HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1994-02-09, Page 23THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 9,1994. PAGE 23.
Students learn from pros at Crossroads Fest.
By Bonnie Gropp
For the third year in a row, Blyth
Festival is providing area teens
with an opportunity to showcase
their talents on stage during the
Crossroads Drama Festival this Fri
day and Saturday.
In addition to performing their
plays on both Friday and Saturday
night, the 130 participating students
from six secondary schools will
spend four hours a day in work
shops conducted by teaching and
drama professionals. Students from
each of the Huron County schools
will be attending the workshops as
well as from Wellington, and Perth
Counties and from Toronto.
E ntertainment
Four local students have co-ordi-
Grand
presents
Blyth Festival drops
youth ticket prices
The Blyth Festival has
announced ticket prices for the
upcoming 20th Anniversary
Season. In a surprise move, youth
prices have been lowered from
$8.50 to $6. Adult prices haven’t
increased from 1993, remaining at
$15 and $19.50.
"1994 is a continuation of the
rebuild begun in 1992," said the
Festival's marketing director, David
Peacock. "Although our summer
audience survey indicated people
would accept increased ticket
prices, we felt it was important to
keep prices low, in order to make
the theatre more accessible. That
was the reasoning behind lowering
the youth prices: If we want young
people to come to the theatre, we
must be competitive with movie
prices."
In 1993 the Blyth Festival
attendance dropped and the theatre
posted an operating loss for the
second year in a row. However,
Mr. Peacock says, "While our
attendance was down, the number
of new people and the number
coming back after a few years'
absence was very high." Nearly 70
per cent of local ticket buyers were
new or returning for the first time
in years.
The board of directors appointed
Janet Amos to the position of
artistic director last fall, replacing
Peter Smith. Mr. Smith was with
the Festival for the 1991 through
1993 seasons.
Ms Amos was Festival's artistic
director from 1979 to 1984, during
which time Blyth saw the
production of some of its most
notable plays, including I’ll Be
Back Before Midnight, Quiet in the
Land, The Tomorrow Box,
CakeWalk, and He Won't Come In
From The Barn. Ms Amos will
announce the playbill for the 1994
season late in February.
The Blyth Festival season runs
from the last week in June to early
September. Ticket vouchers for the
20th Anniversary Season are
available by calling the box office
at (519) 523-9300.
Moonlodge continues
Undergrand season
The 1994 Undergrand/Theatre
for Young Audiences season
continues in the McManus,
downstairs at The Grand, with the
presentation of Moonlodge written
and performed by Margo Kane. For
one week only beginning Monday,
Feb. 14, this moving one-woman
show runs through Saturday, Feb.
19 at 8 p.m.
Acclaimed across Canada and in
the United States, Moonlodge is the
story of Agnes, a child taken from
her Native home by Children's Aid
and raised in a series of foster
homes. Using song, and dance and
satire, Margo Kane tells the story
of her generation - from the loss of
family and language and the sense
of belonging, to a life of popular
cultural stereotypes and alienation.
In her travels, Agnes begins to
rediscover her Self and her People
- from Lance, the Sioux activist to
the New Age Wannabees of New
Mexico to the Fancy Dancers of the
Pow Wow. But it is Milly who
awakens the memory of belonging
in Agnes. Guided by Milly and her
Cree teachings, Agnes enters her
first Ceremony and begins her
journey home.
For ticket information, please
visit The Grand Theatre Box office
at 471 Richmond Street or call 519-
672-8800. Toll free from area code
519 at 1-800-265-1593. Toll free
from Michigan, Ohio and
Pennsylvania at 1-800-567-5194.
Programs at Children’s Museum
London Regional Children's
Museum will soon be offering sev
eral programs for the entertainment
and education of children and their
parents.
Two technology-based programs,
presented by La Cite des Sciences
et de l'lindustrie, La Villette
(Paris), will have their official
opening on Feb. 10 from 6 to 8
p.m.
The first is titled Data on the
Move. It will teach the entire fami
ly simple concepts related to the
computer revolution through
hands-on interactive games and
puzzles.
Topics will include modem con
cepts such as bar codes, Prologic,
robots and artificial intelligence.
Data on the Move will be on dis
play until April 14.
La Cite des Sciences will also
create a mathematical challenge for
the family.
Over 60 problem solving exercis
es will be presented in A Way with
Math. Puzzles, tangrams, cubes,
tilings and kaleidoscopes will test
the skill of participants.
These exhibits can be viewed
daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Admission for adults is $3.50;
seniors and students, $3.25; chil
dren, $3 and children under two are
free.
The museum will be hosting a
special Valentine's Day Party on
Feb. 12.
The entire family can participate
in the Cupid costume making and
then enter the Cupid look-a-like
contest at 11 a.m. Prizes will be
awarded.
Refreshments will be served at
11:15 a.m.
Anyone interested in these or any
other Children's Museum activities
can contact Jan Dolby at 434-5726.
Lughnasa
The Grand Theatre presents the
international award-winning
Dancing At Lughnasa by acclaimed
Irish playwright Brian Friel.
Winner of three 1992 Tony
Awards, including best play,
Dancing At Lughnasa previews
Feb. 15, 16 and 17, opens Feb. 1
and runs through March 12. This
poignant memory play features an
all-star cast, including Elizabeth
Brown, Tandy Cronyn, Martha
Henry, Roland Hewgill, Elizabeth
Marmur, Geordie Johnson, Paul
Miller and Kate Trotter. Directed
by Janet Wright, Dancing At
Lughnasa is designed by Astrid
Janson with lighting designed by
John Munro. This production is
choreographed by Donna S tames.
Some memories never fade. For
Michael (Paul Miller), it's the
memory of August 1936, in
Ballybeg, County Dongal when the
five unmarried Mundy sisters: Kate
(Martha Henry), Maggie (Kate
Trotter), Agnes (Tandy Cronyn),
Rose (Elizabeth Brown) and
Michael's mother Chris (Elizabeth
Marmur), welcome their ailing
brother Jack (Roland Hewgill)
home after 20 years as a missionary
in Africa. It's the beginning of the
ancient Irish Lughnasa (LOO-na-
sa) harvest celebrations, and just a
few short weeks before the Munday
family is forever changed. For
seven-year-old Michael it is the
summer he encounters his absent
father, Gerry (Geordie Johnson).
While the sisters go about their
chores, bickering, gossiping and
joking in the kitchen, they listen to
the new Marconi radio. As the
music invades the monotony of
their impoverished condition, the
five women become possessed by
the pagan spirit of Lughnasa, lift
their sensible skirts and begin a
wild, rebellious dance!
This production marks the return
of Martha Henry, Roland Hewgill,
Geordie Johnson, and Kate Trotter
to The Grand Stage. Joining them
are Elizabeth Brown, Tandy
Cronyn, Elizabeth Marmur and
Paul Miller, all of whom are
performing at The Grand for the
first time.
Janet Wright returns, and is
joined by designer Astrid Janson
and lighting designer John Munro.
Choreographer Donna Starnes
marks her first Grand engagement
with this production.
nated the event. Blyth Festival
board member Duncan McGregor,
an English teacher at Bluewater
Secondary School and former artis
tic director of St. Catherines
Susel Players, has been volun-
tig Tiis time to work ydth the
mts co-ordinating this year's
Crossroads Festival. He says the
student co-ordinators were all
involved in last year's Young Com
pany.
The Crossroads Festival was con
ceived by former Blyth artistic
"'director Peter Smith as a way for
students to perform and learn in a
sharing, as opposed to competitive
format, Mr. McGregor says. "They
have the chance to meet together
and present their work, to involve
themselves with theatre profession
als." An adjudicator then looks at
the intent of the production and the
interplay between that production
and the audience, he says. This
year's adjudicator is Festival Artis
tic Director Janet Amos.
The Crossroads Festival has been
encouraged and supported by the
Huron County Board of Education
and by Frank Cameron, a lawyer in
Clinton and board member of the
Festival. Its benefit to the teens,
Mr. McGregor says, is the concen
tration it provides to be able to
work with professionals in a pro
fessional theatre atmosphere.
Also, he says they get to meet
students who share a mutual inter
est. A special get-together is
planned for the Friday afternoon
following the day's workshops.
During the day on Friday and
Saturday the students will receive
instruction on acting, improvisa
tion, writing and the technical
aspects of theatre. Leading the
classes are Mr. McGregor, teachers
Steve Oliver and Carol Oriold,
Chrystal Salverda, Randy Lobb,
Marion Doucette and Anne
Chislett.
In the evening, students from
F.E. Madill, Central Huron, South
Huron, Listowel District, Norwell,
Northern Secondary Schools will
perform a one-hour production, uti
lizing the Blyth Festival facilities
and professional production
manger Ray Salverda. LDSS is per
forming the first act of Ms Chislet-
t's acclaimed play Quiet in the
Land, Mr. McGregor said.
The public is invited to attend.
Curtain time is 7:30 p.m. and tick
ets are available at the door.
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I Blyth/Londe^boro I
Venturers
I DUCK/TURKEYI
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DINNER
Blyth Community Centre
Thursday,
February 17,1994
5:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Adults: $6.00
Children (under 12): $4.00
Tickets available from any
Venturer or by calling
523-9426 or 523-9326
All You Can Eat!
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Pancake Supper
Includes Sausages,
Salads & Desserts
Blyth Memorial
Community Hall
Feb. 15,1994
5-7 p.m.
Adults: $5.50
Children (6-12): $3.50
Preschoolers: Free
Sponsored by Trinity Anglican Church
LONG DISTANCE? CALL 1-800-265*3438 FOR TOLL FREE MOVIE INFO
PAUL J. PICKERING
TRUSTEE IN BANKRUPTCY
AND FINANCIAL CONSULTING
Call for FREE Consultation!
Days, Evenings, weekend
appointments available.
CALL TOLL FREE
1-800-561-7451
J. Paul Aitken,
Manager
3 Rattenbury St. East, Clinton
CLINTON: (519) 482-1241
HEAD OFFICE:
111 Waterloo St.,
* LONDON, Ontario
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Phone 357-1630 for 24 hour movie information
FROM THE BEST SELLING AUTHOR
OF THE FIRM AND THE CUENT COMES THE MOTION
PICTURE SUSPENSE THRILLER OF THE TEAR!
THE
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FRIDAY FEB.11
One Show
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DENZELIWASHINGTON
w JULIA ROBERTS
THIS PICTURE WILL
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