The Citizen, 2005-06-29, Page 9Sarah Allen and Jerry Franken star in Powers and Gloria.
Franken has been a star at the Festival for years. For Allen, it’s
her first appearance.
BLYTH FESTIVAL SALUTE; JUNE 29/30, 2005, PAGE 9
Up for the
challenge
Young actress Sarah Allen kicks off
her Festival career with challenging
roles in Powers and Gloria and I’ll
Be Back Before Midnight
By Sarah Mann
Special to The Citizen
Sarah Allen is happy to be taking
on the role of Gloria in Powers and
Gloria this season in Biyth. Not only
does she enjoy the play, it’s her first
theatre job since finishing school.
A native of Nelson. British
Columbia. Allen moved to Montreal
at the age of 19 to attend the
National Theatre School. After she
finished the program, she stayed in
Montreal and worked on various
films, for television and with her
friends. Missing the stage, she would
audition for parts in Toronto only to
be told, “we can’t hire you because
we need to hire local actors.”
“I understood,” she said. “They
said ‘we have a very large pool of
young female actresses in town.’ So
1 thought I’d give Toronto a chance
and it turned out to be a really good
thing.”
She attended Eric Coates’ general
audition for the Biyth Festival and
got a call back to read for the
character of Gloria.
Allen describes Gloria as a “funky
single mom who gets a job working
for an older rich man in town.”
“At the beginning, they don’t
really get along. I guess because
they don’t know each other. By the
end, he ends up inspiring her to hold
what’s dear to her but also to not feel
stuck in the position that she’s in.”
To prepare for the role. Allen has
Festival Fact:
The Biyth Festival has
staged nearly 100 world
premieres in 31 seasons.
read the script and is trying to
understand the way Gloria relates to
the other characters, which she calls
“the biggest clue.” But she also
thinks of people in her own life as
well.
“Coincidently. I do know a lot of
single mothers. Some of them have
put their lives to the side and I
understand that because it’s very
hard to raise a child. Others have
found a way to become parents and
continue on with the things they
wanted to do,” she says. “I have to
try and understand that.”
Allen says her character wants to
be a good mother, and all the choices
in her life are made to support that,
“sometimes at the expense of her
own potential."
“Even though she’s quite happy
being a mother, I think she aspires to
do more. She wants to be
independent and not have to rely on
anybody.”
Allen is excited to be involved
with Powers and Gloria, a play she
refers to as “slap sticky and fun."
“1 really like the comedy,” she
says. “And there are lots of
comparisons in it between young
and old. rich and poor, business and
family, young ideas and old ideas.
Everything seems to be wrapped up
in a nice little package."
Later in the season she’ll take on
another big role in the part of Jan.
the city girl who comes to a country
farmhouse in the remount of the
comedy-thriller I'll Be Back Before
Midnight.
Allen is excited to spend the
summer in Biyth, not only because
For reviews on
Biyth Festival
shows after they
have opened
check:
www. northhuron. on.ca
she’s working, but because it’s not
Toronto.
“I’m really excited to come there,
I think it’s going to be a great chance
to work outside of the city and be
somewhere sane for the summer. 1
get to work, so it’s stress-free, and 1
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