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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1999-07-21, Page 26PAGE 26. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, JULY 21, 1999. Going over the notes As rehearsals begin the final stages of the creative process involved in new play develop­ ment are underway. Playwright James Nichol, centre, listens with actors Eric Davis and Adrienne Wilson, as director Kate Trotter tosses out some ideas for his play Every Dream premiering in Blyth in early August. Full house on hand for Johns ‘School’ The Blyth Festival welcomed a full house for the Community Celebration evening in the theatre on Tuesday. July 13. Festival favourite Ted Johns’ production of The Great School Crisis of 99 previewed to the appreciative group of more than 465 theatre fans. .Theatre patrons attended from Logan and Hibbert Twps., Mitchell (Ted Johns - a Mitchell District High School old boy), Milverton, Monkton and Blanshard Twp. Guests were invited to a reception after the performance and Johns joined the guests in the Lower Hall of the Festival’s theatre. This July 13 evening was the fourth Community Celebration hosted by the Blyth Festival, to thank the residents of the region for their support over the course of the 25 seasons. There are seven more evenings welcoming guests from Goderich and area townships, Wingham, Brussels, Seaforth, Lucknow, Kinloss, Ripley, Kincardine, Stratford, London, Kitchener- Waterloo and Guelph. Theatre fans who would like to attend the theatre with their friends and neighbours can call the Box office at the Festival to find out the dates for their community’s special evening. For complete information for Community Celebrations, season brochure, visitors’ guide, sponsorship and membership, call: 1-877-862-5984 toll free, 519-523- 9300 locally and fax: 519-523- 9804. Festival adds matinee Taking a play from page to stage By Bonnie Gropp Citizen staff Taking a play from the page to the stage is a lengthy process, which brings to fruition the vision of its creator. James Nichol of Seaforth, whose newest story Every Dream will be told for the first time in Blyth the first week of August, says the cre­ ative process involved in play development answers many of the bigger questions for him. "Is the emotional line of the char­ acter clear? What are they feeling? Is there logic? It’s different for every writer but the read helps me get a feel for whether or not my script is answering those questions. The first chance to discover that with Every Dream came a few years ago when Nichol brought the play to Anne Chislett, now the Festival’s artistic director. “She liked it very much and we did a read at Blyth. I got some feedback and some re­ write notes from that. When I showed it to her again, she made the decision to do it.” Since then the script has gone through two more workshops with Anne as dramaturge. At one point an audience was invited to sit in and feedback was offered. “That was very good. I could see points of confusion in the QUILL drives for literacy play. It gave me an early idea of how people would feel coming to this work cold.” What they felt from their test audience was a positive reaction. “We knew we had a play that was strong. That was exciting for me, that I could have a piece of theatre that would have a strong impact.” Listening to others discussing your play, however, means check­ ing your ego at the door. “You have to be able to make adjustments,” says Nichol. “There is always a dan­ ger of the writer getting too close. Sometimes it’s difficult to pull back and see if it communicates clearly.” With the play being fine-tuned, the next step is finding the right director for the project. Kate Trotter, who made her acting debut at Blyth several years ago, was contacted. She read the script and agreed. For Nichol that was special as Trotter had earlier in her career acted in one of his plays. “It’s terrific that she is involved in this one.” With the cast in place a reading followed in Toronto, which gave Trotter an opportunity to hear the play. “At that point I did some rewriting mainly to give more vari­ ety of tone. It seemed to me at that point that the play was on one sort of emotional tone. I also cut back on superfluous language. Things did­ n’t need to be said three different times. It was a good rewrite.” Nichol says he likes to go into rehearsal with the sense that the play is “pretty much there. Often if it’s not you get panic rewriting. You start grasping ideas. I felt the draft we took to rehearsal was ready.” Watching the actors is a process that fascinates Nichol. “The writer’s understanding of the characters is only half complete. I think every actor discovers more about the char­ acter. It’s really very exciting. With much of his work done, Nichol says he sees his function now to be a surrogate for the audi­ ence. “The actors are within charac­ ter, and the director is very much inside the play, so I try to stay out of it now and ask myself does this make sense to me. Am I emotional­ ly involved. I monitor from the out­ side.” “The whole thing is that suddenly, those people who were on page for me for two years started to get up and walk around. I love watching the actors find and explore the char­ acters. It’s interesting to see how the effect of a scene can change it. You see how flexible a play can be.” The real point to remember in play development is that you never really know. What people see in the end is a result of a final collabora­ tion to find the spark, he says. “And we just cross our fingers a lot.” Due to tremendous response at the Box office for the Peter Colley comedy-thriller When The Reaper Calls, the Festival has added another matinee performance in The Garage Theatre for Aug. 15 at 2 p.m. Matinee performances of this production sold out very quickly and the Festival decided that patrons would take advantage of this added afternoon performance. The evening performances of When The Reaper Calls are selling well also and there are still seats available for most evening performances at The Garage Theatre, the Festival’s second performance space with seating for ‘alterNATIVES’ at theBLUE Red and white wine. Meat-eaters and vegetarians. Natives and non­ Natives. Jews and Gentiles. Men and women. Young and old. No one is safe. All relationships take a licking in alterNATTVES - a funny new black comedy loaded with great social and political zingers. alterNATIVES, theBLUE’s most ambitious show yet, is a joint production with the Port Dover Lighthouse Festival. Angel Wallace is a 20-something Ojibway writer who wants to write science fiction. His new live-in girlfriend is a 30- something Jewish professor of Native studies who wants him to write something “important” and 100 theatre patrons. This comedy offers theatre fans a deliciously funny mystery with a cast including Jill Dyck, Michael Spencer-Davis, Kate Hemblen, Larry Yachimec and Blyth’s own Erin Roulston under the direction of Artistic Associate Eric Coates. This fast-paced play has won rave reviews across Canada. Colley has achieved world-wide success with his play I’ll Be Back Before Midnight, a popular mystery that premiered at the Blyth Festival in 1979. The additional matinee performance tickets for $17.50 are now available from the Box Office by calling 1-877-862-5984 toll free and 523-9300 locally. “Native”. She throws a surprise dinner party for her friends, cooking moose and vegetarian lasagna along with red and white wine. This world premiere is written by award winning playwright Drew Hayden Taylor. Starring Columpa Bobb, Sharon Berbaum, Stuart Clow, Peggy Coffey, Tim Hill and George Leach, alterNATIVES features the return of set designer Glenn Davidson and is directed by David Ferry. The production is stage managed by Beth Brown and assistant directed by Zaib Shaikh. alterNATIVES runs July 20 through Aug. 7. QUILL Network, in partnership with the Ontario Auto Recyclers Association (OARA), is launching a fundraising campaign to benefit local literacy programs. The campaign is called Drive for Literacy. Donate an old car, truck, or van and in return receive a tax receipt for the value of the vehicle. Anyone who has an old or unwanted vehicle is encouraged to take advantage of an opportunity to easily and conveniently dispose of the vehicle by simply dialing toll- free 1-888-READ-CAR (1-888- 732-3227). DRIVE FOR LITERACY is an on-going car donation program that helps raise money for adult literacy programs in the region (Bruce, Grey, Huron and Perth Counties and the Georgian Triangle). Donors receive fast, free removal of their vehicle and a tax receipt for its value while contributing to a worthwhile cause. The donated vehicles are either recycled for parts or sent out on a bid system to a participating auto recycler. Cars, trucks and vans are acceptable donations-and will receive the minimum receipt of $75. QUILL network is a local agency that supports literacy activities and provides resources and referrals for adults wishing to improve their literacy skills. Proceeds from the DRIVE FOR LITERACY campaign will benefit local literacy programs. Doon has blacksmiths at work On Sunday, Aug. I, from 10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Doon Heritage Crossroads will present the traditional craft of blacksmithing and artistic ironwork. In the history of rural Ontario, the blacksmith was an integral part of every community. Although the blacksmith's role would change throughout the early decades of the 20th century, he continued to remain a vital member of the rural community. Amber Tugwell, along with her grandparents & great grandparents, is pleased to announce the marriage of her parents Angela Cotton and Billy Tugwell on July 24, 1999. Please help us celebrate and accept this as your invitation to an open reception at Blyth Community Centre 9 p.m. - 1 a.m.