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PAGE 8. SETTING THE STAGE, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24, 1998.
Young playwright's first love is acting on stage
By Allison Lawlor
Andrew Moodie's first love is
acting—then comes writing.
"I write when I don't have
an acting job," said Andrew, author
of Wilbur County Blues,
premiering this summer at the Blyth
Festival.
Andrew is getting a lot of
attention as a writer. His play Riot
won a prestigious Chalmers award
and his new play, A Common Man's
Guide to Loving Women, will be
performed next year at the
Canadian Stage in Toronto. The
play looks at men's changing roles
as they approach the next
millennium. Andrew has also
written a play called Oui and a
radio play for CBC.
Andrew visited Blyth last
summer at the request of Anne
Chislett, then the artistic director
designate. Anne saw one of his
plays in Toronto, liked it and asked
him to make a trip to Blyth to see if
he might be inspired to write a play
for this season.
Wilbur County Blues was the
By Allison Lawlor
S ince 1980, John Roby has
been back to the Blyth
Festival ahhost every
summer, composing full-scale
musicals or background music for
the theatre.
the Garage Theatre.
John's previous work, with
various partners, at Blyth includes
Fireworks, Country Hearts, Girls
in the Gang and The Dreamland.
Girls in the Gang won a Dora
Award for best new musical in
1988.
Davidson
back in Blyth
By Allison Lawlor
B lyth is a familiar place to
Glenn Davidson. He's been
designing shows at the Blyth
Festival for years. He worked on
past shows such as, Booze Days in
a Dry County and He Won't Come
in From the Barn.
This season Glenn will be
designing the set, costumes and
lighting for the musical comedy,
Hot Flashes by Paul Ledoux and
John Roby.
The play will be performed in the
Garage theatre, where the stage is
small and the ceilings are low.
Glenn said he's used 'to adapting to
small spaces and small budgets.
"I'm always trying to make a
purse out of a sow's ear," he
laughed.
He plans to set up the Garage
theatre like a cafe, where people
can sit at tables, relax and have a
drink while they watch the musical.
Finding the right costumes for
the actors hasn't been difficult, said
Continued on page 9
result of that trip. The play tells the
story of a Nigerian father who is
trying to find a safe home for his
young son in rural Ontario., Being
of a visible minority he quickly
learns it isn't so easy to fit in.
Growing up in Ottawa, Andrew
went on to theatre school to study
acting. He left school because he
didn't want to believe what his
teachers were telling him—that he
would never make it as an actor.
"I complain about the industry a
lot," admitted Andrew. He said it's
wrong that directors determine
talent. Andrew has always fought
being told what roles he can and
can't play.
Andrew's sister is also an actor,
in London, England. He tells her to
go to the U.S. where she could
make it big, but he knows this isn't
what she wants:
"We're not like that. We don't
want to be famous, we want to be
talented in what we do."
As a playwright, Andrew said his
job is to present reality, to see
things as they really are and then to
communicate that to the audience.
John grew up in a musical
household. His father, a rural
doctor in Windsor, N.S., played the
drums in a band. At the age of 11,
John had his own band. They
played in one-room school houses.
Being too young to drive they had
to hire a driver to take them to their
gigs.
By the time he was 15, John was
playing at Acadia University in
Wolfville, N.S. Mostly self-taught,
John learned to play the piano,
guitar and string-base.
When John moved to Halifax to
study philosophy and English at the
University of King's College he
supported himself by playing in
'bars around town. It was in Halifax
where he met Paul Ledoux.
Suffering from the thick cigarette
smoke in the bars he quit playing
and concentrated on composing for
the theatre.
He is earnest when he talks about
writing and being truthful in
conveying real emotions.
Andrew's acting credits include
work in theatre, television and film.
He perTormed in Our Country's
Good at the Great Canadian Theatre
Company, Whale at Young
People's Theatre and Side Effects
for CBC.
Andrew lives in Toronto.
Andrew Moodie: playwright.
After a 20-year break he recently
started playing in clubs again. John
now sings and plays the piano at
the posh Rose Water Club in
Toronto. 'He will also be
performing this summer with other
jazz musicians at the Toronto Jazz
Festival.
John's recent theatre work
includes writing the score for
Jacob Two Two at the Young
People's Theatre. The play was
nominated for a Dora Award for
outstanding musical.
John also wrote the score for last
year's critically acclaimed film,
The Hanging Garden.
John's wife, Patricia Vanstone is
an actor, singer and director. She
has directed at the Blyth FestiVal in
previous years and appeared in
many of John's musicals.
John andPatricia live in Toronto
Blyth
audiences
will enjoy
H o t
Flashes,
the new
musical
comedy
he created
with good
friend,
Paul
Ledoux. It
will be
performed
this
summer in
John Roby
Musical wizard, John Roby