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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1984-08-08, Page 2ONESESAY, AWO'IUST 0,1984 Directorpieased mandate retained Ten years ago, James Rdy was hanging around Theatre Passe Muraille in Toronto when he first heard about a theatre opening up in Blyth. Today, the seasoned Artistic Director can look back with fond memories of a theatre that has struggled to become one of Canada's best. 10 years of Blyth Festival is celebrating success and actors, playwrights and others who have been involved with the theatre James Roy since, are descending on the small farming community to rejoice. James Roy, a native of Clinton and the theatre's first Artistic Director, is one of those key members. Like a father who is proud of a successful child, James is happy with the Blyth theatre. But he remenibers his feelings in the beginning. "I was at Passe Muraille when Paul Thompson said there was a building in.Blyth that was going to have a theatre in it," James remembers. "I got in touch with Keith Roulston, (the person in charge of the theatre project) editor of the local paper, and then I had a look around the building. I can remember thinking it was a nice place and a nice area." "I was young and enthusiastic," he said. "And I was naive enough not to realize what I was getting into." Mr. Roy said he asked Keith Roulston if he could be the Artistic Director and Keith said yes. James said looking back he was extremely young, "just one year out of university". He said he had a lot of work to do including getting grants and becoming incorporated because the theatre was a private one. "Keith and I drew up a list (of people) for the Board of Directors," he recalled. "We came up with 19 people within the 'community and when we asked them they all said yes." James said the board met in March of 1974 and by the beginning of July they had their' first two shows; Mouse Trap and Mostly in Clover. He said between March and July he was busy hiring actors, picking two shows to sun and trying to raise money. Privately, -the young theatre raised $2,000. When the Artistic Director decided on the two plays he said he went with Mouse Trap because "it was safe". He said he could be sure people would be familiar with the production and would therefore come out to see it. As it turned out, Mostly in Clover was the a big success and outsold Mousetrap two to one. "The town clerk decided to re -dedicate the hall on the opening night (of Mostly in Clover), " remembered James. "He sold most of the available tickets to people who had to be there. Like the local Legion. There was a half hour ceremony before the performance was ,scheduled and everyone had to sit in the heat because there was no air conditioning back then," he continued. "By the time the actors were set to perform they were just dripping. "Within two minutes there was a laugh from the audience, and then there was another and it just increased from there." Janes said they did eight performances of u each play and by the third or fourth showing 7 of Mostly in Clover they were performing for a full house. "It was after that, when we decided our mandate was to produce Canadian material," James noted. He said despite the success of Mostly in Clover, there was still a tough climb ahead. "When we started, I was a novice, I knew nothing of management," said James. "But its like a lot of things, I had to learn by do- Mg." o- -The director said that the theatre had two - deficits in its first five years. "They were small but we were still shocked when we found out." He said the deficits came from growth. After the first year, Blyth theatre had quadrupled its budget from $9,000 to $36,000. "To grow you have to take that jump;" he explained. Still, James said he never felt the theatre was on the verge of collapsing, but he does remember the opposition within the village. "Its funny. I was just talking to an old friend of mine who played a major role in the beginning of the theatre. He is now a printer and is also , a leader in the community," he said. "We were saying how strange it is that no one seems to remember the battle between council, the Board members and the community." He said the community were his biggest worry when he first came to Blyth. "If community relations are soured, then a theatre is not able to function. I always needed local support. "I know of theatres that have tried to make it alone without that community Turn to page 3 MSy. rc s1 BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORY OPTOMETRY R.W. BELL OPTOMETRIST The Square, GODERICH 524-7661 JOHN LONGSTAFF OPTOMETRIST Seaforth 527.1240 Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 9:00-3:30 Saturday 9:00-12:00 noon Closed Wednesdays BY APPOINTMENT Free parking on premises ELECTRIC ��- trnicv� *ECONOMY *QUALITY eSIERVICE "Big lobs or small, we guarantee. thorn all„ 482-7374 CLINTON OR CALL 1-540-265-9255 MSK FOR PAGER NO. 307'. REPAIR Clinton Electric 9 White -Westinghouse rt p c ri ri t ppI•lances Sales and Service APPLIANCE REPAIRS ELECTRICAL MAINTENANCE 90 ALBERT ST. 482-3646 APPLIANCE and REFRIGERATION REPAIR SERVICE Jim Broadfoot 482-7.032 INSURANCE GAISER-KNEALE INSURANCE BROKERS r INC. Insurance -Real Estate Investments. Isaac St., Clinton Phone Office 412-9747 Len Theedom 412-7994 Hal Hartley 452-3693 Bill Counter 412-3617 JOHN WISE INSURANCE BROKERS LTD. General Insurance Guaranteed Investments Clinton Office: 452.9644 Res.: 412-7265 ACCOUNTANT W.L. BUTLER CHARTERED ACCOUNTANT Trustee in Bankruptcy Farm Financial Statements OFFICES 60 East St., Goderich 524-2834 35 Lambton Crt., Kincardine 5 Ontario St., Clinton (at H&R Block) ABATTOIR SERVICE SPIDER'S ABATTOIR Home Grown Beef and Pork' Mill Street, Hensall 262-3130 Wholesale, Retail and Custom Slaughtering. Kill day Tuesdays NO CHARGE FOR BEEF SLAUGHTERING IN JUNE Market weiVht hogs. Complete flat rate '35.00 <gook In advance Friday, June 1st to Saturday, June 30th Our own chubs, Bologna, Wieners, Polish & Summer Sausage, Jellied Pork and processed Hams & Picnics. 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NOM 1 XO HEATING * AIR CONDITIONING * SHEET METAL SALES * SERVICE * $ATIFISFACTION BILL BAILEY 262-2020 Specialists in Pulse Combustion Heating (+lint(►n e ' -Ret'+)111 CLASSIFIED ADS Serving Clinton News,ltecord, yfield - Bugle, Blyth Standard ONE 482-3443 Next weekend Blyth Festival will be celebrating 10 years as a theatre. Actors, playwrights and other Festival members who have been involved with the theatre, will be descending on the small village to snare in the celebration. Among the list of events schedul- ed will be an informal baseball game at the Blyth Public School ball diamond. (Wendy Somerville photo) Blyth Memorial Hall has a theatrical past Like the theatre's dramatic presence, the Blyth Memorial Hall has had a vibrant and interesting past. Erected in 1920 as a memorial to veterans who fought in World War I, the hall has been serving the community ever since. - 0, �. ttF ts* tl p - 17 ALBERT ST. CLINTON •FACIALS •MANICURES •PEDICURES •MAKEUP •WAXING. •EYELASH TINTING AUGUST SPECIAL With every Facial you get a FREE MANICURE Valued at 56.00 CALL NOW FOR APPOINTMENT 482-3454 Vaudeville shows and touring plays were originally staged at the hall. As well, dances and meetings were held in the basement of the hall. In those days one of the biggest annual events was the firemen's dance. One of the more famous shows to travel to Blyth was the Jimmy Faxe troupe. Held in connection with -the annual fall fair, Jimmy Faxe performed a one man show. Over.the years, Jimmy became a well known visitor to Blyth and the troupe performed in the village from 1920 to approximately 1950. In the 1920s, the theatre was built upstairs , at the hall. The stage, measuring 40 by 20 feet wide, was the most modern and largest in the area and the theatre was known for its comfortable seats, modern designs and excellent acoustics. However; with the growing popularity of television in the 1950s, interest in live theatre declined. The Blyth Memorial Hall was abandoned and the building fell into a state of disrepair. The basement floors no longer shook with the excitement and fervor of annual dances and the theatre no longer echoed the voices of minstrels on stage. Recovery came in the 1970s when a group of local people saw ;potential in the old hall and came to its rescue. Donations were made to buy - supplies, while volunteers climbed ladders, scrubbed woodwork . and repainted. By early September the hall, they thought, was ready to use. The first event to be held in the newly renovated hall was to be a variety night and fashion show, sponsored by the Board of Trade. Although they thought the hall was ready for use, the local fire chief, who inspected the building declared the fire escapes unsate and closed the hall until they were replaced. At this time, it was the Blyth Council who came to the rescue, agreeing to pay for the new fire , escapes. Before these .were installed however, one councillor noticed a sag in the roof he thought should be checked before any money was spent. A local engineer was hired to examine the structure. He found the roof below standard and unable to support snow loads. He' said that the theatre should not be used until repairs were made, however the lower portion of the hall was usable. As the question of renovations continued, some village councillors began doubting the project and • the costs invobred. One councillor suggested the building be torn down. Instead, a survey was printed in The Blyth Standard. It asked the public whether the Memorial Hall should be torn down or left standing. Only one reply suggested demolition. To Jeff Morgan ctinton Lisa Kennedy Londesboro Nicholas Bell Gunton Erin Harbanuik.Londesbaro Bennie Greidanus R.R. No. 1 Londesboro Angelo Reid Clinton Jennifer Morrison cllntorl Angela Toonk Exeter Douglas Miller R.R. No. 2 Bayfield On August 8 August 8 August 8 August 9 August 9 August 10 August 12 August 12 August 14 Council agreed to re-examine the engineer's report. It recommended a minor strengthening of the floor, the stage and auditorium and a total replacement of the roof. The roof cost $50,000. Of this, $10,000 would come from the village and the rest from government grants. In 1975, a. dream for the Blyth Memorial Hall developed. Keith Roulston, envisioned a summer theatre company to the village. He mentioned his dream to Paul Thompson, artistic director of Toronto's Theatre Passe Mura`ille. Keith remembers walking down the , streets of Blyth with "shaggy, scruffy" Paul Thompson, as the local merchgnts peeked, out of their shop windows. Paul suggested that James Roy, a young area director, could make the theatre dream a reality and the Blyth Summer Festival was born. It began 10 years ago with two productions. Keith recalled of the first opening night, "We must have been nuts. I remember spending the first night sitting on the steps with James Roy, talking about plans for the next two to three years." Keith said that from opening night, "we were on to something, but we didn't know • how big." "Opening night -was the Worst night of'my life," Keith told a dinner audience at the opening of this year's 10th season. "I missed dinner," he recalled, "I was still cleaning in the back.". The theatre seating consisted of old varnished seats andin the heat, people actually stuck to them. Keith joked, "It was a plot so people couldn't get out." Before the opening night performance the theatre entrance door lock broke and cast and crew frantically worked to repair it, se the Lieutenant Governor could get in to see the show. The early years were filled with calamity, but they were also exciting years. For Keith, the best times were seeing actors like Kate Trotter and Seana McKenna perform, working with playwrights like Ted Johns and Peter Colley and volunteer" board members Mildred McAdam, Liz Herman, Sheila' Richards and Lynda -Lentz. By 1977 many people saw the potential for theatre in Blyth and the further renovation work was proposed. By 1979 the construction crews were at work. ;phis is like heaven compared to when we first started," Keith said. "We really didn't envisage in 1975 what would happen down the road." The year 1979 also brought a new artistic director to Blyth. Janet Amos brought with her talent, enthusiasm, confidence and - pride. In the past five years she has helped create a theatre that is a pride to the community and critically acclaimed across the nation. In a decade the Blyth Summer Festival has gone from a first season, .with two productions and attendance of 2,000, to a 1984 gala season, with five plays and an estimated attendance of more than 30,000. "Blyth is one of the most important theatres in Canada," Janet enthused. She describes the theatre as a "inodel for the world." No where else has she seen a theatre of Blyth's quality developed in a rural area. "It's' inspiring and fun to other small communities. If it can happen here, it can. happen anywhere." ea Photos and stories by. Wendy Somerville G G` ETT LER n OPthiiil ' Fine Furniture On the -Stre t Of Dublin F!!!!:1315-2250 Delrr�elry�: