HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record-Blyth Summer Festival, 1980-07-03, Page 29THE SIXTH SUMMER FESTIVAL. 'IOWE
David Fox describes him*
self as "lucky',' looking back
on bis theatre career. 'Tis
year playing the part of Johnin
in John -and. the Misses. and
working on{ the Collective
production of The. life That
Jack Built, David will spend
his first season in Blyth.
"I'd much lathe be doing.
theatre like this" he said,.."t
feel closer to the material
and closer to the audience."
Along with stage work
across Canada, David has
er-formed in - television,-, _,
?st recently involved . in
'our .episodes of A Gift to
Last, David has also acted in
-Ada and Maria, (part of the
CBC For the -Record series),
-----The Mass ;e! 83fifor-tel
vision, and . Going Down
Slow.
Born in Swastika, David
said it was while he, attended
high school in Kirkland, Lake
and became involved in . the w
drama club that he first
thought of acting as a career.
After going to the Univer-
sity of Western Ontario and
later finishing a degree at the
University of Guelph,, David
went on to the Ontario Col=
lege of Education.
He saidsing an appren-
tice actorsa udition in 1961 in
Stratford, made him decide
to stay out of theatre and in
1962 he started teaching
a nglish and theatre arts at a
antford high school.
Anne Anglin likes
After teaching for 10 years,;
David explained he, „ rent
back to theatre for. several
reasons.
"It was a bulitr. up of
several things," he said. " "1
was more involved ,in high
sehool theatre and coin.
munity theatre than 1 was in
preparing lessons."
"Finally 1 was.. seeing no
benefits in. teaching.''
In preparing- for his role as
John in John and the Missus,.
DaCrid ;said he travelled 'to
'Newfoundland for a few days.
before :rehearsals to try and
pick up the accent of .the
area,, necessary in the play,'
,`.
""You have to get the idea'
of the accent without going
oveaboard," he said,.
"You 'have tocombine
what is a regular Newfound-
land' accent, with what will
be believed by the and-
ience,"•:
Researching material . for
the collective, .The Life That
Jack Built, David said he
read as mach as. he could
about the first world war and
o -talked -to -Jac'_ M ,T
whom the play is about. ,,
In describing Jack Mac-
Laren's character, David said
the other day he asked Jack
fora script called Estame he
wrote. in 1917. Whep he
couldn't find the. old'script, .
they wanted to use in the
show, David said' Jack re-
wrote it from memory.
"The guy is 85 years old,
he's incredible," said David.
"The energy' and determin-
ation is great."
Anne Anglin -says it's the
honest, ingenuous reactions
from Blythaudiences that
appeals to her.
"I love theatre lice this,"
she said. "I think it's won
derfulthat thereis a theatre
like this so close to Strat-
ford,''
This" season; playing the
part of the ivlissus in John
and the Missus, Anne is back
for her second year in Blyth.
A Montreal Theatre 'School
graduate, Anne said she has
been acting for close to 12
years,
, "I try to do as many
different things as I can," .
She -explains that if you're
talented and versatile, .your
chances of working increase.
Anne has performed in
theatre ' and on television,
most recently for a TV-
Ontario drama series on
moral .issues. Anne has done
stage drama and musical's.
"Musicals are fun," she
said. "I really like singing."
This summer Anne will_ be
living in a caboose witli her
two daughters and husband
Paul 'Thompson, founder of
Theatre Passe Muraille in
Toronto.
David describes theatre as
a "more • satisfying med-
ium':
"Television is °a director
and editor's medium, where
as, stage is much more of an
actor's medium," he said.
veterans
Like the theatre',a . dtic present, the B1
Memorial morial Hall has had a vibrant and interesting past,
e
Erected in 1920 as a memorial to veterans.wli fought'
Ing the First World
, W�a�r�y, tl a hall hay}c been se g the' -
cothmunity for W yea s,' •�:Nkrq.« q•nJrz^ f. -
^
According to an article ip; . the Dlyth •. Standard
Centennial issue, when first built, ter ball was used
mostly for vaudeville shovVs and touting plays,. During
those early years, dances and meetings were held in the
basement of the hall. At that/ time, the- Firemen's
Dance, held. once a year, was one of the biggest events.
One of the more famous shows to travel to Blyth was
called the Jimmy Fax troupe. Held in connection with
+fie.-annua 1- ate Jiinmy -Fax-performed- a one -m
show playing all the parts in his production. The troupe.
continued to perform in Blyth. from 1920 to ap-
proximately 1950.
In the 1920's when the theatre was built upstairs at
the hall, the stage, measuring 40 feet wide and 20 feet
deep was the most modern and largest in the area,
known for: its comfortable seats, modern design and
excellent acoustics.
• ' TV TOOK OVER
With the growing popularity of television -in the early
1950's, the interest in live theatre in iemorial Hall fell.
As a result, the building fell into a state of -disrepair.
The basement floors no longer shook with the
excitement and!fervour.'of`annua1!dances, and the halls
and theatre no longer echoed the voices of minstrels on
stage.
. However, in the 1970's one woman who saw the
potential in old Memorial Hall came to its rescue.
Helen Gowiiig, at that time owner of a local women's
wear shop and president of the Blyth Board atTrade,
initiated a meeting with the local recreation committee
to start renovations. "..--t--
-
Donations were made 'to buy supplies, while
volunteers climbed ladders, scrubbed woodwork and,
repainted. By 'early September the hall, they thought,
was ready for' use.
The first event to be held in the newly renovated hall
was to be ;a variety night a d fashion show sponsored
by- the Board of 'Trade. Alth "ugh theyrthought.thee`hall
wsa _reforuse, tlie'loc fire chief, who inspected
the aify`'uilding declared the fire unsafe and closed
the half until they were replaced.
4--.
At this time it was Blyth council who came to the
rescue, agreeing to pay for the new fire escapes. Before
the fire escapes were installed however, one councillor
noticed a sag in Unroof he thought should.,be checked
before any money was spent,
-ELOW STANDARD _
A local engineer was hired to examine the structure.
He found the roof below standard and unable to support
snow loads.
He added: the theatre should not be used until repairs
were made, but that the lower portion of the hall would
be safe.
As the question of • renovations ' continued, some
councillors were having doubts about the project and
the costs involved. .
"I don't like the city in the
summer," she said, adding
that living in Brussels for' the
summer is a peaceful break.
Anne, who was born and
raised in Toronto, said she
would like to do more film
work.
-"Film is a wonderful med-
ium," she said. "It' is more
intimate." .
She explained, in working
sn film ortelevision, you
really have to know what
you're doing.
"You have to really con-
centrate, you have to know
what you're doing and when
they give the cue you have to'
perform."
"=There is a sense of
reaching a larger group of
people with film," she added
explaining its advantage, '
In the last five years, Anne
said she'' hasn't travelled
around the country for work -
as often as she did when she
first started acting.
"I'm too old for " all the
moving around," she said.
"You establish ;yourself
in a city like Toronto . or
Vancouver with enough work
to keep you going," she
added.
Health and Gift Centre
Blyth 523-4440
Congratulates
-the
Blyth Summer Festival
Come out and play a round
• anytime
One councillor suggested the ,building be torn down,
but instead, a .small questionnaire was placed in the
Standard asking readers' opinions on whether the
Memorial Hall should be torn down or left standing.
Only one reply suggested theiiall be demolished.
At ,a following September council meeting, council-
lors re-examined the engineer's report. The report
recommended a minor strengthening of the floor, the
stage and -auditorium -and -a-total-replacement of the
roof. The roof cost $50,000, $10,000.- of which would •
come from the village and the rest from grants from the
government~
During the' winter of 1975-76, further renovations
were made by the Blyth Centre for the Arts under a
Local Initiatives Project grant and with the support of
continued local interest.
It was during the spring of 1975 that James Roy
came. to. Blyth and talked with Keith Roulstoh about
{summer theatre. James, then a recent graduate of
theatre at York University who grew up near the
village, worked to create the first season's productions
as artistic director. •
For the first season's 'productions; Jamqs selected
The Mousetrap, an Agatha,:Christie iiysteiy that had
been playing in London, England, for 27 years and
Mostly in Clover,Aaplay based on the writings of Huron
County native Karry J. Boyle.
It was in that .first .year that policies were set.
Because Mostly in Clover outdrew the British play The
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