The Citizen, 2004-06-16, Page 7Congratulations Blyth
Festival on the opening of
your 30th Season!
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BLYTH FESTIVAL SALUTE, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16, 2004. PAGE 7
Board president directs 'Donnelly' vignette
By Sarah Mann
Citizen stall
As president of the Board of
Directors Carol Oriold is no stranger
to the Blyth Festival but this season
she gets the chance to work on one of
the productions.
Oriold is directing about 20
community members in the Love and
Larceny vignette for The Outdoor
Donnellys.
"This is the third performance of
the Donnellys and Eric was really
great saying, 'just come in and block
the way you want to.' The people
there are very open to changes and I
think having me come in to direct a
vignette has freshened it up."
Oriold not only taught drama at
Listowel District Secondary School
for 25 years, she brought the
program to the school.
Hired to teach French. Oriold told
the principal during the interview, "if
you hire me to teach French you
know I'll start a drama program here.
1 taught French for two years and
then the drama program began. It
grew and eventually I became a full-
time drama teacher. There were 14
drama classes which is great for a
rural school."
Oriold says even though she spent
her career teaching non-professional
actors that doesn't mean she has
lowered her expectations. The
Continued from page 6
research. After that. Garratt says, it's
just a question of "going in there and
trying to do it and seeing what
works."
"We spent a lot of time going over-
and over it, trying to find the voice of
it. 'cause he's an incredibly defiant.
angry person and yet he's incredibly
charming and has this grace about
him too.
Garratt tells the story of how Bob.
after his family was murdered.
rented a house on the main street of
Lucan.
"These people have just killed
your family and you go rent a house
on the main street and say, 'here I
am'. Everybody had to see this sort
of ghost who was still alive and
already starting the haunting."
Because this is The Outdoor
Donnelly's third run at the Festival
Garratt thinks people's expectations
have escalated.
"At the same time I think that
process of rehearsing. creating a
character, putting the play together
and getting it ready for the audience
is the same with community
members and professionals.
"I still have high expectations of
the community members to put their
all into it. They come with more
knowledge than people realize and
they really work as a team. They are
eager for anything to be passed along
to them."
Oriold says sheds fascinated by the
Donnelly story.
"When my husband and I first
moved to Wroxeter we heard the
stories of the Black Donnellys from
Lucan. Then I read the books by Orlo
Miller and Tom Kay. It's one of our
local stories with a tragic ending. It
really makes you wonder what
justice is. This family was murdered
by their neighbours, is that what
justice is?"
What excited Oriold the most
about her task this season is the
creative procesS. .that goes into
putting something together.
"I always said I was the luckiest
teacher in the world because I got to
go to school and play all day and it's
true. It's creative, alive and
energized. The arts allow actors to
explore themselves by doing and the
audience by seeing. I strongly
believe the arts are about trying to
understand people better — that it
we're really blessed that it's a
powerful story and I don't think we
even attempt to tell the whole story.
Everybody has so many favourite
parts so they come and there's a lot
of things they expect to see but don't.
We really try to offer some surprises
too of things they haven't thought
about.
And although Garratt has his hands
full with many projects this summer
that doesn't stop him from thinking
about the program he hopes to start
at the Festival with the high school
students.
"I really want to make it clear to
these kids that there's a cultural
institution that is genuinely
interested in what they want to do,
what they care about and what they
they think about," says Garratt.
"Someone is willing to actually put
in the time and the effort and the
money to learn from them as much
as to teach them."
matters."
Because this is the third run for
The Outdoor Donnellys Oriold says
you will find some changes.
-The thing with theatre is that it is
never perfected. We always try but it
never is. Every time something is
remounted you bring something new
to it. You already have the basic
creation, all that work is done, you
just have to expand it. Now is the
time to bump up the other stuff you
wanted to before but didn't have the
time for."
Oriold saw the all-day Donnelly
show a couple of years ago with her
Memories
Actor
serves
lobster
Mildred McAdam of Clinton, was
board president of the Blyth Festival
for the 1981 and 1982 seasons.
During her time as president,
McAdam said some of her most
memorable moments on the board
included the first gala auction for the
Festival, helping to set up the first
bed and breakfast in Blyth. the set up
the first Friends of Blyth volunteer
group and making cushions for the
theatre's seats.
She said she also remembers Viola
Legere, star of La Sagouine who
treated the company to a lobster
dinner after a performance.
"I've gone to pretty much every
production and I've probably missed
only one or two in 30 years," said
McAdam.
Three plays that McAdam
remembers most are Quiet in the
Land and The Thmorrow Box, both
written by Anne Chislett and He
Won't Come In From The Barn
recreated by Ted Johns.
husband and says it was different
from anything she had ever seen
before.
. . and I've been to a lot of
theatre. I mean, you got on these
wagons and were driven around
town to different vignettes while
people sat on their porches and
waved to you while you went past. It
was really something and I really got
the sense I was a part of something
special."
Oriold doesn't believe that the
Blyth Festival is unappreciated by
people not from the area.
"I've talked to many people from
Toronto and the States who have
been to Blyth and think it's the best
things since animal crackers. I don't
think it depends on location. I think it
depends on what type of theatre
people enjoy and if they want to see
our stories on stage." • •
Oriold admits to being pretty
excited that of all the times she was
invited back to direct it was during
the 30th anniversary season.
"That really rocks as they say. . . I
love directing and all that stuff so I
keep my finger in the pie. I'm glad
you don't walk out of the building
and be forgotten forever."
Oriold says Artistic Director Eric
Coates has put together a "super
season."
"There are great actors and
designers. It always amazes me the
talent the small town seem5, to get."
Oriold says directing the
community vignette is rewarding
because she sees them make
advancements and how happy it
makes them.
"These people are volunteering a
lot of hours and they do it out of the
love of participating in theatre."
Garratt tries to give voice
to 'defiant, angry' character
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