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BLYTH FESTIVAL SALUTE, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5, 2002. PAGE 3.
Eric Coates: actor, director, administrator
By Bonnie Gropp
Citizen staff
With a welcoming smile, Eric
Coates strides over to greet his
appointment. A genial host, he
chatters amiably, guiding his guest
to a quiet room, before settling
himself languidly into a chair.
Dressed casually in blue jeans and
jacket, Coates's warm eyes and
relaxed manner give not a hint that
there may be other things going on.
His presence has been requested and
he meets the request with his
undivided attention.
It is this trait which has endeared
him not just to the people he works
with at Biyth Festival, but to the
community as well. In his five
seasons as associate artistic director
Coates has been one of the theatre's
busiest staffers, in public relations,
on-stage and behind the scenes.
Perhaps he's been busier this year
than any before. It's been the first
year that his position as associate
AD has been full-time. He's also a
member of the cast for Paul
Thompson's The Outdoor
Donnellys, as well as directing two
of that show's community vignettes.
He'll direct the revival of The
Drawer Boy which he directed for
the 2000 season. All this comes after
having assisted with casting for the
2002 season, while he's also been
putting together the Festival's new
Theatre for Young Audiences
program. Coates is quite literally
everywhere.
"My family would laugh to hear
someone suggest this is because I
have boundless energy," smiles
Coates. "When I'm home I spend
my time on the couch. But I set my
eyes on Blyth as the ideal of
Canadian theatre and I'll be dainned
if I'll let any opportunity slip past."
The father of two, who lives in
Stratford with his wife Diane
Robinson, a member of Stratford
Festival's wardrobe department,
Coates said he took on the task of
directing the "Ghost Rider" and
"Ryder Wedding" vignettes for The
Outdoor Donnellys essentially
because he is here.
"It is a huge amount of work and
because of the community
volunteers' availability for rehearsals
being for weeknights and sporadic it
was hard for Janet (Amos, who
directed them last year) to free up
her schedule. I'm here every day so
it's not a problem."
Coates is "ably assisted" in this
work by Emily Boutet, who is in the
community company and is
directing two other vignettes.
Of his acting in the production
Coates is excited about playing Will
Donnelly again, 'coping with the
various rewrites and reconfiguring
the show to improve the whole
experience... and fight off the bad
weather."
There is a symmetry to Coates's
connection with the play. It was
seeing a video of Thompson's The
Farm Show, when he was a teenager
that led Coates to acting. "I knew I
wanted to be a farmer or an actor.
That video was life-changing.
Having discovered Paul Thompson's
work and finding out about Blyth,
was determined to work here."
It took the Ryerson University
drama graduate 10 years for that
goal to be fulfilled, but it now seems
almost destined. This year will be
the second time Coates has directed
The Drawer Boy, the story of a
young city actor who researches his
role in, interestingly, The Farm Show
by learning from two of Huron
County's most unusual and enduring
farmers.
"The Farm Show put the wheels in
motion 25 years ago for what is the
most successful Canadian play in,
awhile," says Coates.
Though he feels lucky to -be
directing The Drawer Boy, Coates
admits it a "little bit daunting,
funnily enough, because two of my
all-time theatrical heroes (Jerry
Franken and Layne Coleman) are in
it. They both have an enormous
connection to the play and enormous
experience. It's going to be a matter
of not getting in their way."
With Franken having performed
the role of Morgan literally
everywhere, Coates says, putting
this on stage should be "an exercise
in wiping the slate clean and doing
the work objectively rather than the
way they did it before."
Having Franken as Angus is
exciting, says Coates, because
Coleman will be playing opposite
Eric Coates: Mr. Everything at
Festival.
the man who created his role. "It's
going to" be an interesting time for
sure
Coates has a great deal of praise
for writer Michael Healey, a fellow
student at theatre school. Though
both actors at the time, Coates said
he recognized something in Healey
even then. "He seemed wiser than
the rest of us."
Recognizing those specialties in
people helps Coates with one of his
duties as associate AD. For the past
few years he has been very involved
in the casting for the season. "We
work hard to put new actors in front
of directors, but at the same time we
have worked to put together a
company here that wants to work
here, putting the big bucks of
Toronto behind them to be part of
what's happening in Blyth."
One of his primary jobs is lining
up actors and going through the
various possibilities for Voles. Coates
says he likes to have two or three in
mind for each in case things don't
work out.
Casting is a huge job which starts
in November and is often not
completed until April. Finding the
right people for a season is
rewarding, but from time to time
there are highlights. For Coates,
having Franken back after an
absence of two years, has been one
of those times.
Also, from time to time, there are
feathers in the cap. This year, Coates
is proud to have Randy Hughsom in
the company. Hughsom was a
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graduating student at Ryerson when
Coates was a freshman. "I was in
awe of him then and he's gone on to
establish himself in theatre. He only
does interesting projects, which
reaffirms that people in this country
who can choose their projects
choose to come here."
Coates also acknowledges the
contribution to the theatre of Janet
Amos and Ted Johns, popular
husband and wife actors who have a
long association with the Festival.
"It's a good thing for the spirit of the
company and the box office. I'm not
going to be coy, here, people come
to see Janet and Ted."
Another fact that Coates feels
Continued on page 8.
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