The Huron Expositor, 1978-07-06, Page 22Eleanor Besly
Publicist kept busy
roommate in Toronto, Donna
•FIrabluk, who is also Working with
the Blyth. Summer Festival, told
her about the position.. Eleanor
spoke to artistic director' James
Roy and got the job..
Of Blyth itself, Eleanor says.
"rm really enjoying it. 'I never
spent so much time in a small
town before: I've found' all the
people really friendly.
Eleanor is gohig back to York
for her third year this year and
hopes to become a psychologist.
ELEANOR BESLY
•-•
2 —THE BLYTH SUMMER FESTIVAL ISSUE, JULY 6, 1978
Heather is multi-talented
Heather Ritchie, an actress The next thing she did was at,
with the Blyth Summer Festival the . Persephone Theatre in.,
this year. has a list of theatre • Saskatchewan where she was in a
credits a • mile long and it all play. called the Power and the
started at the tender age of four Blood which was about evangelist
' ntien she was doing—amateur. , Aimee Semple McPherson and-
theat re. then she got involved in an
She started training' at the ill-fated production of Richard the
Ottawa Little. Theatre when she 1p.
Was in high school and then went She has also, done some small
to the .National Theatre School ' things for television. She did
which was located in Montreal .some principals for OECA and a
and Stratford at that time. She number •of commercials„„
was in the theatre school from Heather's talents seem to fie in
1 1964 to 1966 and she didn't work almost every- area of the. arts as
again till 1969 at Studio Lab she has also done some singing at
Theatre in Toronto in Dionysus. . the. Royal Conservatory in ,.-4. In the daytime fhe theatre Was 'Toronto and some dancing. She - •
doing children's shows . and has also studied with Jficque• FfEATHER RITCHIE
tourin . Later she trained .:with ... Lecsat4..._the....mime.,-. from .'Paris. •._ _ ..—ro jum- gii-mia-f-e-it: i,i.I. find some. . was also on the Gene Taylor show
Geer e Luscomb at Torontb • She .ctinio to Blyth this year . film ,work easier to__get.-1.autch----beeattSe • - of --lice - -positionf - - as rkshop Produetions and then after auditioning for artistic-- _ ._
Tract . -Siiiiie -work. at ' the. _publicist, . _, ... ", - .•- -- ------worked with. him for a season and ,directoriaines._Roy_in_Toronto.-She------- motftent:'"-:— -7- --. - ' .: - Eleanor lived in England from
did a number of shows that were also knew somebody who had ,. r . . . 1969 to 1972 then came' to Canada
collective creations.. Aff She says she has er that recently -been and took a general arts and
she worked for Factor.. Theatre working with a man who,has been science course at Humber
Lab in a .show, 'worked in the teaching acting on the methods of College. After .that she got -a job
Festival Of Underground Theatre, Stanislaysky a,nd Uta • Hagen at•Ontario Place then later went to
• then did a show with Theatre -which • Simply"' involves', "using • York University• where 'she, is still
Passe Muraille: . yourself... ' ' ' 'majoring in. psychology. Last year
Heather, 'then went to Ottawa she- taught,drama to children ages
and toured with a children's .. , . .. . - 7 to-• 14 in a summer school
months .S,he. took.somotrainingin— • -. „itm-es—Ro s--ai..-tirearn--- company for three or • four -j ci program. She has worked on.
masks and clowning which led to Artistic director James Roy was The next-year there were plays University. . .
WorliThii -a. Show, for the,' Theatre' .. the one with the dream before the written ' bY Alice. Munro Harry , ' She came to Blyth after. her
Hour Company which. involved reality of the Blyth . SumMer Boyle and Jim Schaefer who '
tightrope walking. She also did - Festival and four years later it's a recently moved out of Blyth to
another show at Theatre Passe, very successful reality. .. start op his own theatre in Port
-Muraille when . she was nine
After" the first season of the Stanley. • . ,• .
months pregnant, playing the . Festivl James• .wasn't exactly . Last year another play of Harry
Virgin Mary. Then she'took time sure where the festival would ,be BoYle's.p A..•• . Summer
Off to have:her :baby. going in . 1975 6.ife after the firSt Burning .was. adapted for the
Right after that ,s-he worked for . season' he then decided on all stage by James' wife Anne. They
the National Arts Centre once " Canadian theatre. ' . „ also did a play written by local
again, working in sho v.:; with . The first season the plays were - play wright .K.eith Roulston. The
masks and clowning. That led into adapted from Harry J. , BOyle's Shortest Distance BetWeen Two
touring .with -the - Royal Brothers books Mesitly' in Clover, A Pinch .Points• ' • . „
Circus for the summer..After that .of. Sin and 'Honiebrcw and over, James directed two. shows,
Heather was in the -Toronto • Patches and they were backed ep • at McMaster •University and ..
Workshop production of Ten. Lost by Agatha. Christie's The Mouse one for Theatre-Go-Round in
Yet,r, which - loured the. . Trap which didn't have the sarni l'°")iia•
Maritimes, •Britain and Holland. success the Canadian plays dial. The rest of the time James has
playwrights and applying for
grants.
Over the course of the winter
James reads a lot of plays to
'decide which ones will be used far
the summer, 10 or 12 of which will
be seriously considered for pro-
duction.
Eleanor Besly' publicist for the
Blyth Summer Festival, has lots
to keep her busy.
"I handle all the advertising; I
arrange interviews; I'm a liason
between the ticket outlets and the
'theatre, itself. I write all the press
releases", she told us. She also
speaks to different groups telling
them as much as she can about
the theatre and., the plays.. 'I just
do whatever has to be done,"' she
says.
In 1976, Eleanor was the
publicist fdr the Foruniat-Ontario
Place. She said this was a really
good experience because she did
a lot of public relations work,
setting up interviews between the
performers_ ,and theL _press,- She
worked in Blyth 'last -year and
enjoyed it.
..Myth is a pretty little town,"
Heather said.
As for her preference of films
or TV, Heather says, 'I'm trying
theatre productions. at York
..been working getting ready for _
McCain' s sta rted. young t
ii,,,acysnew6oisnenaism.:ttoirinugpw-tiltihe
Tom McCa'mus with his boyish
face looks more like a, school boy
off to seek his fortune, in the
world-, than he does an actor with
the Blyth Summer Festival.
Even so. his theatre credit list
is impressive. Toni started to get
involved in community theatre
while still in high. school. He later
got involved 'in Theatre London's
Young Company. After that he
decided to go' to the University of
because he had heard about the
Blyth Summer Festival from
friends who had been in the
theatre previously. He auditioned
for artistic director James Roy
and got himself a job.
Of his approach to his
characters. Tom. says. "Some-
times.' go and just work with the
script for a long time, till
something happens.
He Says this could have some-
thing to with the vital
characteristic of a Character. or a
physical pie4 of cosumeT---.
Toni says that he liked doing
"Stage stuff" but that he 'did a
commercial once and enjoyed
doing it. I-le says he would also
like to do film and TV work and
find out what it's like.
After the Blyth summer
Festival season is over, Toni will
be working at Theatre, London as
well as ' auditioning in other
places: Tom says he'd like to
travel around. the country for
awhile and to continue -acting.
JAMES ROY'
For a successful fourth season
TOM MCCAIVIUS
Windsor where he was taking a
Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA)
drama course. He went there for
three years but decided not to go
txtck for the last year. He left
school and went to work for
Theatre London and then came to
/Myth.
Tom once did some lighting
and other produCtion 'work, but
now he just acts. -His youthful
appearance gives him the ver-
satility of playing a 16 year old in
Gwendolitie and a 30 year old
government inspector in His Own
• Boss.'
Tom came to Blyth this Year