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BY LISA WILLIAMS
Just outside,Clinton, ion a
rolling farm overlooking the
Maitland River 'galley, lives a
theatre company called Passe
,•t Muraille. Not very.many of the
surrounding families seem to
know they're there, t this will
soon. change, because he main
ob jective of . the g'ro : is to
become acquainted. with its
neighbors.'and their way of life.,
4* ` and to begin to feel at home
with rural Canadian farmlife,
Local residents would know
the place as,,the "old Bird farm
Paul . Thompson, the director -
manager of the grfotip, heard of
it through Don Lobb, and it
• seemed a perfect setting for the
kind of thing they wanted to do.
The objective of the group is
•
e
fresh and idealistic, with a sense
of • confidence and seriousness.
These are rofes_sional ..neonle
with experience and ' a' fine
reputation behind_ them. Paul
Thompson explains:,"l'or a long
time now Canada has looked
elsewhere for dramatic material,.
and people to do the material.
Our training was toward an
international ..outlook. We
studied other countries'
material—England, the United
States. But it can be exciting._
and-. as much fun to deal with
what's around.us as with what's
foreign."
' The company decided that
nothing could be closer. to the
real heart of Canada than the
life of her people,-espec-iat1y he
farmers. The director, three
actors, and three actresses (and
"three babies, • who don't
count" }:carne to the countryside
of Southwestern Ontario—("We
wanted to he either here or'out
west" }---•=•to learn about. it first- tim
hand
WITHOUT WALLS
. The words "Passe Muraille
mean "theatre without walls",
and the company, which is from
Toronto, has maintained 'an
imaginative approach worthy of
'the - name. Some of its
productigns are done without
scripts, when the actors felt that
to write put the parts might
make them too static. Recent.ly
they did °a ' play. about the
Doukhobors and their last play,
Buffalo Jump, was about the
"On to Ottawa" Trek of the
unemployed during the
Depression.
Not all of the Passe Muraille
" company canie to the farm. Paul
Thompson says that the size of
the company depends on the
show und_erwa -a.y t lig, moment'
>=.
Ours�is a transient company.
Actors and directors go with us,
they go broke, go away, and
then 'come back with us. I
counted once: there we're forty
or fifty actors working ,in the.
theatre. About twenty had done
two or more shows with us," he
•said,
"Our shows are intended for
people to enjoy! As much• as we
can,make it, this experience (on'
the farm) -is pn exchange. There
are senses of understanding and
serises of acceptance among
people, We have to find' ways of
showing that on stage. •
r "We want to—encounter as
many people in this community
as we can. The man down the
road had his daughter married,
and we helped. hin9 with his
haying.' .It was •a learning
process -for us, and at the same
elped him•..out. We have this.,area: Might have'seen her as
Hamlet's. Ophelia in Stratford.
it is 'Find MacdpnelVs, first
show with the company. She
comes from Winnipegwhere she
was one of The Patrick. Players
., Janet Ames, mother of two
year-ol'd . Christ ipher is
interested in ballet. She's
worked with Theatre Toronto,
Toronto Workshop 'Prtductions,
and Young People's Theatre .in
Toronto.
fen immediate feeling of
'discovering what the people' in
this area know about.
. "Our reception in the
community has really. been`
°
tremendous. People are quite co:
operatii'e," Mr. Thompson said.
The group has worked in the
fields, attended a council
meeting,, a fiddling contest, a
bingo- night, ,and talked at
length with neighbours. Then
they. go back to the farm, and re-
enact the ideas and events they
have experienced.
,YOUNG ACTORS
The actors and actresses are
all quite young, and. have had
totally different backgrounds.
Potter is on his second
show with Passe Muraille. He is
also the ' co-founder of the.
Children's Panttmime Theatre
in Toronto.
• Alan Jones has done five
productions with Passe
'Muraille. He says: `„There is a
great number' of dramatic
sources in this .country which
have not been exploite,d., I like .-
working with Passe Maraille:
they deal with Canadian'
. content.”
David Fox has never done
Professional acting before. `°I
was a high school teacher, and 1
quit after nine years of teaching
literature and' theatre arts." `he
said. - '
Anne Anglin, Paul,
Thompson,'s wife and -the
mother of nine -month-old
Severn, :has been with. Passe
• Muraille for four. •or'five shows.'
She has ` acted with the Saint
r''ont.ra anrd npnnle in
«y'
LEARNINuG FROM THE
COMMUNITY
The company rehears four
hours a day, six days a week.
"But I would. hope," says
director Thompson, "that they
spend at least, that much time
. again out in the community,
learning. We have to keep
adding te` our
knowledge. It'iss4ap,itlike school;
they ask me, 'What's the
homework for tonight?' "
The . homework is usually a
dramatic problem to, work: on:
the physical description of a
place, or the creation of a
character. One night...eachactor
had to make up a song:
There is no particular pattern
to the content of the rehearsals
from day to day, although they
usually start out with "warm-
ups". Each actor bends and
stretches, relaxing his mind and.
body., Then the actors do
dramatic exercises, such as
trying to portray an image
through physical description
coupled with movements.
Fina, arms over her head,
suddenly became a' slanted roof
with a pigeon under the eaves.
Janet's body described .the grey
home
GOI iPICII SIGNAL -STAR. THIIR$D441,'
wall of a barrrwith orange tiger -
titie§ growing next to . it.
Evidently not satisfied, she
commented, "It's hard'o' •
concentrate hard enough into a
non -literal movement."
Paul Thompson answered
,her, trying to help .her feel
comfortable with the exercise.
"It is the physical taking over,
and extending the metaphor," "
he said. *if
Ari,ne began a description, and
broke it .off. "I'm really having
trouble with this. Idon't like
this whole exert'ise; I don't see
what it's -getting at. I 'can't do
it." Anne's trouble was
discussed. A problem of one of
the actors necessarily becemes a
concern of the whole group. The
director explained .why he
considered ^the exercise to . be
valid; and ,the group took turns
a_ moment; -and" then;' bursting
into low somersaults, her. Voice
deep.. and smooth, . she said:
"R000llliiing meadow
grass...daisies...reeds standing in
water...frrr000gggsss...'' The rest
of the company could visualize
the scene,and smiled warrnly'at
the picture, .and .at 'her" suecess.
".ard ,act to follow!" said
one,
ONLY A FEW WEEKS
•
The.Passe M^urail.le company
is eager to • make the ,,host of
their few remaining weeks in the
Clinton area, Althocgh they are
'not sure 'what ' form of
'production the, .rehearsals will
eventually take, they would like
to perform it either at a school Q
building or in• the houses of
friends and neighbour,, who
w,i.th-.,._a_ -second— r .u.n,d.•...« 4f=rt-inuite,-,th em-to--do-aso:brre-•reason-.__.
descrintiuns. Anne hesitater) for they'd like to perform before
Clinton area resrdents is so they
can learn how their information
and imitations might be wrong;,
"We really need to talk to
people, . and find out their
ideas--wnot on, hovtr we should dp
a play, but on what their work is,.
.like. Maybe they could help' us.
give our play a name," said the
director. Any Suggestions?
Around the middlef August,
they'll have a better idea of
„what tticyli., do, but until then,
any suggestions-, or opportunity
to talk with people 'would be
welcomed. The farm' is on the.
road between 'Holmesville and
Beimiller, off on the Maitlan
Line about two miles a
telephone 482-3181.
Charterways .raising
prices to passengers
when approval given
.Charterways Company Ltd.,
has been' operating eight
Southwestern Ontario bus
routes at a loss of -about nine
and one-half. cent -- per mile
since June 1971, the Ontario
highway transport board. was
told recently.'
Between June 30, and Dee. 31
1971 the company's revenue
from these' routes averaged 48
cents per mile, F.D. Dornier,' of
manager said.,
Toro.ntc>, Charterways trac
ffi
Vosts during ' this period
averaged 57.62 cents per mile.
This loss, about nine and one.
- half' cents per mile, has
' remained constant,, he said.
Charterways is • asking,
approval from the minister or-
- transport for an average of one
cent, per mile fare increase on
',` ,the'eight 'routes.
The approval would • allow
Charterways to increase the fare
by an average,„crf 30 to 35 cents.
The largest increase would be
for., the London to Kincard'in'e
- run which would go from $5.95
to'. $.0 45•,
Mr. tomit'r 'pointer) out •the
•
company's last, fare increase
was in April 1969.
Board chairman • E..J.
Shoniker . said the, company
would probably have increased
faresn in 1970 "if you could have
got •it -past the minister."
The increased fares proposed
by the company on a one-way '
basis - from London are: to
Dorchester, 65 cents (from 55
'cents); Gralyd Bend $2:70
($2.45); Goderich, $4,35 ($4);
Kincardine, $6.45.:($5.95); Port
Elgin, $7.10 ($6.85); Owen
Sound, $7.10 ($6.85); Exeter.
$1.80 ($1-..6.5)._ Clinton $3 ($2.75);
Wingham $4:'30 03.95);
Mitchell, $2.65 ($2.40); Listowel,
$3.95 ($:3.65) , alkerton $5.30
toi change; Hanover, $5.65, 'no
change; Sarnia $`2.30 no change.
A decision on the application
will probably cornu from the
minister of transport by
September, Mr. Shoniker, said
BUY•SE[I•RENT•HIRL
• •
'STAY ALIVE
RED CROSS
WATER SAFETY
FOR YOUR
IIICCES$
1$1,111.111.
i I O NE L'$
SUNQcO'
At The 'Five Point$
;Licensed 'Mechanic
Repairs to all Makes .
FIRE INSURANCE:
Se* or Phone
MALCOLM MA1HERS
GENERAL INSURANCE AGENT
46 WEST ST. , - $24.9442
REGISTRATION
Swimming Lessons
MONTH OF AUGUST
Saturday, July 29
2:00 to 5:00 p.m.
At The Pool'
•
We'r
MID SUMMER VALVES ON
4
A
Posing infront oftheir `improvisedtheatre on the old Bird farm on "'company, which -is based iii Toronto; carne to the country ,to
the Maitland lineare left, to right: Director Paul Thompson, David experience a couple of months of rural life. (Photo.W
Fox, Anne Anglin; young Severn, Fina MacDonell, Miles Potter; Williams) - by Lisa
Alan Jones, young Christopher and Janet Ames. The Theatre
IMIVII-NG—LE S
•
MONTLQFAUGuiT
SENIOR
SELF -STICK'
REG. 35e "EACH
ASHFIELD A W,
WAWANOSH
8:30
SHAR1k
A&B
MOTORBOAT
A & B
10:00
FIBREGLASS PANELLING
PER
SHEET
MOTORBOAT
"C&D
.10:30
11:00
� We have a. limned stock of garden
atrde n Fur-niture° f r
,.. , p g
PADDLE G.
WHEELER t
711:30
TINY TOTS.
EVERY SATURDAY NIGHT,.
2 miles S, of Kincardine on Aintree .Rd,
-- LIMITED COLOURS
BUBBLERS
GODERICH -BUILDING CENTRE .
Cumbria. Rd> . & AN 1.siii $t•„ .Geder th.