The Citizen, 2001-05-30, Page 23In costumes
Victoria Wallace has had some interesting projects this year in designing for the Blyth Festival
production The Outdoor Donnellys, which opens the season. With some 40 extras in addition to
a cast of about nine, Wallace has had to find numerous period costumes. Also, the fact that the
play is held outside has created some unique challenges.
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THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MAY 30, 2001. PAGE 23.
Entertainment& Leisure
Designing for outdoor play unique opportunity
T I
U
design for the stage. There is unlim-
ited space and no sight lines to deal
with. It's freer."
From the six venues audience
members can pick three to see before
the main show begins at 8 p.m. One
is a blacksmith shop to be staged in a
local Blyth garage. "It's going to
have a working forge and the actors
will be heating metal. There will be
real steam, real fire. A lot of the
ambiance you actually shoot for in
theatre, we will achieve with this.
It's great to be in places that are
alive. I can -get inspiration from the
places themselves."
A nighttime scene will play out in
the rutabaga factory. "We're doing
snow and there are set pieces in that
production, There's a little log cabin
and the audience will see inside and
out."
The largeness of the faCtory cre-
ates a special mood as well. "It's
almost like doing film. It's like a
movie sound stage."
The former Blyth Community
Church of God on McConnell Street
is where the trial scene Takes place.
"It's a great room and we are very
much using what exists to make it a
courtroom, with the addition of a
witness stand and railings."
The lower hall at Blyth Memorial
Hall_ is the setting tor the prepara-
tions for the Ryder wedding. "There
was a large disturbance there
because one of the Donnellys is
arrested and puts up a big fight. But
in this case what people are experi-
encing is the women preparing, talk-
ing about rumours, various events."
Audience members even get a
sample of wedding cake, says
Wallace.
Out by the Arch, a "very theatrical
piece" unfolds that recalls
Thompson's earlier collectives The
Donnellys and The Farm Show, says
Wallace. It unfolds ghostly visions of
a stagecoach and horses.
Still to be found is a garden for the
final venue, says Wallace. The chal-
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lenge is to find one that will accom-
modate at least 75 people. Once the
right place is located it will be the
setting for a series of love scenes.
Another interesting project for
Wallace and her crew has been the
creation of a stagecoach for the pro-
duction, using a chassis obtained
from a Mennonite carriage maker
and building the upper portion. This
will be pulled by a team of horses,
and will be driven by the team's
owner, retired schoolteacher Dale
Wanless. "We were told he was inter-
ested so spoke with him. He was
helpful and certainly knowledgeable
when it comes to handling horses."
Wanless will also be driving his
black Democrat for a funeral scene.
"The contribution of volunteers is
amazing," she says.
Wallace's contribution to this
ambitious production began some
time ago. Approached by the Festival
about doing the design, she arrived
in Blyth last February to photograph
the area. Though there was no script,
the idea of the stagecoach existed
before anything, shesays. There was
also good documentation to work
from which did provide some inspi-
ration. "It was a great way to work."
In April, there was a two-week
workshop with the core company.
Scenes were created in that environ-
ment and actors improvised different
characters.
Following this Wallace met with
Thompson to come up with the
design. "Before we even started, he
knew he wanted to finish with a dra-
matic fire," says Wallace. She notes
that no part of the show focusses on
the gruesome massacre, but on the
trial. "The fire is therefore a nod to
that, so the audience is moved by the
destruction.
"The idea is that there was a lot of
stories to tell in the Donnellys' story.
Paul has had this in his head for 20
years and thought it would be a great
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For the 15-year design veteran it
has been a unique experience. "This
is the first time I have worked on
something like this. I admit in the
beginning I wasn't stire, but I
thought Paul and I would be a nice
match. Now that I'm here, I'm very
glad."
By Bonnie Gropp
Special to The Citizen
You might call it a challenge.
Victoria Wallace prefers to call it a
unique opportunity.
Wallace, a set designer at Blyth
Festival, who has previously worked
on This Year, Next Year, Fireworks,
and Jobs, Jobs, Jobs, has the inter-
esting task this year of creating the
costumes and sets for Paul
Thompson's collective The Outdoor
Donnellys, which opens the Festival
season, Friday, June 15. The play,
which takes place outside, moves
through six venues before.the main
stage production. Some 40 'extras"
are involved in the vignettes, while
there are nine actors in the main
stage production, which is held at the
Thresher barn at the Blyth fair-
grounds.
With such a large cast, Wallace
needed plenty of costumes. "There
are no limits. It's been very excit-
ing."
- Many of the costume pieces were
in stock, but she also brought quite a
few from Toronto. "Mostly from
Value Vi I lage." •
Designing an outdoor set for vari-
ous locations has also been an expe-
rience for Wallace. "It's really
refreshing because you don't have to
Saturday, June 2. 2001 I
9 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. it
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