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Huron Expositor, 2007-06-20, Page 9News The Huron Expositor • June 20, 2007 Poge 9 Local actor performs in To Kill a Mockingbird Aaron J a c k t i n 11111121111.. For two and a half hours on a stage at the Stratford Festival this season, Thomas Murray, 13, of St. Columban is not Thomas Murray, 13, of St. Columban. Not to the audience who watches him in the stage adaptation of Harper Lee's Ib Kill a Moddngbird anyway. Ib them he is Jem Finch, h, son of Atticus Finch, older brother of Scout Finch. He loves football and wishes his father would teach him to shoot He's got a south- ern outhern accent "Jem is quite the character," says Murray. "die's trying to figure out where he should be in life, where he fits in." That's not really something Murray finds to be a problem He knows where he should be. "Around family and friends," says the young actor, though he admits friends aren't something his heavy rehearsal sched- ule allows too much time for. The cast rehearsed eight hours a day, six days a week from mid-February until late May. When asked what the hardest thing about acting is, he points to this aspect. "Going away," he says. "Not going to school. Not being around fiiends." But he see his friends when he can. "1 still get to hang out with them when I go to school," he says, noting that while he does most of his school work from home, he still goes to class when he can. "I'm keeping up pretty good," he says. "My teacher's been very supportive." He will start grade 9 at St Michael's in Stratford this September. Murray is already a veteran of many other productions in the region. He was in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat twice, Annie Get Your Gun, Carousel, The Secret Garden, Lost In Yonkers and the Stratford Festival produc- tion of Oliver! last year. When quizzed on whether he wants act- ing to be a lifelong career, Murray says, "I like what I'm doing now" Beyond that, he hasn't made up his mind. Outside of the theatre, he likes biking, hockey, soccer and other sports. He also likes to play the piano and guitar: Murray says the best thing about acting is the people he works with. "I'meet a whole bund of people," he says. "They're great to work with and really tal- ented." Having to learn a southern accent was something Murray enjoyed. "It took a lot to really talk like that," he says, noting it wasn't the first time. "In Lost in Yonkers, I had a New York accent," he says, slipping into it mid -sen- tence and pronouncing it New Yawk'. For Oliver! he had to learn a Cockney accent Murray practised the southern accent and diction so much for this role that he found himself unconsciously slipping into it at home. He'd only realize it after the words had escaped his mouth Murray says that live theatre is unpre- dictable. "Anything can happen," he says. "Every show is different" In one performance of To Kill a Mockingbird this year, his co-star Abigail Winter-Ciilliford (Scout) didn't come on stage during a scene. He and the actor who plays Dill - a friend of Murray's character Jem and Scout - had to improvise on the fly. "Phe lines she says (in that scene) are important to what happens next," he explains. "We had to make up some lines, share some lines and I had to say some of her lines." Murray's dad was in the audience that day and when he learned afterward that Scout hadn't come out, he said it was a good thing she hadn't had any lines. "Nobody really not/63d," he says, includ- ing his clad In Lost in Yonkers, Murray ran into another snag. It wasn't a missing actor that time. Murray was supposed to do a quick wardrobe change for a scene where his character delivered some lines before going to bed. "My dresser fuigvt my pants," he says. So he went on stage while the lights where still out "flre was a wxh on stage," he says. "I had the pyjama top and nothing really on the bottom, just my.boxes." He stood behind the coach and said all his limes as ifhe were about to go to bed. "The due for the lighting person was to go off when I got into bed," he says. The assistant stage managers used radios to tell the lighting person to "turn off the lights when he finishes his lines becau he's not going to be getting into beds' Murray says it went off without a hitch, much to his relief He had no desire to walk across stage in the Toronto Maple Leafs boxers he wore. Abigail Winter-Culliford as Murray, of St. Columban, this season. "I wiped my brow and kept going," he says. To Kill a Mockingbird runs until Oct 27. Murray won't be performing on July 5, 19, Aug. 7, 30, Sept. 26 or Oct. 18. "Every ninth show, the understudies go out," says Murray. "Building For (WOAA Our Future - V� W 0 A A CAP --*Ai CAMPA.G% Ont = • Power Generation Investing in the W.O.A.A. and Future of Youth The "Building For Our Future" Capital Campaign received a Leadership donation at the CAPTAIN ($2,500) level from the Ontario Power Generation Corporation of Tiverton. Accepting the generous donation is Gary Gravett, volunteer chair of the W.O.A.A. Campaign from the OPG's Senior Communications Advisor Lynda Cain. "Building For Our Future" Results of the first phase of the Campaign will be announced at the W.O.A.A. 65th Anniversary Brunch Sunday, June 24th in Wingham For Information - Contact W.O.A.A. - 519-357-3512 www.woaa.on.ca Claus Anderson photo Scout, Barbara Barnes -Hopkins as Calpurnia and Thomas as Jem in To Kill a Mockingbird at the Stratford Festival You are invited to attend these area churches St. Thomas Anglican Church A Congregabon of the Parish of The Ficlly Spa Jarvis St. Saforth .519-527-1522 Rector The Rev'd Sue alpus. M Div Sunday, June 24 Anniversary Sunday Worshipt 9:30 am Kid's summer Program 9:30am followed by refreshments. Everyone welcome Rector's Coffee Hour Tues. June 26-9-11am Tues., June 26 -Party Planning meeting in Clinton at 7:30 Bethel Bible Church An Associated Gospel Church 126 Main St. Seaforth 519-527-0982 Sunday School 9:45 am Sunday Worship 11:00 am Pastor Mark Kennedy EVERYONE WELCOME NORTHSIDE UNITED CHURCH 54 Ggderich St. W. Rev. John Gould Sunday June 24 Worship at 11:OOam Sermon: 'Friendships & Relationships Joint Worship at Cavan United Church". All Welcome Sunday School & Nursery During Worship St. James Roman Catholic Church Welcomes you 14 Victoria Street, Seaforth 519-527-0142 Weekend Masses: Sat 5:15 pm Sun. 11:00 am Fr. Chris Gillespie Egmondville United Church Pastor Steve Hildebrand Sunday, June 24 Worship 11 am WELCOME COMMUNICANT CLASS 12 First Presbyterian Church Goderich St. W., Seaforth Rev. Henry Huberts Sunday June 24 11:15 am service Sunday School & Nursery Provided. Everyone Welcome Sunday July 1st 10:30 am Outdoor Service and Lunch at the Hullett Wildlife Area