there is plenty to say about the
show that audiences have likely
never heard before.
The event should serve as a great
launch party for the album, Garratt
says, but he hopes it will end up
being so much more.
Tickets for the event are $25 each
and every ticket holder will leave the
show that night with a CD copy of
the album.
Garratt says that the artists behind
The Pigeon King will be in Blyth
later this month to rehearse for their
National Arts Centre run, so it made
sense to try and hold an event like
the one scheduled for April 18.
While the play has been a
tremendous success, Garratt says
that the album is an achievement all
its own. The play was conceived,
written and produced in Blyth and
then the album was recorded and
mixed in Holmesville. To have an
album produced from a Canadian
musical, with all of the steps taking
place in Huron County is pretty
amazing, he says.
The album serves as a record of
the production, he said, which would
often change from night to night and
you’d be hard-pressed to find a
written script. With the album now
created, there will be a record of the
show for years to come.
The show itself, he says, will be
something to behold as well. With
an even mix of seasoned stage
performers and experienced
musicians, the night will be special
due to its blend of music, theatre and
conversation, Garratt says.
Doors to the event open at 7:30
p.m. that night, with the concert
beginning at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25
each and include a copy of the
album. To buy tickets, call the Blyth
Festival box office at 519-523-9300
or visit blythfestival.com.
‘Pigeon King’ creators host concert, album launch
Going public
The creators of the Blyth Festival’s critically-acclaimed show, The Pigeon King, were in Huron
County earlier this year to record an album comprised of the show’s music with the help of
Holmesville-area musician and producer John Powers. The artists will now officially launch the
album in Blyth on April 18 with a special concert at Memorial Hall. (File photo)
From start to finish
The Pigeon King project, according to Blyth Festival Artistic
Director, right, has been a Huron County initiative from start
to finish. The play was conceived, written and produced in
Huron County, as was the album, due to be released April
18 at a special concert at Memorial Hall. (File photo)The Citizen
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