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PAGE 20. BLYTH FESTIVAL SALUTE, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16, 2004.
From Young Company to stage for Blyth girl
Moving up the ranks
After years as a member of the Young Company in Blyth,
Capucine Onn is back this year as a part of the professional
company of actors. Last year she appeared in The Outdoor
Donnellys, shown in this scene with Gil Garratt.
By Sarah Mann .
Special to The Citizen
Capucine Onn of Blyth has been a
member of the Festival Young
Company for at least half of her life.
This year the 23-year-old returns as
a member of the professional
company.
This spring, Onn completed her
final year of the four-year
performance theatre and drama
studies program at the University of
Toronto.
What separates that program from
other theatre programs is that the
academic portion is done at the
university while the practical aspect
is done through Sheridan College.
Onn says the setup is really great
and feels she gets the best of both
worlds. But what„ahe's really excited
about is returning home in the
summer. "To come to the city and do
the school thing is great but Blyth is
where it's at. that's when I'm
working and have that rush," Onn
said.
The two plays Onn is performing
in this season are The Outdoor
Donnellys and Spirit of the Narrows.
Spirit of the Narrows is written by
Anne Lederman in biography style
about a Metis . fiddler.' Lederman
plays the fiddler when she is older
and Onn plays the character when
she is younger. They have already
had one workshop, will be holding
one more, then rehearsals begin.
"I think it's such interesting
material and to be able to bring
Metis fiddling to people in the area
is great. It's part of our culture as
Canadians."
In The Outdoor Donnellys Onn
plays a "myriad" of women. She
thinks the play is done in such a way
that both sides of the story are
presented for audience members to
draw their own conclusions or just
see a balanced presentation.
When it comes to the Donnelly
story, Onn says, "It's a really closed
discussion. If you look at the records
it's questionable whether they were
that bad. It's important to show both
sides so people can know the facts."
Even though Capucine has spent
four years learning performance arts
at school she credits the Festival
with giving her the start.
At age 1 1 she started working with
the Young Company, which she says
"is way too young." The age now-is
13. Before that she held small parts
"when they asked for community
involvement."
"I knew right away that this was
what I wanted to do. If I hadn't been
invited I would be a dentist," she
says laughing.
But she says the Festival is
important to the community for
another reason and the Young
Company has a hand in it too.
"The arts aren't looked on as a
lucrative career. Guidance
counselors dissuade you from
joining the arts because they just
aren't a priority. My high school
didn't even have a drama class."
What's great about the• Young
Company, Onn says, is that it's a
place to go where the arts are taken
Memories
Recalling
opening
night
Sheila Richards of Brussels was a
board member of the Blyth Festival
from 1978-94 and was president
from 1979-80 as well as in 1985.
Her most vivid memory was
opening night of 1980 when the
honoured guest was Pauline
McGibbon, Lt. Governor of
Ontario.
Richards said her favourite plays
include The Tomorrow Box, I'll Be
Back Before Midnight by Peter
Colley and Having Hope at Home
written by David S. Craig, because
they "project the true spirit of
Blyth."
"I just love live theatre and have
always enjoyed all the plays that
come through Blyth."
She said she usually sees about
six plays each season and most of
them she will see twice.
seriously.
Onn says her work in her younger
years has been the base of and
inspiration for her training. She says
that has to do with the fact that she
worked with "great people" like now
artistic director Eric Coates and
Janet Amos.
Now that Onn is involved with the
Young Company in a leadership role
she loves being able to give back.
'When they see someone who's
gone off to school and is doing it
elsewhere they see it can be done
and that it is taken seriously ... they
get to see there are those options."
• Onn says the Blyth Festival is
different because it's very nurturing
of Canadian culture, Canadian
identity, individual acting skills and
technique. So much theatre in the
city is so exclusive and so elitist. But
you can't go wrong inviting
community members into the
theatre."
When the Festival season ends
Onn -says she will probably stay in
Blyth for a bit but "it depends on
where the work is."
"It's hard because you spend four
years in an institution and then all of
a sudden it's over.
S
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