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HomeMy WebLinkAboutGoderich Signal Star, 2017-06-28, Page 1616 Signal Star • Wednesday. June 28. 2017 Goderich Little Theatre to perform 'The Penelopiad' IL Opening night Ar Wednesday, July 5 Kathleen Smith Goderich Signal Star 'Goderich Little Theatre is in the middle of rehearsals for a powerful play that is a retelling of an ancient story, 'The Penelopiad; directed by David Armour. The play encompasses the story of Penelope, from the ancient story: 'The Odyssey', where Penelope and her maids are in Hades and where they confront society, their own choices and each other. In the story 'The Odyssey', Penel- ope is the wife of Odysseus and is left alone for twenty years while her husband goes off to fightin the Trojan War. Remaining the ever - faithful wife, despite scours of suit- ors who believe her husband to be dead; when Odysseus returns home, he kills his.wife, her suitors and all twelve of her maids. "The story of Penelope in Odys- seus' absence; her growing up as a young wife and. mother in their town; her trying to manage things in his absence. 1 ler storied faithful- ness, despite the fact that there were people who said that Odys- seus had past, after twenty years, they were sure he was dead and there was a whole lot of pressure for her to marry again, but she wouldn't. She went through vari- ous different tricks to try to get out fromthat pressure," explains Armour. "There they re-enact the events that were the most impor- tant in their lives, and particularly surrounding Odyssues' absence during the Trojan War and his return after the war:' The cast is comprised of 13 women, who portray Penelope, the wife of Odysseus and her 12 hand- maidens, where they have met again in Hades. 'The Penelopiad; written by Mar- garet Atwood, is athought provok- ing play about women, men, class and violence in a patriarchal society. Despite the dark tones in the play, those in attendance will see that it is, in some ways, also ele- gantly beautiful. There is also rnusic and dance to accompany the play, where live musicians will play the harp, flute, violin and percussion. 'The Penelopiad' has a gala opening night on Wednesday, July 5 at the I luron County Gaol, which will also include a meet add greet with the director, and a question and answer session with the cast. The play will continue to run with evening performances on Fri- day, July 7, Saturday, July 8 and Sunday, July 9, starting at 8:30pm. Director David Armour explains the affect of theatre production of 'The Penelopiad': "There are places (in the play!. where it is really fnrnny, however, it is a very dramatic story as well. In some ways, kind of a challenging one; it takes us on in respect to some of our deeply seeded attitudes about women, in particular. At the same time, Mar- garet Atwood is not a polemical writer, and she doesn't take just one side and just argue for that.. Instead she has J : lit' •■ 11101 L' ST. JOSEPH'S KINGSBRIr)GE COMMUNITY PRESE.tiTS 1. I : f ti n 1 .! .1 .ii 1 1 1 1 1 [t 1 1 !/ 1111 St. Joseph's Kingsbridge Community would like to extend a sincere thank you to all those who made Kingsbridge The Musical such an overwhelming success. First and foremost, a heartfelt thank you to playwright Warren Robinson, and music collaborators Mike Reynolds\ ' and Eleanor Robinson,. whose creative vision brought our seniors' stories to vibrant life. Special thanks go to the Goderich Livery Theatre and the 1.ucknow Hawk Theatre for their. partnerships. A sincere thank you to Kingsbridge native Brian Dalton whose regional artwork captured the essence of Ashfield Township. We are greatly indebted to the director, musicians, cast and crew for their commitment and talent for dramatizing our local history and culture. The play was set in the 1950's at a time when many things were changing, yet somehow, 60 years later, the people and their connection to each other and the land has remained an unbroken chain. The success of St. Joseph's Kingsbridge Community and the Kingsbridge Centre is due to the dedication and hard work of a seemingly unending supply of volunteers. To the 93 individuals who gave 5400 hours of their time toensure ICngsbridgThe Musical was successful ...thank you. And to the 1050 attendees whogaced us 'th 1 their presence - we hope you enjoyed the show! mg Li fi rel Y 1 1! 1 :1 1■ 1 1 1J 1 J l 1-4ap ` 0 1gX12 J i (Back row, left to right): Jacqui Knap, Jennifer Coustells, Lauren Phillips - Grande, Susan Carradine, Lisa Justine Hood, Ally Connelly, Liv Hussey, Chelsea MacDonald, Shannon Pitre, Reanna Ramaker. • - (Front row, left to right): Ange Keeley, Gwyneth Pella, Colleen Caesar. criticism for everybody. It's not so much criticism, but you end up confronting certain truths that are sometimes difficult. It's a challeng- ing piece in that way. It is lyrical, powerful, dramatic and funny, and it has gorgeous music." Tickets for 'The Penelopiad' are available online at thelivery.ca, by telephone at 519-524-6262, or sim- ply drop into The Livery at 60 South Street. Rehearsals have begun for the Goderich Little Theatre production of 'The Penelopiad'. Photos courtesy of Jenna wh►e 'The Penelopiad' has an opening night gala on Wednesday, July 5, at the Huron County Gaol.