The Goderich Signal-Star, 1977-06-23, Page 2544,
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Bob Pearson, a local resident of Blyth is`the master carpenter with
the Blyth Summer Festival. He designs the sets for the-plars.The
Festival opens July 1. (staff photo)
Blyth Memorial Hall is the home of the Myth .Summer
Festival. Built in 1912 as a 'memorial to the veterans. of
World War 1, the hall has recently undergone extensive..
renovations. The theatre Inslde'seats,490 peop ands on its
way to being fully equipped. (staff photo)
y,.artistic director of the, Blyth Summer Festival, checks over a script. Roy
e plays, hires others in the company, including the actors and does some
He was one of the mtArIng forces behind the Festival when it began in 1975. He is
of York University's theatre program in Toronto. (staff photo)
Brenda Doner, is•the new publicity director for
the Blyth Summer Festival. She says she is
encouraged by the support given to the Festival.
Opening night is July 1. (staff photo)
oa€rich
130 YEAR -25
BY IOANNE WALTERS
Three years ago it might
have been hard to imagine
that professional summer
theatre performed in the tiny
village of Blyth could take
Western Ontario by storm.
But that is exactly what" the
Blyth Summer Festival
seems to be doing,
From a small organization
known .only in the local area,
the theatre company has
grown to win critical acrlaim
as a Canadian Summer
THURSDAY, JUNE 23, 1977
SECOND SECTION
heatre alive
Company doing plays of
quality and relevance.
The growth of the Blyth
Summer Festival is a modern
day success story involving
all the usual elements --hard
work, determination, en-
thusiasmand of course an
abundance of talent.
The Blyth Centre for the
,,Arts. an incorporated
charitable organization to
sponsor and promote artistic
events which reflect the
heritage and life styles of
Western Ontario, was born at
the right time and in the right
place, The area it would serve
was ripefor live theatre and
the area people were thirsty
for knowledge of their local
history and folklore heroes.
`tl,''TH MEMORIr1L HALL
It all began with the Blyth
Memorial Hall, now the home
of the Blyth Summer
Festival. The hall,' as the
name suggests, was built as a
memorial. to veterans of the
first world war in 1921, For
llfif(l
ter (in front), dire o y author of the'.ohlidren's"pita* Turkey. and Ron
Atage ly ll with a manager,
od tion orlar y J. Boyles A fOr the Summer th Burning (str aff
The Festivalto
y g. (staff photo
Patsy Lang, technical assistant with the Blyth
y,uttimer Festival, makes a phone call in search
Of props for the plays to be performed beginning
iiy l� (staff photo)
ns
r2�
limner Festival and Kate Trotter, a
thefr:r61 si 'Turke a chil4ren'0 play written by Jim.
�rw"�Yer
tiBaniti Theatre School in
p.fu :bh.August 12 and 19.
A�•
�ralll
'4.
$25.000, which was a lot of
money in those, days,
volunteer labor managed to
erect a beautiful building
housing an excellent theatre.
The arch stage was small but
the orchestra area could seat.
400 people and the theatre
thrived during the days of
vaudeville and community
musicals.
But there soon came a day.
when the theatre was less`
than popular. neglected and
finally forgotten. For twenty
years it was unused. It was
allowed to decay and even-
tually had to -be condemned,
All was not lost however,
Some concerned citizens,
aided by a $40,000 grant,
came to the rescue by fixing
the roof and restoring the
building for practical use.
One of the far sighted citizens
involved in saving the hall
was Keith Roulston,
publisher of the Blyth
Standard and Village Squire
magazine and now president.
of the board of directors of the
Blyth Centre for the Arts.
Paul" Thompson. artistic
director of the Theatre Passe
Muraille staged rehearsals
and a production in the newly
restored Blyth Meorial
Hall, Theatre Passe Muraille
is : best known " for such
productions as the Farm
Show, Them Donnellys, The
Horsburg Scandal and 1837.
Thompson was impressed
with the facilities of the Blyth
Memorial Hall. He saw
potential there. He put ar-
tistic director, James Roy in
touch with Keith Roulston.
Thompson, Roulston, Roy
and his wife Anne became the
moving forces behind the
Blyth Centre for the Art
formed in May 1975.
The organization set down
three main aims which were:
operating a professional
summer theatre. the Blyth
Summer Festival. to provide
reasonably priced summer
entertainment . of a kind
relevant to Western -Ontario;
continuing the development
of an ,audience for artistic
Turn to page _Tf� • --
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