HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 2016-04-13, Page 7Wednesday, April 13, 2016 • Lucknow Sentinel 7
Heroes, history and hilarity on stage at Blyth Festival Theatre
Heroes and Heroines, His- Returning to the Blyth stage
tory and Hilarity, it's all on stage in Our Beautiful Sons: Remem-
this summer at the Blyth Festi- bering Matthew Dinning are
val from June 15 to September Festival favourites J.D.
3. "This year we will be doing Nicholsen and Rebecca Auer -
that singular magical thing that bach as Lincoln and Laurie
Blyth does best: premiering Dinning, TonyMunch as Mario,
four newplays"says Gil Garratt, Catherine Fitch as Gail, and
Artistic Director. Clinton native Cameron Laurie
Opening the 42nd season of as Brendon Dinning. Blyth wel-
the Blyth Festival will be Our comes newcomers Jesse Laver -
Beautiful Sons: Remembering combe as Matthew Dinning
Matthew Dinning byChristo- and Meghan Chalmers as
pher Morris from June 15 to Tanya.
August 6. This riveting new play Directing Our Beautiful Sons:
is based on the true story of a Remembering Matthew Din -
local family, the Dinning's of ning is Blyth Festival's Artistic
Wingham (just ten minutes Director, Gil Garratt. An artist
from Blyth). Their eldest son, with a long relationship to
Matthew, was a dynamic, Blyth, 2016 will markGil's 16th
funny, and charming young season with the festival, and his
man. Matthew's first posting second as artistic director. Gil's
with the Canadian Forces was eclectic career has carried him
at Petawawa in May 2004, as a coast to coast, and overseas,
member of the Military Police. collaborating with companies
In April of 2006, at 23 years all over Canada. Gil is the recip-
young, Cpl Matthew Dinning ient of a Dora Mavor Moore
was killed in Afghanistan. A award for Outstanding Perfor-
year later, his younger brother, mance, and has been nomi-
and the Dinning's only other nated for a Robert Merritt
child, Brendon, volunteered for award in Nova Scotia.
active service. The Canadian Gillian Gallow (Vimy, Pearl
Forces called his parents and Gidley) is designing the set and
asked them how to proceed. costumes, long time festival
Should they grant his request, favourite Rebecca Picherack is
knowing the sacrifice this fam- designing the lighting, and
ilyhadalreadymadefortheir Verne Good is the sound
country? Should they reject it? designer
How do a loving mom and dad The Birds and the Bees by
make a decision like this? This is Mark Crawford is next from
a play about the bonds of fam- June 22 to August 6. From the
ily, the search for bravery, and writer of 2014's runawayhit Stag
the always complicated paths and Doe, comes a raucous,
to manhood, motherhood, and hilarious new comedy with
peace. This powerful play was huge, honeyed, heart Aretired
written after extensive inter- empty -nester, Gail has been
views with the Dinning's quietly raising bees in solitude.
themselves. Unexpectedly, her grown
daughter Sarah returns home; it
seems twenty years of artifi-
ciallyinseminating turkeys has
taken a toll on Sarah's love life,
and she and her husband are
through. Throw in a meddle-
some neighbour, a little Internet
dating, and the last pair of tick-
ets
ickets to the final Turkey Days
Dance of all time, and you have
a racy recipe for relentless
laughter.
Starring in this hilarious
comedy is veteran stage and TV
star Nora McLellan (Orphan
Black, Killjoys, X -Files, Shaw
and Stratford Festivals) as Gail.
Beloved Blyth Festival alum
Marion Day plays Sarah. John
Dolan returns to the Blyth stage
as Earl the neighbour, and
young Christopher Allen makes
his Blyth debut as the irresisti-
ble Ben.
Ann Hodges is directing The
Birds and the Bees. Ann was
last in Blyth in 2012 when she
directed Beverley Cooper's The
Lonely Diner; Al Capone in
Euphemia Township. A hugely
celebrated director, Ann has
directed at theatres across Can-
ada and directed the Opening
Ceremonies of the 2002 North
American Indigenous Games.
The same team of Gallow,
Picherack, and Good are
designing.
If Truth Be Told by Beverley
Cooper runs from July 27 to
September 3. Inspired by the
fire and furor that surrounded
the bookbanning's throughout
Canada in the 1970's & 80's,
when authors like Alice Munro,
Margaret Laurence, J.D. Salin-
ger, and John Steinbeck were
being pulled from the shelves of
Submitted
Our Beautiful Sons:
Remembering Matthew
Dinning kicks off the Blyth
Festival Theatre season and
runs June 15 -Aug. 6, 2016.
local high schools, Cooper's
play looks unflinchingly at who
decides what we can or cannot
read.
Telling the story of fictional-
ized author Peg Dunlop, this
play captures an author at her
moment of truth; she has won
awards for her writing all over
the country, and made a
name for herself internation-
ally, all by writing stories set in
the small town where she
grew up. But when she moves
back to her old hometown,
her childhood friends and
neighbours are anything but
impressed, and soon a con-
certed campaign begins to
have her work banned in the
local high school. In her fight
against the zealous censors,
she befriends a teenage girl
who is herself an aspiring
young artist. What follows is a
high stakes lesson in what it
means to tell a good story, and
what it costs to fight the good
Kincardine and Lucknow animal rescues to benefit from April 23 fundraiser
Troy Patterson Owner Donna Coughlan We do not always know the
Editor said vet costs alone are in the trauma they have already
thousands each year, and been through before we get
Allies for Alley Catz has since it's operated by herself them so we can only do our
saved thousands of lives in on her own time, she has lim- best to deal with what they
the past six years of ited time to do fundraising. come in like."
operation. "We do it as much as we Cats are free roaming with a
The 'It's Raining Cats and can, however the animals cat enclosure for fresh air and
Dogs' fundraising dinner on must come first," said sunshine and a whole lot of
April 23, 2016 will once again Coughlan. "We work through cat tree inside so they may
bring funds to both it and the week as well. We do a watch nature from a safe
Lucknow Adopt -A -Pet Pet huge service to this area to
Rescue, after a sold out event take in strays, get them off
in2015. the streets and rehome
The event kicks off at 6 them."
p.m. at the Best Western Plus The organization does
Governor's Inn in Kincar- community service with the
dine, with a silent Auction cats with seniors and other
and bake sale, followed by a organizations.
buffet dinner at 7 p.m. Music "Since the open house in
will be provided by the band November of 2015 we have
'Easy Does It'. adopted out 16 cats to won -
Allies for Alley Catz is a pri- derful homes," she said. "We
vateNotforProfitCatRescue spay and neuter everyone
that needs continued com- who comes in and feed them
munity support to ensure its a healthy diet with supple -
operational costs are met. ments to ensure their health.
distance.
"Because costs are going up
and we are responsible to the
animals we really need our
community to come together
for this amazing family event,"
said Coughlan.
Tickets are $35 each or two
for $65 at Country Depot,
Remax Land Exchange, and
Queen Street Vet Clinic.
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fight.
Catherine Fitch stars as Peg
Dunlop, the author with a
fight on her hands, J.D.
Nicholsen plays Harry Briggs,
Rebbeca Auerbach is Maysie
Pigot, Meghan Chalmers is
Jennifer Pigot, and making her
Blyth debut is Anita La Selva
playing Carmella, a teacher
bent on defending Peg.
Miles Potter, who is direct-
ing If Truth Be Told, has made
an indelible mark on the Blyth
Festival with his steady hand
at the helm of such celebrated
plays as Innocence Lost: A
Play About Steven Truscott,
Pearl Gidley, and 2014's hit
Stag and Doe. Miles has
directed plays at virtually
every major theatre in the
country including nine pro-
ductions for the Stratford Fes-
tival and seventeen produc-
tions for the Royal Manitoba
Theatre Centre.
Steve Lucas (Innocence
Lost, Billy Bishop Goes to War,
Stompin' Tom) is designing
the set and lighting. 40 year
veteran of the Blyth stage,
Shawn Kerwin, is designing
the costumes, Beth Kates
(Seeds) is designing the pro-
jections, and Lyon Smith
(Mary's Wedding) is the
Sound Designer.
The Last Donnelly Standing
by Paul Thompson and Gil
Garratt is the final show to
open, playing from August 4
to September 2.
This is the ultimate epilogue
to the bloody Biddulph feuds.
After the 1880 massacre; in the
midst of the fraudulent trial of
the vigilantes that followed;
after the acquittals and the
justice by fire; when the rest of
the surviving Donnelly family
had moved away, Robert
Donnelly refused, and instead
took up residence in a house
on Lucan's main street,
opened his own hotel, and
stood pacing his porch as the
murderers among them
walked those very roads. The
Last Donnelly Standing
details the rise and fall of a
defiant young man, who
stood in the face of history,
and dared to burn it all down
with a smile.
Reprising a role he first
played in the colossal hit The
Outdoor Donnellys, Gil Gar-
ratt stars as Robert Donnelly
in this new one-man Ontario
Gothic tour -de -force full of
old time music and unsettled
souls.
Directing The Last Don-
nelly Standing is the legend-
ary Canadian theatre pioneer,
Paul Thompson. Hailing from
the Town of Atwood and the
farm fields outside Listowel,
few directors have had an
impact on the cultural land-
scape of the country the way
Paul has. He has received a
number of awards including
four Canada Council for the
Arts Awards, a Dora Mavor
Moore Award, an honorary
doctorate from the University
of Western Ontario, and has
been named an officer of the
Order of Canada.
Beth Kates is designing the
set, costumes, and lighting for
the show while Lyon Smith is
designing the soundscape.
The Blyth Festival Box
Office is now open for ticket
sales. Passes for the 2016 sea-
son are on sale until April 30 at
a substantial savings over sin-
gle ticket prices. Call
519.523.9300, Toll Free 1-877-
862-5984 or visit blythfestival.
COM
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