The Citizen-Blyth Festival 2000, 2000-06-21, Page 32PAGE 8. BLYTH FESTIVAL SALUTE, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 21, 2000.
Manson. LilL make a Corker
By Mark Nonkes
Freelance Writer
Corker director Ross Manson
enjoys working with playwright
Wendy Lili. During his preparation
and during rehearsals several
changes were made to the scnpt.
“She’s very generous as a writer
and very interested in input from a
director and actors.”
Manson acted in the premiere of
Lili's most well know play. The
Glace Bay Miner's Museum. Lili, a
federal MP. was involved in
rehearsals and script rewrites.
Manson appeared on the Blyth
stage two years ago in Yesteryear
and Jobs, Jobs, Jobs. Manson said
he had a great time two years ago in
Blyth and is enjoying his time again.
“I grew up in a small town so it’s
nice to have space and air around
me again," he said while eating a
ham and cheese sandwich in Buy the
Pound in Blyth.
Growing up in Sackville, New
Brunswick, Manson was the son of a
drama teacher. He attended Mount
Allison University in Sackville and
graduated with a degree in biology
and studied pre-med but acted in the
university plays.
“I kind of realized that is what I
wanted to do and I was good at it,”
he said.
After he graduated he moved to
England and majored in theatre at
the University of London. He
returned to Canada and worked for
the first 10 years of his career mostly
as an actor.
He has worked in several Toronto
theatres and theatres across the
country.
“It’s a great job to get to see
different parts of the country,” he
noted.
Manson works mostly as an actor
but has directed several shows as
well.
“I’ve been paying my rent with
acting."
Recently, Manson acted in
Ross Manson
of a team
to mounting it on stage.
This winter Manson directed
Building Jerusalem, which was
nominated for seven Dora awards,
including one for best director.
“There’s so much work that goes
into creating a new play ... we sold
out almost every show, it's just great,
all the hard work paid off.”
Aside from directing Corker,
Manson is involved in the creation of
a dance theatre project with several
writers including Pulitzer prize
winner Carol Shields. In September
he will act in Hedda Gabler in
Ottawa.
When the
shows have
opened
check out the
reviews
by The Citizen
reviewers at
www.northhuron.on.ca
Best Wishes Blyth festival for another good season!
Goethe's Faust at The Tarragon
Theatre in Toronto and The
Government Inspector in Halifax.
In acting, Manson likes the
immediate connection with the
audience. And in directing he likes
the process from revising the script'
ENERGY CENTRE
& York
International
Jamie Robinson takes on difficult role
as mentally-challenged Corker
Jamie Robinson
Before actor Jamie Robinson
started researching his difficult role
as the mentally handicapped title
character in Corker he would avoid
people with mental disabilities.
In preparation for the role,
Robinson visited a home for the
mentally disabled in Toronto.
“I spent a dinner with them...just
watching and observing,” he said.
During an interview with a
director of the place he visited he
was told their motto was people with
mental disabilities have something
to offer.
“I truly believe that, I do, I see
that in this character,” he said.
But it was not until the director
mentioned the motto that Robinson
Lewis glad to be
back in theatre
Continued from Pg. 7
After working in the Toronto
alternative theatre scene in the late
'70s, Lewis taught calligraphy at the
University of Waterloo after the
birth of her first child in 1981. After
10 years of teaching, Lewis and her
husband, a children’s book author,
and their three children moved to
Perth.
Lewis is glad to be getting into
the theatre scene again.
“Even though I had taken a
hiatus from the work, 1 still really
cared about it.”
Lewis is thrilled to work in Blyth
with director Diana Belshaw on
Anne.
“It speaks so much to the things
that I care about — about children,
about growing up, about
friendship." — MN
thought about it.
“These people love people and
they will do anything for people to
be around them. I feel that’s what
my character wants more than
anything, people to love him.”
In the original version of Corker
the part was played by someone who
has Down Syndrome. This was
impossible for Robinson.
During research Robinson
researched different kinds of
epilepsy and diagnosed his character
with a rare form that can appear to
many as autism. Also, in the play,
Corker plays piano so Robinson had
to learn to play the one song that is
played.
“A lot of little things all add up
to, I hope, what Corker should be,”
he said.
Robinson also plays numerous-
roles in Stolen Lives - The Albert
Walker Story and may play the
police officer who catches Walker.
Robinson grew up in Toronto and
was a “goodie-two-shoes”.
At Concordia University in
Montreal Robinson studied theatre
arts and graduated in 1997.
"Hopefully I’m becoming more
of a rebel. That’s what I'm trying to
do, I’m trying to accomplish that.
Maybe that will come out in Blyth,”
Robinson joked.
Robinson has worked in Toronto
for three years and is happy to be out
of the city for the summer.
“I haven’t had the opportunity to
leave and it's always nice to get
away,” he said.
Before coming to the Blyth
Festival, Robinson was in Paul
Thompson’s The Rediscovery of Sex
at Theatre Passe Muraille. — MN
Blyth Festival
2000
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