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Page A8 - Goderich Signal -Star, Wednesday, March 4, 2009
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54 West St. liederich 519-524-7772 ext. 6
Photos by Dominique Milburn
Clockwise: Coralee
Ridder as the Idiot at the
End of his Own Rope.
Robert Ionescu as Goss
and Bronwyn Armstrong
as his daughter, Laura.
Emily Brewster as a
Gypsy. And, Cassandra
Philips -Grande and
Katie Dockstater in the
Gypsey's Vampire
Pantomime,
To all our dedicated
Goderich.Signal-Star carriers
who battled. the snow and extreme cold
this winter to deliver the news
to our subscribers' homes.
To arrange convenient home delivery
ca11519-524-2614
Play to bringvampires to festival
-: _Dominiqus Milburn M_ _.:-
signal -star staff
One of the most significant tales in vam-
pire literature has ;.een brought to life by
Goderich District Collegiate Institute's acting
troupe, and this is one that may get the blood
pumping.
Teacher and director David Armour has
taken the reigns once •
again in preparation for
the' 2009 Sears Drama
festival, and penned his
own stage adaptation
of Joseph Sheridan Le
Fanu's gothic novella,
Carmilla. The story fol-
lows a young girl haunt-
ed by a beautiful phantom in her dreams.
When she comes face to face with an injured
traveler, she quickly realizes her dreams may
soon become reality.
"I've always been fond of the novel, and
had thought for some time about adapting it
for the stage," Armour said, following a gru-
eling double -bill dress rehearsal on Sunday,
March 1.
Last summer, Armour made good on his
intentions, and crafted his own take on the
tale.
The production features a cast and crew of
33 GDCI students who are coached along by
Armour and assistant director Warren Rob-
inson. GDCI music teacher Shelly Johnston
provides an original score, while Kathy Wet-
tlauffer and Jenny Armour look after ward-
robe and make-up respectively.
"It's a slightly different take on the vam-
pire story," Armour said of the competitive
play, which has a running time less than 46
minutes.
"Camilla is not just about a beast from beyond
the grave who victimizes people. The Vampire
motif is a metaphor for many things in real life."
Armour said he believes vampire tales to
be an appropriate vehicle for teens to relate
to their real-life worries. Within mainstream
media, he said, vampires have infiltrated not
just the nightmares but also the daydreams of
alienated youth, who at times seem only too
willing to invite them in and embrace them as
fellow outsiders and romantic heroes.
"In the play we see Carmilla not only as
a vampire, but as a per-
son," Armour added.
If you come to Carmilla
expecting a good scare,
you're going to get that"
- David Armour
"She is dealing with her
own pain just like every-
body else."
The production will
travel to the Sears Dra-
ma Festival in Stratford
on March 5, where the players will wait their
turn to take the stage on Saturday afternoon,
March 7.
But is a terrifying tale of bloodsucking,
infatuation and tragedy enough to take top
honours at Sears?
"I never like to predict that," Armour said.
" I think it'll be competitive, certainly. These
kids have worked very hard, I think they have
as good a chance as any."
If the past is any indication, he's right.
While the festival plaques that line the
walls of the GDCI drama studio date back to
the 60s, the last seven years under Armour's
direction have been inspiring for his budding
actors. Since 2002, GDCI has made it to the
Sears festival regional level six times, and the
provincial level five times.
"We'd like to keep that going," he said.
"But, we don't try to win. We just try to be
good enough to win. We do the best work we
can do and let fate and the adjudicator handle
the rest. "
Upon their return, the cast and crew will
begin preparations for their home showings
that are set to run in April.