HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1988-12-28, Page 9Times -Advocate, December 28, 1988
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Dan Needles' latest script workshopped at Blyth
BLYTH - Dan Needles has anoth-
er potential hit in the works. The
• writer who delighted us with the
happenings in Larkspur -and Perse-
phone township through the one-
mantour de force, Rod Beattie, in
Letters from Wingfield Farm and
last year's Huron Country Play
house hit W ingfield's Progress,
was at Blyth recently as an observ-
er while his first multi -cast play
was being workshopped at the local
theatre.
Seven talented professionals sit-
ting around a U-shaped table
*ought Needles' script to hilarious
and dramatic life. One of the actors
was. Needles' brother Reid. •
. The play, tentatively titled
"Perils of Persephone", is built
around a spill of what is at first be-
lieved to be nut:Iear waste in the
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swamp beside the Currie brothers
dairy farm.
Once the local MPP (who is also
the minister of the, environment)
gets involved and declares a state of
emergency, the plot thickens. The
truck driver, who was under the in-
fluence of some mind -altering sub-
stance, is revived and drops -a
bomb.
What the farmer -had thought was
contained in the truck with
"Atomic Breeders" logo embla-
zoned on its door was not from a
• nuclear.plant but an artificial in-
semination company.
And what 'was -leaking -into thc
swamp was not 'tritium but - you
guessed it - bull semen.
The next probrem was to cover
• up the misunderstanding without
letting a lawnful of media -people
dig out the true story and ruin the
reputation of both the MPP and El-
don Currie, a candidate for warden
on county council. (The warden's
annual banquet is defined as an oc-
casion attended by 300 people, 200
of whom make speeches.)
The premier's executive assistant,
a briskly efficient, no nonsense
lady attired in her "Holt Renfrew
go away creep" look, arrives and
barks out the orders to turn the sit-
uation around. • Her strategy in-
volves the Al truck, a disguised
milk truck and a truckload of genu-
ine nuclear byproducts. Act two,
scene one, ends with the latter
tipped o'vcr in the swamp.
That climactic moment was also
where the workshop ended, to the
chagrin of the audience. From past
experience, they knew Needles can
be counted on to wrap up his sagas
with a pungent mix of relevancy
and wit.
Needles, son of the well-known,
Shakespearean actor William
Needles, has drawn on his experi-
ence as weekly newspaper editor,
insurance salesman, five years with
the -ministry of the environment and
a childhood on a farm for his whim-
sical plots;
"This is a way of recording a va-
nishing lifestyle, the loss of com-
munity"; Needles explained. -
Hc has a gift for capturing thc hu-
mour and thc idiocyncracies of a
class of people and a rural milieu
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that is quickly disappearing. and respects. "But now people are
"The characters are drawn from clamouring to be identified with
life, with interchangeable parts," this or that character", he added with
Needles confided. This is done to. • a gentle laugh.
avoid any unintentional hurt or in- Needles and his wife recently
suit to a group of people he likes bought a�farm near.Collingwootl
where they plan to raise sheep.
This should guarantee more raw
material for further misadventures
in the delightful world of Larkspur
and surrounding. Persephone town-
ship.
Post mortem - Author Dan Needles (right) joined brother Reid, actor Rod Beattie and artistic director
Katherine Kaszas to taik shop after his newest script, a multi-ceSt comedy, was workshopped at the
Blyth Festival Theatre. -
Bringing a script to life - Actors Reid Needles, Carol Sinclair and Karla de Pena take part in a reading
from Dan Needles', latest script.
Letters
Dear Sir:
W -c wish to acknowledge once
again the g serous support of the
people of Huron County in helping -
their neighbours through.the Huron
County Christmas Bureau 1988.
As is our custom, we ask a varie-
ty of groups to manage the local
operations for us. This year we aie
particularly grateful to: the Chris-
• tian Reformed Church, Helen Roor-
.da and Janet Stryker in Clinton, -
Exeter United Church, Alma God -
bolt and Audrey McGregor in Exet-
er; the Salvation Army and Captain
Walter and Mrs. Vivian Clark in.
Godcrich; the Optimist Club and
Leona Scott in Seaforth; the Salva-
tion Army and Lt. Cal and Mrs. -
Mclony Barker in Wingham.
These five groups provided an al-
ternate shopping service to 320
families who were thus able to put
gifts under the tree for over 700
children:
This annual project of Family and
Children's Services of Huron Coun-
ty requires over 10000 hours of vol-
unteer work. it is the volunteers,
along with the hundreds of people
who donate cash and gifts who
show us the true spirit of Christ-
mas.
Thank you again. Our hats are off
to the citizens of Huron County:
Yours sincerely,
• John V. Penn Executive Director
It
Page 9
Artistic director Katherine Kasias
waf noncommittal when asked if
-the play will be On next year's play-
bill. She will announce the Blyth -
•Festival Theatre's 1989 offerings in
February. (This reporter desperately
hopers she will choose the Needle's
play. 1 want to find -out hap-.
pens in the final act!)
what
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After Christmas
New minister
EXETER - Rev. Mark B. Gaskin
of Albcrton, P.E.1. has been called
to be the new minister of the Exct-
cr-Hcnsall charge of•the Presbyteri-
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Rev. and Mrs. Gaskin and little
daughter are expected to arrive in
town. this week. T. The Manse at
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ready for them.
The ladies of the congregation
have arranged a pantry shower of
dry food items to stock the shelves-
in
helvesin their new home.
The -Induction Service installing
Rcv Gaskin as Minister of thc Pas-
toral charge will take place on •
Wednesday evening, January 4 at
8 p.m. in Caven Presbyterian
Church in Exeter. •
Rev. Rick Horst who has been
interim -moderator of the charge for
the past year and a half will fake
pan in the' service along with other
ministers from the Presbytery of
Stratford -Huron. A social hour
will follow the Induction Sri -vice.
Everyone is invited to attend..
Rcv. Gaskin will conduct his
first service as Minister here on
Sunday, January 8 at the usual
hours of 9:45 a.m. in Exeter
Church and at 11:15 a.m. in the
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