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The Goderich Signal-Star, 1981-05-06, Page 19Audience left laughing GLT stages final play of the season BY JOANNE BUCHANAN Goderich Little Theatre's final production for this season, 'How The Other Half Loves', is likely to have left audiences laughing right into next season. Written by Alan Ayckbourn, the Neil Simon of British comedy, the play revolves around three couples whose lives- -in- termingle when the husband from one couple has an affair with the wife from another. The events and dialogue which follow are so hilarious that- even the cast cracked up a few times -just like in a Carol Burnette skit with Harvey Korman. Professional director, Patricia Carroll Brown, obviously knew what she was doing when she picked the cast for this play. Jim Thompson and Maureen Penn were perfect as William and Mary Feather- stone, a dull couple who quite innocently become caught up in the middle of marital dispute. Thompson and Penn com- plemented one another well -he as ,the short but -domineering -husband-and -she -as his nervous and introverted wife. Both showed a real comic flare and are so well matched that at one point in the play they are d ubbed'the Bobbsy Twins'. Pat King and Alison Hollingworth were also good.as Frank and Fiona Foster. He was a good-hearted but absent-minded type and she was his cheating wife - snobbish, but also clever. Don Mason and Evie McDonagh as Frank and Teresa Philips rounded out the cast. He portrayed poor husband material and she portrayed a sloppy housekeeper who was always finding herself in a mess. The play was a difficult one to do - because Of th setting but the cast managed well. The stage represented two living -dining rooms at once and the fur- niture and often the people , of the two places intermingled, most notably in the scene closing the first act when the hapless Featherstones were having Thursday night dinner with the Fosters and Friday night dinner with the Phillips all at the same time. This dinner scene was the funniest highlight of the play but plenty of comical events occurred in act two as well. 'How The Other Half Loves' was a good play to end the G.L.T. season with. All those people who saw it are sure to be clamoring, for season's, tickets again next year. The annual general meeting - dinner -dance will be held June 13 in ,the , Bedford Hotel dining room. Tickets are available from the G.L.T. executive members. Get involved with G.L.T. and have some fun. theGLT photos b Colleen Maguire � oderich Frank Foster (Pat King) and his wife Fiona (Alison Hulilagworth) cause a lot of trouble for everyone, he with his meddling and absent-mindedness and she with an affair, during GLT's season -end production entitled "How The Other Half Loves". S1GNJAL 133 YEAR -18 WEDNESDAY, MAY 6,1981 SECOND SECTION County s unique architectural character portrayed in Nick Hill's .third book Bob Phillips (Don Mason) can't seem to interest his wife Teresa (Evie McDonagh) in making his breakfast during GLT'sseason-end production entitled "How The Other Half Loves" BY JOANNE BUCHANAN Nick Hill, an architect and town planner working out of Goderich, feels that Huron County has a unique character. This character canbe found in the historic homes and public buildings located in the county's 16 rural townships, five towns, five villages and numerouil;' small hamlets. In celebration of the special character exuding from these buildings, Hill has produced a 133 -page book entitled 'Historic Streetscapes of Huron County'. The first 500 copies have only been on the shelves for a week but Hill feels a second printing will be done soon. - The book, which was four years in the making, features over 100 illustrations and 40 maps to show the rich and diverse ar- chitectural and planning heritage found in the 19th century streetscapes of the county's towns and villages. It discusses the settlement of many historic streets, their plan form and character and the 'building stock of commercial blocks, town halls, oPera houses, post offices, railway stations, hotels and residences. It is cot pletely written and illustrated by Hill. Four years sounds like a long time for writing a book but it was time enjoyably spent, says Hill.. , "It was mostly touring around the county and taking notes and making sketches of what I saw," he explains. Hill says he is trying to accomplish two main, purposes with his book. He is trying to celebrate 'a very . handsome and beautifal although sometimes shabby main street architecture' and he is also trying to show people of the area what exists in their neighbouring communities. Most of the downtown areas in the county's towns and villages have common ingredients with subtle variations, . he explains. "By bringing together the historic streetscapes, I'm trying to say that we really do have something here that gives the area character and value," says Hill. 'Historic Streetscapes' is the third book Hill hashad published in celebration of the, county's architecture. His first book was published six years ago and is called 'Hllstoric Buildings of Huron County'. His second was published three years agao and is called 'Historic Buildings of Goderich and Colborne Townships'. "I enjoyed doing that one in particular," he says. "It was a look at the farm houses and I'd like to address it again some time." Hill also plans to publish a fourth book some day on guidelines for conservation of historic homes and buildings. His most recent book was ,originally called 'The Appreciation and Conservation of Historic Streetscapes' but he had to leave out the 60 -page section on conservation because the extra pages would have necessitated book binding which costs a lot of money. "I had to compromise but at least it gives me some material with which to start another book," he says. Hill's latest book was published privately with the backing of the Huron County Branch of the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario, a society to which he belongs. He had trouble with publishers in Toronto. "They (the publiyshers) say that your book is very interesting but that it is too local. I think I'm slowly proving this to be " is failacy," heSays. He explains that publishers feel a run of 4,000 copies is good and he sees his latest book as easily selling that many copies. He also sees the local market growing. His first book sold only 25 per cent locally with the other 75 per cent selling in the cities, "I've a good mind to bang your heads together. You're such a couple of silifea," Drank Foster (Pat King) tells Mary Featherstone (Maureen Penn) and her husband William (Jim Thompson) during Goderich Little Theatre's final production of the season, "How The Other Half Loves", staged at MacKay Centre last week. mostly to people who, at one time, were associated with this . area in one way or another. Once his first book got a review in the London Free Press, it gained exposure anda regional market Hill sees his latest book selling 60 per cent or more locally. It is available at Anderson's Book Store in Goderich for $5 and can also be obtained by writing to the secretary of the Huron County Branch of the Architectural Conservancy of.Ontario, 84 Arthur Street, Goderich for 75 cents extra to cover mailing costs. Hill feels qualified in writing books about architecture and says, "My training has allowed me to define what it is about these , communities that give'people pleasure." Hill was bom in England and trained in architecture there. He left .his home country and moved to Toronto at age 22 in 1965:• He obtained his masters degree in architecture from the University of Toronto and joined the Huron County planning department in 1972. He sees his move in joining the planning department here as 'a good bit of luck'. The depart- ment was doing pioneering work in rural -planning and Huron was ,one of the first counties to have an official county plan. Hill says he also feels. fortunate in having had the opportunity to work with Gary Davidson, the man responsible for setting up the Huron County planning department and now reputed to be one Of the most innovative planners in the province. While working for the Huron County planning department, Hill got to know the whole area and in 1976 he and Chris Borgal started their own company known as Hill and Borgal Architects and Planners. The company specializes in the preservation and restoration of historic buildings and its office is located, co -incidentally, in a designated historic building in Goderich. Hill and Borgal have worked on projects in London, Essex, Southampton, -Kincardine and Stratford as well as in the local area. Hill says he likes to emphasize that he is not opposed.to new buildings. If buildings are shabby; derelict and unsafe, he feels they should be torn down. "The key thing is to ensure that the new building is sympathetic and, supportive to, the character of the other buildings around it," he says. While researching his latest book, Hill found that the town of Seaforth seemed to have the most historic buildings still in- tact. He was also impressed by the hamlet. of Fordwich. Although it has lost its economic stature, ithasa lovely setting. "Another good example of this is Ben - miller. It has a real association with the countryside. You can't tell where the hamlet starts and where the countryside ends," says Hill. He also finds the 'downtown streetscape of Clinton to be outstanding. Of Goderich, he says, 'It is one of those remarkable places with so many positives- -the Square, the lakefront, the harbor, the older residential areas, an able ad- ministration, a diverse working and residential population...and for a com- munity this size, there are really a lot of events going on." In his latest book, Hill has tried to pick out the main historic streets of each town, village and hamlet; to identify the basic building types; and then to highlight a few of the buildings.... •.. _ . ... - . Goderich illustrations include sections of the Square, town hall, the library, the Hughes residence, the Cauchi residence, the McManus residence, the 'Castle', the Dotterer residence, the Craven residence, Turn to page 2A Illustrations by Nick Hill Right - Goderich Library Below - Goderich town hall Ii, `nfnill Al lr 'I'-' 1 !I 11 I �II �ll InN . -1-. H M,a,iqlt :.y.,I1, ihl „�,ipr11111611H11l1U1l1"i1IIl,II�� '1r)1,1,.11.11'1'11:::.:01,1,ti!,,.1,1:',,..11:1111,1:Iiiilri'ill: ,pdxlm��,MNIIµ �'l' I:11n4i1lI mii rI 1*'! „n,1,,,,i,1,,,,i,,,, n uniiI01:: rIVlIl lI)1 I,1Jil • - r 'II t m IC