Lakeshore Advance, 2012-06-27, Page 10Wednesday, July 6, 2011 • Lakeshore Advance 21.
Hometown' is an inspired creation
Reviewed by Sandi Mewls,
Bayfield, Ontario.
As often happens with creativity, the
FFromfor Hometown germinated
rom a simple event: the moment when
Faye, the Manager of the Blyth Post Office,
locked the front door at the end of her
business day. Director and playwright
Peter Smith witnessed that moment and
began to muse about the people and sto-
ries that stitch together the patchwork pat-
tern of small town life. From there, Smith
approached Blyth's Artistic Director Eric
Coates to outline his plan: ask other play-
wrights to share their own hometown
experiences. The six stories that grew from
the original seed premiered on the Blyth
Festival Theatre stage on June 24th, 2011 to
an enthusiastic opening night crowd.
1 spoke with Peter Smith and asked for
his overall impression of the first perform-
ance. "The experience was kind of extraor-
dinary," he said. "I know all the writers
and where they come from. '(here were no
guards up as to what they experienced lin
their own hometowns]. Their emotions,
as they wrote honestly and from their
hearts, just washed over me as 1 watched
the performance."
From the tune 1 sat down in the theatre,
I knew that 1-lometown would be a unique
premiere. As the crowd chatted and found
their seats, a slideshow of old pictures pro-
vided a changing backdrop onstage, nar-
rated by voice-overs that described home-
town life. Musician/composer David
Archibald not only wrote many of the
songs for the production, he also helped
Smith edit interviews from local residents
to provide the voice-over quotes.
The performance opened with a piano
Ryan Bandy nisi PINI b(((lot In M ins'in 1Yl Ir' k\tn MAI. ROW. Mleko ()win, Mance( Rohdncon,
Malta Row Mot Smith And 14A W.1101 with mu.. by tlavici At hdl>,Nd and h.lmlatlon by
Maureen t abonto, Photo u ' ht: lolly Manns
tune by Arehihald a ragtime ro mposi
tion entitled 1 lamelown." The intuit' was
garnished with a generous sery'nkt of
humour that was woven into the test o►1 the
production as well, A young. dis t:Conde d
train 1EU 't1ler introduced the audience to
the first play, 'Thea by Atansel Robinson.
The girl myth newev►tner; 20.year old Kine
(hulolen) is a typical teenager who laments
the lark of elee•tre►nir conunuteiratton, her
lifeline 10 the outside world. As she
proudly states, "1'm a hlogger," But her
mother is dneip;it* her around the a ountty
and rutting her oft from riviliratiom. No
Google Earth. 'Ihee says, "Aly mother pre
seated me \visit a map. 11ave you ever seen
one of these this sY" Beyond the fart that
(�uloien was brilliant in bet roe and kept
the audience in a Constant state of
1'. 1)1)I NCI T(. )N'S
1•:.\'1I.:1:1 .\I.1•: 1 l()l
"EAST COAST NIGHT"
Sunday, July 10th
Featuring: %Vhole Lobster (.1 iii - i 3/4 lb.),
$4
Corn 00 the ('oh, Potato', Salad, ('ole Slaw
0
AO pp/plus taxes & gratuity
"Live Music" - Prize Give-aways!
Moosehead taste Testings!
3 Sittings Available: Spm, 6pin, & 9pm
Tickets in Advance Only!
18 Ontario St., S. (:rand Rend
(Across from rho Hrrr Shoal
PA hl 1111 di
519-238-5788
laughter, the decision to break Then into
sections and insert them in between the
other plays was also brilliant. Each time
Kineto Theatre 9
Forest
"SUPER 8"
Rating: PG
July: 8, 9, 10 & 12th
Starring: Elk Fanning,
Amanda Mlchalka, Kyle Chandler
00 All . ejl.•• •\1I I ).l\
CONGRATULATIONS
AMANDA BREUER
Your determination and
hard work has paid off.
Amanda graduated on
Wednesday June 15, 2011
with "Distinction" from the
Ontario Veterinary College.
Guelph.
We congratulate 1)r. Amanda
Breuer,11,Sc.,1),V,M. and
wish her every success!
Amanda is practicing in
Dawson Creek, B.C.
Love atom, dad & Tyson
and Matt
Thea appeared 00 stage, the audience was instantly infonnmi
that one play had ended and the next one was slated to begin.
The otter plays included New Bonaventure, Newfoundland by
Days Walsh, a lovely tribute to the island where "Everything here
is wind." The tusc of fresh, descriptive language captures the true
spirit of Newfoundland pioneers. After another delightful inter-
lude with 'Thea, I'll Be 1 tome for Christmas by lean Marc Dail*,
was showcased. This play revolves around a mother (Marion
Day) who is forced to leave her hometown in Quebec to join her
husband in Edmonton. In a parallel story, her now -adult son
(Ryan Bondy) grudgingly prepares to return home to Edmonton
for Christmas. Ile eventually reveals the hardships he endured
as a► Child thio vn into an unfamiliar world.
CONTINUED > PAGE 22
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