HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1995-07-05, Page 31STEFFLER-ALCE
Mr. & Mrs. Tim Alce of Stratford
are pleased to announce the
forthcoming marriage of their
daughter
Heather Gayle
to
John Paul Steffler
son of Mr. & Mrs. Joe Steffler a)
Seaforth
The wedding will take place at
3:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 8,
1995 at St. James Church,
Seaforth
"Open reception to follow"
FORTHCOMING MARRIAGE
DAVISON - BERGSMA
Anthony and Jane Davison are
pleased to announce the
forthcoming marriage of their
daughter
Tricia Lorraine
to
Richard Bryan
son of
Bruce and Marie Bergsma
The wedding will take place on
Saturday,
July 15, 1995 at
Blyth Christian Reformed
Church with reception to
follow at
Goderich Township
Community Centre.
SUN. - THURS. 8 •.m.
FRI. - THURS. FRI. & SAT. 7 & 9 p.m.
Jul 7 - 13
BATMAN
FOREVE9
ENDS THURSDAY
WHERE YOU ARE
THE ENDANGERED
SPECIES.
CONGO
GODER1CH 524-7811
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THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, JULY 5, 1995. PAGE 31.
Rehearsals begin E ntertainment for 'Jake's Place'
War bride's story finds audience
Looking ahead
With her play based on her own life experiences about to
make its debut in Blyth, playwright Norah Harding will soon
be ready to take on some new projects. This Year, Next
Year, was a soul searching task for Harding, who felt
despite the emotional toll, it was a story that deserved to be
told.
By Bonnie Gropp
Meeting Norah Harding is an
enchanting, inspiring experience.
The woman whose first play This
Year, Next Year is premiering.on
Blyth Festival's stage is a charming
71 years old.
Born in Bournemouth, England,
Harding was one of three spirited
sisters, who met and married her
husband, a member of the Canadian
Army during the war, then came
here as a war bride in 1944. •
It is this story that unfolds in This
Year, Next Year. "It was always
something I wanted to do. I thought
it would make a good story, and I
had tried it as a novella, but it didn't
really work."
Harding's interest in theatre
developed following the death of
her husband in 1975. "I owned my
own bookkeeping business, but
being at home when you work
means you don't get out to meet
people in the same way. I felt that- I
really needed to find something for
myself," she said, so she enrolled in
acting classes at Fanshawe College.
After a time she was encouraged
by one of the instructors to go to
auditions, which she did. "I got the
lead, that was scary, in a one act
play by a University professor enti-
tled Letter to the Police. It was a
rather gory piece and the woman
becomes unbalanced at the end. It
was not an easy role."
After that Harding worked with
the London Community Players
then with Ingersoll Theatre.
About 10 years ago she made the
transition to director. "I think it was
that that really showed me what
direction I should take with my
story, that it was a play."
The story is about Harding's
mother, sisters, aunt and uncle dur-
ing the year 1944. "It is about mar-
rying in war time and the trials and
tribulations that involves. The
Canadian Army didn't make it easy,
but I think perhaps that was to pro-
tect the soldiers."
Though the story is "a lot of fun",
it is not without its emotional
moments, felt possibly most strong-
ly by the writer. "It is and has been
during readings and rehearsals and
will be on opening night, difficult
to conceal my emotions. Even
when I was writing it was hard at
times. It always is when you get
doWn and explore the way things
were and what you felt."
"I think all the soul searching to
remember and dredge it up brought
some things forward that I had
never realized or thought too
deeply about."
"I think to do this to someone
else is an invasion of privacy, but it
has to be that way. I didn't realize
what it would be like when I first
started and I'm glad I didn't or I
probably would never have written
it."
Despite the emotional sacrifice,
however, it was a story that Hard-
ing felt should be told. "It's a play
about ordinary people during the
war. There is nothing heroic, they
are just carrying on."
Adding that Bournemouth saw
minimal bombing compared to
London, Harding says the war was
still a large part of family life., "It
affected everyone. There wasn't a
family not touched by it. It became
the norm, the way life was."
Telling the story of a young sol-
dier who was knitting baby clothes
while sitting in a pub, she said. "He
was facing danger every day, yet he
was just a young boy. He couldn't
have been more than 20. I think he
was probably knitting because his
nerves were shot to hell. You saw
those things and took them in their
stride bccause that's what it was all
about."
Harding wrote the story using the
real names of the people involved.
"I thought when it was done I'd
change them, but it is such a true
account of my family, I thought if it
never goes on stage it is something
they will have. I wrote it for them."
Others saw value in the work,
however. Each summer Harding
attended the Theatre Ontario sum-
mer school to keep her skills sharp.
It was during one of these occa-
sions that she submitted This Year,
Next Year to Anne Chislett, a noted
playwright, who is dramaturge at
Blyth Festival. She liked it and
gave it to Artistic Director Janet
Amos, Who also saw the potential.
A one week workshop was held
which developed storylines further
and fleshed out some of the charac-
ters as well. Harding says she then
spent two weeks with Chislett
"tearing it apart. It's hard, but I
could see the necessity and that
what was being done was helping."
Acknowledging the English pen-
chant for tea provided some light
moments during the hard work.
"Anne would say, 'It doesn't carry
the script along, Norah, just to say
let's have a cup of tea,— Harding
says.
Though the story and events have
remained the same, she feels, the
time spent on the play produced
some worthwhile changes. "It's
more finished, tighter."
When the "thumbs up" came
from Amos saying that the play
was now ready for the Blyth Festi-
val stage, the feeling, Harding says
was "wonderful".
Her sense of accomplishment
was shared by her family as well.
Harding's son (she also has a
daughter in Windsor and one in
Vancouver), who she says is not
one to gush sent her a dozen red
roses when he heard the play was
going to be produced. Her entire
family, including seven grandchil-
dren are planning to be with her for
opening night, July 19.
Though Harding says she has no
ideas yet for a new play, "This one
is taking up all my thoughts and
time right now," she has been
encouraged by Amos to start the
next one. "They have been so sup-
portive here. There are not a lot of
theatres that go to the lengths Blyth
does to find new plays and help
new playwrights."
Rehearsals have begun for the
next two shows in the Blyth
Festival's exciting season of
Canadian plays. This Year, Next
Year is the story of a mother and
her three daughters thriving and
surviving in England during the
war torn days of World War II.
This poignant story written by
London, Ontario's Norah Harding,
a war bride herself, celebrates the
women who survived the war with
humour and fortitude.
The excellent cast includes the
three sisters, Jacklyn Francis as
Norah, Sheilah being played by
Trish O'Reilly, and Deborah
Drakeford creating the role of Ivy.
Returning to the Blyth Festival is
Barbara Worthy as their mother
Maggie. The cast is rounded out
with Harry Booker as Uncle Harry,
(who shouldn't have a hard time
remembering his character's name),
and Tedde Moore as the colourful
Aunt Girlie.
Terry Tweed returns to the Blyth
Festival as director with Victoria
Wallace designing costumes and
set and Lesley Wilkinson designing
the lights. Kathryn Davies heads
the stage management team with
Amanda Holmes as the assistant
stage manager. This Year, Next
Year opens on July 19 and runs
until Aug. 25.
Jake's Place has the Blyth
Festival's perennial favourite Ted
Johns weaving the tale of Jake
Palmer as he confronts the hurdles
of local politics in his efforts to get
a driveway into his farm. Following
his acclaimed success as Willis in
Ballad for a Rum Runner's
Daughter, Michael Healey creates
the role of Jake Palmer in this
original Canadian play. The rest of
the cast includes Anne Anglin as
Deidre Munsinger, Randi Helmers
as Marian Palmer, Ted Atherton as
Bill Hextall, Eric Coates as George
Ranford, and Jerry Franken as Bert
McGee.
Miles Potter directs the
production with set and costume
design by Glenn Davidson and
lighting design by Lesley
Wilkinson. Mike Wallace is the
stage manager with Blyth
newcomer Tanya Greves as
apprentice stage manager. Jake's
Place opens on July ;6, 1995 and
runs until August 26, 1995.
Tickets for all of the Blyth
Festival's productions are available
by calling the box office at (519)
523-9300.
WEDNESDAY AUGUST 23 - 8 p.m.
BLYTH ARENA
Tickets: $29.50 ADVANCE $32.00 At the Door
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